The First Deadly Sin

By: Lawrence Sanders

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

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)

Great use of Credit

Where does The First Deadly Sin rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This would be in my top 25.

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

Maybe not the edge but the character development is what captivated me.

The First Deadly Sin will leave you waiting

For the next Deadly Sin and the Commandments . Lawrence Sanders wrote books that were refreshingly different than others at the time, and he still is at the top of the list of outstanding crime fiction writers to date.

started of weird then got better

Would you consider the audio edition of The First Deadly Sin to be better than the print version?

This book started off really weird, so much so that I was going to leave it. I decided to perservere and was pleasantly surprised how the story changed and became more interesting. Although it's not a great book it is a good story if you are into crime stories. I'm glad I kept going with it

Deserves 5 Stars

This is my first Edward X Delaney novel and I really enjoyed it. I sometimes enjoy older novels. Everything is so "high tech" now that I like hearing about items that are not used anymore, such as a pay phone. It brings back memories of a different era.

Edward X Delaney is chasing a serial killer who doesn't know his sexual identity. He tracked him down in some old-fashioned ways. After I was done with this book, I bought the next book in the series, so I know I liked it.

Love Lawrence Sanders

This is an excellent book love the details, and a great story for anyone who loves murder mysteries.

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.