Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear. Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real and imagined in the flames of the burning stake. Neilsville, 1978. Peter Blasam has come to this sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High School -- something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the two... while a dark order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval ritual. Is hysteria manipulating these innocent children into violent self-destruction? Or has supernatural force, a thirteenth-century madness, returned to... Punish The Sinners.
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Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear. Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real and imagined in the flames of the burning stake. Neilsville, 1978. Peter Blasam has come to this sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High School -- something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the two... while a dark order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval ritual. Is hysteria manipulating these innocent children into violent self-destruction? Or has supernatural force, a thirteenth-century madness, returned to... Punish The Sinners.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From the Inside Flap
Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear. Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real and imagined in the flames of the burning stake. Neilsville, 1978. Peter Blasam has come to this sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High School -- something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the two... while a dark order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval ritual. Is hysteria manipulating these innocent children into violent self-destruction? Or has supernatural force, a thirteenth-century madness, returned to... Punish The Sinners.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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More About the Author
House of Reckoning is John Saul's thirty-sixth novel. His first novel, Suffer the Children, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. His other bestselling suspense novels include Faces of Fear, In the Dark of the Night, Perfect Nightmare, Black Creek Crossing, Midnight Voices, The Manhattan Hunt Club, Nightshade, The Right Hand of Evil, The Presence, Black Lightning, The Homing, and Guardian. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling serial thriller The Blackstone Chronicles, initially published in six installments but now available in one complete volume. Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Hawaii.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting early effort from one of my faves...,
By R. Gawlitta "Coolmoan" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Punish the Sinners (Paperback)
I've read almost everything Mr. Saul has written. Oddly enough, I only recently came across this one, his second published novel. It certainly has a terrifc premise, and our hero, Peter Balsam, is likeable; also conflicted and vulnerable, which makes him perfect fodder for the wonderful mind of Mr. Saul. How exciting to come to a new town and start fresh after a rash of failures, whether the priesthood or his subsequent marriage, or the certainty of his future. Peter Balsam comes to teach phychology at a parochial school, almost unheard of by the set-in their ways populace. Angry nuns, weird old priests and closed-minded townspeople greet him with suspicion, but the kids love him, so glad to be given a chance to learn something new during their "formative years". Well, chaos ensues, as would be expected, and the next-to-lead character, Monsignor Peter Vernon, Balsam's old school chum, creates lots of confusion and plot twists that carry the reader to a satisfying conclusion, though not the one you'd think. Or...it would've been unexpected had I not read so much Saul before. It was very enjoyable, and if you're new to Mr. Saul, check this one out right away.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Chilling and Surprising,
By "honeydick" (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Punish the Sinners (Audio CD)
This book grips you from the very start and never lets go. While its a fast pace horror novel regarding suicide, and religious fervor it also tackles other topics such as abuse of power, sexual hypocrisy and the church overall. I got a bit upset when the sexual element was introduced; thinking Saul was making a judgement call but as the story progressed it redeemed it self. It also has one of the best and realistic endings I ever seen in a novel of this type. I am glad Saul had the good sense to end it in the way he did. A great audio book from the first CD to the last. The reader did a good job though his female voices needed some fine tuning at times. Still a great listening experience. I'm off to buy another! This book contains 5 CDs and is read by a single reader.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Saul's most personal thriller?,
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This review is from: Punish the Sinners (Paperback)
Punish the Sinners is a thriller concerning a rash of suicides and religious fervor sweeping through a desert community (the heat is symbolic on many levels). On another level I think it is a very personal book for Saul, usually a very impersonal and highly structured writer. This is due to the tensions regarding sexual orientation issues with the lead adult characters. Highly recommended.
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First Sentence:
Peter Balsam trudged to the top of Cathedral Hill and stared up at the forbidding stone facade of the Church of St. Francis Xavier. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
suicide contagion, six priests Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Peter Balsam, Monsignor Vernon, Peter Martyr, Judy Nelson, Marilyn Crane, Karen Morton, Sister Marie, Francis Xavier, Jim Mulvey, Sister Elizabeth, Janet Connally, Penny Anderson, Leona Anderson, Inez Nelson, Margo Henderson, Father Martinelli, Blessed Virgin, George Nelson, Geraldine Crane, Jeff Bremmer, Pete Vernon, Father Duncan, Sorrowful Mother, Main Street, Cathedral Hill New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Peter Balsam trudged to the top of Cathedral Hill and stared up at the forbidding stone facade of the Church of St. Francis Xavier. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
suicide contagion, six priests Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Peter Balsam, Monsignor Vernon, Peter Martyr, Judy Nelson, Marilyn Crane, Karen Morton, Sister Marie, Francis Xavier, Jim Mulvey, Sister Elizabeth, Janet Connally, Penny Anderson, Leona Anderson, Inez Nelson, Margo Henderson, Father Martinelli, Blessed Virgin, George Nelson, Geraldine Crane, Jeff Bremmer, Pete Vernon, Father Duncan, Sorrowful Mother, Main Street, Cathedral Hill New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 5
books:
7
books
cite this book:
See all 7 books citing this book
- Suffer the Children by John Saul on 4 pages
- The God Project by John Saul in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Second Child by John Saul in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Roman Empire by Colin Well on page 63
- What is it? by Rose Williams on page 93
- John Saul: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers) by Paul Bail on 12 pages
- Shadows by John Saul in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Suffer the Children by John Saul in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Comes the Blind Fury by John Saul in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
- Black Creek Crossing: A Novel by John Saul in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
See all 7 books citing this book
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