Ashes of a Sinner

by S.L. Hebert

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Homicide Detective, Logan St. Martin, buries herself in her work during the day, and finds herself trying to drink her haunted past away at night. But when a series of horrific murders rock her small town deep in the bayous of Louisiana, she finds herself on a on a path of discovery into a sadistic killer’s mind. "Their beauty was in the ashes, and they all died alone." Repentance was the killer’s way, and damnation became his weapon. Detective St. Martin and her partner, Detective Grasso, are in pursuit of a twisted soul who is leaving bodies in his wake. It’s a race against time when Logan realizes the killer has turned his sights on her. "Everything changes when you are the one being hunted."

Genres: Mystery

504 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2017

About the author

S.L. Hebert was raised in the heart of Cajun Country, in South Louisiana. She was brought up appreciating family, the outdoors, and a great cup of coffee. She is a dedicated wife and mother of two. Having been an All-American athlete in her youth, she often volunteers to coach her two children’s baseball, softball, and volleyball teams.
In the last year, she’s discovered a passion for writing. Drawing on her military and law enforcement background, she takes her readers on a thrilling journey of mystery, suspense, and even a little romance. She has the gift of leaving them always wanting more.

Reviews

[Linda Strong]

4.5 Stars

Detective Logan St. Martin and her partner Detective Michael Grasso are called to investigate the deaths of young women. The women were tortured before dying. They were found wrapped in burlap with an ash X on their foreheads. And the deaths have just begun.

Who is this sadistic killer and what is his connection to the victims?

Logan is about to find out ..... the killer has turned his eyes on her. He knows where she works. He knows where she lives. He leaves flowers and plants on her porch .... a message of some sort?

Michael and Logan are attracted to each other, and now Michael wants nothing more than to save Logan from the same fate as the other women.

This is a new author to me ..and one I will definitely follow. Her writing is very descriptive, yet easy to read and follow. I liked the shorter chapters and they alternate between characters .. .Logan, Michael and the Killer.

There are a few twists and turns, but a major twist about 2/3 of the way through is a mind-blower. Never saw it coming! There are enough characters to keep the reader riveted to the pages and playing the " I think the bad guy is ...." game. I enjoyed how Logan and Michael interacted ... with humor, and caring.

All in all, a very satisfying read full of suspense and unforgettable characters.

Many thanks to the author for the advance digital copy of ASHES OF A SINNER. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Nic]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Really enjoyed this book from a new author. It had a refreshing writing style, conversational almost, which helps you get a sense of the characters.

I love books with chapters told from a different viewpoint so a big tick there also.

I liked that there was no tip-toeing around the way Logan and Grasso felt about each other, it wasn’t dragged out so it felt more true to life - people are attracted to each other, they tell each other, they act upon it!

The twists were good too, not trying to be too clever and kept you guessing.

Looking forward to book two.

[Terry]

The way this book is written from the characters point of view is different and very leading. It takes you into the story and keeps you there.
The characters are very real and the story is continuously moving keeping me hooked.
There was a chapter heading for which character was per section. No confusion and clearly easy to follow.
A little of everything, thriller, a touch of romantic interest, thriller throughout.
A very good book that though we got the finished story could lead to more, hopefully!

[Shelly Moore]

Ashes of a Sinner grabs your attention from the very first chapter! Logan and Grasso are on a race against time to find a serial killer in a small town in Louisiana. Little did they know, they would end up finding a lot more than what they bargained for! Clear your schedule for this one! This book is full of suspense and will keep you wanting to read on! Can't wait for the next book!

