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)

If you like crime and mystery - get this one!

What did you love best about The First Deadly Sin?

Well written, vivid quirky characters, terrific use of language. I couldn't wait to hear more.

What about Marc Vietor’s performance did you like?

The writing was great, but I swear I could see the characters through his voice. Outstanding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - I really enjoyed savoring it.

Any additional comments?

I listen to many, many audiobooks - this was one of the best. Haunting.

THe First Deadly Sin

Excellent reading and it is hard to put down but it has scenes of murder and folks that are way out of touch with human kindness. There is violent but the people working of the case are good and it is interesting.

An American classic!

What did you love best about The First Deadly Sin?

The Deadly Sins series is able to get over the set in time cultural references that usually leave thriller and mystery fiction to go out of print until generations enough have passed to appreciate the antiquity. This is a well honed novel not often approached by the current crop of wordsmiths or even Sanders himself in his later works.

First time listen

Read this when it was first written, just got around to listening to it, still good, hard to put down!

Crime & Punishment for the 20th Century

As well done as Dostoyevsky did it (but then I prefer Tolstoy). Good enough that I will read or listen to another by the same author.

Great story!

I enjoyed the book years ago and the audio version now. The story is interesting and there is not too much gore. The length makes it a cost effective purchase unlike the newer books that take only 3-4 hours to complete. I highly recommend this book!

totally awesome 👌

I listen and register to a series that I read so very long ago. you will get hooked

A Winding Tale of Mystery

Although this book was orginially written 1973, it's relevance persists. The winding mystery can be compared to a beautiful winding road with many forks, not knowing which way it will proceed and when. It is fascinating to see how the story unfolds, how little evidence evolves in surmounting evidence and the ultimate conclusion. It is gripping and most definitely worth the time it took to enjoy it.

Exciting story but dated!

I must say that I found the story good enough to overlook some of the dated dialogue that did not stand up to time and the droning narration. Not good enough, however, to buy more in the series.

Pretty good :)

This was an enjoyable listen. It was interesting to follow the thought processes of a serial killer as well as the detective pursuing him at the same time. It is interesting how the author portrayed the killer's descent into madness as part of the effects of the murders. The writing was excellent. The time frame of this book is the mid-70's. It was rather fun to relive that era and see the differences with today's world.

Mr. Vietor did an excellent job narrating. He was easy to understand and follow.

Yes, I'd recommend the book.