Sins & Shadows (Shadows Inquiries, #1)

Jan 17, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Throughout the book, I found myself wondering if I was starting the series in the middle. Many loose ends were left unexplained. Proper explanations for past events were not provided.

If I met Sylvie in real life, I would find her extremely annoying with a capital A. Being bitchy and headstrong are not bad qualities to have, but Sylvie took it to the next level. Mouthing off to everyone, for no good reason, and being disrespectful all the time seems contradictory to her work of saving innocent li...more

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May 18, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm breaking my own "rules." I didn't like this book, but I felt I had to be fair and it doesn't deserve only two stars.

I read this because I really liked a short story by Lyn Benedict, and tracked this novel down from that. The writing is quite good. It has one of my favorite qualities in the first novel of a series; it doesn't feel like the first novel. There's an amazing amount of backstory that is occasionally hinted at and occasionally explained, but never feels like an infodump. The main...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Juushika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-borrowed, genre-fantasy

Sylvie has had enough of the dangerous and morally compromising life of a private investigator into the paranormal, but on the eve of her retirement she accepts one more job--because when a newly minted god of justice gives you a case, you can't turn it down. Sins & Shadows is by-the-book urban fantasy but surprisingly robust, engaging most of the tropes I'd expect from the genre but refusing to rely on convention. Sylvie is as prickly and strong as genre demands, but both these traits are p...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Blood Rose Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

In her debut novel (back from 2009 but still a debut) Lyn Benedict introduces the reader to what can happen to the world when a God needs a favour from a human.

Sylvie Lightner (aka Shadows) is not an your ordinary PI, she specializes in cases involving the unbelievable and is known for doing whatever it takes to get the job done. But she is quitting, closing up shop. After witnessing the murder of one of her employees and having a satanic cult put a curse on her for disrupting their summoning ce...more In her debut novel (back from 2009 but still a debut) Lyn Benedict introduces the reader to what can happen to the world when a God needs a favour from a human.

Sylvie Lightner (aka Shadows) is not an your ordinary PI, she specializes in cases involving the unbelievable and is known for doing whatever it takes to get the job done. But she is quitting, closing up shop. After witnessing the murder of one of her employees and having a satanic cult put a curse on her for disrupting their summoning ceremony, she wants to all her friends and family to get as far away from her as possible, even if she has to hurt them to do. Sylvie should have realized that it would not be so easy for her to close up shop, especially when a man comes into her business claiming to be the God of Justice and needing her to do a favour for him. You really cant say No to a God right? Justice wants Sylvie to find his lover, who he cannot find, and he is not above using her friends, family and world in order to get his way. Sylvie enters the worlds of Gods, one that is completely different from the world of magic she usually deals with. With her Fury sidekicks (though sidekick might be too optimistic of a word) and a secret government agency that seems to be very interested in everything Sylvie is doing; Sylvie is drawn farther and farther in to a labyrinth of darkness and danger, Sylvie must find her quarry before Hell is actually released onto Earth.

This book is an okay debut for a series into the paranormal genre (with a slight hint of romance), in all honestly what makes this only an Okay book and not a great debut, is I had a hard time getting into the book (took me about half way so about 150 pages). It was about this time that I felt that Benedict really hit her stride as a writer and storyteller. It appeared to me that there was just more "love" written into the latter half of the book especially in her storytelling, things finally started to happen. The beginning was slow,but once it gets going the story really takes off. I had this book written off by the time the first half of the book was over, but Benedict really turns, there are some actions scenes, some romance, mysteries begin to become unraveled and all of it was done in a darker (but not that dark) style that I like.

Sylvie is your (and i hate to say it but...) typical kickass heroine, who has this darkness inside her that is always fighting to get out, and it is this rage (I would say similar to the rage that is displayed by Anita Blake in the earlier Laurell K Hamilton series), that keeps her going and allows her to do things that a human would not regularly be able to do. Her sense of right and wrong is very black and white at times, and it seems to stem from ensuring her own survival. Lets say there is a bit of a body count in this book. She does have a softer side, but the dark/survival side is what trumps everything, so there are very few glimpses to this emotional side of Sylvie, which makes her (in some sense) a hard character to like. Not to say I did not like Sylvie as a character, she was just frustrating at times.