[Sue Wallace]

Ashes of a sinner by shauna l hebert.
Homicide Detective, Logan St. Martin, buries herself in her work during the day, and finds herself trying to drink her haunted past away at night. But when a series of horrific murders rock her small town deep in the bayous of Louisiana,
she finds herself on a on a path of discovery into a sadistic killer’s mind.
"Their beauty was in the ashes, and they all died alone."
Repentance was the killer’s way, and damnation became his weapon.
Detective St. Martin and her partner, Detective Grasso, in pursuit of a twisted soul is bodies in his wake. a race against time when Logan realizes the killer has turned his sights on her.
"Everything changes when you are the one being hunted."
A very enjoyable read. Although a little slow in places still a enjoyable read. 4*.

[Carol Peace]

When detective Logan St Martin is called to a trailer fire she is confused but all becomes clear when she sees the body of a naked woman chained to the floor of the bedroom, she is appointed lead investigator and detective Michael Grasso is her partner. They have the added pressure of constantly being urged on by the Sheriff but they have difficulty naming the victim. When another body turns up the pressure is on to find the killer before he/she escalates their killing but at least they can name this victim. This is a fast paced roller coaster of a book with so many surprises that I couldn't help but race to the end. We get to see the story from all perspectives as we are treated to chapters in the killers mind as well as the detectives. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I do hope that we are going to get more from S.L.Herbert in this vein.

[Angie Jones-Moore]

This, is not what I thought it was.
After reading my fair share of crimer thrillers, I find myself guessing the end quite early on.
Ashes of a Sinner is different, I had no idea who was the culprit!
This complex read kept my interest and made me want to find out more. The lives of St Martin and Grasso are complicated, on a personal and professional level. My nosey nature kept me wanting to find out more about their relationship as much as the murderer.
S. L Hebert has successfully written a crimer thriller that will kept your intrigue untl the very last page.

[K.A. Davis]

ASHES OF A SINNER by S. L. Hebert is a psychological thriller that grabs the reader’s attention from the very first page. Ms. Hebert, a former police officer, knows the ins and outs of investigations and uses her knowledge effectively to bring a riveting search for a deranged killer who blends effortlessly into the Louisiana bayou community. The author uses three different characters’ points of view, using one person for each chapter. There is the protagonist, Detective Logan Ry St. Martin and her partner, Detective Michael Grasso, plus we see inside the mind of the antagonist. I appreciated that even though she writes each chapter from a different point of view it is clearly noted which character is telling the story so I never felt lost. While the interaction and dialog between Logan and Michael is a bit stilted at times, the chapters from the antagonist’s point of view are downright creepy… in a very good way. Ms. Hebert creates an edge-of-your-seat read that had me turning pages waiting to find out what happened next!

This book contains language, violence, and a little sex but it was added in a realistic manner instead of gratuitously. The book is written in present tense and it took me a bit of time to adjust reading it that way. However, once I got into the story, it wasn’t an issue. I enjoyed the Southern feel set in the bayou during Mardi Gras season. The author paints a vivid picture, helping the reader feel like they are right there. There is a subplot surrounding the dark secret Logan has and how her childhood has affected her. It seems that Michael Grasso also has a past that converges on the present and the way the author weaves the main mystery with the subplots into the suspenseful conclusion left me gasping!

I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Pam]

Another new author for me and not my mainstream genre, but well worth my time.  This is pure psychological thriller with lots of mystery, suspense and action.

The story is told in presence tense and straight through detective Logan St. Martin's eyes.  This author takes us into the Louisiana bayou world with vivid pictures that you honestly don't always want to have with the story.  There's a serial killer on the loose with a string of gruesome murders under their belt.  We begin the book with a dream that tells us the detective has felt this murderers hands personally.  Now she has to paint the story with the detail that makes things feel just like your watching it first hand and you don't always want to see these flashes. 

There's so much more going on in this story as well.  Something has happened in both Logan and her partner, Detective Grasso's life that is intertwined in the premise of the story.  So much is going on to keep the reader engrossed and on the edge of their seat.  I wonder if this is the beginning of a planned series? 

