One Deadly Sin

Edie Swann, formerly known as Eden Swanford, is determined to wreak revenge on the men that she thinks are responsible for her father’s death. She returns to the town of her childhood and starts to send out black angels to scare them and make them remember what they’d done. When the men start dying, Edie becomes a suspect, even in her own mind; she fears she has set in motion a much larger plan than she’d ever bargained for. Meanwhile Sheriff Holt Drennen knows Edie is up to something but can’t stop his attraction and simple liking for her. Even though she is the obvious culprit, he believes in her innocence, and he’s willing to fight.

If this is representative of the romantic suspense genre, I definitely want to read more. The show more mystery in this book was so engaging. The different threads wove between the two main characters, the men who were implicated in the murder of Edie’s father, and even through Holt’s adorable daughter. There were layers and layers to this story and as they were slowly peeled away, the craving for more knowledge just kept on growing. I’m always bad at guessing the murderer, so I can’t guarantee that this isn’t a predictable read for someone else, but to me the plot felt surprisingly tight, exciting, and suspenseful. That isn’t even discussing the romance, which sizzles right off the page. Edie and Holt are not only a very enticing couple but a believable pair. The book doesn’t end in marriage but in a commitment to try out their relationship, which I really appreciated after they’d been through so much.

Edie as a character really got me into the book. She’s a strong woman, but there are forces beyond her control going on here. It’s so easy to feel for her when she’s lost almost everyone in her life, and it’s perfectly understandable that Holt has to build up her trust in him. She’s actually horrified by the fact that the men start dying, even though she thinks they killed her father. Even if she intends to make them a little anxious, she never intended to do any physical harm, just encourage the truth to come out. Her character really starts to come out when she finds her own life in danger. There were also some great family dynamics in this little novel, mostly centered on Holt’s relationship with his parents and his daughter, which made it feel more realistic and well-rounded.

I really enjoyed One Deadly Sin. It appeals to the part of me that loves this kind of exciting suspense. With both a great plot and fantastic characters to care about, there is no way to go wrong with this one. show less

It took me over half the book to really warm up to the main character. I had a hard time believing that a woman that strong and independent would be so trapped in a past that happened when she was only like 10, but overall the book was really good. The mystery was full of twists and turns, and I, for one, didn't guess the ending. I enjoyed the romance, too, it felt real.

One Deadly Sin is well, not Ulysses. Take the first sentence (please!) for example: “She came at night, creeping into town like a shade.” (And at the end of this short chapter, “darkness coils around her like a shroud.”) Someone clearly taught this author that similes = literature. Even trite ones.

But after all, this is the genre of “romantic suspense” and in this respect, Solomon writes like an author in heat. (how’m I doin’ with the similes?) I would have been in ecstasy to find this in the stash under my sister’s bed when I was a pre-teen looking for “sexy” parts in books!

Edie Swann, back in Redbud, Tennessee to avenge her father’s suicide and mother’s early death from mental anguish, has a list of people show more who might have been implicated in her father’s suicide. But it turns out that people on the list keep dying!

Moreover, Edie could not have anticipated she’d be thrown a monkey wrench in the form of an amazingly attractive chief of police, Holt Drennen: “He was beautiful. Tight-jawed and wide-mouthed. Muscled shoulders and lean, powerful legs. And that’s not all. He had a “broad, enticing chest,” which he tended to accentuate by wearing “that T-shirt stretched tight over hard shoulders and muscled biceps.” (His other parts turned out to be exceptional too, but I won’t go there.)

Fortunately, Edie was no slouch herself, with her firm breasts and “round, juicy, touchable” rear-end that “swayed proudly in tight jeans.”

Now you just know when they kiss it’s going to be “quiet and raging. Hungry and yet, oddly, humble. He took her mouth as if he was taking her soul.” Actually, that should be as if he were taking her soul, but maybe good grammar is as inappropriate to this genre as good writing.

For a while, Edie herself is a suspect in the mounting toll of deaths. The townspeople worry: will Drennen’s hunger for Edie prevent his solving the mystery?