I liked the use of Greek Gods and God in this book. They were something different, by using the combination of different Gods from different eras and religions. The war between the Gods and the mayhem it created on Earth, was really interesting as well. And that there are more Gods up there than someone may have originally thought (as some of you may have noted there is no Greek God of Justice). It was interesting too the aspect of maybe a God wanting to live with the Humans, for the freedom that it gave (even though they are Gods) but also how living with Gods on Earth disrupts the regular balance of thing on Earth. Also the Gods can be just creepy/cruel in their sense of justice and the ease in which they would use people for their own gains. I think that the God aspect as a whole, was written and described very well by Benedict.

THANK YOU, Benedict for not having the predictable happy ending, and lets just say that not everyone comes out unscathed at the end, and Benedict did not seem to have any problem creating more hurt and mayhem within the book. I greatly appreciated that she did not take the cookie cutter way out and made things darker than I actually thought she would have So Thank you again.

As I stated above, this book is an okay beginning to a new series, and I am interested in reading the next book, however, if you are a reader that needs to be engaged right off in a book, then I do not think this book is for you. As I stated, I had a hard time getting into this book, story, writing everything, till the second half of it. I feel that Benedict redeemed herself in the second half of the book, which is why I am hoping that has continued into her other books. I think Lyn Benedict will be a great addition to the paranormal genre, just as long as her writing and storyline keeps improving with each book.

Enjoy!!!(less)

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Mar 25, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 1 of 5 stars

Review Brought to you by OBS staff member Heidi

Beware of spoilers

Sylvie is a private investigator involving all things paranormal. But after witnessing her partner being killed, she has decided to retire and close up shop. But then Kevin Dunne, the God of Justice shows up with a case and refuses to take no for an answer. His lover, Bran, has been kidnapped and he expects Sylvie to find him.

Sylvie’s search leads her to the Windy City of Chicago and to an active spell that was painted on the floor...more

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May 20, 2011 Angela Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lyn Benedict’s Sins and Shadows is a tense romp full of unexpected twists and turns. She also approaches the subject matter in ways that I didn’t expect, which can be both good and bad depending on your point of view. Her protagonist, Sylvie Lightner, is not the sort of person who would be universally liked. There is also a lot of background to Sylvie that could warrant multiple prequel books, to the point where I felt at times like I was entering the story in the middle of the series instead of...more Lyn Benedict’s Sins and Shadows is a tense romp full of unexpected twists and turns. She also approaches the subject matter in ways that I didn’t expect, which can be both good and bad depending on your point of view. Her protagonist, Sylvie Lightner, is not the sort of person who would be universally liked. There is also a lot of background to Sylvie that could warrant multiple prequel books, to the point where I felt at times like I was entering the story in the middle of the series instead of at the beginning. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Benedict manages to write a gripping tale that manages to take seeming disparate elements and weave them into a magnificent reveal.

Sylvie Lightner, owner of Shadows Inquiries, deals with threats from the magical world. But when one of her employees is murdered in front of her, she decides to hang up her hat and close the shop. A man claiming to be the God of Justice pressgangs her into working for him to find his missing lover. She leaves her native city of Miami to visit Chicago to begin the search. Along the way, she runs afoul of Greek gods, Lilith, her ex-lover (who runs the government agency that handles the occult) and an occult catastrophe that threatens to destroy Chicago.

Benedict’s writing is masterful. She lays out the stepping stones of the story without tipping her hand, so that when big reveals come they both blew me away and made complete sense with everything that happened before. All the pieces that didn’t make sense gelled together into a vivid picture that that left me stunned.

I adored the protagonist, but I’ve seen reviews by others who didn’t share my opinion. Sylvie is prickly as razor wire and justifiably worries about the tightrope walk she does between hero and monster. She even has Cedo Nulli, “I yield to none,” tattooed on the back of her neck. I loved the attitude, and there’s even a cosmological reason behind her spite. But some people have found her character hard to empathize with. This seems like it’s very much a matter of taste, and I firmly cast my vote as “Yay Sylvie!” But I can see that not everyone’s going to warm up to that sort of character.

