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Oak Knoll #2
Secrets to the Grave
For the first time in trade paperback, #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag's second thriller in the Oak Knoll microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence—and the nature of evil.
Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.
When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See-No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child's voice saying, "My daddy hurt my mommy."
Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won't fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne's life is hectic enough—she's a newlywed and a part-time student in child psychology, plus she's the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne's heart is stolen.
As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham's life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.
Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.
When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See-No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child's voice saying, "My daddy hurt my mommy."
Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won't fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne's life is hectic enough—she's a newlywed and a part-time student in child psychology, plus she's the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne's heart is stolen.
As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham's life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.
480 pages, Paperback
First published December 28, 2010
1773 people are currently reading
8865 people want to read
About the author
Tami Hoag
101 books6,152 followersTami Hoag is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers—BITTER SEASON, COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with NIGHT SINS, and each of her books since has been a bestseller.
She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,483 reviews
September 29, 2016
Very enjoyable suspense story. It starts with the murder of a young single mother who is found stabbed to death multiple times, her body mutilated. Her 4-year-old daughter, Haley, is the only witness to the crime, but Haley is shutting out the memories of what she saw. The story was fast-paced and told from multiple points of view. The crime scenes were grisly and the violence graphic. This was book 2 in Tami Hoag's Oak Knoll series, so there are a lot of familiar faces from the first book, Deeper Than the Dead. It had an interesting cast of characters, as there seem to be a lot of crazies running around Oak Knoll which made for a wide variety of suspects. I enjoyed the 1986 setting, before many advances were made with DNA, forensics, computers, etc. This book could be read as a stand-alone although there were many references to events that took place in the previous book, which means there will be spoilers from Deeper Than the Dead.
April 2, 2020
"Zonder meer een aanrader, maar lees zeker boek 1 ‘dieper dan de doden’ vooraleer hieraan te beginnen. Je mist anders immers een hoop informatie die hier wel van pas kan komen. Ik geef geheimen in het graf een mooie 4 sterren! Ik kijk uit naar het laatste deel in deze reeks!"
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020...
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2020...
March 4, 2025
A small child’s plea to 911 … “My daddy hurt my mommy”!
SECRETS TO THE GRAVE, the 2nd instalment in Tami Hoag’s OAK KNOLL trilogy, picks up precisely where DEEPER THAN THE DEAD left off. The pedal is down to the metal and the throttle is wide opening from the opening paragraph. Hoag doesn’t give a flabbergasted reader a moment’s respite to grab a breath. And don’t even think about digging into SECRETS TO THE GRAVE without reading the opening novel first. The characters, the back story and the circumstances that open the novel will be totally meaningless to any reader who tries.
Having barely recovered from their arrest of the predatory “See No Evil” killer, detective Tony Mendez and FBI consultant Vince Leone are set reeling by the vicious stabbing of a woman and the attempted strangulation of her four year old daughter.
While it has to be admitted that there is nothing unique or earth shattering about the basic plot set-up of this particular suspense thriller, no reader could deny Hoag’s ability to keep the reader glued to their seat frenetically turning pages – twists and turns; red herrings; lots of high speed action; well-developed characters with plenty of depth; police procedures; the atmosphere of American culture in the 1980s; growing romance and love; and an abundance of interesting and informative side plots on topics as diverse as child psychology, pyromania, the treatment of violent young offenders, homosexuality, and high-functioning autism.
Highly recommended. And it goes without saying that DOWN THE DARKEST ROAD, the final installment of the OAK KNOLL trilogy is now high on my TBR list.
Paul Weiss
SECRETS TO THE GRAVE, the 2nd instalment in Tami Hoag’s OAK KNOLL trilogy, picks up precisely where DEEPER THAN THE DEAD left off. The pedal is down to the metal and the throttle is wide opening from the opening paragraph. Hoag doesn’t give a flabbergasted reader a moment’s respite to grab a breath. And don’t even think about digging into SECRETS TO THE GRAVE without reading the opening novel first. The characters, the back story and the circumstances that open the novel will be totally meaningless to any reader who tries.
Having barely recovered from their arrest of the predatory “See No Evil” killer, detective Tony Mendez and FBI consultant Vince Leone are set reeling by the vicious stabbing of a woman and the attempted strangulation of her four year old daughter.
While it has to be admitted that there is nothing unique or earth shattering about the basic plot set-up of this particular suspense thriller, no reader could deny Hoag’s ability to keep the reader glued to their seat frenetically turning pages – twists and turns; red herrings; lots of high speed action; well-developed characters with plenty of depth; police procedures; the atmosphere of American culture in the 1980s; growing romance and love; and an abundance of interesting and informative side plots on topics as diverse as child psychology, pyromania, the treatment of violent young offenders, homosexuality, and high-functioning autism.
Highly recommended. And it goes without saying that DOWN THE DARKEST ROAD, the final installment of the OAK KNOLL trilogy is now high on my TBR list.
Paul Weiss
May 15, 2024
3.0 Stars
I loved the first book but struggled with this follow up novel. I found the premise objectively interesting but somehow the actual narrative wasn't as compelling as I wanted it to be.
I loved the first book but struggled with this follow up novel. I found the premise objectively interesting but somehow the actual narrative wasn't as compelling as I wanted it to be.
