The Bitter Season

Publishers Weekly 11/23/2015 Bestseller Hoag’s riveting fifth novel featuring Minneapolis detectives Nikki Liska and Sam Kovac (after 2013’s The 9th Girl) finds Nikki transferred to the newly funded cold case unit, where she hopes more regular hours will allow her to spend additional time with her adolescent sons. Her first case lacks leads and evidence: the 20-year-old homicide of a sex crimes detective shot down in his own yard by rifle. The razor-tongued Liska attacks the case with her usual dogged persistence, despite her initial hesitation, and tracks down old witnesses in the hopes of uncovering a new direction for the investigation. Meanwhile, Sam and his new partner look into the brutal murder of a university professor and his wife—by samurai sword. The two cases ultimately collide as the body count rises. Hoag has a gift for creating dynamic suspense, three-dimensional characters, and sharp dialogue. Newcomers and fans alike will find this fast-moving police procedural intensely satisfying. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Jan.)