Seventh Deadly Sin

Cat Caliban #7

by D.B. Borton

A strangled teen. A church-going family. A deadly secret no confession can absolve.

Cat may be a grandmother, but don’t let the crayon-covered fridge fool you — her kitchen doubles as a forensics lab and her mind is sharp as a tack. She’s made it her mission to solve the cases the police can’t.

Her sleuthing skills are called on when sixteen-year-old Peter Baer washes up on the banks of the Ohio River — a length of rope wound tightly around his neck.

Peter was a high school football star, honor student and the poster boy for Cincinnati’s Catholic elite. He had no enemies — or so it seemed.

His powerful father, a prominent figure in the diocese, wants the case buried before it tarnishes the family name. But Peter’s grandmother wants justice, and she hires Cat to find the truth.

As Cat digs into Peter’s final hours, she makes a chilling discovery. This wasn’t just a murder, it was a message. And the people behind it are still watching, still waiting, and ready to kill again . . .

Perfect for fans of Steve Higgs, Dorothy Cannell, Lucy Connelly, Ellie Alexander and Richard Osman.

Previously published as Seventh Deadly Sin.

Readers love SEVEN DEADLY SINS:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘If you're looking for a well-written mystery with engaging characters and unique plots, I'd absolutely recommend this book and the Cat Caliban series as a whole.’ Mint

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Borton again combines mystery, humor, and social justice in this excellent Cat Caliban adventure.’ Goodreads Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘An eye-opening and skillfully written story.’ Angel

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I enjoyed the story and recommend the book.’ Karin

Meet Your New Favorite Senior Sleuth
Cat Caliban is Cincinnati's newest, oldest and funniest detective-in-training. She enjoys a G&T, has a nice line in put-downs and can rub people up the wrong way — although underneath she has a heart of gold. She’s the proud mom of three cats with three grown children who drive her crazy. Recently widowed, she embarks on a brand-new career as a private investigator, hoping her obsession with detective novels will come in handy . . . although her sharp tongue might be a hindrance. It may be late in life for such a drastic change, but Cat reckons she’s young for a detective — look at Miss Marple or Mrs. Pollifax. Even Nancy Drew had less training than Cat, so why wouldn't she be a success?

Setting
Northside is a rough-around-the-edges urban neighborhood in Cincinnati that might intimidate many, but not a tough broad like Cat. But it has its own quirky and gritty charm. The streets are lined with a variety of second-hand stores, including Goodwill and an army-navy surplus. The hub of the local community is Bill’s Hardware, where the widget you want is usually hanging from the ceiling. Northside may be far from upscale, but it’s the perfect place to reinvent yourself.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

214 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

D. B. Borton is a Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio Wesleyan University and now a full-time writer. Specializing in humorous mysteries, she has published eleven mystery novels in two series, the Cat Caliban series (Berkley, Hilliard and Harris) and the Gilda Liberty series (Fawcett), as well as the mystery novel SMOKE (Boomerang) and the humorous science fiction novel SECOND COMING (Boomerang). Her latest mystery, BAYOU CITY BURNING (Boomerang), was published in June 2019.

A native of Houston, Texas, Borton became an ardent admirer of Nancy Drew at a young age. At the age of fourteen, she acquired her own blue roadster, trained on the freeways of Houston and the broad stretches of oil-endowed Texas highway, and began her travels.
She has lived in the Southwest and Midwest and on the West Coast, where she has collected three degrees in English without relinquishing her affection for the expressiveness of the everyday language that real people speak. Her research skills and her ear for language both serve her well in mysteries set in realistic places and featuring characters with authentic voices.

Reviews

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of Seventh Deadly Sin, the seventh novel, originally published in 2007, to feature trainee detective Cat Caliban, set in Cincinnati in 1987.

Cat’s first job as an official trainee detective is to investigate the murder of teenager Peter Baer. His grandmother wants answers and the police aren’t finding them. Her investigation leads her to an evangelical church and their star turn, Evie the chimpanzee.

I thoroughly enjoyed Seventh Deadly Sin, which has a good mystery hiding in the humour. The novel is told from Cat’s point of view, so her dry wit and slightly anarchic approach to life drive the narrative.