September 2, 2020
A little girl witness her mother being murdered. She was strangled by the killer, but survived. Investigation went in circles with little progress while the girl was too traumatized to speak about the crime besides she's just 4 years old. Sounds like an interesting plot, but for some strange reason I couldn't keep my attention to the story.
February 21, 2013
Secrets to the Grave
This is a sequel to Deeper than the Dead set a few months later in 1986. Vince Leone is living in Oak Knoll, having retired from the FBI & married to Anne Navarre. He still offers his services as a consultant around the USA while Anne Navarre has quit teaching to pursue a degree in child psychology.
A local artist, a single mother, slaughtered with her four-year-old child near death herself. Marissa was stabbed dozens of time while Haley, the child, was smothered & left for dead. Haley manages to survive & is put in the protective custody of Vince and Anne while she recovers.
The mystery is convoluted with odd red herrings and suspects who are in the closet, cheaters, or autistic. The solutions to the mysteries that are produced are bizarre and weird. Frankly, Oak Knoll sounds like a terrible place to live and I’d move immediately.
Bottom-line: Seriously, I don’t know if I could in good conscious recommend this. If you really enjoyed the first book & want to see these characters, sure, why not? The loose ends from the last book aren’t tied up, but I don’t know if I’d risk spending my time plowing thru a third book.
This is a sequel to Deeper than the Dead set a few months later in 1986. Vince Leone is living in Oak Knoll, having retired from the FBI & married to Anne Navarre. He still offers his services as a consultant around the USA while Anne Navarre has quit teaching to pursue a degree in child psychology.
A local artist, a single mother, slaughtered with her four-year-old child near death herself. Marissa was stabbed dozens of time while Haley, the child, was smothered & left for dead. Haley manages to survive & is put in the protective custody of Vince and Anne while she recovers.
The mystery is convoluted with odd red herrings and suspects who are in the closet, cheaters, or autistic. The solutions to the mysteries that are produced are bizarre and weird. Frankly, Oak Knoll sounds like a terrible place to live and I’d move immediately.
Bottom-line: Seriously, I don’t know if I could in good conscious recommend this. If you really enjoyed the first book & want to see these characters, sure, why not? The loose ends from the last book aren’t tied up, but I don’t know if I’d risk spending my time plowing thru a third book.
August 15, 2016
Decent second installment in the Oak Knoll series.
While this can be read as a stand alone, many of the characters and scenarios are continuations from the first novel.
As a whole, I really like Hoag's writing, which is competent and smooth. The characters in this series aren't as strong as some other series I've read, but they're good enough. What I really find compelling about her books is her efforts to explore through fiction the anatomy of a killer. Mysteries and who-done-its are fun, but they are more fun when they seriously address the why in a way that only fiction can. Hoag has obviously read her share of books by experts, which I think imparts her books with a level of authenticity that is often lagging in other similar reads.
Of course, as is often the case with this type of book, the coincidences abound, at times to the point of absurdity, but that's more a function of this genre than it is a deficiency in the writing.
While this can be read as a stand alone, many of the characters and scenarios are continuations from the first novel.
As a whole, I really like Hoag's writing, which is competent and smooth. The characters in this series aren't as strong as some other series I've read, but they're good enough. What I really find compelling about her books is her efforts to explore through fiction the anatomy of a killer. Mysteries and who-done-its are fun, but they are more fun when they seriously address the why in a way that only fiction can. Hoag has obviously read her share of books by experts, which I think imparts her books with a level of authenticity that is often lagging in other similar reads.
Of course, as is often the case with this type of book, the coincidences abound, at times to the point of absurdity, but that's more a function of this genre than it is a deficiency in the writing.
February 28, 2011
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway and I feel very lucky to have gotten it! It is a terrific book.
This is the first book I have read by Tami Hoag, but I now consider myself a fan. The book never has a slow spot and for its over 400 pages is a very quick read.
I highly recommend "Secrets to the Grave." If you like Harlan Coben and Tana French, this is definitely a book for you!
This is the first book I have read by Tami Hoag, but I now consider myself a fan. The book never has a slow spot and for its over 400 pages is a very quick read.
I highly recommend "Secrets to the Grave." If you like Harlan Coben and Tana French, this is definitely a book for you!
February 7, 2017
I can honestly say that this book creeped me out a lot. With Hoag setting the first scene with a graphic description of the murder victim, and how our bodies break down after death, I may have been off food for several hours while I finished this book.
It seems this days I am destined to read book series out of order. I read book #3 last year, and finally went and bought book #2. I will so just go buy book #1 just so I can complete the "Oak Knoll" series eventually though.
Unlike with book #1, the town of Oak Knoll is not dealing with another serial killer. Instead, a single mother (Marissa Fordham) is found hacked to pieces. Marissa's four year old daughter is also found and it's apparent whoever killed her mother, thought they killed her too. When the sheriff is called into investigate, they find themselves trying to figure out who hated Marissa enough to end her life. This leads several characters down a long winding path of trying to figure out who Marissa is, why did she move to Oak Knoll, and who could have hated her enough to kill her.