The element I struggled with more, however, was the amount of background that tied into the story. There are two or three large previous events that impact the story, with enough meat that they could be their own books. But the more I’ve picked at how it could be approached differently, I feel like the book would suffer without it. Not only would such prequels be less powerful than this first installment, but Sylvie’s story would make less sense without the weight of her history.

I enjoyed this book, but I do recognize that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. There are some definite love or hate aspects to the book, but it’s definitely worth a look. Benedict weaves a tight tale that left me eager for the sequels.
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Apr 27, 2010 Melindeeloo rated it 2 of 5 stars

An unlicensed PI who deals with paranormal cases, Silvie has given up and is closing down her detective agency when a client walks in and insists that she take his case. Silvie has no intention of taking the case, losing a partner has broken her spirit, but she soon finds that it's pretty much impossible to say no to the god who is searching for his lost lover.

There were things that I liked about the book, the whole thing with the human cop who became the god of justice and his companions who we...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary PI. She specializes in cases involving the unusual and unbelievable, in a world where magic is real, where hell is just around the corner--and where death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you...” (Lyn Benedict, Sins & Shadows)

Absolutely brilliant pacing! I kept turning pages without having to skim through boring descriptions. (Because there is nothing worse than skimming through boring descriptions in order to find the action and the plot.) Benedict’s...more “Sylvie Lightner is no ordinary PI. She specializes in cases involving the unusual and unbelievable, in a world where magic is real, where hell is just around the corner--and where death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you...” (Lyn Benedict, Sins & Shadows)

Absolutely brilliant pacing! I kept turning pages without having to skim through boring descriptions. (Because there is nothing worse than skimming through boring descriptions in order to find the action and the plot.) Benedict’s writing is concise and fast--a lovely combination for a mystery/fantasy writer.

And there was a plot! A plot that Benedict kept together throughout the book. Benedict was able to weave mystery, mythology, and magic together and create a wonderfully delicious tale.

However, I kept wondering if Sins & Shadows was the first book in the series. Each time I asked Google whether or not Sins & Shadows was indeed the first book in the series, I was matter-of-factly informed that: yes, Sins & Shadows is the first book in the series. There are no prequels or short stories involving Lightner. Sins & Shadows is it.

Lightner’s introduction into the world is rocky. Her past is an infuriating, confusing mystery. I don’t like picking up a book, reading it, and feeling like I’ve missed something. A lot of something. So, while Benedict kept the present plot together (missing man, upset god, and magical power struggle), she had holes in Lightner’s past.

Of course, this is also the first book in the series. There is a chance that Benedict will piece together Lightner’s past. In fact, a small part of me even likes the missing background. Lightner is an angry woman haunted by a violent past; her past drives her to do what she does.

I doubt Lightner’s angry character would be sympathetic if her entire past was known. After all, Lightner is not exactly loveable. She’s rough around the edges with a tendency to act as a vigilante--this is a woman with very few rules. She is not someone to cross.

Personally, I like her pissed off attitude and her stubbornness. But Lightner’s character is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. And neither is her story.(less)

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Aug 16, 2009 Mardel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a kick-butt book. Sylvie is a kick-butt heroine.

When I first bought this book, a month or so ago, I read the first page and put it down. The first page (which I usually read in the bookstore) normally has a big part in whether I buy a book or look for something else. I have to admit that if I had read the first page in the store I wouldn't have bought this book. The other day I was looking for something a little easier on my psyche than Dying Bites, so I grabbed it. I read the first pag...more This is a kick-butt book. Sylvie is a kick-butt heroine.

When I first bought this book, a month or so ago, I read the first page and put it down. The first page (which I usually read in the bookstore) normally has a big part in whether I buy a book or look for something else. I have to admit that if I had read the first page in the store I wouldn't have bought this book. The other day I was looking for something a little easier on my psyche than Dying Bites, so I grabbed it. I read the first page again and thought "geez, a little melodramatic." It was like that for a couple pages. But I kept reading this time. The book quickly became much, much better. It's like a different person wrote those first few pages.

