Rumor Has It
Authors: Tami Hoag
Dear Reader,
I'm often asked how I got my start as a writer. When I tell them that my first novels were romances for Bantam's Loveswept line, they're often surprised. Although this genre may seem as though it's quite different from the suspense I now write, the two have more in common than it seems.
For me, every good story has two essential elements: characters to fall in love with and a mystery to be solved—whether it's an unsolved crime or that complex emotion that bewilders us most of all: love. Even the most sophisticated murder plot can't compare to the perplexing inner mechanisms of the human heart.
In
Rumor Has It,
Katie Quaid meets Nick Leone, a Yankee heartthrob with a mysterious past and a rogue's smile that seems to dare Katie to unmask him. The proper Southern lady has her own deep secrets and, for years, has buried herself in her work, restoring historic homes, while trying to recover from an accident that destroyed a lifelong dream. Nick vows to melt the walls of the woman others call an ice princess. Will they be able to build a love that bridges two different dreams?
I loved writing about Katie and Nick's journey years ago, and hope that you'll enjoy it today.
All my best,
Tami Hoag
THE ALIBI MAN
“Captivating thriller… [Elena] is a heroine readers will want to see more of.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Hard to put down.”
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Washington Post
“A superbly taut thriller. Written in a staccato style that will have readers racing through the pages… Will leave readers breathless and satisfied.”
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Booklist
“A suspenseful tale, with a surprising ending; the author once again has constructed a hard-hitting story with interesting characters and a thrilling plot.”
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Midwest Book Review
“Elena Estes [is] one of Hoag's most complicated, difficult and intriguing characters…. Hoag enhances a tight mystery plot with an over-the-shoulder view of the Palm Beach polo scene, giving her readers an up-close-and-personal look at the rich and famous….
The Alibi Man
is her best work to date.”
—BookReporter.com
“An engrossing story and a cast of well-drawn characters.”
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
“[Hoag] gets better with every book. One of the tautest thrillers I have read for a long while.”
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Bookseller
(UK)
“Hoag certainly knows how to build a plot and her skill has deservedly landed her on bestseller lists numerous times.”
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South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Hoag has a winner in this novel where she brings back Elena Estes.… Hoag is the consummate storyteller and creator of suspense.”
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Mystery News
“Tami Hoag weaves an intricate tale of murder and deception…. A very well-written and thought-out murder/ mystery. Hoag is able to keep you guessing and you'll be left breathless until all the threads are unwoven and the killer is revealed.”
—FreshFiction.com
PRIOR BAD ACTS
“A snappy, scary thriller.”
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Entertainment Weekly
“Stunning… Here [Hoag] stands above the competition, creating complex characters who evolve more than those in most thrillers. The breathtaking plot twists are perfectly paced in this compulsive page-turner.”
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Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“A chilling thriller with a romantic chaser.”
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New York Daily News
“A first-rate thriller with an ending that will knock your socks off.”
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Booklist
“An engrossing thriller with plenty of plot twists and a surprise ending.”
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OK!
magazine
“A chilling tale of murder and mayhem.”
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BookPage
“The in-depth characterization and the unrelenting suspense are what makes
Prior Bad Acts
an outstanding read. Gritty and brutal at times,
Prior Bad Acts
delivers a stunning novel of murder, vengeance and retribution…. Riveting and chilling suspense.”
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Romance Reviews Today
KILL THE MESSENGER
“Excellent pacing and an energetic plot heighten the suspense…. Enjoyable.”
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Chicago Tribune
“Everything rings true, from the zippy cop-shop banter, to the rebellious bike messenger subculture, to the ultimate, heady collision of Hollywood money, politics, and power.”
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Hoag's usual crisp, uncluttered storytelling and her ability to make us care about her characters triumph in
Kill the Messenger.”
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Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
“A perfect book. It is well written, and it has everything a reader could hope for…. It cannot be put down…. Please don't miss this one.”
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Kingston (MA) Observer
“[A] brisk read… it demonstrates once again why [Hoag's] so good at what she does.”
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San Francisco Chronicle
“Action-filled ride… a colorful, fast-paced novel that will keep you guessing.”
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Commercial Appeal
“High-octane suspense… Nonstop action moves the story forward at a breath-stealing pace, and the tension remains high from beginning to end…. Suspense at its very best.”
