Book Review: The Boy by Tami Hoag

The Boy
Author: Tami Hoag
Publication: Dutton (December 31, 2018)

Description: An unfathomable loss or an unthinkable crime? #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag keeps you guessing in her most harrowing thriller yet.

When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son, KJ, has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she's troubled: Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?

When KJ's sometimes babysitter, twelve-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing the very next day, the town fears a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is Nora a victim, or something worse? Then everything changes when Genevieve’s past as a convicted criminal comes to light. Could she have killed her own child to free herself from the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora, or is the troubled teen the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?

My Thoughts: This thriller is the second book in the Broussard/Fourcade series. Both are police detectives in a small Sheriff's office in Cajun Louisiana. They are a married couple with a five-year-old son. 

Nick Fourcade is called to a crime scene where he discovers a brutally murdered seven-year-old boy. His mother is injured but managed to run to a neighbor's home to get help. Fourcade is also still investigating the sexual assault of an autistic teenage girl which has stirred lots of public sentiment. 

Annie Broussard is also investigating the murder. Since she's good with children, she's assigned to interview the young boy's twelve-year-old babysitter. She finds a chaotic home situation and a missing babysitter. The girl's mother hadn't even noticed that she had been missing for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, the new sheriff who happens to be a flaming narcissist, is resenting every moment of publicity that Fourcade is getting and resents that he has no control over Fourcade or Broussard. He has a fiancée and potential stepson who are being psychologically abused by him when they fail to behave perfectly.

This twisty thriller had me changing my opinion about the killer numerous times as different things were discovered in the investigation. I enjoyed the setting. I also really liked both Nick and Annie.

I bought this one August 14, 2025, as a BookBub deal. You can buy your copy here.