Tami Hoag's "The Boy" is the second book in the Broussard and Fourcade series, but it reads well as a stand-alone novel. The characters are realistic and well-developed, and the plot is intense and fast-moving.
The book opens with the murder of a seven-year-old boy. His mother, Genevieve, escapes the scene with injuries. She describes the attacker as looking like "the devil." When Detective Annie Broussard interviews Genevieve, she is left with more questions than answers. What happened that night? How did Genevieve escape? Who is the killer?
Annie's husband, Detective Nick Fourcade, must sort out many puzzling facts as they come to light. Complicating the situation, the boy's thirteen-year-old babysitter comes up missing. Who saw her last? Her mother? Her bullying brother? Her best friend?
Add into the mix the county sheriff who seems to be more concerned with his image than with solving the case. Then top that off with an incompetent CSI investigator who is cronies with the sheriff. Both of the men hate Nick. As it comes to light that Genevieve has old connections to the sheriff and the investigator, Nick becomes increasingly frustrated. To make it even more interesting, the sheriff's fiancée and her son become involved in the story.
The plot is full of entanglements. The reader's suspicions race from one suspect to another, making for a page-turner. Even if you haven't read the first novel in the series, "A Thin Dark Line," you will love this well-told book. Hoag scores a winner!