From the book cover: In the lazy days of summer, a merciless heat wave is the biggest story in Washington, D.C. But the weather is knocked off the front pages when a young woman is found strangled to death. A note left behind reads Her sins are forgiven her.Two more victims soon follow, and suddenly every headline is devoted to the killer the press has dubbed “the Priest.” When the police ask top-notch psychiatrist Dr. Tess Court to help with their investigation, she comes up with a disturbing portrait of a twisted soul.Detective Ben Paris doesn’t give a damn about the killer’s psyche. What he can’t easily dismiss is Tess. Tall, dark, and good-looking, Ben has a legendary reputation with women, but the coolly elegant Tess doesn’t react to him like other women he’s known — and he finds the challenge enticing.Now, as the two are thrown together in a perilous quest to stop a serial killer, the flame of white-hot passion flares. But someone also has his eyes on the beautiful blond doctor ... and Ben can only pray that if the madman strikes, he'll be able to stop him before it’s too late....My take: I had bought this book after reading the above blurb on the book cover. I love mysteries and this seemed like the ideal book to continue my obsession with crime stories. Unfortunately, I was disappointed once I was well into the book. The book starts off promisingly, which was the reason that I was hooked. But after a few dozen pages, the mystery factor of the book slowly dwindles down till it focuses on the romance quotient between the lead characters- Dr. Tess and Detective Ben. Ben is a character who is troubled by his past and holds a grudge against all psychiatrists blaming them for the death of his brother many years back. Tess, on the other hand, is a rich but classy character who tries to help all her clients and goes out of her way to help them. I do realize that it is supposed to be a tale of "suspense and sensual passion" as was mentioned on the book cover, but I felt what could've been a power packed thriller was lost somewhere in between. The characters are etched out well, but somehow, it didn't work for me. When I read a thriller, I expect to fall headlong into the crime. I'm intrigued by the murderer/ bad guy/ villain. These are beautiful characters in shades of grey that makes a book absolute page turners. What ticks them off, the elements of unpredictability, the way their mind works, how you can get thrown off by their behavior... The possibilities are endless. However, in Sacred Sins, the murderer seemed to fade into the background. Maybe this was the reason why I didn't warm to the book. I wanted to know more about "the Priest", why he believed in absolution, what made the victims of crime special - all blonde women in their twenties. The story had such a great potential that when the killer was finally revealed, I was left with a sour aftertaste upon completing the novel. It was surreal and seemed like a shortcut to get to the end of the mystery so that the author could finish off the story. Yes, Roberts offers an explanation to your questions, but it just wasn't satisfactory for my taste. Now, I'm not revealing what the big mystery is because it would take out the fun in reading this one (if you are going to read it, that is). I did wish on more instances than one that the doctor and detective would focus on the case in hand rather than tearing each other's clothes off and making earth shattering love. Of course, Roberts is an author who is known for her romantic novels, but when it comes to a subject such as this, I really did wish she had concentrated more on working out the mystery factor and making it a story that was jam packed with mystery and terror. This is one of Roberts' earlier works and I guess the changes are evident when you read her newer books. Well, I guess this is one book from which she has evolved as a writer. So, if you are looking for a good Nora Roberts book, I would suggest you pick some of her later works. And if you are looking for a good kick ass mystery (like me), give this one a pass.