You may ask, with all this sarcasm, why didn’t I stop reading? Here are my reasons:

1. I’ve always favored lighter books in the summer, and I won this in a giveaway.
2. All the other books in my TBR pile are difficult non-fiction books, or literary fiction books. (And there’s even an Annotated Ulysses waiting for me to tackle it.)
3. Every once in a while, you grab a cream-filled doughnut. Afterwards, you hate yourself, there’s a lump in your stomach, and you are no richer for it, only fatter. But hey, it was a donut. show less

This was a really well written romantic suspense book. The mystery was at the forefront of the book, but the romance was a nice addition to the story. Edie comes home to clear her father's name after he committed suicide 20 years before. Her efforts stir up lots of ugly secrets being kept by the small town. The love interest is the sheriff whose father is right in the middle of all those secrets. Lots of atmosphere. I would like for the characters to have been a little more delineated, but the mystery was well done. Definitely worth the read.

Edie Swan has returned to her home town of Redbud for revenge. Armed with a list of names and a bag of tiny black angel figurines, a mimic of the black angel that stands over the grave her of her father, she is ready to make the men she feels are responsible for the death of her father pay for their crime. Her father, Charles Swanford, was reported as having committed suicide after being caught extorting money, but Edie feels it was really murder and the charge was made up to protect the still living men involved.

Coinciding with her arrival is a streak of murders-- the murders of the very men she has on her list and has been leaving black angels for. She finds herself the prime suspect in the murders after her small roll in their lives show more is revealed. This cuts short her budding romance with chief of police Holt Drennen who must arrest her despite his growing doubt of her guilt. Not only faced with a life in prison for murders she did not commit, someone is out to scare or kill her.

I always worry when I read books like this because I fear your typical ‘kick ass female’ character. And by fear I mean that they just annoy me-- they are unrealistic, loud mouthed, and suspiciously Mary Sue. When Edie waltzes in with her tight clothes, her messy dark hair, her dark black eyeliner, her aptitude for working behind a bar and making ANY drink, and her suped-up Harley, I worried for this book. But, joy of joys, I found Edie to be a great character full of flaws and limitations, but still strong and independent. She isn’t perfect-- gorgeous yes, but prone to her own personal issues and troubles, and certainly not infallible in any sense. And no, she would not be able to punch out a biker four times her size as some characters like her can. Comparing her to some of the awful female characters I’ve read, she is a great female lead character.

From when the murders started to when the culprit was revealed, I thought I knew who was committing the crimes. In fact, I was almost absolutely certain that I had the ending of the book pegged. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that I was not only wrong, but completely unsuspecting of who it truly is. When a book can catch me by surprise and prove me wrong, I automatically reward it with extra credit.

This book is definitely not for someone younger than 18. There is violence, death, and a few steamy love scenes. It’s not gratuitous, though, so you might not be offended if you have an aversion to something listed above. Given the title of the book, the plot, and the main character, it is to be expected that some uninhibited sexy things are going to happen. If erotica isn’t your thing, no worries. The scenes are few and not very lengthy. They are just enough but not too much.

The only thing that bothered me while reading wass the occasional choppy passage here and there. There are times in the book that new sentences are started that are awkward and unfinished. I guess that’s what Word likes to call Sentence Fragment when you grammar check? I don’t know. I am a major culprit of them myself, at least according to Word. It isn’t awful by any means, and it certainly isn’t indicative of a poor writing style. Indeed, Solomon is a wonderful writer-- her book is an engaging page turner. Just now and then I sort of had to pause and connect things because there was a period there that didn’t feel right.

So what is One Deadly Sin? It is thrilling, unsuspecting, and well written. The characters are realistic and well rounded, full of personality and individuality. The pace of the book is great because it never lags or staggers, it never lingers or drags on too long. The book has enough edge to keep it exciting, but not enough to over-do it. show less

This romantic thriller was definitely a page-turner, one that kept me guessing right until the end. The writing was crisp, and the evolving relationship between Holt and Edie was compelling. The only weak spot for me was eventual revelation of the identity of the killer- I didn't feel there were any clues to help the reader solve the mystery along the way and so didn't appreciate the deus-ex-machina feel of the solution. That sai, reading this book reminded me of an early Kay Hooper or Iris Johansen thriller and I would definitely read other books by this author. Would have been four stars if I hadn't felt like the solution came out of nowhere.

Edie Swan is a rebel with a cause. She is determined to clear her father’s name in the small town of Redbud, Tennesee where he supposedly committed suicide and resulted in driving her mother mad. Little does she know that her inquiries will unravel the threads that hold the town together.

Sheriff Holt Drennen is a loyal father and son and a respected member of Redbud who finds the mysterious Edie a force he cannot resist. But will his attraction hinder his investigation into the strange deaths of Redbuds citizens?

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review