[Monique Orgeron]

I thought S.L. Hebert first book was awesome. It takes you to deepest parts of bayou country, to a place where such a huge crime should never happen. A serial killer is on the lose and as they hunt for him, he in return hunts for her. The one he thinks is meant to be his. The obsessions he holds has been instilled in him from childhood destroy his sanity. The conflict he struggles with from being a religious man to hearing demonic voice was handled in such an eerie way to cause goosebumps up and down your arm. You also get a sense through the story that the heroine of the story has a dark past also. You also get a taste of not only infatuation but also of love developing. It is definitely the thriller to read. I can not wait to read the next book and see what happens between all the different relationships.

[Fiona Hanrahan]

Ashes of a sinner by S L Hebert
I really liked this story of two Louisiana detectives tracking down a serial killer with a religious obsession. The style of the novel, with chapters narrated by one or other of the detectives and then the killer, worked well and built up the tension as the story unfolded.
This is the first in what I hope will be a series of crime fiction set in the south. I will certainly read more by S L Hebert and am happy to give this book 4 stars and recommend it to fellow readers.

[Scott Sonnier]

Great read

Enjoyed the local flavor. Loved the twist at the end. Looking forward to the next book.Definetly would recommend the book to friends.

[Sharon Kallenberger Marzola]

An excellent debut murder mystery. Ms. Hebert's law enforcement background shines through nicely while I sit biting my nails waiting to see how the story will play out.

Full review on Badass Bloggettes: https://wordpress.com/post/badassblog...

[Badass Bloggettes]

I’m spending a lot of time this month reading my favorite genre, mystery, whodunit, police procedurals. I don’t know what it says about me. It is either my sadistic side that loves getting in the head of a vicious killer or my masochistic side that enjoys biting my nails as my stomach flips while the story scares the bejesus out of me.

Ashes of a Sinner by S E Hebert is about murder. A body is found by firefighters who respond to a call at an abandoned trailer. There is obvious foul play and torture is involved. Dt. Logan St. Martin is the lead detective on the case with Dt. Michael Grasso, her partner. The path to finding the murderer leads these two to examine their past and talk about things they don’t talk about very often.

Ashes of a Sinner is a realistic look at a small-town police department. The setting is a town close to New Orleans at Mardi Gras time. Although Logan is the best investigator, she is often talked down to by some misogynists who can’t resist making their comments. However, Logan has tunnel vision when it comes to her career. She spends little time thinking about or pursuing any relationships that might get in her way.

Michael Grasso is her perfect partner. He knows that Logan isn’t a relationship person and doesn’t force anything even though a relationship is what he want. He knows she isn’t ready and moves slowly. It isn’t until the murderer seems to focus on Logan that his protector instincts come out and then Grasso reasons with her more than demands. I like how he never forces Logan to make him the lead and always listens to her side even when he believes she isn’t taking the threats seriously.

The police procedural unfolds realistically. It is apparent following the detectives that the author has experience in law enforcement. She does an excellent job showing the reader the process police and their support staff take without bogging down the story in too much detail.

The support characters add more realism to this story. Some cops pitch in to help the main characters eagerly. We also get a touch of some characters who are more interested in their positions and the politics of the job rather than doing a good job to support their subordinates. I really want to learn more about Lt. Henry Clark, Logan and Grasso’s boss. He is a competent boss, but something is going on with him.

Ashes of a Sinner has a satisfying ending leaving open the prospect of more stories in Logan and Michael’s future. There are questions that I have about both of these characters’ backgrounds that can be explained further in future books. If you like a thrilling procedural that, hopefully, will be the start of a series, try Ashes of a Sinner by S E Hebert. You won’t regret it.

[Robyn]

Logan St. Martin is a detective on the local police force. Singled out by the Liuetenant to the latest crime scene, a trailer fire down in the bayou where a young woman was found dead shackled to the bedroom floor, Logan is asked to be lead detective in the case. Logan is smart and has the best instincts in the department. if anyone could crack the case open it would be her. Partnered with Detective Michael Grasso, they delve deep into the workings of a sick and twisted killer. It isn’t too long after that the killer has his sights on Logan. Detective Grasso steps up to the plate and wants to protect her.