Kao velika ljubiteljica Norinih knjiga nisam propustila pročitati ni ovu. Knjiga “Sveti grijesi” dokaz je da Nora ne piše samo odlične ljubiće, već i krimiće. Naravno da je u sve upletena i ljubavna priča između dva vrlo zanimljiva lika.Gradom hara serijski ubojica koji je ubrzo zbog poruke “Grijesi su joj oprošteni” prozvan Svećenikom. Tijela se pojavljuju, no policija nema nikakvih tragova. Očajni, načelnik policije i gradonačelnik potraže pomoć iskusne psihologinje kako bi izradila profil počinitelja te pomogla u njegovu pronalasku prije nego bude još žrtava. Tako dolazi do susreta detektiva Bena Parisa i doktorice Tess Court koji o počinitelju imaju vrlo različita mišljenja. Ben smatra da je počinitelju mjesto da trune u zatvoru, dok Tess misli kako je to ozbiljno poremećen čovjek kojem treba pomoć te kako je za njegove postupke kriva bolest. No, to nije jedino područje u kojem se njihova mišljenja razilaze – doslovce se razlikuju kao noć i dan. Prisiljeni blisko sudjelovati zbog istrage, Ben i Tess se često svađaju, ali ne mogu zanijekati međusobnu privlačnost…Ovo je, sve u svemu, zanimljiv krimić. Tko je čitao Norine knjige, zna da ne moram napominjati kvalitetu pisanja te čitkost same knjige. Priča je napeta od prve do zadnje stranice, puna preokreta i dinamike, a na kraju nam je priuštila i veliko iznenađenje. Likovi su fantastično zamišljeni pa sukob doktorice i detektiva vodi do mnogih zanimljivih rasprava nakon kojih ne možete ne razmišljati čijem mišljenju bi se sami priklonili. Zato uzbuđenja i strasti na ima svakoj stranici. Veliko je iznenađenje autoričino poznavanje psihologije i policijskih metoda u što je uloženo mnogo truda kako bi priča i likovi bili uvjerljivi. Čitajući ovu knjigu toliko sam se udubila u samu priču da nisam ni shvatila kada je napisana. Pazite sad iznenađenja – 1987. godine! Vjerojatno ne bi ni shvatila da nisam naišla na jedan detalj koji me potaknuo da provjerim godinu izdanja. Ovo je otkriće samo povećalo moje oduševljenje te se veselim novim Norinim knjigama u ovom stilu. “Sveti grijesi” idealna je za ljubitelje krimića, ljubića te općenito dobrih napetica. Ne vidim razloga zašto ovu knjigu ne bi pročitao i muškarac pa ju mogu preporučiti svima koji žele nešto lagano i napeto.
What do You think about Sacred Sins (1987)?
Okay....I gotta start this journal entry by saying that I have never before read Nora Roberts. In fact, I was of the impression that Nora Roberts was pretty much synonymous with lovey-dovey, mushy, romance novels - no mystery; no murder; no mayhem. But, since I *was* participating in the ABC Author challenge, and I had heard soooo many of my friends singing her praise, I figured, "what the heck; I'll give her a try."And, I must say I was pleasantly surprised! Roberts descriptive writing style and well-developed characters really drew me into the story. Sure, the love-story was up-front and present, but the mystery was surprisingly well done. I can see myself reading more of her work in the future.
—Maurean
It was interesting reading book two before book one in this duet. I got to know the title characters of book one after they'd gotten together, plus I got to see how the book two hero was originally presented. Nora Roberts does such a good job with characterization that you can read these books out of order and still get continuity and engage with the characters. Sometimes in series books the previous main characters come off as super happy and 'gooey in love,' but Roberts keeps their relevant flaws and endearing quirks.This psychological mystery took me for a definite thrill ride, and the characters were believable, especially the interaction between the detective partners. While someone could sketch them as stereotypes, up close they are very much individuals--the essence of great characterization.
—Helen
Para um livros "do tempo em que os animais falavam" como diz alguém que eu cá sei, até gostei muito. Este livro foi publicado no meu ano de nascimento, por isso não poderia deixar de ser interessante :)Agora a sério gostei muito deste livro, um género que agora não é tão habitual, um pouco policial um pouco romance. Gostei de conhecer o Ben, com tantas ideias predefinidas que vão caindo no decorrer da trama, e de Tess tão corajosa. E também gostei e muito do parceiro do Ben e felizmente ele vai ter um livro só para ele :) A editora diz que irão publicar no verão, vamos lá a ver se conseguem cumprir.Enfim é sempre um prazer nos deixarmos envolver pela escrita da Nora Roberts.
—Maria João