I have read enough of Tami Hoag's books to be familiar with how her book flow will go. She tends to have several POVs in the book. In this one she has detective Tony Mendez, child advocate Anne Leone, retired FBI agent, Vince Leone. We also have a woman who is dealing with the fact that her marriage is over, her daughter, a troubled young boy that Anne is trying to be there for, Marissa's best friend who also lives in Oak Knoll, etc. At times the book felt a bit too messy with trying to follow the main plot and the sub-plots that popped up.
I did think though that the final reveal of the main plot didn't make a lot of sense to me. I think due to the dozens of red herrings we get while reading, still had me going huh at the end. And of course I maybe got a little bit tired of the Anne is in danger again thing that kept happening. At one point I wondered if it would be better if she was just had police protection wherever she went.
I didn't really jibe with any one character. Probably because for except for Tony, the other characters don't pop up in book #3. I heard from a friend that if I read book #1, that maybe I will like everyone in this book more. Hope so. My main thoughts are that Anne and Tony were unprofessional throughout. And the whole what will happen to Marissa's daughter thing didn't sit well at all with me when we find out about her beginnings as well.
The writing is typical Hoag, though I have to say I hated the whole jump scare thing she had going on at the end of certain chapters. We would have Vince staring at a door and thinking someone is inside and the book would do "And Vince would wish that he was faster" and the book would skip into another chapter.
Probably the best thing about these books is that it is set in the early 1980s. So this is before you had a lot of tools that police and forensic scientists have available today. So you can test blood type, but not DNA at a scene. This leads to a lot of old fashioned leg work and interviewing.
It seems this days I am destined to read book series out of order. I read book #3 last year, and finally went and bought book #2. I will so just go buy book #1 just so I can complete the "Oak Knoll" series eventually though.
Unlike with book #1, the town of Oak Knoll is not dealing with another serial killer. Instead, a single mother (Marissa Fordham) is found hacked to pieces. Marissa's four year old daughter is also found and it's apparent whoever killed her mother, thought they killed her too. When the sheriff is called into investigate, they find themselves trying to figure out who hated Marissa enough to end her life. This leads several characters down a long winding path of trying to figure out who Marissa is, why did she move to Oak Knoll, and who could have hated her enough to kill her.
I have read enough of Tami Hoag's books to be familiar with how her book flow will go. She tends to have several POVs in the book. In this one she has detective Tony Mendez, child advocate Anne Leone, retired FBI agent, Vince Leone. We also have a woman who is dealing with the fact that her marriage is over, her daughter, a troubled young boy that Anne is trying to be there for, Marissa's best friend who also lives in Oak Knoll, etc. At times the book felt a bit too messy with trying to follow the main plot and the sub-plots that popped up.
I did think though that the final reveal of the main plot didn't make a lot of sense to me. I think due to the dozens of red herrings we get while reading, still had me going huh at the end. And of course I maybe got a little bit tired of the Anne is in danger again thing that kept happening. At one point I wondered if it would be better if she was just had police protection wherever she went.
I didn't really jibe with any one character. Probably because for except for Tony, the other characters don't pop up in book #3. I heard from a friend that if I read book #1, that maybe I will like everyone in this book more. Hope so. My main thoughts are that Anne and Tony were unprofessional throughout. And the whole what will happen to Marissa's daughter thing didn't sit well at all with me when we find out about her beginnings as well.
The writing is typical Hoag, though I have to say I hated the whole jump scare thing she had going on at the end of certain chapters. We would have Vince staring at a door and thinking someone is inside and the book would do "And Vince would wish that he was faster" and the book would skip into another chapter.
Probably the best thing about these books is that it is set in the early 1980s. So this is before you had a lot of tools that police and forensic scientists have available today. So you can test blood type, but not DNA at a scene. This leads to a lot of old fashioned leg work and interviewing.
February 27, 2014
This book got lucky. It was lucky that it was an audiobook, and it was lucky that I didn't have another to switch to. First of all, I found out on goodreads that this was actually a second book (The audiobook case says nothing about Oak Knoll #2)!
I do think it could stand alone, however, I spent the opening bit wondering more about the extensive backstory (which, as it turns out, was the first book) and trying to put the pieces together. Maybe it would have been easier had I read the first one, but it took me forever to identify and get into the characters.
But that was my mistake. In terms of the book, I found that the story didn't grab me. Eventually, I was interested in what was going to happen next, but I didn't NEED to know. Many of the characters simply didn't connect for me, including many of the potential suspects.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but there was a very good chance that I would have put it down before I started to enjoy it!
I do think it could stand alone, however, I spent the opening bit wondering more about the extensive backstory (which, as it turns out, was the first book) and trying to put the pieces together. Maybe it would have been easier had I read the first one, but it took me forever to identify and get into the characters.
But that was my mistake. In terms of the book, I found that the story didn't grab me. Eventually, I was interested in what was going to happen next, but I didn't NEED to know. Many of the characters simply didn't connect for me, including many of the potential suspects.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but there was a very good chance that I would have put it down before I started to enjoy it!
September 27, 2017
Not done reading this yet, but wanted to put warnings/spoilers here in case I forget:
Also, if you ever thought about having children, please read about the character of Dennis Farman - it might change your mind.
Also, if you ever thought about having children, please read about the character of Dennis Farman - it might change your mind.
February 10, 2025
Listened. Kirsten Potter is so so good. She nails the characters.
