Customer Reviews

Punish the Sinners

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is the first novel I have read from Saul and I admit I was impressed. From the first page it hooks you in and keeps you there. The ending was not typical and much of a surprise. Overall really good book, along the lines of Stephen King novels, which have that eerie and mysterious flavor to them that make them such good thrillers. I look forward to reading more of John Saul's work.

A typical Saul thriller that his fans will enjoy. The plot centers around a Seminary dropout- turned teacher who is asked to teach at a stuffy parochial school and finds himself in the middle of a rash of teenage suicides and other evil goings-on. A typical fast-paced Saul thriller that lures you in quickly and keeps you there. The ending was different than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise, but I wish Saul had cleaned up some of the loose ends. All in all, a quick, easy read that Saul fans will enjoy.

This is the best book Saul wrote, it's great. I read it a few times actually and each time I couldn't leave it and move on with my life, like doing something for school or something. It touched me, the subject is very well built, so are the characters. Peter Balsam, and old childhood friend of Peter Vernon (now the Monsenior) is asked to come and teach psychology. He is an outcast in a relligious society and relates only to another oucast, a divorced woman. Prejudice coming from religious ideas is a great background for the Monsenior who finally came with a plan how to punish the "sinners". He is a very disturbed character and if you are a smart reader you'll get the idea why he is as he is. He is by no means the common religious fanatic, he's more. You enter a world of dark, creepy secretes hidden under a mask of peace and God. It's so usual for saul to do this, paint a perfect picture and turn it into grothesque, showing the true evil. I like that he's not a writer that ends books the way most do, he doesn't make it sweeter than life is. I hated this book, I threw it on the floor in rage when I finished it. But I loved it too, believe me. I understand it, it has a certain logic. Oh, you have to read it to see what I mean. If you didn't read Saul before - this is the best and the most evil book I'd say. Ok, let's say, the most evil from the pleasant ones. "The right hand of Evil" is the most evil. I am 22 and still it gave me nightmares. It wasn't believable and it was kind of distgusting like also "Suffer the children". Morbid. I would relate it to "Comes the blind Fury". It's about fury, but at a more unconscious level, I don't suspect that the evil character realizes hos rage so well, he can't controle it, it's madness and yet a perfect plan, so cold, and so calculated. It's brilliant! Great, grrrrrrrreat book.

Peter Balsam has come to Neilsville to teach a class in psychology at the local high school. Then one by one girls start killing themselves and the grieving parents blame Peter who discovers all too late the unholy truth behind the deaths. But the madness that has the town in its grip won't be stopped and evil walks the streets wearing the face of righteousness.

This is a very scary book and I'm gonna read it again tomorrow.

John Saul is a master of horror story telling. His stories cause shivers up and down your spine, butterflies in the stomach, and the uncontrollable urge to keep reading. I am deliberately keeping these reviews vague so as to not spoil anything.

Punish the Sinners is a bizarre story, set in the backdrop of a private Catholic high school called St. Francis Xavier High School. When Peter Balsam begins teaching a controversial psychology course, he notices that the children in this school have been very well indoctrinated in the attitude of the whole village (Neilsville, WA), which is very much a small town filled with very religious people.

However, something isn't quite right at the high school and Peter is determined to find out what it is. There are strange rumors, whispers about a dark secret society. And then the children start dying ...

This story is just creepy and I loved reading every word. Don't miss it if you are a fan of horror.

Saul writes true horror, so don't expect any happy endings here. But DO expect to be thrilled and chilled. Don't miss this great story.

Not too bad. A good sophomore effort for Saul. Evil priests have a special place in my heart. A few scenes could have been spiced up and made more interesting. It could have had a better ending as well. It seemed as if Balsam just gave up.

--author of The Shadow God and Spiritual Sorrow

Punish the sinners delivers an interesting but ultimately unsatisfactory suspense story centering around a Catholic school in a small town. While the story initially raises some interesting questions about theology and Catholic doctrine, Saul eventually forsakes those topics completely in the pursuit of a ridiculously far-fetched tale of obsession and mind-control. There is literally no character development whatsoever, and Saul goes a step worse in drawing on multiple character stereotypes: the sinister priest, the disbeleiving psychologist, the popular jock, the picked-on "ugly girl," and more. If Saul had done anything memorable with such characters, it might be worthwhile, but this is simply unacceptable. To top off the frustration, the ending is simply atrocious, and does nothing to conclude the story; it feels like a bad horror movie where the killer is still alive at the end (though that is somewhat of a recurring theme in Saul's work). Not recommended at all.