I must admit that I got to the motive before Cat in this outing, but that’s not anything to boast about as the author still has a few twists up her sleeve so nothing is as it seems. I think it is very well done and that doesn’t include Evie, who steals the show.

The author likes to take aim at various injustices in her novels, so this time she’s taking on an evangelical church. This one is rather tame in comparison with some of the present day right wing churches, but it is easy to see where they come from. It’s very interesting.

I love Cat Caliban and her well disguised zest for life. She’s a 61 year old, menopausal woman with a cynical façade and an acid tongue, but she’s funny and gritty in her own way.

Seventh Deadly Sin is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that retired cop Moses Fogg has his P.I. license, aspiring P.I. and senior sleuth Cat Caliban can now work towards accruing enough experience for a license of her own. Caliban and Fogg's first customer is a concerned grandma who wants the duo to investigate the suspicious death of her grandson Peter.

Soon, Cat and Moses discover strange connections between Peter's death and the cases of other missing children in Cincinnati. How do these cases, an evangelical ministry, and a chimpanzee named Evie fit together? You'll have to read this book to find out!

I've always loved how unique and well-written this series is. It features well-rounded and interesting characters. There are prominent characters of colours, LGBTQ+ characters, and neurodivergent characters. The mysteries are realistic and well-researched, yet engaging and suspenseful. The books explore social issues with reflective thoughtfulness. What else can a girl ask for in a mystery?

I especially appreciate how Borton balances different tones in this mystery. Some parts of the book are hilarious and laugh-out loud, but others are more serious and sometimes even heartbreaking. It's not a 'one-note' book by any means. The book does feature a bittersweet ending, but I found it to be very appropriate for the plot. It's a reminder of the human impacts of crime, and of how life's problems don't always resolve neatly.

And as a side note: it's 2021, and I still haven't read many cozy mysteries where computers - or even technology in general - play a role in the plot! I was pleasantly surprised when this novel, which is set in the 1980s, incorporated computers and the Internet into the mystery-solving process. It added an interesting, and sometimes hilarious, layer to the book. Let's just say that Cat is not exactly a computer-savvy lady...

If you're looking for a well-written mystery with engaging characters and unique plots, I'd absolutely recommend this book and the Cat Caliban series as a whole.

Readers should note that this book includes some violence and some foul language. Thank you to D.B. Borton for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Savsandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

DARWINIAN IMPLICATIONS? - Review of "Seventh Deadly Sin" by D.B. Borton

Now that friend and neighbor Moses Fogg, who is also a retired cop, has received his Private Investigator's license, Cat Caliban is an official PI-in-Training and she's up to some new tricks in "Seventh Deadly Sin". While she may be a white-haired, sixty something grandma, she doesn't intend to sit home and be an On-Demand babysitter. No ma'am, not nohow! Cat figures she served her time doin' the family thing and now it's her turn and she intends to reinvent herself as a private detective. So when asked by another older lady to find out who murdered her grandson, Cat is all over it. She knows that establishing a motive will help her identity the killer but that's going to be a tall order given that said grandson was a community-minded, well-liked student, athlete, and all-around good guy. But apparently someone disliked him enough to strangle him. The question is, who and why?

As titular head of the Catatonia Arms, Cat has a cadre of friends who offer moral support and lend a hand when called on. In this endeavor she enlists help from her band of loyalists and they definitely rise to the occasion. Cat's inquiries and interviews get her into some tight spots that put her at-risk of getting conked on the head. Again! In fact, at the current rate, Cat should probably have a neurosurgeon on retainer.

As Cat pursues a paucity of leads she soon discovers that Peter isn't the only area teen who has died under questionable circumstances. Her efforts lead to an alternate reality in which a frilly-dressed chimpanzee named Evie and a church that is all too reminiscent of the old days of Jerry Falwell slowly develop. Added to that mix is Cat's penchant for uncoverinag multiple suspects that seem to complicate the investigation but she eventually gets them all sorted out. Make no mistake, this ain't your average gray-haired granny. Cat's salty tongue, her off the wall sense of humor and her tell-it-like-it-is attitude keep everyone on their toes and I wanna' be just like her when I grow up.

