Sacred Sins

I read this for Romance Book Bingo 2017: Headless Woman square.

I vaguely recall reading this book when I was a teenager. I re-read it because I was totally light on details. I think I ended up getting bored with it and never finishing it though. If the book didn't have a cover with a woman half out of a dress with Fabio and his flowing mane of hair I tended to not sneak those from my mom.

Sacred Sins is a pretty good procedural by Roberts. There was some romance, and the two leads didn't annoy me to death like in the sequel (you can read that review later). You can see some elements that will follow Roberts later on in her "In Death" books later on. Heck, I see the heroine in this one, Tess Court, being really similar to Doctor show more Charlotte Mira.

The set-up is that psychiatrist Tess Court is asked to help out the DC police when they suspect a serial killer is in their midst. Tess is reluctant to take the case, however, the MO of the killer has her wondering about whether this killer is as evil as the police portray him to be. Her ability to look at the gray in something that looks totally black and white sets her up for constant fighting with D.C. detective Ben Paris. Ben has a lot of feelings about psychiatrists (none of them good) and thinks in the end all Tess is going to do is give out some sob story about the serial killer when he is eventually captured.

I have to say, that I really enjoyed Tess. I think it's honestly because of the fact she comes across as sensible. She doesn't go around disparaging any of her patients with mental issues. She even clues into the fact that perhaps the serial killer may be schizophrenic based on his writing, what he is doing to the victims after they die, and even what he is telling her once he seeks her out. I don't know if I could have been able to keep my head like Tess does or be able to be so neutral when she gets involved with this case. Her ability to fight to get her patients what care they need in order to live full lives is what really made me like her.

The character of Ben was a little harder to take. I think it's because Roberts sets him up as a ladies man. Which is okay, but I just wasn't seeing it. His annoyance at feeling attraction for the good doctor and him fighting against it felt very true too. The issues with him not wanting to see the "bad" in the world though got a bit old. I liked that Tess pushed back on him wanting her to be separate from his work. He's a cop, they are seeing each other, she wants to be part of that too.

The secondary characters really work for this one too. Ben's partner Ed Jackson is a straight up hippie. I am still trying to wrap my head around anyone in DC in the late 1980s (this was originally published in 1987) would be all about not eating meat, not smoking, and eating berries every five minutes. I also liked that we get some insight into a Catholic priest who also has a degree in psychiatry who is able to give some insights into the serial killers more religious meanings behind these deaths. One of Tess's patients is also included as a secondary character, and my heart broke with that whole story-line. Roberts does a great job writing a teenage boy who feels lost and alone.

The romance between the two of them really works for me. Though I have to say, I was not a fan of Ben being handsy with Tess without permission. A few times Roberts notes that he reaches out and takes some of her hair and winds it or plays with it. Umm this is before they even are physical with each other. Then again, I am a black woman, do not touch my hair without permission.



The writing is pretty good. I thought Roberts does a great job setting up the overall plot. We get POVs from Ben, Tess, and the serial killer. We also get a couple of what I thought were funny moments. I also loved how Roberts shows how Tess is affected by what happens to her patients, though she does her best to not let it overwhelm her.

The flow is a little slow here and there, but I am not going to complain about how Roberts sets the book up. She does a good job of building everything up. I did get a bit over the back and forth between Tess and Ben though (regarding what are they doing) and I was just waiting for Ben to catch up to the fact that he really cared about and was falling in love with Tess.

The setting of DC made me smile. Roberts obviously knows the city layout and she is able to point out a few landmarks that I know (Rock Creek Park, the Kennedy Center, etc.) and makes the city as much a part of the whole book as the characters.

The ending is the only part that I think really came out of left field. It felt a little Lifetime Movie for me when you find out the serial killer is the ice cream delivery man that has been running around. show less

Author did a good job of not a lot of repetition for the mystery part. Early on it was apparent what was Ben's hesitation about psychiatrists. Liked the addition of Logan as a priest as well as psychologist being used as a consultant. Good interaction providing the only humor between Ben and his partner Ed especially at the house purchase. Heart warming between Tess and her grandfather. Tess was a strong female until she gets weak with Ben being so macho man. Wondered how Tess's teenage client was going to fit into ending. Suspected the murderer type early but not the particular person.

