The Sins of the Father

Dead Cold Mystery #5

by Blake Banner

When Silvie Martin moves to New York from Texas with her husband, Simon, and their one year-old daughter, Mary, she is filled with the joy and hope she derives from their shared faith. But no sooner have they moved into their new home, which backs on to their church, than her husband is brutally murdered before her very eyes. The only trouble is, the shock has completely erased her memory…

Now, eighteen years later, Detectives Stone and Dehan have to piece together a crime where their prime witness remembers nothing, and the suspects are as bizarre as they are unlikely: Reverend Paul Truelove, bombastic and irresistible to women, Humberto, the mysterious, shambling freak who speaks a language only he understands, El Chato, the Mexican housebreaker, and even Sylvie herself…

But Stone and Dehan know, where sex and religion mix, nothing is ever simple. And the deeper they investigate, the more convinced they are, there is something they are not seeing…

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Procedural, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Detective

157 pages, ebook

First published November 13, 2017

About the author

USA TODAY and Amazon #1 bestselling author of the OMEGA and DEAD COLD MYSTERY series. Learn more about Blake Banner at his website: www.blakebanner.com

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this series. So much so that I bought the set of books from 5 - 8.

Stone and Dehan continued with their unusual relationship and their entertaining dialogue as they researched and solved their latest cold case. This one was very cold but they still managed to turn up new leads, upset an awful lot of people and get justice for the dead.

The only drawback to these books is they are a bit short. As soon as I finished this one I moved straight into book 6.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like a Ping Pong ball by the time I finished reading this book! Along with Detectives Stone and Dehan, I was suspecting EVERYONE! Stone likes to keep things close to his chest until he is sure of a hunch, which drives Dehan crazy. (It drives me a wee bit crazy, as well. Sort of like the proofreading/editing errors do.😄)

I'm continuing to enjoy the interplay between Stone and Dehan and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE OF FIVE in a set I bought - let me say, I read a LOT of mysteries. These EXCEL. I didn't have a clue about the end twist, on all five!
personal note, I HATE REVIEWS THAT REGURGITATE STORY LINES - why read the book after reading the spoilers...?
Suffice it to say that this book (and series) is a real page turner, enough to keep ME turning pages as I burned through all five in a row.

This series has a distinct enjoyable feeling of the old tv series Remington Steel and the chemistry between the characters is just phenomenal. Still somewhat unrequited, but that's the energy.

I see there are more books available - gonna go snag them. .. and believe me, there are so may freebie books out there it takes something a little extra to get me to pop ;-)

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stone and Dehan pick up another cold case. A man is murdered and his wife is in the house while it happened. Stone and Dehan have to sort out a tangle of lies and cover ups. This is a great series. The books just get better.

[Petra Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another page turner, and cold-case detectives Stone and Dehan make as good a pair as ever, with their interaction, banter, humour and investigating. But this book held a too large number of bizarre characters and events - the "good wife" baking cookies for the church while harbouring a secret, a womanising ex-adventurer priest, a latin-speaking hulk, a bored rich lady with a wheelchair-bound husband, a Muslim gardener, a sweet daughter, a murdered son nobody cared to mention first, religion, rape, knives in a hidden treasure cache....
It was all a bit TOO much, honest. Entertaining but just about bordering on the ridiculous.

[Andrew Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. As with the other dead cold series excellent twists.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read

I am thoroughly enjoying this series,yet felt this story the most disappointing so far. Yes,it's good to have Stone reveal all at the end on how he came to his conclusions but this one seemed a bit ridiculous. Maybe I need a break from these books . I've just read them all one after the other and this one left me not that bothered about reading the next one...just yet.

[Ellen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing says guilty like a stupid lie, and he kept on lying. Interesting dialog between Dehan and Stone of how they find the suspect in a cold case.
The detectives have a sense of humor , going over their notes at a bar and a beer, Enjoyable.

[sara ❥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆.25

Blake did it once again. I honestly become more and more interested in this series as I keep reading. They just get more and more interesting and the plot twists are insane.

