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by Fodor's
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by Peter Lorie, Frederick Leboyer
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by Edward Phillips
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by John Wesley Howard
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The First Deadly Sin
by Lawrence Sanders
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Berkley (1986-02-15)
ISBN: 0425093107
EAN: 9780425093108
Paperback
SKU: mon0000041762
Condition: Good
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
A compelling drama of a crusty New York City cop who stalks the streets for a psychotic killer while his wife lies dying of an incurable illness. 2 cassettes.
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Customer Reviews
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Sanders at his best!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-10-22
One of the most detailed and important psycho-thriller of all-time. Richly written, moving, and suspenseful, this novel delivers on all accounts. The film is not as bad as its reputation -- just different, but worth checking out after you've read this great novel from a master who sadly left us too soon.
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Surprised
Rating  (3)
Date: 2007-07-14
I first came across of Lawrence Sanders in the early 90's through his McNally series. Having become a fan of those, I decided a couple of years ago to pick up "The 1st Deadly Sin" which by all accounts was Sanders' breakthrough novel.
For anyone that, like me before reading this, only know of Sanders' work through the McNally series, you're in for a surprise. I was impressed at how profoundly different his writing style is between the two. The McNally books are so light-hearted even though it usually involves a murder or two but "The 1st Deadly Sin" is so dark and so depressing. McNally is an easy-going chap while none of the character from this book seems very happy. Add in the setting of 1970's New York City which was the start of a real dark period for the city of NY (contrast to the sunny Florida setting of the McNally) and you have a very gritty novel.
I thought the character develop of the two main ones, Daniel Blank (who reminds me a bit of the Patrick Bateman character from "American Psycho") and Captain Edward Delaney was well done, with the secondary characters in each their lives really giving a hint at how these characters became molded to what we come to know in this book (I never saw the movie but according to IMDB, there doesn't seem to be the Celia and Tony character which I think would be a mistake in trying to adapt this book to a movie).
I'm not going to give any spoilers here but I thought the ending was a bit anti-climatic but I could be thinking in terms of 2007 and not 1972 or so when this was written. There were some movies from that era that had very good body but low key endings like "Rosemary's Baby" and in a way, I think the end here was sort of along that lines. But after spending around 400 pages (and it was not an easy read) in the development of Blank and Delaney and then seeing what kind of interaction they would ultimately have, it was a bit of a disappointment how it was all resolved.
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ZZzzzzzzzzzz
Rating  (1)
Date: 2006-08-04
1 out of 9 customers found this reveiw helpful
Wow, where do I begin on this one. Although this novel is supposed to be considered a classic for it's time, I found the book to be horribly drawn out and boring. If you want a book that takes you on a journey into the mind of a serial killer, then skip this book! If you want a book that gives you an inside look into a tedious, boring, slow moving, and drawn out investigation, then this book could be for you. For most readers of the thriller/detective genre, I would recommend to skip this one. I by now means am trying to say that Sanders is a poor writer. I'm just saying that his imagination could use a little work. The ending is completely lame too. Horrible!
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If You Love Character Driven...
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-01-15
3 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
You'll love the writing of Lawrence Sanders. I first read "The First Deadly Sin" years ago, and have retrieved it for a good read more than once. Lawrence Sanders paints vivid portraits of his central characters, portraits so intimate and full of personal detail that you begin to form a relationship with the characters as you're reading. I was captivated by Edward Delaney, though I can't imagine casting Frank Sinatra in the part for the film. Sinatra aside, the character of Delaney is believable, complex, full of sagely wisdom and just plain likeable. His obsession with 'the' perfect sandwich was delicious. Sanders intricately weaves the plot amongst the character development, never slowing the pace for an instant. Not for those with a short attention span, rather for readers who love to savor every word.
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dark detective novel
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-12-24
2 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
this is the first book that put lawrence sanders on the map. a murder mystery set in the early 1970,s in new york city the tales is dark,freakish and frightening. we know from almost the very opening lines that there is something wrong with daniel blank. hes obsessive, orderly and cold. as the story develops he gets down right freaky passing his time with a strange woman where he involves himself with bizarre sexual practices with her and with her younger brother. the man for some reason is driven to commit horrendous murders on manhattans upper east side. i am not giving anything away by letting you know that hes the murderer, you will learn that very quickly. the driven plot revolves around a retired police officer edward x. delaney ( known as OLD IRON BALLS by the men who know him in the police precint) who is trying to find the killer and what he has to do to flush him out. delaney is as obessive as daniel blank, using very questionable tactics to solve the crime but he beleives hes doing right against evil. delaney is also suffering through a terrible personal crisis as his wife is dying from a rare kidney disease. to make matters worse hes also caught up in new york city police politics between 2 factions who are battling it out to take control of the city. he channels all his frustrations into getting the killer.lawrence sanders' manhattan is the real manhaatan of the early 70,s when it was at its lowest. grafitti covers every inch of every subway car, murder and crime are way up and people look over theire shoulder as they walk through the streets of manhattan. dark and brooding a fascinating look at real detective work as cop and killer close in on each other. just reread the book for the second time after 30 years. it hasnt lost any of its terror or its punch. it was made in to a terrible movie in 1980 staring frank sinatra and faye dunaway. do the book. avoid the film
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