I loved this continuation--not "quite" as much as #1 in the series, but yeah, it was damn good.
My only drawback to full-blown love were:
1) OMG, poor Anne. She is such the punching bag in these books, but she's like, the nicest person. I just feel badly for her;
2) Zander was a little too cliche. And the whole autism discussion was maybe(?) a bit ahead of its time for the setting;
3) I knew who the bad daddy was from the very start;
4) I would have liked to get to know Gina a bit more--I wanted more of her and Marissa's backstory. It was uber intriguing.
On to Oak Knoll #3 for sure. I can't get enough of these people. (I mean, I could do without ever seeing Dennis again, but that's up to Ms. Hoag, whether or not he comes back. I will gladly welcome her decision with open arms (ears).)
I loved this continuation--not "quite" as much as #1 in the series, but yeah, it was damn good.
My only drawback to full-blown love were:
1) OMG, poor Anne. She is such the punching bag in these books, but she's like, the nicest person. I just feel badly for her;
2) Zander was a little too cliche. And the whole autism discussion was maybe(?) a bit ahead of its time for the setting;
3) I knew who the bad daddy was from the very start;
4) I would have liked to get to know Gina a bit more--I wanted more of her and Marissa's backstory. It was uber intriguing.
On to Oak Knoll #3 for sure. I can't get enough of these people. (I mean, I could do without ever seeing Dennis again, but that's up to Ms. Hoag, whether or not he comes back. I will gladly welcome her decision with open arms (ears).)
September 23, 2021
I enjoyed this read, the second in the Oak Knoll series, the 80’s era, love Vince and Anne and Haley. Story kept me eagerly flipping pages.
However, the mystery felt disjointed at times, repetitive, like an amateur attempt. I hate saying that because I’m a big Hoag fan. But in the end, I didn’t totally buy it and I felt like the story could’ve wrapped up 100 pages sooner.
In my opinion, story contained unnecessary characters, repetitive dialogue and information that did nothing to drive the plot; if they would’ve been removed the end result would’ve been exactly the same.
As I said, I’m a fan so I still want to read next in series.
However, the mystery felt disjointed at times, repetitive, like an amateur attempt. I hate saying that because I’m a big Hoag fan. But in the end, I didn’t totally buy it and I felt like the story could’ve wrapped up 100 pages sooner.
In my opinion, story contained unnecessary characters, repetitive dialogue and information that did nothing to drive the plot; if they would’ve been removed the end result would’ve been exactly the same.
As I said, I’m a fan so I still want to read next in series.
December 11, 2019
Η HOAG. γράφει ωραία χωρίς αμφιβολία. Στρωτος λόγος που δίνει κίνηση και ζωή στους χαρακτήρες που ειναι πολύ ρεαλιστικοί και σκιαγραφημενοι προσεκτικά όχι επιφανειακά. Δεν απέφυγε κάποια απίθανα η όχι αρκετα αληθοφανή τρυκ. Σιγουρευτηκα για τον δολοφόνο 150 σελίδες πριν το τέλος και πάρα το γεγονός ότι δεν είναι κάτι που μου καταστρέφει την ανάγνωση, η προσπάθεια να μπερδέψει τα πράγματα από εκεί και πέρα δεν ήταν πολύ πειστική. 3,7/5 Δεν βάζω βαθμολογίες ειδικά τύπου 3.14159265 αλλά την έβαλα γιατί δεν είναι 4αρι καθαρό.
February 27, 2014
Another good suspenseful story. I have now figured out that whoever I think did it, is the absolutely wrong person. It will be anyone else. Entertaining read if you like reading this type of story.
January 8, 2012
Secrets to the Grave is an able follow-up to Deeper than the Dead, suspenseful and plenty engrossing, though it comes up a little bit short of its predecessor. I'm an unabashed Tami Hoag fan, and Secrets to the Grave is a perfectly good offering, but at the same time, she's done better.
I was happy to revisit the key characters of Deeper than the Dead, and so soon after the events of that book that some many, many details carry over. I still enjoy the relationship between Anne Navarre and Vince Leone, and the stories of some of the children that were at the center of Deeper than the Dead are handled believably. True to form, the story begins with a shocking crime, and I'm providing my customary warning to the squeamish. If you blanch easily, better brace yourself for the first few chapters.
To her credit, Hoag dialed back quite a bit on the "someday in the future we'll have this technology" crystal-ball commentary from characters that so annoyingly permeated Deeper than the Dead. Still, she can't resist a few such mentions, and guess what, it's still intrusive. However, something I will praise her for is her very realistic treatment of the lasting trauma reactions of crime victims. While her characters seem a little more aware of "PTSD", both by name and as a syndrome, than seems appropriate for 1986, Hoag doesn't hesitate to show the reality of the characters' symptoms and complexes. Also well done is her treatment of the then still-developing field of child advocacy in the criminal justice system -- she generally manages to show readers its early stages without resorting to those "someday this new-fangled thing will be commonplace" asides.
The book's main weakness for me was the field of suspects for the crime. In typical fashion, there are several potential perpetrators -- including a couple you know can't be the killer, because that would just be too easy -- but none of them are particularly compelling. I think part of me was always waiting for another character to be introduced who would wind up being the actual perpetrator. In the end, I also found the true killer's identity to be somewhat unconvincing -- between details of the crime that you wouldn't think would fit such a killer, and a motive that seemed out of proportion to the actual crime.
