Wages of Sin [Mass Market Paperback]

Penelope Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

The body of a local priest is discovered in an abandoned New Orleans warehouse. Damon Rourke, the hard-nosed detective introduced in "Mortal Sins," attempts to catch a killer even as a shocking mystery is revealed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Det. Daman Rourke is on the case of a murdered priest in this rousing thriller by Williamson (Mortal Sins) set in New Orleans in 1927. Rourke and his partner, Fiorello, have their hands full after a young hood on the run from the mob discovers the "crucified" corpse of Father Patrick Walsh, a popular clergyman who was disliked by Church hierarchy for his flamboyant preaching, which borrowed elements from evangelical Protestant services. When the coroner delivers the news that Father Walsh was actually female, the revelation, and the fear of its potential impact if leaked, fuels Rourke's determination to find the killer and close the case quietly. It seems Father Walsh developed an underground protection network for abused wives that angered Father Ghilotti, a fellow priest. To complicate matters, Rourke's brother Paul is also a priest at the rectory, and he too has something to hide: an affair with a married woman. Parallel to the parish mayhem is Rourke's rekindled romance with glamorous New Orleans-born actress Remy Lelourie, who's been receiving threats written in blood from a stalker who calls himself Romeo. When teenage girls in Remy's fan club turn up murdered, Rourke puts his investigative skills into high gear. Williamson entwines the two murder plots and speeds toward a surprising, exhilarating conclusion. Though much of the vernacular is unabashedly contemporary, she goes far in evoking the giddy atmosphere of Jazz Age New Orleans as well as its dark underside, rife with wanton violence, prejudice and racial tension.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Mortal Sins' Detective Damon Rourke investigates the crucifixion of a priest who turns out to be a woman.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446613835
• ISBN-13: 978-0446613835
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,572,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful early twentieth century who-done-it, March 7, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wages of Sin (Hardcover)

In 1927, there are few events, including murder, that would shock the residents of New Orleans. Even the recent deaths of teenage fans of silent screen queen Remy LeLourie hardly dent the demeanor of the citizens. However, the crucifix torture killing of Father Patrick Walsh, perhaps the most popular priest in the city, stuns even the most decadent individual.

Homicide Detective Damon Rourke leads the inquiries into the murder of Father Walsh. He believes a link exists between that homicide and the rash of female teen deaths who cult worship his lover Remy. He also feels that a connection exists to another crime that has divided the city. He never sleeps as he searches for the thread that will tie these seemingly three different situations together and lead to the culprit(s). Damon finds clue after clue, but the clock ticks with little progress.

WAGES OF SIN is a superb historical police procedural that brings alive the 1920s in New Orleans. The story line is no stop action as the workaholic Damon ignores his lover, his daughter, and his health to find the blood line that runs through each case like beads on a necklace. Read very carefully this tale as Penelope Williamson reveals all the clues. However, if not closely followed, the final twist will surprise the audience who will realize that the author hid nothing yet succeeded with a delightful sleight of the hand early twentieth century who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lush, noir-like thriller that echoes Hammett and Chandler, March 8, 2003

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wages of Sin (Hardcover)

The year: 1927
The place: New Orleans
The crimes:
- Father Patrick Walsh is found crucified to death in an empty macaroni factory. Several young girls, all friends, disappear only to then turn up raped, tortured and dead.
- A young black teenager is found guilty of two of the girls' murders and is executed in Louisiana's brand new electric chair.
- Someone with access to every part of her life is stalking Remy Lelourie, a most popular and beautiful silent film star who is shooting a picture in New Orleans, her hometown. Her lover, homicide detective Damon Rourke, is determined to solve the crimes that ultimately force him to confront his own personal demons.

WAGES OF SIN by Penelope Williamson (MORTAL SIN, THE OUTSIDER) is a lush, noir-like thriller in the style of Hammett and Chandler. It captures the flamboyant period made famous by flappers and the Charleston. The tale is told in stark prose tempered with "down home" southern inflections. Readers will find themselves almost able to feel, see, smell and hear everything from the stench of the mud flats to the glitter of Bourbon Street; from the noisy, crowded speakeasies to the quiet mansions of the moneyed folks; from the aroma of sizzling catfish to visualizing the sun's brightness as it shines off the yellow patina of the Stutz Bearcat that Detective Rourke drives around town.

Williamson spares no detail as she presents the events and characters early in the narrative. This more than sets the stage for the information that follows. And, as readers move into the actual investigations, where all of the puzzle pieces are slowly revealed, the entire picture soon falls into a sharply carved, cohesive whole. While we are given clues and red herrings, in the finest tradition of suspense/mystery novels, few will guess who is responsible for the horrible crimes, so carefully limned is the mystery tale tightly woven into the plot.

Most often, genre writers present plot-driven books, especially those who write mystery novels. In WAGES OF SIN, however, Penelope Williamson adds a deeper dimension to an already challenging read, because she offers a glimpse into the feelings and the minds of her characters. A perfect example of her riff into persona is how she portrays the tortured detective Rourke as he relieves his tension: "Rourke lifted the sax to his mouth, licked his lips, took a tight breath, and then he hit a note that would have left an impression on bone  [w] hat he played on this night was dark music, and deep, like the ocean, and you felt it in your liver as well as your heart. You heard things in it you'd never heard before, things you weren't sure you wanted to go near." This kind of prose is indicative of Williamson's style: it is literary, full of emotion, deeply insightful and as sharp as a scalpel.

This book is full of 'southern gothic' elements, rich in patois and the language so common to hard-boiled detectives of the 1920s. The plot is set up like a series of panels, each part of a whole that begs to be put together and the plot twists are truly inspired. This book is a winner, rich in nuance and overflowing with every element necessary for a terrific, suspenseful read.

--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every weird thing imaginable!, July 8, 2003

By 

Karen Kirsch "blazerlib" (Novi, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wages of Sin (Hardcover)

A crucified priest with an astonishing secret! A teen-age girls' cult that idolizes a beautiful film star! A detective whose brother is a priest in the same parish as the crucified one. That same detective's lover is the object of the teen girls' obsession. Those girls being murdered. All this takes place in 1920's New Orleans. This is a great read and the end will blow your mind! I must now read "Mortal Sins." This one was awesome!