Sylvie is the owner of an unliscensed P.I. business (unliscensed 'cause she doesn't follow rules, any rules). She's kind of mean, kind of angry. But I actually enjoyed reading her angry sarcastic comments. She's just so damned mad and tough she doesn't care who she's mouthing off too, a god, an erinyes, witch, whoever. You get the feeling, from hints, that she's killed a lot of....beings.

The basis of this book, is that the boyfriend of the god Justice disappears. The god is very upset and can hardly concentrate on anything but finding his boyfriend. He forces Sylvie to work for him. Sylvie has recently witnessed the death of a friend and co-worker, so she's not in the best mood. While she is searching for the boyfriend, crazier and crazier things are happening in the area, as the god is leaking power (that lost concentration thing) that gets taken up by oh, children, anyone with a small amout of magic talent and other things.

Man, I liked reading this book. Lots of destruction, fighting, anger, I think I just needed to read about someone else being pissed off. Kind of made me feel a little calmer. (It's possible I might be pms'ing) After the first few pages, I enjoyed the narrative, even though it was third person. Sylvie has a former juvenile delinquent office manager (Alex) who is a computer whiz. Most of the book she is "off-stage", communicating with Sylvie through phone calls. I'd like to read more about Alex, she seems like an interesting young woman. Sylvie gets put through the wringer. A lot of people do. There's some "Collateral Damage". People around Sylvie tend to get hurt or dead, doesn't matter if they're important to Sylvie or not. Crap happens around her, and Sylvie doesn't often back down. Great book. I'm going to looking for a sequel of this book.(less)

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Jan 11, 2010 Joseph Teller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-urban, fantasy-urban-mystery, mystic-conspiracy

A really decent 'First Book' for an Urban Modern Fantasy Series. A troubleshooter who's specialized in dealing with occult crimes and monsters decides to close up shop after one of her two employees ends up dead at the hands of Satanists.

Only a new client shows up who will not be denied... a recent addition to the Pantheon of the Greek Gods, a God of Justice, wants her to take one more case because he needs someone found that neither he nor the Furies that he controls can find.... but whom he's...more

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May 29, 2009 Alexia561 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

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. And so it begins....

Despite the promising b...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Janice (Janicu) rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://janicu.livejournal.com/84057.html

can't remember how I first heard of this book, but after getting a used copy, it stayed on my TBR pile until I saw a review at mardelwanda's livejournal. Mardel said of the main character, Sylvie: "She's kind of mean, kind of angry. But I actually enjoyed reading her angry sarcastic comments. She's just so damned mad and tough she doesn't care who she's mouthing off too, a god, an erinyes, witch, whoever. You get the feeling, from hints, that she's killed...more http://janicu.livejournal.com/84057.html

can't remember how I first heard of this book, but after getting a used copy, it stayed on my TBR pile until I saw a review at mardelwanda's livejournal. Mardel said of the main character, Sylvie: "She's kind of mean, kind of angry. But I actually enjoyed reading her angry sarcastic comments. She's just so damned mad and tough she doesn't care who she's mouthing off too, a god, an erinyes, witch, whoever. You get the feeling, from hints, that she's killed a lot of....beings."

So I was intrigued. A pissed off character. It can go either way. I mean, a character that rubs you the wrong way can make or break a book for the reader, if they're just jerks, that's no good, but if there's depth and development to them and it gets really interesting.

The Premise: Sylvie Lightener is a a private investigator specializing in paranormal cases. She's been through a lot, including the recent killing of one of her employees, and in an effort to protect the people around her, she's closing up shop. Just as she does, one last customer comes in. This man tells her: "My name is Kevin Dunne. I am the god of Justice. And I need your help." He wants Sylvie to find his missing lover, who he can't find anywhere, but he knows that he is still alive. Since Sylvie isn't really allowed to say no, she flies to Chicago to investigate.

This is the first in a new series called Shadows Inquires. Lyn Benedict also writes as Lane Robins (Maledicte - which I haven't read)

My Thoughts: I thought Sins & Shadows was well-written. Good sense of place (Chicago), characters with depth, and good pacing. I've seen reviews who disagreed about the pacing, but for me I just picked it up to read the first chapter and then it was 2 hours later and I'd read 150 pages. It starts out as a mystery, but turns into much more. I think my favorite part was anything to do with the gods and how they worked. Actually, how magic worked. This book had some really interesting ideas that sort of made me go, "Ohhh. Cool." because it made sense and things fit together. Most of it was about the Greek gods, but the Christian god fits into it as well, and the way Benedict brings in well-known characters associated with the deities (such as the Furies and others) was really nicely done.