I dithered for a long time before picking my star rating on this one. What I really wanted to do is give it 3.5 stars. The murder mystery was good, though not one of Hoag's best. On the other hand, the character development and storytelling was quite good (the description of an ordeal suffered by the murder victim's closest friend Gina is a particular standout). All told, the story held my interest well and the narrative kept pushing me forward (including a couple nights into the dark wee hours with my book light), but still, I couldn't quite bring myself to round up, so it ends up with a solid 3-star, "I liked it" rating. :)
I was happy to revisit the key characters of Deeper than the Dead, and so soon after the events of that book that some many, many details carry over. I still enjoy the relationship between Anne Navarre and Vince Leone, and the stories of some of the children that were at the center of Deeper than the Dead are handled believably. True to form, the story begins with a shocking crime, and I'm providing my customary warning to the squeamish. If you blanch easily, better brace yourself for the first few chapters.
To her credit, Hoag dialed back quite a bit on the "someday in the future we'll have this technology" crystal-ball commentary from characters that so annoyingly permeated Deeper than the Dead. Still, she can't resist a few such mentions, and guess what, it's still intrusive. However, something I will praise her for is her very realistic treatment of the lasting trauma reactions of crime victims. While her characters seem a little more aware of "PTSD", both by name and as a syndrome, than seems appropriate for 1986, Hoag doesn't hesitate to show the reality of the characters' symptoms and complexes. Also well done is her treatment of the then still-developing field of child advocacy in the criminal justice system -- she generally manages to show readers its early stages without resorting to those "someday this new-fangled thing will be commonplace" asides.
The book's main weakness for me was the field of suspects for the crime. In typical fashion, there are several potential perpetrators -- including a couple you know can't be the killer, because that would just be too easy -- but none of them are particularly compelling. I think part of me was always waiting for another character to be introduced who would wind up being the actual perpetrator. In the end, I also found the true killer's identity to be somewhat unconvincing -- between details of the crime that you wouldn't think would fit such a killer, and a motive that seemed out of proportion to the actual crime.
I dithered for a long time before picking my star rating on this one. What I really wanted to do is give it 3.5 stars. The murder mystery was good, though not one of Hoag's best. On the other hand, the character development and storytelling was quite good (the description of an ordeal suffered by the murder victim's closest friend Gina is a particular standout). All told, the story held my interest well and the narrative kept pushing me forward (including a couple nights into the dark wee hours with my book light), but still, I couldn't quite bring myself to round up, so it ends up with a solid 3-star, "I liked it" rating. :)
December 21, 2010
OK, calling this book a fun read, or an entertaining one doesn't quite send the right message. It's a compelling mystery, with some great characters. It's also quite disturbing, deliberately so.
Secrets to the Grave looks at several aspects of violence, starting with an extremely brutal murder of a young mother, and the attempted murder of her 4 year old child. Several other characters are brutally attacked, some characters are living with the results of previous violence-- some recent, some from childhood long past.
I started to list all the characters I liked, but decided not to bother. The book is full of generally likable but interesting people. If Vince and Anne walk a little too close to the too good to be true line, they have enough personality and struggles to keep them worth reading about.
The children are a large part of what makes the book interesting and disturbing. Disturbing, due to what 4 year old Haley has been through; disturbing, due to what 12 year old Dennis has done, and even more, what he'd like to do. Again, each is an intriguing character on their own (well, as much so as a realistic 4 year old can be), and they way they work into the events of the story builds on that.
The supporting cast of police officers and suspects and other people of interest were varied in situation and personality. I admit to having some trouble keeping track of the names of some of the characters-- I think this is my weakness, and it is one that came back to bite me toward the end of the book. Until then, I could keep the characters straight by context, but a few references at the end left me with the sinking feeling that I wasn't quite sure who was being referred to. I'd recommend paying closer attention that I did to this aspect.
Another detail of this story that interested me was the choice of setting it in the 1980s. I occasionally wondered if the only reason for this decision was to avoid computers and cell phones. Mostly, it didn't matter, but occasionally it seemed like the author was winking at the readers, about things we know or take for granted, but which weren't yet part of the lives of these characters. In addition, there were a couple of points where I was pulled out of my reading, wondering if this or that detail was authentic to the time period. Probably they were but it still disrupted my reading to think about it.
If you like a violent but thoughtful mystery with well thought out characters, check out this book.
Secrets to the Grave looks at several aspects of violence, starting with an extremely brutal murder of a young mother, and the attempted murder of her 4 year old child. Several other characters are brutally attacked, some characters are living with the results of previous violence-- some recent, some from childhood long past.
I started to list all the characters I liked, but decided not to bother. The book is full of generally likable but interesting people. If Vince and Anne walk a little too close to the too good to be true line, they have enough personality and struggles to keep them worth reading about.
The children are a large part of what makes the book interesting and disturbing. Disturbing, due to what 4 year old Haley has been through; disturbing, due to what 12 year old Dennis has done, and even more, what he'd like to do. Again, each is an intriguing character on their own (well, as much so as a realistic 4 year old can be), and they way they work into the events of the story builds on that.
