Tami Hoag has a reputation for writing suspenseful and realistic police procedurals. She brings readers into the twisted plots she creates and does a fine job of getting into the minds of her characters. In THE BITTER SEASON, Hoag brings back her two series characters: Detectives Nikki Liska and Sam Kovac. But she has reassigned Liska to the cold case files and left Kovac in homicide. This change means they have to adjust to new partners, as well as new surroundings for Liska.

"The twists and turns in THE BITTER SEASON are stunning. Readers will not want to put the book down (that is cliché, but this time it’s true)."

The first cold case is a doozy. It’s 20 years old, and one of the older detectives who was working on it resents Liska looking into it. The story goes that a good cop named Ted Duffy was chopping wood in his backyard when he was shot and killed. No matter how deep into the case the murder squad went, they could not find the killer. Hence Liska is now assigned to it. But people have soldiered on with their lives and wish she would drop the whole thing. Thus she gets little or no cooperation. The whole family has moved on, quite literally, and Liska keeps running into roadblocks.

The second murder is the double homicide of Professor Lucien Chamberlain and his wife, Sondra. Someone broke into their house and used a Japanese sword to kill them. The scene was horrific, and even seasoned police officers had to leave the scene and throw up. Lucien had a large and valuable collection of Japanese swords on display, making it easy for the murderer to grab one.

Two of the suspects are Diana Chamberlain, the victims’ daughter, and her lover, Professor Ken Sato. The girl has psychological problems, and the police put her in the "possible" category. They also look at Sato with a suspicious eye. But what about the motive? Who had one?

The twists and turns in THE BITTER SEASON are stunning. Readers will not want to put the book down (that is cliché, but this time it’s true). Tami Hoag is known for her complicated plots, and in her latest thriller, she does not disappoint.