Review: One Deadly Sin, Annie Solomon

Edie Swann, formerly known as Eden Swanford, is determined to wreak revenge on the men that she thinks are responsible for her father’s death.  She returns to the town of her childhood and starts to send out black angels to scare them and make them remember what they’d done.  When the men start dying, Edie becomes a suspect, even in her own mind; she fears she has set in motion a much larger plan than she’d ever bargained for.  Meanwhile Sheriff Holt Drennen knows Edie is up to something but can’t stop his attraction and simple liking for her.  Even though she is the obvious culprit, he believes in her innocence, and he’s willing to fight.

If this is representative of the romantic suspense genre, I definitely want to read more. The mystery in this book was so engaging.  The different threads wove between the two main characters, the men who were implicated in the murder of Edie’s father, and even through Holt’s adorable daughter.  There were layers and layers to this story and as they were slowly peeled away, the craving for more knowledge just kept on growing.  I’m always bad at guessing the murderer, so I can’t guarantee that this isn’t a predictable read for someone else, but to me the plot felt surprisingly tight, exciting, and suspenseful. That isn’t even discussing the romance, which sizzles right off the page. Edie and Holt are not only a very enticing couple but a believable pair.  The book doesn’t end in marriage but in a commitment to try out their relationship, which I really appreciated after they’d been through so much.

Edie as a character really got me into the book.  She’s a strong woman, but there are forces beyond her control going on here.  It’s so easy to feel for her when she’s lost almost everyone in her life, and it’s perfectly understandable that Holt has to build up her trust in him.  She’s actually horrified by the fact that the men start dying, even though she thinks they killed her father.  Even if she intends to make them a little anxious, she never intended to do any physical harm, just encourage the truth to come out.  Her character really starts to come out when she finds her own life in danger.  There were also some great family dynamics in this little novel, mostly centered on Holt’s relationship with his parents and his daughter, which made it feel more realistic and well-rounded.

I really enjoyed One Deadly Sin. It appeals to the part of me that loves this kind of exciting suspense.  With both a great plot and fantastic characters to care about, there is no way to go wrong with this one.