The big make-it-or-break-it part of the book is definitely (as you'd guess from what I'd said about pissed off characters) Sylvie. You know how it can be really annoying when the main character is the type who just doesn't know when to shut up? It's a really close line here. I can see people finding Sylvie abrasive, but for me, these moments came in spurts (the more danger she's in, the worse she is). She starts off mean to her loyal employee Alex, trying to get Alex to stay away from the job in an effort to protect her, but then after that Sylvie didn't really seem that bad until much later on. It actually seems to work with the plot, which I was a little impressed by. There is an angry voice inside her which she hears, and I was beginning to wonder if that had deeper implications, but you have to read the whole book to see what I'm talking about. Sylvie is a dark heroine, one who is flawed in a way where I disagreed with what she was doing and saying. She's very motivated by revenge. It clouds her judgement where others look at her in dismay but she refuses to budge in her thinking. Yet this works because she has to deal with the consequences of this, and I want to know if she can redeem herself or not. It's truly a toss-up, because all through this book, she hasn't done enough assure me that she can change. It makes me really want to read the next book though and find out. Weird, huh?

One issue I had with the book would probably be that I kept getting the sense that I was reading the second book of a series rather than the first. The first chapter throws you in midstream with Sylvie closing up shop and you don't really find out why until much later. Then there's Sylvie and Alex's shared back story which sounds substantial but only piece together bit and pieces of it. And there's Sylvie's relationship with ISI agent Michael Demalion and other hints dropped here and there about Sylvie's past. I wanted to know more information but because it wasn't directly related to the current action, it wasn't forthcoming. I hope this is remedied in later books.

Overall: Has a pissed off main character, so avoid if you hate that, but I think there's so much potential there for character growth, and I'm so interested in what the author did here that I'm looking forward to the next book. (So I guess I kinda liked it).(less)

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May 04, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, romance, urban

SINS & SHADOWS was buried in my old eReader app, a read from pre-Goodreads times. When a copy of GODS & MONSTERS came my way, I had to go back to where it all started.

SINS & SHADOWS is dark, dark, dark, but in a way that I appreciate more than some others (the Dante Valentine series, for example, often goes too close to horror and melodrama for me). The pacing is very quick, and very well done. Even though the eBook is missing some formating that helps show place/time transitions, I...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Carien rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: uf

A great, fast paced story, but with a heroine I couldn't feel for. I loved the writing, the setting, some of the side characters, the storyline, the action, but I actually came close to despising Sylvie. Sylvie is exactly the kind of heroine I'm talking about when I'm complaining about heroines often being too bitchy for my tastes. Of course I like it when the heroine of a story is a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself, but I want there to be something to like about the lead chara...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: lyn-benedict, audio

This is the first book in Lyn Benedict's Shadows Inquiries series. It's a good book but it really felt like it was so really the second book. There was lots of referring back to things that the reader couldn't know about because there was no other book. Really weird. That said, this is a pretty good book. I listened to the audio version from the library and it was well done. The narrator did a very nice job. The heroine in this story is a little hard to get a handle on because we don't really kn...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Unwisely rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, urban-fantasy

Like apparently everyone else who has ever read this book, I was confused if I had accidentally picked up the second book. There is some well-thought out backstory there, not vaguely alluded to like you might expect but with detailed references that kind of make me wish I'd picked up *that* book. (Or books, there seemed to be about two novels worth.)

It was confusing from that standpoint, and then did some annoying stuff that I won't mention because it's kind of vaguely spoilery, and...I might pi...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Ithlilian marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I stopped at page 38. The god was unrealistic, characters flat, the plot and mystery boring.