This is one of Roberts' less recent works, probably re-packaged and re-published after she got more prolific. I always enjoy her writing, but I had a difficult time buying the chemistry in this one. Rich, but not snobby, psychiatrist Dr. Tess Court is asked by her senator grandfather to consult with the police on a serial killer. Ben Paris is the police detective who falls for her. Tess cares a little bit more about her clients than is probably healthy (professional boundaries, anyone?) and even wants to treat the killer once he is caught. Ben's pretty high-handed in his treatment of Tess, but considering the publication date, that's not too out of the ordinary. What really irritated me was the ending. The killer was completely show more implausible. Quite a disappointment from a usually very reliable author.
Fortunately, this book is followed by Brazen Virtue, which I really enjoyed as Ben's partner Ed (not a typical romance hero type) gets to star in his own tale. show less

I have been a huge fan of Nora Roberts (as J. D. Robb) In Death series but I had never read any of her romantic suspense as Nora Roberts.

I was not disappointed.

Ms. Roberts does romantic suspense right. Just enough steam to hit the notes with romance readers and more than enough psychological thrills for mytery and thiller readers.

This novel's storyline has Dr. Tess Court, a psychiatrist with ties to government politicians, and Detective Ben Paris pitted against a serial killer named by the press "The Priest".

With twists, turns, romance and mental illness, this storyline delivers what you need to be hooked from the first page.

The characters - main and peripheral - are well developed, the dialogue is believable. All in all, this story show more does not miss a step.

Recommend?
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone to those who like heat with their crime procedurals. If you love Eve and Roarke, you will connect with Tess and Ben.

This review appeared on my website.

Disclaimer
I received via the OverDrive/Libby app from the Harris County Library system. It was read as a Kindle Book. show less

An older Nora Roberts story and it shows. There's promise of what comes later lurking but it's not quite obvious yet. She's still writing within the strictures of romantic fiction with a side order of thriller but the romance is very much to the fore and the characters fall into the Romance cliches.

There's a serial killer and Dr Tess Court, a psychiatrist, and Detective Ben Paris join forces to hunt him, finding love and danger along the way. The thriller kept me reading and amused even when the romance sometimes got in the way of the thriller plot moving forward.

I enjoyed it.

I really like Nora Roberts when she writes as J.D. Robb but I have found some of her others tend to drag a little. The story was good but the characters, with the exception of Ben Paris seem to lack character.

Mostly, I consider Nora Roberts to be the master of the Romantic Thriller genre. Her characters are always REAL people to me, and the situations they find themselves in are plausably realistic or even plausably supernatural. That being said, I'm afraid that I have this opinion because I've apparently read her later work. Now that I'm reading her stuff from the early 80's... well, the potential is obviously there, but she hadn't yet come into her own.

This is very true in Sacred Sins. From Amazon: Dr. Tess Court is a successful psychiatrist who is guilted by her senator grandfather into advising on a serial murder case. Detective Ben Paris hasn't much respect for shrinks after his brother's unsuccessful treatment for post-war depression. show more However, forces align to put these two together and things turn hot and heavy. As they work to uncover the murderer's motives, Tess and Ben realize that she is both the killer's next likely victim and his best hope for a savior.

The things I like about her later books are somewhat absent here. Tess is a stereotypical romance heroine - tiny, cute, compassionate, all-around feminine. (Contrast with Roz, a character from the In the Garden trilogy, who's strong and sharp and always has dirt under her fingernails.) Tess is contrasted against Ben, a stereotypical romance hero -- big, buff, macho, meat-and-potatoes protective man. I just... never bought it. I never bought the sparks between them, and their action in bed was more like yowling cats than passionate lovers.

Don't get me wrong, the story was fantastic. But that's the thing I always about NR -- her plots are more important than the romance. It's really great, in the later paranormal series, when the romance you think is totally separate BECOMES the plot. (Like the Key trilogy). I'm noticing that I keep drifting away from this book when I write, and I think that's because that's how I felt when I read it. It was WORK to read this one all the way through. It got to a point that I honestly didn't CARE who the serial killer was, and I almost hoped he killed Tess.

For a diehard NR fan, this is a must-read, if only to show how much NR has improved over the years. If you like horror thriller romance, give it a shot. Otherwise.....don't bother.

Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 1.5 stars
Writing: 4 stars (knocked down from 5 due to some really incessant slogging)
Rereadability: 1 star (will be donating to the paperback store soon)
Enjoyability: 2 stars

Overall: 2.5 stars. show less