Sins & Shadows (Paperback)

~ Lyn Benedict (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary P.I. She specializes in cases involving the unusual, in a world where magic is real-and where death isn't the worst thing that can happen to you.

But when an employee is murdered in front of her, Sylvie has had enough. After years of confounding the dark forces of the Magicus Mundi, she's closing up shop-until a man claiming to be the God of Justice wants Sylvie to find his lost lover.

And he won't take no for an answer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Ace (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441017118
• ISBN-13: 978-0441017119
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #212,256 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong Urban Fantasy, May 5, 2009

By	Lisa "Fantasy fan" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews

This was an interesting book. Initially, I thought I had stumbled onto book 2 of the series. Several concepts are mentioned (eg. Magicus Mundi, ISI...) without being explained. Also there are references to the death of a friend and in the middle of the book there is mention of a dead husband. This threw me for a loop, and I did an Amazon search to make sure I had not missed a another book in this series. Things are thrown out without explanation and without being referred to ever again. This is why I detracted 1 star from this review.

Having said that, the book was refreshing because there are no vampires and no werewolves! There are however plently of Gods - Greek, Egyptian, Judeo-Christian. I enjoyed the world building. Our heroine, Sylvie is fairly typical of this genre- tough, scarred, angry, etc.

The action moves quickly. This is UF not Paranormal Romance. There is a relationship but with a surprising twist that caught me by surprise, and shows that the author is willing to take risks.

All in all, a good read, if a little uneven.I will definitely read the sequel.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spectacular, Gritty and Exciting New Urban Fantasy!, May 8, 2009

By	Kathy E. "Kathy" (Bristol, CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved everything about this book! Sylvie Lightner P.I. extraordinaire is having a very bad day and it's about to get worse. Syl had the unfortunate experience of interrupting a group of Satanist during their power ceremony. Well, we all know Satanist, right? They just have no sense of humor and now she's the object of their fixation. As if being stalked by Satanists isn't horrific enough, try having a god as a client...... Syl has decided to close up her P.I. business after the Satanist incident but as she's walking out her shop door, the God of Justice (GOJ) appears and insists that she use her skills to locate his lover. The GOJ lover Bran has gone missing and is suspected of being kidnapped. Unable to locate him, GOJ needs Syl and compels her, by means of threats, to take the case. Tension is rising between various gods who covet GOJ's power and would like to use this vulnerability to siphon more power for themselves. During these conflicts, earth is going to hell in a hand basket with widespread cataclysmic events, as a consequence from having too many gods and too much power on earth. Meanwhile, time is not on Bran's side and Syl literally has the fate and weight of the world on her shoulders. Following leads Syl crosses paths with the utmost unwavering and timeless wickedness that she must defeat to retrieve Bran. How do you out-smart a timeless being who has honed their malicious skills and through their relentless cleverness is determined to succeed? I was literally enthralled by this story and actually lost sleep over it, it was so good. This book is creative, fast paced and action-packed. Syl's character is strong, mean and always gets the job done. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book in the series.

I also recommend:

Blood Engines (Marla Mason, Book 1)
Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid, Book 3)
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3)
Bloodring: A Rogue Mage Novel
Storm Born (Dark Swan, Book 1)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, even if you don't like Urban Fantasy, April 30, 2009

By	A. Murphy (IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A strong start for a new series, the book focuses on Sylvie Lightner, a (sort of stereotypical but still loveable) temperamental heroine and her PI business dealing with paranormal events, which is about to close down until it gets a job from a god who won't take no for an answer. The plot is the strong point of this book and includes some twists that, while well-hinted at and sensible, aren't entirely predictable. The book itself is well-written above all else and feel a bit like what would happen if Janet Evanovich wrote things that were fantasy and about ten times more intelligent.

Definitely recommended for those who like urban fantasy, those who like fantasy in general, and those who like the conventions of popular thrillers.