'a fast-moving thriller that holds the interest right to the end and gives us an intrepid heroine that lets nothing stand in her way.'

She was a vision. She was a siren. She was a nightmare. She was dead. Now he needed her to disappear. And he knew just how to make it happen. The Palm Beach elite go to great lengths to protect their own-and their own no longer includes Elena Estes. Once a child of wealth and privilege, Elena turned her back on that life. Betrayed and disillusioned by those closest to her, she chose the life of an undercover cop, the hunt for justice her own personal passion. Then a tragic, haunting mistake ended her career. Now Elena exists on the fringes of her old life. But a shocking event is about to draw her back into the painful vortex she's fought so hard to leave behind. First she finds the body-a young woman used, murdered, and dumped in a canal. Not just a victim, but a friend. As Elena delves into her dead friend's secret life, she discovers ties not only to the Russian mob but also to a group of powerful and wealthy Palm Beach bad boys known for giving each other alibis to cover a multitude of sins. A group that includes a man Elena once knew very well-her former fiance, Bennett Walker, a man she knows has already escaped justice at least once in his life. Finding her friend's killer will put Elena at odds with her old life, with her new lover, and with herself. But she is determined to reveal the truth-a truth that will shock Palm Beach society to its core, and could very well get her killed.

Tami Hoag's novels have appeared regularly on the national bestseller lists since the publication of her first book in 1988. She lives in California.

2008-07-14 Fantastic thriller with same characters as Dark Horse

If you have read Tami Hoag's Dark Horse you will be someone familiar with the horse scene in South Florida where it is set. This time around it is polo rather than dressage, but still inhabited by some of the most unsavoury and self-absorbed people you will encounter.

Elena Estes, an ex-undercover detective scarred emotionally and physically, is out for a morning ride when she encounters a body floating in a pond, and not just any body, a beautiful Russian groom, Irina Markova, who works with Elena on her friend Sean's horse farm. From here on giving too much detail on the plot could spoil the book for you, but just be aware there are shennanigans galore including Elena's ex-fiancee Bennett Walker, Russan mafia, old murders, and a couple of scenes so grisly that I had to put the book down for a while to catch my breath. Bennett is part of a wealthy, spoilt, bad boys network called the Alibi Club, who have, for years, provided alibis for each other.

Elena Estes is a complex lady and, sometimes her worst enemy, but she is riveting as a non-typical heroine, flaws and all. She is not a licensed Private Investigator, but she wants justice for her friend, and she bends the rules as far as possible to glean information. James Landy, a detective she first met in Dark Horse, is also investigating the crime. They walked off together at the end of Dark Horse and between the two books they had a relationship, but he is her ex at the beginning of The Alibi Man. Drat, I would have liked a bit more of their relationship when they were a couple as they seemed so well matched.

Tami Hoag's suspense books Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust, A Thin Dark Line, etc, have multiple threads in the storyline, so they are not always an easy read if you are easily distracted. They are very different from her earlier romance books Taken by Storm, Heart of Dixie, etc. There are always some twists, and there are generally a couple of rather gruesome passages. I understand from a friend who has worked in the world of Polo that Tami Hoag was very close to what it is really like to live and work there, murders aside!

I really loved the ending. The Alibi Man is worth the cover price and definitely a keeper. I'd give it extra stars if I could, and I will definitely be pre-ordering her next book Deeper Than the Dead.

I'd definitely recommend this books to other readers who like complex suspense, and don't mind the occasional grisly scene. Although this book stands alone, if you haven't already read it, I'd suggest you read Dark Horse first.