Guilty As Sin

Guilty As Sin

 By Tami Hoag (1997)

The unthinkable happened once in this small Minnesota town when a child was abducted.  Then the unthinkable happened yet again, when another boy, Dustin Holloman, is abducted.  Are the two cases connected?  Is the alleged kidnapper currently being held in jail for abducting Josh Kirkwood also responsible for kidnapping Dustin Holloman?  Or does the alleged kidnapper have an accomplice who is assisting him?

Prosecutor Ellen North is on the case with her trusty assistant Cameron at her side.  Also aiding in the fight is author Jay Butler Brooks, a writer of true crime books, who has come to Deer Lake, Minnesota trying to put the demons of his past to rest by losing himself in this kidnapping case. 

There's a twist to the case though when Ellen begins receiving cryptic messages in her office stuffed into her law books, scratched on the paint of her car doors, and eventually witnesses her car being blown up.  Enter Nick Costello the attorney for the alleged kidnapper.  Who has hired Nick Costello and how did they know of Ellen and Nick's past relationship?  What does all this mean and where is the author leading us?  At the center of the story, what will happen to Dustin Holloman?

Once again, author, Tami Hoag has outdone herself with the second installment of the "Sin" series.  Many times the second book of any series will be lacking in a variety of ways and usually  relies heavily on keeping the reader abreast of what happened in the earlier book.  That is not the case here.  Each book can stand on its own independently but read together the experience is a rich tapestry that the reader can sink their teeth into.  There are adult situations in this book as well but they are brief and to the point and don't detract from the story as they did in the earlier book.  If you read the first book "Night Sins", you won't want to miss "Guilty As Sin".