The supporting cast of police officers and suspects and other people of interest were varied in situation and personality. I admit to having some trouble keeping track of the names of some of the characters-- I think this is my weakness, and it is one that came back to bite me toward the end of the book. Until then, I could keep the characters straight by context, but a few references at the end left me with the sinking feeling that I wasn't quite sure who was being referred to. I'd recommend paying closer attention that I did to this aspect.
Another detail of this story that interested me was the choice of setting it in the 1980s. I occasionally wondered if the only reason for this decision was to avoid computers and cell phones. Mostly, it didn't matter, but occasionally it seemed like the author was winking at the readers, about things we know or take for granted, but which weren't yet part of the lives of these characters. In addition, there were a couple of points where I was pulled out of my reading, wondering if this or that detail was authentic to the time period. Probably they were but it still disrupted my reading to think about it.
If you like a violent but thoughtful mystery with well thought out characters, check out this book.
August 6, 2016
"A woman lay dead, her hair spreading out around her head like a dark cloud. Her skin was the color of milk. Her lips had been painted as red a rose- as red as her blood must have been as it drained from the wounds carved into her flesh.
She lay discarded like a life-size broken doll. Made up, torn up, and cast aside. Her brown eyes cloudy and lifeless.
Beside her lay a smaller doll- her child. Head resting on her shoulder , face streaked with the last of her mother's lifeblood."
& so begins a dark and thrilling mystery to discover who murdered Marissa and why. Before I begin to go into my thoughts I should warn readers like myself who have not read the first book in the Oak Knoll series to read the first book before this one. This book made a lot of reference to the first book which isn't always a bad thing, but it can be when it tells who the killer was in the first book. I now have to wait a few months to read the first book so I don't remember who the killer is and hopefully enjoy the first book.
Anyways, my guess on who the "Bad Daddy" was, ended up being correct! Hoag does a superb job on keeping the reader in suspense and second guessing who the killer is. There was a clue about 65% into the book that I caught on to though. I highly recommend this to other thriller/suspense lovers like myself. You just can't go wrong with any book by Tami Hoag.
She lay discarded like a life-size broken doll. Made up, torn up, and cast aside. Her brown eyes cloudy and lifeless.
Beside her lay a smaller doll- her child. Head resting on her shoulder , face streaked with the last of her mother's lifeblood."
& so begins a dark and thrilling mystery to discover who murdered Marissa and why. Before I begin to go into my thoughts I should warn readers like myself who have not read the first book in the Oak Knoll series to read the first book before this one. This book made a lot of reference to the first book which isn't always a bad thing, but it can be when it tells who the killer was in the first book. I now have to wait a few months to read the first book so I don't remember who the killer is and hopefully enjoy the first book.
Anyways, my guess on who the "Bad Daddy" was, ended up being correct! Hoag does a superb job on keeping the reader in suspense and second guessing who the killer is. There was a clue about 65% into the book that I caught on to though. I highly recommend this to other thriller/suspense lovers like myself. You just can't go wrong with any book by Tami Hoag.
October 21, 2015
Tami Hoag is my NEW Favorite Author!! She can spin a tale of suspense like no other author. Her characters are believable and convincing of their parts! This latest book "Secrets of the Grave" Oak Knoll Series #2 is going to keep you on your toes! Just when I thought I knew who was the killer, she twists the characters again and WHAM!! It ends as you never thought it would. She can combine a love story with a mystery and twist it into the most amazing Thriller story you will read!
February 22, 2018
4.5 stars, raising to 5*
In a sense this is a continuation of the first Oak Knoll book by this author, but new characters and a new murder brings other characters into view. While waiting for the trial of the first murder(er), a young artist is killed whose 4-year-old daughter may have witnessed the crime. This is more than a year after the events in Book 1, so there is follow-up on the pre-teen boy who stabbed a classmate, as well.
Well written, and I kept going back and forth among the suspects until the very end. I will definitely read the next book.
In a sense this is a continuation of the first Oak Knoll book by this author, but new characters and a new murder brings other characters into view. While waiting for the trial of the first murder(er), a young artist is killed whose 4-year-old daughter may have witnessed the crime. This is more than a year after the events in Book 1, so there is follow-up on the pre-teen boy who stabbed a classmate, as well.
Well written, and I kept going back and forth among the suspects until the very end. I will definitely read the next book.
February 2, 2021
Man, I didn’t think I would ever finish this book. Deeper Than the Dead, the first in the series, was very suspenseful and had quite a bit of humor speckled throughout. This one was dulled with a lot more descriptive psychology and feelings. Twice I almost gave up, but wondering about who committed the grisly murder at the beginning kept me going. Finally, about 350 pages in, it picked up and was easier to get through. All in all, I can’t recommend this and wished I hadn’t picked it up in the first place. I will not rush to read the final in the trilogy.
November 15, 2011
When an author can keep me on the edge of my seat flip-flopping back and forth with guesses of whodunit, I love it. And although I happy to say I'd pegged the guilty party fairly early on, because of the outstanding writing, near the end I kept doubting myself on just about every other page. Ms. Hoag, you've done it again - another winner in my "book!"
January 8, 2011
It's funny how reminders dropped throughout this book from the 80's brought back so much memory. And the book was really good too!
February 7, 2019
Haha, so this was my first Tami Hoag novel and it will be my last!
