Down the Darkest Road: Oak Knoll, Book 3

I gave this 3 stars mainly because I was expecting more from Tami Hoag. . This book I found to be ok. This story is about a mother, Lauren, who's 16 year old daughter, Leslie, was taken 4 years earlier & she doesn't know what has happened. She is certain that Roland Ballencoa was the one who took her daughter but there is no proof and the police can't do anything. To add to Lauren's grief her husband was also killed in a car accident 2 years after the disappearance of their daughter (everyone thinks he drove off the road on purpose). This book is about Lauren and her quest to make Roland pay & get justice for her daughter Leslie. If Lauren didn't have another child, Leah, I might could have admire her dedication to finding her daughter's kidnapper/murderer. My problem with her dedication is it comes at the expense of her other daughter. Leah was just an afterthought for her. Leah had problems and issues from the disappearance of her sister too, but Lauren was so engrossed in her own grief & problems she left Leah to deal with it on her own, which she does by cutting herself. Lauren even recognizes she is not being a good mother to her remaining daughter but does nothing to change her behavior. I also don't know if it was because it was on Kindle & maybe we get abridge version but I can't remember Tami Hoag just throwing something about a character out there & leaving it. The cutting is never addressed by book end. Even after she goes to the hospital with injuries. I can only hope this means there will be another book in this series so we can find out about Leah, really don't' care to see how Lauren is doing. Also slight and I do mean slight hint of romance for Tony, the deputy sheriff from the previous two books. No real mystery in the book.Since this was supposed to be a continuous from the previous 2 Oak Knoll books, I expected it to have more on the previous characters. A few of the characters were present, Anne, Tony, Wendy, & Vince. I was disappointed that no mention of Dennis or what happened to him. It was good to see what was new with Anne & Vince. I am hoping Tami does continue this series not so much because of this book but there are still too many unanswered questions from the previous two books.If you haven't read the other two books you might enjoy and find this book interesting. If you have read the previous two, I think you too with be disappointed. Again not one of my favorite's from Tami Hoag. She can do better.

This was quite an interesting book from many different angles and levels. In my opinion, the author spent too much time telling the reader over and over again the agony and mental suffering each of the main characters were experiencing. Enough was enough, I got it the first few times and by the end of the book, it was becoming very boring. At the same time the characters grew into more desperate people as time went on and as a reader was quite intrigued as they began to change roles. At the end the plot took a little bit of a twist that I didn't see coming but the outcome was fairly predictable to say the least. I was disappointed that with all the time the author spent telling readers of the anguish and torment of the mother and sister, the ending was very disjointed from the story line. I was disappointed in how it ended, even if there was a little twist. I rated it as four stars simply because, even though it left me wanting more at the end, I did enjoy the reading. It didn't get five stars from me because of the redundancies in the mid points of the book.

Tami Hoag is a must read author for me and I was really disappointed in this book. Spoilers ahead: It seems as if she wrote the first three chapters and then simply repeated them changing the dialogue here and there. I don't think she fleshed out some of the characters, there were extremely important psychological issues with the daughter that were not resolved. Her previous involvement with detectives on the case described her as a horrible Bitch who caused them no end of aggravation yet when questioned they were sympathetic to her situation to the point that they would have tortured and killed the suspect themselves so what is it? Is she a horrible Bitch that won't leave them alone or is she justified in her feelings. I felt that the Mendez character was the only likable main character in this book. I also felt that the PI was superfluous and the sexual encounter was completely out of context. She did bring in some characters from previous books which I like to see but they were way out on the fringes and didn't contribute to the story line in a big way. To be honest I bought the book, read the reviews and almost didn't read it. I skimmed through most of it. I will continue to read her but this one was a waste of time.

I absolutely loved this series. Tami Hoag does a great job of keeping the suspense sharp and the pacing fast and this novel is no exception.This novel does have quite a different feel to it than the first two in the series. The first two novels in the series seem to feature Detective Mendez and Vince Leone a great deal while this novel is more focused on Lauren Lawton who is a grief strictened mother who is convinced that she knows who killed oldest daughter and has gotten away with it. Now she is in a battle of wits with the man but must also protect her other daughter in a new town known as Oak Knoll. Mendez, Vince (he is hardly in this novel at all) and Anne Leone are more secondary characters in this story, rather than main characters. And although Mendez once again is trying to rescue a damsel in distress, Laura is the main character.I will say that I enjoyed this novel as much as the previous two. Suspense, Pacing and characters are a strength in this novel just like with the others. And while I will say their are some fairly major differences in how this story is told, I believe that if you're a fan of first two this is a can't miss.Grade: A+

It is rare to find a book you need to make preparations to read, Down the Darkest Road is one.Set aside a complete day free of any kind of interruption, prepare snacks, drinks, warm clothing, and a good reading light, as once you start this book you cannot put it down, which if anything like me, was way into the wee small hours!The story is set in Oak Knoll, and there are walk on parts by characters from Tami's two previous books, but the story can stand perfectly alone without their support. Even the name Oak Knoll instills dark forebodings bringing to mind the Romans and the Nazis use of oak leaves for insignia, and Knoll as in grassy knoll in the JFK assassination!Despite having everything a woman dreams of, tragedy arrives at the door of Lauren Lawton when a stalker abducts her elder daughter. The story starts six years later, after an in depth police investigation, a media storm, and after no body is found and no one is charged.They relocate to Oak Knoll so that she and her younger child can move to the next phase of their lives in a house Down the Darkest Road. Lauren makes some iffy choices, which have stark consequences, all of which will keep you sitting on the edge of your seat.Through a clever and detailed plot, we are led, step by step, page by page, in the treads of Lauren's plan to provoke a conclusion to the awful situation.Detailing the plot here would spoil it for other readers.This well-written book is not for the faint of heart; it is graphic, it is passionate, with a powerful finale. It has the intensity of Ashes to Ashes, and had the promise of Dark Horse.Tami has a gift for metaphor and simile: on page 117 we learn of Lauren's purchase of a full-size male silhouette at the gun target range! and on page 151 Lauren feels her interaction with the police is "another verse in a poem of futility".I will think of this book each time I fill my washing machine!Fulfilling, enjoyable read. Recommended.

Started to read this book after dinner (never a good idea),by page 135 it was 1:30 and I couldn't keep my eyes open but I got out of bed to check that the front door was locked and bolted, the windows shut,before turning out the light! THAT'S the kind of book it is!

I have read all Tami Hoag's books and this is not one of the best. It was quite boring in bits as it concentrated on Lauren's disturbed state of mind. I have no doubt that Lauren is a life like depiction of a mother faced with the loss of a child and a suspect walking around free but it doesn't make her a sympathetic character or her troubles particularly engaging.What is more interesting is the evolution of stalking laws over the past 25 years. It is inconceivable nowadays that a stranger would be breaking no laws by taking pictures of children in a park or that the police could or would do nothing about perceived harassment.This book ramps up to an action packed finale but getting there was, for me, tedious in parts.

Gripping. I kept having to stop reading it at times because I was worried about what was going to happen next! didn’t want it to end though. Can’t wait to see what Tami comes up with next

A scary book that could make you afraid to live your daily life. A story of what can happen in real life. What makes humans like this? If they can even be called humans.