The First Deadly Sin

By: Lawrence Sanders

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 24 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most popular suspense novels of all time. A well-dressed man stalks the high-class neighborhoods of New York City. He is armed with an ice axe. His victims are strangers. And one cop, Captain Ed Delaney must solve a series of bizarre, gruesome murders that defy logic or method. This shocking story has captured the imaginations of millions like no other modern thriller.

Prolong the suspense: follow the further crime-solving career of Edward X. Delaney.

©1973 Lawrence Sanders (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Breathtakingly exciting." ( Rolling Stone)

Be Patient, It's coming.

The unabridged version of this book is 3 parts. It took me going through at least half of it before I really started getting interested in the story. After that, I was hooked. Very good narrator.

I'm hooked

I had never heard of this series and after listening to this First Deadly Sin, have ordered the lot. I was a little put off by the opening part and thought I had ordered the wrong book but soon became totally involved in Mr Sanders great characterisations plus the brilliant narration. It was like watching a movie in my mind. There have been a few books where I was swayed by reviews and then found them wanting, but not this time.

Read this in the 90s.

I could do without the constant middle initial pronouncements of Delaney and others.
I think it’s terrible to assume a 12 year old wants sex with an adult.
The ending drug on way too long.
The rest of the book is very Lawerence Sanders, who was my favorite author for years.

Best of the best, for so many reasons.....

I was glued to this book for all 27 hours -- and the funny thing is, having read the book at least three times since it came out in 1973, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Clearly, it wasn't the element of suspense that got me -- even though there was still plenty of that. In a book this long, lots of things happen that I'd forgotten, or glossed over, before. Then too, listening to a book as compared to reading it, there are always things that seem new, that I hadn't considered before. But the big delight in listening, again, was just watching it all unfold -- seeing Edward X. Delaney plot, plan and scheme to take down the evil Daniel Blank for whom, ultimately, it's hard not to feel some level of compassion. The staid but quirky Delaney is on a par with the world's most memorable detectives -- Holmes, Piorot, Whimsey, and even Columbo, of whom he reminds me in some vague fashion (probably his absolute doggedness, in refusing to ever consider giving up or even backing down.) Bottom line, I loved this book -- absolutely loved it. Now I'm looking forward to all the rest of the "sins", wishing, for the first time in my life, that there were more than seven.

A melding of Poetry, Artistry and Mystery

I enjoyed this book immensely. Sanders has true poetry in his interpreting of the characters in his book and their environment. Some of the lines he uses in his description of the weather or the moods and feelings could almost be lines from a poem and very memorable. I think he used real skill in weaving the police Sargent and the murder suspect from different sides of the pole then inching them closer and closer until the collide.in the middle. The characters are totally believable due to the writers skill and the way he wove the environment (natural and man-made) into the whole plot was extremely well-done!!

Best of the Best.

What did you love best about The First Deadly Sin?

Edward X Delaney

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

OMG....Yes!!!....First introduced to my secret crush. Captain Edward X...amazing intelligence, uncompromising and commanding presence tracking his quarry.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The end of the chase. The Captain's self realization.

Any additional comments?

Buy....This."..now.

A Classic

Any additional comments?

Starts slow, but builds. Didn't care for the ending, but the book was well worth listening too.

Brilliant! A whirlwind read. A great book made even better by a great narrator

I read the 1st deadly sin in high school for a book report. I’ve re-read this book over 20 times. I was never a big reader until I read this book. Ever since I’m a devoted Lawrence fan. Sanders words describe everything from the mood or atmosphere to food and drink as well as any other writer in my opinion. And this narrator captures Sanders voice and words. Highly recommended.

Detailed detective work

The opening is slow and there is a lot of padding throughout. The mind of the killer is unique and in depth. The detective work is detailed.

Great Writer and Great Narrator

I love this book and plan on purchasing the rest of the series. The writer and narrator are both excellent - a really great match. I am sorry that I didn't discover Lawrence Sanders sooner. But even if a book is wonderful, it is difficult to stay focused and listen unless the narrator is effective. There have been many times in the past that I stopped listening to a book because the narrator's delivery was distracting. However, Marc Vietor is SERIOUSLY good. I will start watching for his name as narrator, as who the narrator is has a big impact on the audio books that I purchase. The first thing that I used to do is sort by new books that were narrated by Scott Brick. Now I will add Marc Vietor to that short list and search for books that he narrated as well. If any of you authors are reading this, you should take a listen and see how talented this new (to me) narrator is.