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Jul 23, 2009 Maurynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it, solid entry in the kick-ass urban fantasy genre, but feel as if I read book 2, not book 1! I would have read a longer book! I want to know more of the back story! I want a prequel!
I am one of those people who hates the idea of starting in the middle of a series. I say I hate the idea because I've never done it, and I don't like the publisher making me do it. I blame the publisher not the author because the hints of the past, throwaway facts, feel uprooted from a grounded, detailed back...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-books, urban-fantasy

This book starts off like you are in the middle of the story and sadly you really do not quite catch up.

The main character Sylvie is rude and a brute. There is a line that says "I will not yield. Not to you, not to anyone, not even to my own better instincts.” That sums her up completely hostile and stupid. The secondary characters are not much better either the ones I did like did not fair to well.

The story has a good premise and it could have been quite good. Instead it was tedious, I had a ha...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Elizabeth added it

Shelves: read-by-both-of-us, recycle

Sin and Shadows by Lyn Benedict

2 to 2.5 stars.

I would give this book more stars for writing style which is very good and some interesting ideas, but the ending pretty much ruined any chance I was going to continue the series.

**Spoilers from this point in the review**

Sylvie Lightner is a paranormal PI with a ton of baggage and she is about to close up shop when the book opens. Some reviewers complained that because this backstory is apparent but not explained and that the story feels like book 2...more

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May 30, 2012 Marsha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: partially-read

I truly wanted to like this "Sins and Shadows." As a matter of fact, I was so convinced I would love it, I bought the first three books without question. Boy, was I wrong. The story lack sufficient action, humor, intrigue to keep me interested. After reading 210 pages, I just could not continue. The really sad part of all of this is that this book could have been great!
Sylvie Lightner is a Private Investigator who specializes in the paranormal. After the death of one of her employees while ass...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Bethany C rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is kind of a harsh rating for a book that was not bad at all, and I may change the rating later. I guess I'm rating it on my enjoyment of it, rather than how good I thought it was, if that makes any sense. I don't know why I just could not get into or connect with this book. I liked the characters. I didn't think it was poorly written at all. And so I wouldn't be surprised if there were tons of people out there that absolutely loved it and gave it 5 stars. Something just didn't click for me...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-release, urban-fantasy

Sins & Shadows is the first book in the Shadows & Inquires series featuring Sylvie Lightner, nicknamed Shadows, who is a paranormal private investigator and basically a killer. When we first meet Sylvie, she has had enough and is closing up her shop, Shadows Inquiries, for good. After watching Rafael Suarez, a friend and assistant, get murdered by a group of Satanist in front of her, and the continued fighting with the Magicus Mundi without actually getting anywhere, she fires her friend...more Sins & Shadows is the first book in the Shadows & Inquires series featuring Sylvie Lightner, nicknamed Shadows, who is a paranormal private investigator and basically a killer. When we first meet Sylvie, she has had enough and is closing up her shop, Shadows Inquiries, for good. After watching Rafael Suarez, a friend and assistant, get murdered by a group of Satanist in front of her, and the continued fighting with the Magicus Mundi without actually getting anywhere, she fires her friend Alex (for her own safety) and decides it’s time for her to walk away. If only it were that simple.

Sylvia has lived by two rules: Innocents don’t come between Sylvie and trouble and She doesn’t kill people cops can handle. Sylvie is an unlicensed private, unsupervised investigator who the ISI – Internal Surveillance & Intelligence Agency - has been keeping an eye on. They believe she is an amateur with a gun, and a vigilante at best who has killed a hellhound, sorcerers, succubi, and an angel with buckshot wings.

Along comes Kevin Dunne, a former police officer, who is now a god of Justice. (Yes, this is writers’ choice to change the actual god from Themis to Kevin). Kevin asks Sylvie to find his lover Brandon Wolf who has gone missing. Kevin arrives with three Furies who formerly worked for Hera. Alekta, Magdala, and Erinya. Erinya was probably the most likable sub-character in the book, and then Alex who refuses to be terminated while Sylvie is away on her investigation.

Sylvie agrees to go to Chicago and investigate Bran's disappearance with the understanding that Kevin will take care of the Satanist that have been such a nuisance to her, Alexandra Figueroa-Smith (Alex), and her friends and family. He agrees and turns one of the more nasty females into a flower.