He makes you think you kind of have it all figured it out and then he just drops a bomb out of nowhere (not figuratively) and it has me hooked once again. I also can never out his books down because they’re such quick reads and no wonder I finish the book no more than 2 days 😭

This story was insane. Simon being brutally beaten and stabbed in his own home. I found it so sus when his wife somehow does not know what happened and then her relationship with the pastor in the church behind her house. It’s insane how devoted people get for religion and it’s so sad to see how controlled they get. Truelove (the pastor) was obviously in love with Silvie and that was obvious. His mentally insane son Humberto was truly weird and their story on what happened to them back in Brazil was insane. Humberto losing his shit at age 10 by killing his bully friend and them having to run away from the family of the victim or they would die 👀

Then us finding out that Jacob was killed the same exact way as his dad but the crazy part too was that we didn’t even know about Jacob’s murder till a little further into the book. Turns out that what really happened was that Silvie was cheating on her husband Simon, Ahmed (the boy the church was helping) witness it and in his religion, unfaithfulness was forbidden, he came to the house the night of the murder and raped Silvie and then killed Simon when he got home. She then got pregnant with Ahmed’s baby, Jacob. He grows up and nearly converts to Muslim but Silvie and Truelove forbid that so they try to convert him back. Jacob ends up being like his father, Ahmed, and raped his half sister Mary. Silvie finds out and that’s when they kill him in self defence. It’s an insane story but it’s what happened and my mind was blown 🤯 then when Ahmed tries to take revenge and holds them hostage, the situation escalates and Silvie ends up killing him in front of Stone.

I am truly rooting for Dehan and Stone in this! I want them to get together so bad 😩 you can literally feel the chemistry between the two!

This story was really well written and I am truly curious to read the rest of the series!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twisty turny mystery

This is a mystery in the finest tradition of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. The crime has at once too many suspects and no suspects. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Stone work his way through this case where no one is telling the truth. He is also sidetracked by issues with his partner Dehan. Things have been building since the first book towards indications of a potential relationship between the two of them.

The mystery here is interesting. A man beaten and murdered in his home as he comes home from work. A wife who was home but has amnesia about the event. A reverend at the church both attend which is located just behind their house who is less than pious. Stone works his way through, once again leading Dehan along and as usual attempting to get her to analyze and think like he does.

There are great red herrings and the reader will no doubt think they’ve got it figured out at several different points. The conclusion is tense and exciting and no doubt only Stone could get away with some of what happens. Would have been interesting to see if there was any fallout from some of what occurred. I’d also like to know how everything ultimately worked out as there were a lot of balls in the air here.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be #5 in the Dead Cold Mystery series. I decided to read it anyway, to decide if I want to buy more books in the series. And yes, it was worth it. Stone and Dehan make a great pair. After reading the first book, I learned that they were both assigned to cold case files by their chief, who turned out to be a slightly dirty cop - she wanted to get them off any current cases. In this book they are investigating an 18-year-old case involving the death of a preacher, killed in front of his wife Silvie at their home, which was never solved. Another preacher, the charismatic Paul, now preaches at the church, but Silvie and her daughter still live in their house next to the church. A Muslim gardener, a hulking young man who talks in a crazy language based on Latin and Portuguese, and a Mexican housebreaker all turn out to be connected. Stone and Dehan have to find their way through a bizarre mix of sex and religion. An excellent read.

[Love · Rating 1 out of 5]

Particularly Distateful

I've more or less enjoyed the series so far. (Book 1 was a bore, book 2 okay, liked book 3, book 4 predicatable with some parts being iffy and other parts decent if you have a high tolerance for suspending your disbelief). This book started off well! And throughout the whole I enjoyed the slightly twisty and tensiony dynamic between Stone and Dehan. But about half way through, and in particular the last quarter, this book became grotesquely convoluted and included some subtle to not-so subtle layers of anti-religion, anti-semitism, sexism, and racism. If these things are going to be included they should not be included in a neutral way or from the perspective of the protagonist(s) we're supposed to be rooting for. And they should work to enhance and provide depth to the plot. However, the plot and resolution here were so absolutely trash-tastic that I think this whole installment should be removed.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Convoluted Storyline


This cold case police procedural has two good protagonists who are simpatico, but they have some interpersonal issues which make their synergy interesting. The story starts in a house adjoining a Methodist Church and involves a very pious family and their pastor. There was a lot of discussions about religion in this book—mostly Christian but also Islam.

I enjoyed this book at first, but as the story proceeds, the plots/sub-plots began to strangle the storyline. As the plot became more convoluted, the story very nearly turned into a farce. I nearly quit reading soon after the 70% mark, because many events, explanations, and characters’ actions beggared belief. However, I persevered and finished the book. 2 Stars due to the messy plot/subplot lines.

