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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, gritty supernatural suspense, February 28, 2007
This review is from: Sinner: A Novel (Paperback)
CK Ivors has a team of investigators that you just get the biggest kick out of! She has a computer geek, an assistant and her cousin, a lawyer and her bodyguard, and a "spook"--someone who comes and goes at will, contacting her when he chooses to (not a ghost--a real person!).
Together, they try to unravel the mystery of the Sinner--a phantom vigilante who appears to have lived for...150 years?? Interspersed among the story are bits of the first journal kept by this Sinner...his roots, if you will.
He dreams of people who do unspeakable acts, and doesn't get relief until he punishes them...and it is gruesome, let me tell you. Not graphic, but you do get the point.
The mystery is intriguing, the characters are very appealing, and the story is smoothly written. I was anticipating a sequel, but the end left me hanging in such a way that I'm not quite sure.
But another novel from this author would be a pleasure and a must read for me. I consider Sharon Carter Rogers to be in the big leagues of gritty, spiritual suspense.
If you enjoy Tedd Dekker and Robert Liparulo, Eric Wilson and Chris Wells...you'll LOVE Sharon Carter Rogers!!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rogers give us an unforgettable character, January 15, 2007
This review is from: Sinner: A Novel (Paperback)
First time novelist, Sharon Carter Rogers, delivers a compelling and original supernatural thriller with her first novel "Sinner." Rogers single-handedly renewed my hope in a genre that for far too long has lived underneath the safety of Frank Peretti's impressive shadow. Rogers has blazed her own trail offered us a hero who must fight the demons within, not without.
"Sinner" is the story of how investigative writer CK Ivors crosses paths with a shadowy figure known as the "Sinner." CK's historical work has made her aware of the legend of Sinner, a vigilante who been spotted in the margins of history for the past 150 years. CK takes it upon herself to track down this inky figure until she finds her story irreversibly wrapped up in his.
The character, "Sinner", is unforgettable. Sinner's vigilantism is driven by self-loathing and hatred for those who prey on the weak and defenseless. The Sinner not only battles himself and the wanton, but the God who he believes has forsaken him. His brand of justice is as brutal and pugilistic as that of the evil he fights. I can't say more without getting into "spoilers" but I classify the Sinner in the same genus of hero as Batman. I'll be sorely disappointed not to see more Sinner novels in coming years.
CK Ivors is another compelling character who quite frankly merits another novel or two. In the novel CK's royalty checks have allowed her to assemble a large colorful staff to assist her. Rogers created fine characters to assist CK and I'd love to see their further exploits as well.
Parents should note that the world of "Sinner" is dark, gritty and violent. The book opens with priest exposed in a sexual abuse scandal. Sinner's assaults on criminals are both surgical and barbaric. My "cringe factor" was tested a few times while reading this book. It should be noted that the violence is never gratuitous and that Rogers has painted a world in which evil is avenged. And yet, Rogers isn't content with vengeance and offers us a higher value on which she rests her well crafted novel.
Rogers instantly has earned a place among authors like Brad Meltzer, Ted Dekker, or G.P. Taylor. She's an author I'll be looking for more of in the future.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid Story Idea That Fragments, March 13, 2007
This review is from: Sinner: A Novel (Paperback)
SINNER has all the markings of a really terrific thriller - a kind of grown up Nancy Drew mystery whose chief character is a writer CK Ivors who has a penchant for mystery and group coordinated investigation. As Sharon Carter Rogers begins to spin her tale the book has all the tension and feeling of a 'can't put it down' epic: there is a murder of a priest with a past history of unpriestly behaviors, a 'supernatural' hunky guy who traipses around in a bullet proof coat righting wrongs for people by killing the bad guys, a fascinating little group of thinkers and smart kids, police and wealthy men along with gangs, maids of glory etc.
The problem, for this reader, is in the telling. Rogers splices bits and pieces of incidents that are not always linked chronologically (not a bad thing at all) but fragment the story with a plethora of funky names that make the reader keep back-pedaling to stay on track. There is also the addition of a diary in a different font and graphic setting set throughout the book that has a payoff in the end but again blurs the progress of the novel in the meantime. Rogers has some absolutely terrific ideas ('Sinner' as a character is a fine concoction that pleads for cinematic realization) and her use of CK Ivors is very sound. The subtle introduction of spiritual values is well done. But for a novel that is supposed to be a spellbinder there is just too much clutter in getting there. It feels like the next outing will be a solid one, with the help of a more forceful editor. Rogers is a fine writer! Grady Harp, March 07
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