This seventh book in the series is decidedly more sober in nature as it deals with questions of societal mores on sexuality and religion in the 1980s. Looking back, I'm not so sure that we as a society have advanced as much in the interim as we'd like to think we have. However, hope springs eternal.

Author D.B. Borton has set the Cat Caliban series Circa mid-1980s in the Cincinnati Ohio area and this escapade touches on the then emerging PC era. I had to smile at Cat's description of an early PC with its green screen running MS-DOS. Don't get me wrong though. I'm not really nostalgic for those "good ole' days". Unlike Cat I embrace modern technology but even so, I can relate to her misgivings. Besides, Cat Caliban has excellent instincts when it comes to sleuthing and she always gets her man. Four stars.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retired police officer Moses Fogg has finally gotten his PI licence and Cat Caliban is now working under his license. Cat receives a call from the grandmother of Peter Baer, whose body has been found in the river and she asks Cat to find his killer. He dissappeared two weeks prior to the body's discovery. It appears that he was strangled but the police have nothing to go on. Cat agrees to investigate and after talking to the detective in charge agrees to see what she can learn. Her investigating leads to a youth group of a church that Peter had attended once or twice. She talks with several of his friends and notices many of them are wearing braided wrist bands. Most are different but some are like the one Peter was wearing when he died. She also finds that some of the kids in the youth group also wear the same bracelets. She discovers several missing teens and wnen meeting with another, finds him dead at the bottom of the school swimming pool. How is all this connected and how can Cat find out what happened.

I am voluntarily reviewing this book after receiving it free from the author.

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tense and disturbing story with wonderful research done on the "new" internet and what computers were like back in he 1980s. Also how we viewed the LGBTQ people that few understood or wanted to understand. An eye-opening and skillfully written story. Highly Recommended.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Peter Baer and why??? It is almost half way through the book before its real intent is found. However, I enjoyed following Cat as she follows the leads. I also enjoyed the story and recommend the book

[Leslie Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Cat and her entourage. The books after number four take a darker turn.

[Grinning Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d love to have a drink with Cat Caliban. Cat is a 60-something, foul-mouthed grandmother, who doesn’t believe that her widowhood years should be spent knitting, baking, and doting on the grandkids. After years of domestic investigation and six mystery cases in her retirement, Cat is going official. Her friend and neighbor, Moses is a retired cop who just got his Private Investigation License and makes Cat his partner. The gang at Catatonia Arms is celebrating Valentine’s Day and the newly minted detective partnership when Cat gets a call from a grandmother who wants Cat to investigate the death of her grandson. Cat’s investigation takes her undercover at an evangelical church as a grandmother, meeting a chimpanzee who has a penchant for lock picking. Perennial favorite Leon lends a hand, along with Cat’s teenaged cousin and hacker Del. Borton again combines mystery, humor, and social justice in this excellent Cat Caliban adventure. Highly recommended.
I received an advance copy for free and am gladly leaving an honest review.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat Caliban and Moses Fogg have been hired by Toots McGruder to look into the accidental deaths of two of the WASP fliers during World War Two. These women ferried planes in the US allowing the male pilotes to serve in the war. Within a two week time span, two of the women in her flight group have died from accidentally falling down stairs and Toot's plane has had to make a forced landing due to sabotage. This takes Cat and Moses to the coming reunion where most of the women will be attending and watching and participating in the air show. The WASPS have finally been granted military benefits some thirty years later. They are gathering all the memorabilia they have and learn that the footlockers of Toots and others have been searched, but no one understands what is being hunted. The air show and reunion has attracted several important people, Senators and Congressmen alike. But who is doing the searching and what are they searching for?

I am voluntarily reviewing this book after receiving it free from the author.

[G.Terenzio · Rating 5 out of 5]

The grandmother of a murdered teen ask Cat to looking into the death of her grandson. She follows many leads and a connection between missing youth. But where is the commune factor between young people from very different backgrounds? After Cat goes more or less under cover at a alternative church setting, she finds answers and more than she bargains for.

[Denise Brennecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great story

It’s great to Cat on action once again and the story took an interesting twist so she always keeps the reader guessing