The opening passage of this book is quite lovely and lush and creepy, in a way that immediately disappeared for the remainder of the book in favor of very pedestrian and unremarkable prose, to the extent that I kept wondering if someone ghostwrote that opening section, or if Tami Hoag possesses a literary gift that just never gets to make itself felt because of all the mundane plotting she's doing. (I think I've come down in favor of the ghostwriter.)
Because I correctly guessed who the murderer was from the moment we were given the first of many painfully obvious clues to their identity, this book was a bit of a chore for me to get through, in particular because a lot of the investigative procedural work just feels empty and repetitive without the lure of superior writing to keep us interested in the characters. At one point a suspect tells the detective that his lawyer is in the phone book under "fuck you" and I outright cringed at the cliché of it all. Also cliche: the two focal detectives are both super alpha male, and that combined with the ridiculous, hilarious amounts of heteronormative romance just made it frequently awkwardly uncomfortable, like, this book was written in 2010, I'm pretty sure we knew there were more than two sexual orientations and more than one way of expressing masculinity by then, but there was none of that nuance on display here, haha. Unless you count a gay man making a transphobic joke. Lol! Oh, those wacky '80s.
Also something I'm pretty sure we knew by 2010 is that autism isn't a life-ruining disability, but this book isn't too sure on that point, so we get this *very* ableist and upsetting subplot involving one of the detectives and his horrible attempt to "befriend" a local autistic professor. [i'm about to spoil this, here we go]:
He befriends him by triggering him into reliving an extremely traumatic episode and upsetting him (which the detective misreads as a dissociative episode), grabbing his hands and shaking him to stop him from stimming (which unrealistically has a positive effect instead of making things worse and further upsetting the autistic man), and then basically taking no responsibility for disrupting this man's life. After our other character has tragically committed suicide, pretty much as a result of our alpha male hero detective's treatment of him, another detective responds to the whole situation by remarking that the autistic character was too "fragile," adding, "it's like he wasn't meant for this world." So! Yeah! Super super ableist.
Of course, given that this is set in the '80s, it's arguable that the author is attempting to depict a period-faithful representation of ableism, but there's no other depiction of disability or autism in the universe of the story, nothing that could provide a complex and nuanced and responsible alternative representation of people on the spectrum, to remind us that autistic people are perfectly capable of surviving and succeeding in the world.
The narrative is also weirdly gleeful about proving that empathy is bad, with another ridiculous subplt that i'm not even going to bother re-hashing here, but which results in two main characters having their lives seriously endangered all of three times in a week, ahaha, which is so over the top I can't even eyeroll at it.
Because it's set in the mid-80s, the book does some interesting things with showing how wider cultural events of the era are impacting the characters and the town they live in, but eh, it's not enough to make any of this interesting. The whole book outside of this just ultimately read as deeply weird and incredibly far-fetched.
Oh, and the final thing! ahaha, the murder had a very very obvious sexual component but because of the killer's identity, the sexual component was completely discarded and rejected by the narrative as a complicating factor by the end of the story. And that just made all of this so much more weird and ridiculous. It was a bizarro world in which complicated sexual and gender identities didn't exist, and narrative shortcuts were taken that often defied all logic. And the writing mostly just wasn't good enough to warrant any of it, haha.
The opening passage of this book is quite lovely and lush and creepy, in a way that immediately disappeared for the remainder of the book in favor of very pedestrian and unremarkable prose, to the extent that I kept wondering if someone ghostwrote that opening section, or if Tami Hoag possesses a literary gift that just never gets to make itself felt because of all the mundane plotting she's doing. (I think I've come down in favor of the ghostwriter.)
Because I correctly guessed who the murderer was from the moment we were given the first of many painfully obvious clues to their identity, this book was a bit of a chore for me to get through, in particular because a lot of the investigative procedural work just feels empty and repetitive without the lure of superior writing to keep us interested in the characters. At one point a suspect tells the detective that his lawyer is in the phone book under "fuck you" and I outright cringed at the cliché of it all. Also cliche: the two focal detectives are both super alpha male, and that combined with the ridiculous, hilarious amounts of heteronormative romance just made it frequently awkwardly uncomfortable, like, this book was written in 2010, I'm pretty sure we knew there were more than two sexual orientations and more than one way of expressing masculinity by then, but there was none of that nuance on display here, haha. Unless you count a gay man making a transphobic joke. Lol! Oh, those wacky '80s.
Also something I'm pretty sure we knew by 2010 is that autism isn't a life-ruining disability, but this book isn't too sure on that point, so we get this *very* ableist and upsetting subplot involving one of the detectives and his horrible attempt to "befriend" a local autistic professor. [i'm about to spoil this, here we go]:
He befriends him by triggering him into reliving an extremely traumatic episode and upsetting him (which the detective misreads as a dissociative episode), grabbing his hands and shaking him to stop him from stimming (which unrealistically has a positive effect instead of making things worse and further upsetting the autistic man), and then basically taking no responsibility for disrupting this man's life. After our other character has tragically committed suicide, pretty much as a result of our alpha male hero detective's treatment of him, another detective responds to the whole situation by remarking that the autistic character was too "fragile," adding, "it's like he wasn't meant for this world." So! Yeah! Super super ableist.