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Romance Reviews Today
“Hoag's loyal readers and fans of police procedural suspense novels will definitely love it.”
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Booklist
“Kill the Messenger
will add to [Hoag's] list of winners…. This is a fast-moving thriller with a great plot and wonderful characters. The identity of the killer is a real surprise.”
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Somerset (PA) Daily American
“Engaging… the triumph of substance over style… character-driven, solidly constructed thriller.”
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Publishers Weekly
“Hoag upholds her reputation as one of the hottest writers in the suspense genre with this book, which not only has a highly complex mystery, multilayered suspense and serpentine plot, but also great characterizations … an entertaining and expertly crafted novel not to be missed.”
—CurledUp.com
DARK HORSE
“A thriller as tightly wound as its heroine… Hoag has created a winning central figure in Elena…. Bottom line: Great ride.”
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People
“This is her best to date…. [A] tautly told thriller.”
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Hoag proves once again why she is considered a queen of the crime thriller.”
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Charleston (SC) Post & Courier
“A tangled web of deceit and double-dealing makes for a fascinating look into the wealthy world of horses juxtaposed with the realistic introspection of one very troubled ex-cop. A definite winner.”
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Booklist
“Anyone who reads suspense novels regularly is acquainted with Hoag's work—or certainly should be. She's one of the most consistently superior suspense and romantic suspense writers on today's bestseller lists. A word of warning to readers: don't think you know whodunit ‘til the very end.”
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Clute (TX) Facts
“Suspense, shocking violence, and a rip-roaring conclusion—this novel has all the pulse-racing touches that put Tami Hoag books on bestseller lists and crime fans’ reading lists.”
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Baton Rouge Advocate Magazine
“Full of intrigue, glitter, and skullduggery… [Hoag] is a master of suspense.”
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Publishers Weekly
“Her best to date, an enjoyable read, and a portent of even better things to come.”
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Grand Rapids Press
“A complex cerebral puzzle that will keep readers on the edge until all the answers are revealed.”
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Midwest Book Review
“To say that Tami Hoag is the absolute best at what she does is a bit easy since she is really the only person who does what she does…. It is a testament to Hoag's skill that she is able to go beyond being skillful and find the battered hearts in her characters, and capture their beating on the page…. A superb read.”
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Detroit News & Free Press
BANTAM TITLES BY TAMI HOAG
The Alibi Man
Prior Bad Acts
Kill the Messenger
Dark Horse
Dust to Dust
Ashes to Ashes
A Thin Dark Line
Guilty as Sin
Night Sins
Dark Paradise
Cry Wolf
Still Waters
Lucky's Lady
The Last White Knight
Straight from the Heart
Tempestuous/The Restless Heart
Taken by Storm
Heart of Dixie
Mismatch
Man of Her Dreams
“H
E CAN'T BE
single,” Mary Margaret McSwain said, adjusting the focus on her binoculars as she peered at the store across the street. “He's too good- looking. It's McSwain's Law: If a man's gorgeous, he has to be married, gay, or a serial killer.”
Zoe Baylor shoved a book of wallpaper samples out of her way and leaned across the oak table, bracing her long dark hands against the window frame as she tried to get a better look without benefit of magnifying lenses.
“Mary Margaret,” Katie Quaid called in a
warning tone as she struggled in the back door of the store, her tiny frame weaving under the weight of books of drapery swatches. After the day she'd had, she wouldn't have refused a hand, but her friends seemed too preoccupied to offer. “I don't want to hear another one of your stories about serial killers. Mrs. Pruitt changed her mind again about the color of the guest room. If you describe to me one more brutal way to do away with somebody, no one is liable to find Mrs. Pruitt for a long, long time.”
Katie dropped the drapery samples on her desk with a horrendous crash. Neither of the women staring out the window so much as flinched. The tip of Zoe's nose dotted the plate glass in front of her like that of a hungry kid looking in a bakery window. Katie's business partner, known as Maggie to her friends, was kneeling on her chair, her well- rounded bottom sticking up as she leveled a pair of binoculars at some point across the street.
“Maggie, what on earth are you doing?” Katie asked. She knew her friend already had a solidly established reputation for being a flake. Spying on
people with binoculars was not going to improve matters.
“I'm spying on the Adonis in the store across the street.” Maggie sighed and moaned, never lowering her binoculars. “Haven't you heard? That old building was sold two days ago.”