Grasso and Logan have been dancing around each other lately each both attracted to the other, but Logan has a no dating co-workers policy. As much as she wants to hold on to that, Grasso seems to be breaking down her barriers. Now, that the killer has taken an interest in Logan, Grasso will do everything in his power to make sure she stays safe.

S.L. Hebert knows how to pack one hell of a punch introducing us to a sick and twisted killer right from the start. Hebert holds nothing back and really digs deep into the psychological mindset of our killer by using first person narrative where we learn the killers inner thoughts along with the thoughts of our two main characters. Normally I do not like first person narrative, but here it works. We get a deeper understanding of each character as the story intensifies. There are secrets to expose and the hunt is on to catch a demented killer. Hebert is a master storyteller and leaves no detail unturned. You find yourself immersed in the story to the point where you can picture everything in your mind. The attention to detail was really a winner for me. Another thing I want to mention is this is the first time in a very long time that I have gotten chills reading a story.

ASHES OF A SINNER takes you on one nail-biting journey that will have you flipping the pages as fast as you can while trying to figure out who the killer might be from the cast of characters introduced in the story. The suspense will have you guessing till the very end. This is by far one of the best books I have read all year. ASHES OF A SINNER needs to be bumped up on your TBR to the number one spot immediately.

[Kristen Johnson]

I knew the moment I read the prolouge of Ashes of a Sinner that I was in for a bumpy ride. The tone of the story is set in those first few pages and the edge of suspense only grows.

Logan St. Martin is one of the better detective on the homicide team, she sees things others don't and picks up on little details that end up helping to crack cases. Though she struggles with her haunting past, she's at her peak when doing police work. When she's called on scene at the start of the book, she immediately starts picking through the clues of what happened, trying to piece together the important details and find the monster who held captive and beat the young woman involved. What Logan can't know and doesn't expect is that the killer knows who she is, where to find her and has set sights on her as well.

Along with investigating the murder - Logan is paired up with Micheal Grasso, a fellow detective and a man with whom she shares an attraction. Just as they work together on the case, they work through their mutal feelings as well. I really enjoyed their interactions and how things came together for them, nothing felt rushed or fake.

I really enjoyed the twists this story took, giving me details and surprising me as I worked to puzzle together what exactly was going on and who could be involved. The layers were laid in just such a manner to make things enticing but also not too complicated to work through.

S.L. Hebert is a new to me author, but I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

[Rebecca Austin]

Detective Logan St.Martin lives in Houma, Louisiana and works for the Homicide Department. She is one tough Detective and gets a call to investigate the death of a mysterious woman who was shackled to the floor of a trailer.

Detective Michael Grasso is paired with Logan to investigate the death of Jane Doe. He knows that Logan is a smart detective who has to work harder to prove herself and he will do whatever it takes to help her with the case.

But soon Logan discovers that the killer has taken an interest her and Michael will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Will Logan and Michael be able to figure out who the killer is and overcome the odds in front of them, such as Sheriff Trahan.

This book was great with lots of twists and turns. I did have the killer on my list of people I thought had done it but was completely surprised with some of the things that were revealed and shocked with how everything came out.

I really liked Logan and the fact that she was strong yet vulnerable. She had a wild side that you saw with her best friend, Bria Pitre, but she also had a responsible and hard working side. She was super good at her job and therefore she was given an important case but the case got personal quite quickly.

Michael was awesome and so protective over Logan and he was also very good at his job. I loved how protective he was over Logan and I was shocked at the ties he had to everything unexpectedly.

There were so many possibilities to who the murderer could be and I was anxiously waiting to see how everything played out! I wasn't shocked at who the killer was but I was surprised at some of the things that happened to get to the end.

