Sacrament of Lies

by Elizabeth Dewberry

When Grayson Guillory stumbles upon evidence that her father, the power-hungry governor of Louisiana, and her own new husband may have collaborated in the murder of her mother, her suspicions threaten to destroy her relationship with her father and to undermine her struggling new marriage. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 18, 2002

About the author

has also written under the name Elizabeth Dewberry Vaughn

Reviews

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I was still left with questions at the end, and wasn't a big fan of the main character. But a decent murder mystery.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

After 100 pages I just had to give up on this book. The plot, what there was of one, was incomprehensible. So was the writing. Apparently the main character, Grayson, thinks her father, the powerful Governor of Louisiana, may have killed her mother and made it look like a suicide, but her mother's doctor, who may or may not have been her mother's lover, officially called it natural causes. Oh, and Grayson, who may or may not be crazy, is going to marry a man she may or may not love who may or may not have been in on her mothers alleged murder. Got all that? Me neither. And after 100 pages, I just stopped caring.
I paid $1 for this book at a used book sale, which in my estimation was much too much for what it turned out to be. Had someone paid me to read it I wouldn't have taken the money, because whatever I bought with that money would remind me of this totally forgettable book.

[Kevin Kosar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read---Dewberry designed the book to make the reader feel as unhinged as the protagonist. To do this, she wrote the novel in the first person---almost like a diary. Facts appear but how to undertsand them? Was her mother's death a suicide? Or was it murder? Nothing is certain, leaving the reader with a vertiginous feeling.

[Ktbird · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist's mother dies under suspicious circumstances, though she purportedly suffered from mental illness. Were others really to blame for that illness? Was she in fact murdered? What lengths will people in power go to cover their own bad acts? This book spirals out of control as Grayson simply tries to survive, even as everyone in her life manipulates her for their own gain. This book made me feel like I was going crazy, and with a backdrop of Mardi Gras, it is confusing and colorful and rich and addictive.

[Lindsey Lytle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but still interesting. Story takes place in Baton Rouge, LA. Being a LA native myself, it was nice to see the references. A little surprise at the end that made it a bit better in my opinion.

[Terry Jeppesen]

Didn't even finish it I read about 70 pages and it was very poorly written. Not worth my time to read.

[Marsena Adams-Dufresne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea of this book is interesting: a daughter campaigning for her father as he seeks another term as governor who begins to face the suspicion that her father, in collusion with her own husband, killed her mother, and therefore might kill her. But the story, the characters, and the setting never came alive for me. Dewberry writes in a rather generic way, telling rather than showing the story, and perhaps partly because they never seemed real, and I never had a good picture in my head of the characters, I didn't really care about any of them. I think Dewberry also missed an opportunity by not making real the threat of mental illness, the possibility that the mother had been ill and that the daughter was suffering from the same. Dewberry used this as a plot point, but didn't pull it off because the hints of mental illness never seemed real, for either characters. It makes me more appreciative of other authors who successfully write from the point of view of a character whose perspective may be colored by delusion, and half the fun is trying to figure out what's real and what's not.

[Lindy Boeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in New Orleans, it's the story of the daughter who suspects her father, who happens to be the Governor of La. of killing her mother. Swathed in La political history, good character development and suspense, it's an intriguing read. Slow at first (most books are for me), I couldn't put the last half of the book down even when I "knew" who killed the mother. Interesting.

[Jasmine]

a weird read. The main woman in the book narrated a lot from her own thoughts and I must say that I think she was more paranoid and delusional then what she claimed her dead mother to be. Every time I set the book aside for the night I felt myself wandering into paranoia.

[Dodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is written in the first person and is designed to make one wonder is Grayson really crazy or is something very sinister going on? The ending is unsatisfactory for me, leaving threads untied.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased at Hastings - sale rack
Grayson suspects her father staged her mother's suicide - and fears that she will be the next victim.
Favorite characters: Grayson - governor's daughter; Carter - her new husband and governor's assistant.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is nothing but fast-paced action from the beginning!

[Sandie B · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not even sure I want to give it one star.....

[Pierre]

NL TITEL Moordende twijfel