Sinner by Christopher Graves

5/10/2018

SYNOPSIS

As a direct descendant of the 19th century vigilante gang, the Bald Knobbers, Ezekiel Woods, Jr. has been indoctrinated into a world ruled by violence and a literal interpretation of the bible his entire life. Now, over a hundred years later, Zeke continues his ancestors’ crusade, spending his days camouflaged as an aloof middle-aged grocery store sacker and his nights in a farmhouse cellar, preparing captives’ souls for their ultimate destiny: redemption or death.

His latest abductee, an indomitable Texan working her way through a third-life crisis, chooses another option: escape. Zeke must recapture this lost sheep or face a consequence far worse than any worldly fate: that God has forsaken him.

Synopsis from Goodreads

PERSONAL REVIEW

Thank you Smith Publlicity for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not a huge fan of thrillers, and besides the J.D Robb “In Death” series, I don’t often read mysteries. But when the publishers offered to send me this book, it sounded interesting so I was ready to give it a read. One of the things I noticed — and became very clear while reading — is that Sinner is an adapted screenplay. There are definitely elements of this book that still read as a movie, so while it’s still visual, there were some things that I’m sure translated better on screen then in text.

The Flashbacks Were Great
I was much more drawn to the flashbacks of Zekes life then to the parts of the novel that took place in present day. I was sincerely interested in the cult from the 1800s and I would have liked to have more about the Bald Knobbers. And reading about Sylvia’s history, how she became Zekes mother and what she does to Faith was traumatizing but really well done. I think I would have preferred for this to entirely take place in the past instead of jumping between past and present. I found the history of Zeke to be much creepier then his present and it would’ve been great to have more of it.

Lots of Time Jumping
As mentioned above, I liked the flashbacks into Zeke's history and what formed him into the creepy, religious serial killer he becomes, but I found the constant switching between past and present a bit confusing. There were a lot of chapters that have flashbacks within themselves, and these often threw me because there was no warning that we had jumped back in time. While I’m sure on screen we would be able to visually see that change, it didn't always translate onto the page. I found this a bit hard to follow. As I said though, I really liked the chapters that take place in the 1800s and the 1950s. They were creepy, scary, and exactly what I imagined a thriller would be.

No Real Resolution
It was very clear with the ending of this book that his was adapted from a screenplay; I could quite clearly see the picture fading to black as Zeke listens to the radio quoting misrepresented scripture. And while I’m sure the movie ended well, I didn’t feel like there was any resolution to this book. Maybe I’m just used to YA contemporary novels that have a clear (*ahem* cute) ending, but this felt very loose to me. I didn’t feel like any of the women got the ending they deserved and I really didn’t like how nothing really happens with Zeke. The police are left scratching their heads and he gets to more on hurting more women. This is very apt for a thriller movie, but it didn’t thrill me in a book.

Overall, this was an interesting book but not one I would go out of my way to read again. I would like to watch the movie now (on a very bright day so I don't get nightmares) because I can really imagine how this would translate on a screen, but the book itself didn't grab me as much as I would have hoped.

FINAL RATING: 3/5