Such a good book and I look forward to more from this author.

[Teresa LaBella]

The distracting misfires in Ashes of a Sinner could have been avoided with constructive critique and guidance from a good developmental editor.

The alternating chapter, he-said-she-said, first person point of view telling of this romantic suspense story was interrupted by chapters describing the disturbed thoughts of a killer called "The Sinner". The shift in author's voice between partners Logan St. Martin and Michael Grasso and the murderer the homicide detectives are trying to find read as though written by two authors. The killer's chapters were edgy and well-written. The rest of the story only occasionally reached that potential. Character development suffered. Although the killer spoke in fewer chapters, that character was more defined than the protagonist detectives. The disjointed result made for a choppy and at times confusing read that could have been smoothed out had the book been written in third person.

Plot and setting were the shining stars in the novel and added a third star to my review. Developmental line editing could add another.

[Charity]

Ashes Of A Sinner by S. L. Hebert is a Mystery/Thriller and full of suspense. Detective Logan St. Martin finds herself racing against time to find a killer in the bayous of Louisiana. Someone is killer beautiful young women. Logan has a past that torments her and makes hunting this killer far more complicated. This book grabbed my attention from chapter 1. Logan is a very complex soul. I loved the growing connection between Logan and her partner Detective Grasso. You can't go wrong with a little romanace thrown into the mix. This book took on a life of it's own for me once Logan turns from hunter to the hunted. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[Jennifer Richey]

Wow this was written in a 3 person story Logan the sinner and micheal! This is a twisted story for sure and these detectives are definally trying to solve these crimes and get to the bottom of these murders. But when miss Logan gets a stalker does our story take a turn? And so many truths come out! Wow this book had to the very end!

[Tammy Deighan]

Im not really one that would get into this type of book. But Im so glad I did. Detectives /Mysteries and murder all in one keep you guessing book , you just couldn't put it down until you got the end. The author really made us feel apart of what was going on. When things turn and one becomes the one being hunted ...wow...great book.

[Deborah Lane]

Loved this debut book, terror, mystery, romance, murder. Detectives who are drawn to each other, are on a mission to stop a religious zealot in bayou Louisiana before more murders occur. One detective becomes a target, turning up the heat.bookis told in POV, alternating perspectives. Works well, stirs the tension! Recommended.

[Kimberly]

I truly enjoy a good mystery and this book did not disappoint. I liked how the viewpoints jumped between the characters and the development of the characters’ backgrounds made for an intriguing story. It would be good if this book was the beginning of a series. Would like to read more of their story.

[Amanda Roden]

I enjoyed this book. I always love a could mystery/suspense novel. The only thing that was a little discombobulated for me was when it would switch to the "Sinner's" POV. It felt as though it through the flow off a bit.

[DMA]

Wow this is one intense thrilling read with several unexpected twists and turns!!!
Loved the characters and the storyline, though very chilling, was brilliantly written.
Superb murder mystery romance!!

[Nicole Studioso]

Very well written police thriller with thrills and twists. I enjoyed the main characters, detectives Logan St. Martin and Michael Grasso. They were well developed, rich, and funny at times. The storyline was great and keeps you guessing right to the end.

[Selina Trafford]

an interesting story well written and with just enough suspense to keep you reading. I loved the way the characters interacted and the way the scenes were set. I think this would probably make for good TV too.

[Marsha]

Awesome new author. I read every type of book and I absolutely loved this thriller

[Danielle]

This was a great mystery with a huge twist near the end! I loved how the chapters alternated point of views and were shorter. Really held my interest.

At the heart of the story are two detectives working to find out who is killing local girls. Then they get wrapped up in trying to save one of their own from the same fate.

Great read. I’d definitely read more from this author.

[NoirBlogger]

Very good read, I do hope the name "Lo" dies a death in any subsequent books. Otherwise very enjoyable and I hope I get to learn more about the characters