Customer Reviews

The Burning of Her Sin (Brenda Strange Mystery, 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like strong women characters, meet Brenda Strange, a wealthy lawyer who is a dead ringer for Princess Diana. Brenda has everything going for her, looks, money, and brains, about to become partner in a prestigious law firm. And then, in one terrifying moment, her life is changed forever. A disgruntled former client goes on a killing spree, leaving many of her co-workers dead and Brenda was at first thought dead. But when she comes back, it is a slow, difficult recovery from her near death experience, so she and her lover decide to move to Tampa, Florida into the house of their dreams, hoping to speed her re-entry into the land of the living. But after she and Tina move into Malfour House, an old Victorian mansion located in an exclusive community for the rich, she begins to feel the past closing in on her and ghosts screaming for her help in finding peace and justice. When no one believes her about her feelings, Brenda decides to revive her career as a private investigator. As she begins to travel a trail of love, betrayal, murder, Santeria curses and greed almost a hundred years old, she begins to realize that the past and the present are hopelessly intertwined and that either one could prove fatal. The Burning of Her Sin is a dark, almost gothic style mystery that moves seamlessly between the past and the present in a story that you will make you want to lock the door and read it undisturbed from beginning to end.

Brenda Strange has a great life, looks, money and a great job. She's is a lawyer and she's just been made junior partner. All is changed in the blink of an eye when a crazed gunman goes on a killing spree and she becomes one of the victims and is seriously injured.
Brenda, literally, is pulled back from deaths door to find she has a strange psychic abilities.
Brenda and her lover Tina, decide to buy an old Victorian house in Tampa, something Brenda has wanted to do for a long time. Tina hopes this will help Brenda's recuperation.
Brenda was drawn to the house from the beginning. After they move in, the mystery begins and Brenda will not rest until it's solved.
This story has so many twists, turns, ups and downs going from the past to the present, with a bit of help from beyond the grave. It will keep you enthralled from the first page right through to the last page. A real page turner. This is the first Brenda Strange mystery I've read. I have had to buy all the others. This is the beginning of a really excellent series.

The Burning of Her Sin is a five star entry into an often overlooked mystery sub-genre: Paranormal/Supernatural Mystery. While I would classify this as more supernatural, others may call it a paranormal.

Brenda Strange is the main character in what appears to be the first in a series. We see Brenda first as a lawyer but as the story unfolds, circumstances push her into another aspect of her career: Private Investigator. But she's no ordinary private detective. After a near death experience, Brenda Strange has become "sensitive." She can see, feel and smell things others can't.

Set in a big, spooky house, Malfour, this book has all the feel of a dark gothic with ghosts, a mysterious religion and weird characters, but at it's core is the classic mystery. The book and I assume the rest of the series is set in Tampa, Florida and the author has captured a great sense of place. You can soak in all the atmosphere.

The relationship between Brenda and Tina and the rest of the characters ring true and from the first pages, Ms. Henderson grabs you and spins a tale of suspense.

You will want to read this book in one sitting. I was sorry to see it end and I can't wait for the next Brenda Strange book. I hope Ms. Henderson doesn't keep us waiting.

The first book in the series featuring Brenda Strange, Private Investigator, it's set in Tampa, Florida. After buying a huge house there, Malfour House, Brenda realizes its haunted. Her lover, Tina, unfortunately attributes her seeing strange apparations and hearing eerie voices to the stress of recently being nearly killed while working as an attorney for an elite New Jersey law firm.

While investigating the history of the house, strange occurrences of a more earthly nature began to happen, threatening her and Tina's very lives.

There is a curse on the house, people who want them out of it, and ghosts who want Brenda to stay. But despite that, despite her life being threatened again, Brenda tries to perserver. She even get a gun and faces her fear of using it to protect her home.

It's an excellent book, a real page turner,consisting of 235 pages of excitement.

I have not enjoyed a book by a new author this much in a long time. I found the characters well developed and likable. I really cared about Brenda and her Partner Tina from the very beginning. The ESP and Paranormal element really enhanced the read for me. I highly recommend this book.

I have not picked up a book by a new author that I have enjoyed this much in a long time. I love Brenda and find her and all of the characters well developed. I found I really cared about what was happening to Brenda and Tina. I greatly enjoy books with ESP and paranormal plot lines and this is a good one.
This is a great read I highly recommend it.

The Burning of Her Sin is, by far, the most intriguing
supernatural mystery of it's kind. The story line
never dulls or runs on. This book will consume you
like the X-files. Not only has Patty taken you into a
house that alone can bring you to a world of marvel
and mystery, but she also douses in the life of Brenda
Strange who seems to be finding herself as you read.
Brenda's character is so well written you can't help
but fall in love. I am over whelmed by the ability
Patty has to make you feel the connections the
characters have with one another. I wish Patty all the
luck and am enthralled with anticipation to read more
about Brenda, her new home, and friends.

Patty G. Henderson tells a story that just seems too real. I never doubted the actual existence of the characters, they are that well developed. The story reads fast, is tightly written and delivers with impact.

Brenda Strange is a New Jersey attorney who has her life turned upside down. A bizarre twist of fate occurs when a mad gunman enters the law firm intent on killing them all. Spared her life, she and her partner decide to purchase a summer home in Tampa, Florida.

Through an odd bargaining, they wind up purchasing a house full of history, full of secrets and full of curses and ghosts. The Malfour House is more than an intriguing investment to Brenda. She cannot help but feel as if the house itself is calling out to her, asking for her help. Her desire to research the property quickly becomes an obsession. This new single minded focus becomes damaging to her relationship and work, as she is consumed by the drive to get to the bottom of a fire that took place over seventy years ago.

And Brenda isn't the only one with an interest in this beautiful old house. There is someone out there intent on stopping Brenda from uncovering any incriminating facts about the people who once owned the esteemed house. This nemesis resorts to something like voodo to scare off Brenda and Tina, and if necessary, killing them to keep the many secrets secret.

Henderson is the author of another novel, BLOOD SCENT. I will be reading that as well. She possesses a wonderful talent for telling a complete story. She knows how to build characters and scenes. She knows how to build suspense and intrigue. THE BURNING OF HER SIN is a wonderfully entertaining story, eerie and satisfying

Brenda Strange died when the crazed ex-husband of a client gunned down the offices of the law firm where she was a junior partner. But she is brought back by the doctors and gains an awareness of the supernatural. To recover from the attack, Brenda and her partner, Tina, move to Tampa where Brenda falls in love with an old and haunted, mysterious Victorian house, Malfour House. There, Brenda pursues becoming a private investigator while also developing a passion for miniature teddy bears. Then the ghosts appear.

Brenda's obsession with discovering the mysteries of Malfour House leads her to investigate old secrets and puts both her life and her relationship with Tina in jeopardy. Old letters, land developers and Santeria all threaten to destroy what Brenda is trying hold together.

This is an entertaining read with its mix of mystery, romance and ghosts. The plot moves along nicely and the suspense keeps the reader intrigued throughout the story. Brenda is a realistic and likeable character, and I look forward to reading more of this series.
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