Mortal Sins

Penelope Williamson spins a lush story, complete with sharply drawn characters and a plot within a plot. As a native of Louisiana, I found little to fault with Williamson's portrayal of culture and race relations. Read every word and rushed out and bought the sequel, The Wages Of Sin (which I thought was even better). Crack for the thriller fan.

Very juicily-written swamp-saga, with yummy, Faulknerian characters and a detective who should be played by Russell Crowe if it's made into a movie. Loved it, but had to ask, throughout: is Ms. Williamson a fan of James Lee Burke? Check it out: Burke's detective is Dave Robicheau, hers is Damon Rourke; Burke's detective's wife is dead and he's the father of a small girl (so is Rourke); Robicheau's partner disappeared, was believed dead - Rourke's, too. Remi LeLourie is the most beautiful, sexiest woman in the world - so is every woman Robicheau has ever wedded or bedded. Oh. That's a standard guy-thing. But it's MS. Williamson, n'est-ce pas? Anyway, even if she has copied Burke's plot-and-character-lines, it's still a fab story I didn't want to stop reading, and of course it takes place in the whoring twenties, with lots of history about New Orleans so it's well worth the ride.

Penn Williamson, a.k.a., Penelope Williamson, is one of the unique writers that not only tells a superb story, but actually timewarps the reader into the narrative with her well-crafted characters. Scandal, secrets, love & hate abound in 1920s New Orleans...as does murder. And with Ms. Williamson's guiding hand, our senses taste everything sultry, wicked & deliciously Southern style.The author lets us "see" the evolving story through several points-of-view, with Det. Daman Rourke as the dominate guide. Switching focus was necessary to the plot, & with clever handling the author doesn't confuse the reader. The clues are subtle & well-paced throughout the interlocking stories, but I was still surprised by the ending & revelations. In other words, it was perfect!Every time I read this author, I am profoundly moved by her genius with words; the rhythm, the fraility, the provocative phrasing that reveals our humanity. This is not the first romance author to cross over to suspense, but in my opinion this is the best work produced so far. Mortal Sins belongs on the "keeper shelf" along with the more well-known favorites of the suspense genre.

I found this a marvelous read. It has an old-fashioned lushness of characterization and setting, while keeping excellent pacing. The interweaving stories worked wonderfully - easy to follow because of the clear characterizations. It's tone is darkly romantic, which fits the fascinating historic New Orleans setting, but has plenty of grit and fury. Great touches of period detail. I hope the author does more with this world.I like variety but prefer a dark mood like Mortal Sins. I read George, LeCarre, Perry, Rendell, Harris, Sandford and Connelly. Hiaasen for laughs.

I read this book on the recommendation of a bookseller and I absolutely could not put it down. It has one of the best mysteries I've ever read, and I've read hundreds. But the complexity of the characters and their relationships make it so much more. It reminded me of the movie LA Confidential. It you like well-crafted suspense that will keep you reading into the night, this is the book.