Sylvie is not the warm, touchy feely kind of character that you expect from UF stories. She is angry; she has a mean spirited attitude towards everyone. She has a deep seeded darkness within her soul that lashes out at her enemies, and also seems to steer her into constant trouble. She is also trigger happy, choosing to kill first, and ask questions later. People around Sylvie end up hurt, or dead. She ends up being responsible for another friend losing her witch powers most likely forever and another nearly dies because they couldn't reach Sylvie who is under a death curse. On top of all this, she discovers she may be the daughter of Lilith and Cain which may explain her darkness within. In the end she ends up making enemies of the Angels of God, Kevin and a Sphinx (Anne D) who is the mother of Michael Demalion an ISI investigator and a person Sylvie actually finds herself attracted to.

This book mixes the paranormal, Greek Mythology with the inclusion of Zeus and Hera to the storyline, as well as Judeo-Christian bible teachings with the inclusiion of Lilith as the main villian. My major complaint about this book is that it felt like the second book in a series, instead of the first. Not enough was explained about the ISI and Magicus Mundi, or why she decided to fight them. Maybe we can get the writer to do a prequel someday. It also went on, and on, and on, and at one point I actually screamed "ARE WE FREAKING THERE YET?"

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May 14, 2010 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The only good thing about gods is that they prefer their realm to ours."

Lyn Benedict also writes political-intrigue fantasy under the name Lane Robins. I learned this before starting Sins & Shadows, and I've been wondering ever since whether I'd have figured it out if I hadn't known. The setting, plot, and prose style are completely different from the Lane Robins books, but there are some echoes in the general themes: love, vengeance, and the havoc that gods wreak when they meddle in mortal...more

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May 18, 2011 Ligbi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my first Urban fantasy novel so I have nothing to compare it to. But, Lane Robinson... Sorry, 'Lyn Benedict' attracted me to her writing style with Maledicte and I decided to try this.
Yes.
Greek, Egyptian and Christian mythologies, living side by side with voodoo, werewolves and necromancers? If by 'side by side' I mean exist in modern days and continually have to be brought in my Sylvie, then yes.
I don't know how to review books. I just know what books I like.

Go read this book.

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Feb 16, 2013 Kribu rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, witches, mythology

Objectively, I don't think there was anything wrong with this book. Maybe I just read it at a bad time. It's a perfectly serviceable urban fantasy, really.

It just didn't work for me. The plot was... well, it should have been exciting, but it just didn't engage me. I didn't care much for Sylvie (although I also didn't feel any strong dislike for her). I didn't get involved in Kevin & Bran's tragic love life at all - they both felt like cardboard characters to me, and I just couldn't persuade...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Morana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic, mythology-legends-folklore, paranormal, urban-fantasy, witches

Sylvie is the most obnoxious character I've come across.
The story itself is not bad. It gets a few ideas from Greek mythology (the Furies, Eros, Zeus is only mentioned). However, when you start the book you constantly have this feeling that you were supposed to know quite a few things before start reading this story. Sylvie keeps remembering events as if we know about them. It might have been a great story, better than this one.

I didn't like the characters. Sylvie is a horrible human being. She...more

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May 30, 2011 Karyogini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-on-2011

There's a lot of back story in this book. I'm really not sure if it's a spin off of a different book or if this is book 2. :( It's an exciting read but I'm on the fence with the series. :( I don't know what it is. I will still read it and maybe do more research to find out if there is a prequel to this book. :) The author is a pseudonym... so the prequel might be in those book. Don't know. Hopefully, someone will clarify this for me. :)

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Jan 25, 2013 Amy rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story wasn't bad, but the writing was so confusing at times that I'd find myself reading over sections multiple times. The transitions were often so fast it was hard to keep track, and while I liked the lead character I felt the rest of them fell somewhat flat. There seemed to be little character development for any of them. Not a waste of time, but I'm not jumping to read the next one.

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Aug 04, 2012 BamaGal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pnr-uf

I didn't start the series with this book; I started with #2 Ghosts & Echoes. After I liked the series and caught up, I came back to this first one. I'm not sorry I read it, but it's not great. The series does get much, much better, tho.

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