Please note that I am not averse to picking up this author’s books in the future, because he writes well.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Sins of the Father”, fifth in the 'Dead Cold' series, sees Detectives Stone and Dehan working on a very cold case.
Eighteen years ago Simon Martin came home from work and was stabbed to death in his home.
His wife, Silvie, was a witness but she has had total amnesia ever since.
Stone and Dehan are pretty much convinced that everyone is lying - the local priest, the gardener, a burglar who just happened to be hanging around, Silvie's daughter Mary, and the mentally challenged giant.
And then there's the second murder that nobody mentioned!
As always the relationship between Stone and Dehan, their constant back and forth repartee, is a joy.
However, the plotting just didn't work for me as it just piled on the tropes.
The author is a fast writer (two books a month or so) but this would have benefited if he had taken more time and pared it back a bit.
3 Stars.

[Carol L. Easley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read 5 books in this series in as many days because they are pure enjoyment. Reminiscent of the Richard Castle books which pair a cynical and irreverent detective with a female detective strong character, Blake Banner has great character development. John Stone says what I would like to and would not have the nerve. Like Michael Connolly 's Harry Bosch, he winds up handling cold cases with Carmen Dehan his partner who keeps him centered as well as hot and bothered. How does Blake Banner invent all of these convoluted plots? There are so many suspects and then the zinger who you're least expecting. On top of all that, his use of sarcasm to describe make reading his books great entertainment.

[Jennifer Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love this series but there is a lot of English lingo in his books but these people are from the Bronx? Also why does Stone keep his partner always in the dark? This day and age that's not very realistic. What is the point of a "team" when Stone is keeping everything close to his chest. He can keep his partner informed and not let his readers know what's going. There are a lot of spelling errors and some words have the same sound but different meanings and spelling. The meaning of the word isn't correct with what is being talked about. Like I said I do love this series but if the author is cranking these out whomever it is needs to slow down a bit and work a few things out.

[Diane Lomuscio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5, better than ever

Occasionally, you’ll stumble across a book that causes tou to search out more written by the author. Such a book is An ace and a Pair, book one in this series of books, the Dead Cold Mystery Series. In truth, I don’t like this kind of thing but Blake Banner has created a world I would like to live in. A world where I could be friends with John Stone & Carmen Dehan. I like these books so much that I have done the unlikely, I have purchased the entire series. Do yourself a favor buy at least the first book.

[Habit_of_book_reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book and I enjoyed thoroughly. I am reading crime novel after a brief period of time and what a book to start. When I started this book, I thought upon reading this case it was open and shut case. But as each chapter goes case got complicated like Chinese puzzle. Never ever expected the twist and was mind blown when finished reading the book
One thing I want to congratulate the author apart from the story, detective skills and the characters is the title. Wonderful Wordplay on the title. Special Kudos for that.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars once again

Let me say right away - NEEDS A PROFESSIONAL PROOFREADER!!!! That said, I love this series, this author, these stories. Twistie twists, brilliant hero, hot clueless couple. I love that the dialog is from Johns perspective. I love that every so often John has a clue that he's into Carmen. And I love that I have hope that John and Carmen will figure out they belong together as more than partners.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one did not hold my interest as much as several of the earlier books in the series. I like the two detectives who are partners and share a mutual attraction (as yet unrequited.) Their banter and sympathetic connection is interesting and enjoyable. The writing is good, but something about this plot failed to draw me into the book. I stayed until the end, but I was glad it was over. Because I liked previous books better, I will keep reading more by this author.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sins Of The Father. Blake Banner

A minister who has hidden, well kept secrets in his personal life. One's that his congregation would not approve of. A deeply religious husband. A good provider for his family, but not a good husband. Another deeply religious man who views everyone who does not believe in his views as infidels. Worthy of any punishment, even death for their disgressions. Another excellent murder mystery. My highest recommendation!

[Bklynsouth]

Found this book to be a bit preachy from two cops or is it the author POV. I have read all the books up this one and I am starting to see the pattern of the writing, good, but not good enough. Also, this book seemed to be rushed, all the action takes place in the Bronx, but the author refers to the church being located in East Brooklyn, big difference in the boroughs.

Not a bad read, but I would save it for when you finish your Sherlock Holmes collection.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 in the Dead Cold Mystery series.
Two cops, Detective Stone(male) and Detective Dehan(female), are partners working unsolved crimes in NY.
They are partnered together by the higher ups because Stone is older and Dehan has an attitude.
Neither is married. They are a good pair, working together to solve cases that have been unsolved for years.

I wil say that the first four books had me guessing who did it, but this one I had an idea.
The stories are not complex and make for easy reading.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8/5

This book was all kinds of crazy! