Author: Tami Hoag
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: May 2013
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska return to investigate the death of a Jane Doe in New York Times bestseller Tami Hoag’s short story The 1st Victim.
New Year’s Day is a time for new beginnings, but Minneapolis homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are focused on endings: specifically, the tragic end of their latest murder victim, an unidentified young woman discovered on the side of the freeway. Believed to be the victim of a serial killer, Kovac and Liska are determined to do the girl the small justice of returning her body to her family as they investigate her case, but it is no simple task matching the broken corpse to any of the scores of missing persons reports, especially when no one seems to be looking for her.
Meanwhile, recent widow Jeannie Reiser is frantic when she is unable to get in touch with her daughter, Rose, who, as an eighteen-year-old, is a legal adult rather than a missing child in the eyes of the law. Jeannie’s desperate attempts to get the police to believe her child is in trouble lead her closer and closer to the New Year’s Doe and to an evil even Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska may be unable to stop.
My Thoughts: The 1st Victim is a short story that introduces us to Doc Holiday, the serial killer who we get to know better in The 9th Girl and whose actions are a direct catalyst for Cold, Cold Heart.
As with most short stories, there isn’t a lot of time spent fleshing out or otherwise developing the characters and I normally don’t read short stories for that reason. But when they are part of a series, they are more a filler story, bridging a gap between books where the character development really happens. With some series, it’s a treat for the readers; a fix to get them through their DT’s of waiting for the next book.
I can’t say I loved this story but I did enjoy it and spending time with Nicki and Sam are always a treat. This story was more of a preview, of sorts, of what is coming down the road for Nicki and Sam. As homicide detectives, they have seen their share of the heinous and horrendous. They work perfectly as a team, always there for one another and having each other’s back. Their partnership is the kind we should all strive to have with our workmates. Tami Hoag does a brilliant job of creating characters that readers easily connect to and empathize with. Even the characters that the readers do not like are able to grab the attention of the reader, keeping them engaged throughout the story.
Unfortunately there are no happy endings or justice for the victim’s family in this book. The killer is just getting started and his reign of terror is far from over. I recommend this book to readers of mysteries, thrillers and police procedurals. The suspense isn’t as nail-biting as the author’s earlier books, but this is a short story and a good segue into the next book.
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