I sincerely hope I’m not the only one that experiences this, but do you know when you’re reading a psychological thriller, or something sort of deep crime book, and then it gets too intense, so you have to pause and find something else to distract you for a while?
That’s how it was with me, only that my preferred means of distraction at the time was not TikTok, or seeing a movie, or even better, taking a walk. It was delving into another book. Earlier this year, I was feeling nostalgic, and wanted a taste of the decadent books I used to read in high school, and so, I downloaded a whole set of books by Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick, and the likes. Sacred Sins was among them.
Sacred Sins by Nora Roberts
The premise to this book is that a mysterious person is going around Washington D. C killing blonde women, and attaching a note that says their sins have been forgiven. He does this, so much so, that he is dubbed “The Priest,” (and I honestly hope you get the inference). The investigation to find this killer is spearhead by two detectives, one of which includes the stoic Ben Paris.
Now, they understand that this person is most likely a psychopath, and what better way to profile a psychopath than to get the one person that may know what’s going on in their minds? So, the bosses bring in a psychiatrist, Tess Court, to wriggle her way into the brain of this psychopath just by the nature of his killings, and possibly find the killer. But this does not go well with Ben who immediately hates Tess on sight.
My Thoughts and Rating
Now, this is the kind of book that leaves you guessing. You don’t know what to expect. A fourteen year old me definitely did not know what to expect the first time I read this book, but I was hooked from the first page.
One thing about Nora that got me sold on her books was that she didn’t just write plain romance. There was always something dark to it, mysterious, and filled with intrigue. You only really get the gist, when you grow accustomed to her books, like I did.
This story was a journey. Ben who hates all psychiatrists because of what happened with his brother, and this aloof woman (Tess) who doesn’t break down at the sight of the gory stuff that is supposed to have any woman – according to Ben – in a "dead faint."
The journey from trying to decode who the killer is, to taming the obvious sparks between them, and pretending they don’t exist was exhilarating, to say the very least. This may not be the kind of book you’d want to read, but I’ll tell you for free because it happens to most of us, anyway. No one gets serious about the threat of danger till it becomes personal. Do with that information what you will.
This book isn’t too ground breaking. In fact, if you’ve seen Criminal Minds, it may feel like a walk in the park for you. The book has its flaws. Subplots that are rather unnecessary, and the book could do heavily without. Also, the influx of different POV’s in the paragraphs that is quite nearly jarring.
Nora Roberts’ books could be a lot, if you’re just picking up her books for the first time, and you may not want to read another, unless you have history with it. Like I do. It may be a while before I pick up another of her books, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one after so many years. 4.3/5 stars from me. A weird albeit much needed distraction.
Jhymi🖤
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