Of course, given that this is set in the '80s, it's arguable that the author is attempting to depict a period-faithful representation of ableism, but there's no other depiction of disability or autism in the universe of the story, nothing that could provide a complex and nuanced and responsible alternative representation of people on the spectrum, to remind us that autistic people are perfectly capable of surviving and succeeding in the world.
The narrative is also weirdly gleeful about proving that empathy is bad, with another ridiculous subplt that i'm not even going to bother re-hashing here, but which results in two main characters having their lives seriously endangered all of three times in a week, ahaha, which is so over the top I can't even eyeroll at it.
Because it's set in the mid-80s, the book does some interesting things with showing how wider cultural events of the era are impacting the characters and the town they live in, but eh, it's not enough to make any of this interesting. The whole book outside of this just ultimately read as deeply weird and incredibly far-fetched.
Oh, and the final thing! ahaha, the murder had a very very obvious sexual component but because of the killer's identity, the sexual component was completely discarded and rejected by the narrative as a complicating factor by the end of the story. And that just made all of this so much more weird and ridiculous. It was a bizarro world in which complicated sexual and gender identities didn't exist, and narrative shortcuts were taken that often defied all logic. And the writing mostly just wasn't good enough to warrant any of it, haha.
March 20, 2011
Bad bad bad. This author has mistaken her genre. I was looking for a murder mystery and got a romance--candy sweet kid, torn bodice females, raging bull men, gag. Guessing these brain dead books involves picking the character portrayed as despicable but scrupulously avoided as a suspect. The good guys are pure and innocent whose self righteousness is stupidly portrayed as plucky justifiable. The only thing that could have saved this book would be for sweet irreproachable Sarah to turn out to be the murderer. Instead we have the worst crimes turn out to be masculinity in a woman, instead of sweetness and perkiness, and infidelity in husbands. The only murder that matters is that of beautiful women or and the only crime that matters is what threatens beautiful women or candy kids, good guys don't make mistakes or come up short, characters are so artificial and two dimenstional that I actually can't stand to listen to another minute of this trash so I'm taking it back to the library unfinished. Remind me to rememger Tami Hoag's name so I never am tempted to pick up another of her weak brained, formulaic .... why does everybody love the books I hate? These otheer reviews astound me.
February 5, 2011
This was a sequel to Hoag's "Deeper Than The Dead" which I read a year ago. The core characters were the same, and the "see-no-evil" murderer still hasn't been tried. Once again, I find it distracting that the author deliberately sets the mystery in the mid-eighties before DNA evidence and other forensic advances. Oddly, though it is before these things, the detectives all seemed to have knowledge of what these things were and what they would do - can't have it both ways, unless her detectives are prophets. Another grisly murder occurs in the small town of Oak Knoll, California. Marissa Fordham, vibrant young artist is killed and mutilated, opening up a whole can of worms with some of the town's most powerful people. FBI profiler Vince Leone has married Ann Navvarre and settled in Oak Knoll. They both get involved in this grisly investigation. Young Dennis appears again, and is a deeply disturbed and disturbing 12 year old. Hoag left the developing relationship between Detective Mendez and Sara Morgan "dangling," so I'm sure there will be another sequel. Time to find a pleasant read to counteract this one.
July 23, 2011
Really enjoyed this book. It's the follow up to Deeper Than The Dead, so I already knew the characters. The first page hooks me: a horrific murder is committed with the woman's four-year-old child left behind. Set in the mid-eighties in the early days of modern profiling, Hoag's research is evident and her characterization is very strong.
As usual, Hoag gives you several red herrings, but the villan is ferreted out by well characterized cops. Lots of sub-plots going on in the book - a new marriage, tormented child, a marriage that's falling apart.
Hoag's strong suit is the ability to build characters in a world that any of us would feel at home in.
As usual, Hoag gives you several red herrings, but the villan is ferreted out by well characterized cops. Lots of sub-plots going on in the book - a new marriage, tormented child, a marriage that's falling apart.
Hoag's strong suit is the ability to build characters in a world that any of us would feel at home in.
July 5, 2011
Secrets to the Grave is the latest book in Tami Hoags deeper than the dead micro series, It picks up one year after the events of Deeper than the Dead. As the story opens residents of Oak Knoll, California find themselves once again dealing with murder. Anne , Vince, Tony and the rest of the characters are back on the scene to solve the new murder and finish wrapping up the loose ends in the See- No -Evil case from the previous boo. Tami Hoag draws her readers into the story in such a way that the characters feel like old friends.
September 3, 2012
Another fascinating visit to the mid 1980's and Oak Knoll, California. Anne, Vince, Tony and the gang are preparing for the trial of the bad guy from Book #1, and another horrific murder in their midst shakes the sleepy college town. This time the victim is a local artist whose four year old daughter was also left for dead. But the little girl lives and just might know who killed her mother. Not quite as riveting as Book #1, SECRETS TO THE GRAVE is still a fascinating read that kept me guessing as to who the killer was. I've already started on Book #3.
October 1, 2016
God I love Tami Hoag! Can't get enough of her writing!!! As always, I was hooked from page one. When I wasn't reading (which I rarely get time to do with my busy schedule), I was thinking about this book! This is the first novel of hers where I actually guessed the killer though. Lots of great twists and I love these characters so much. Haley was adorable too!
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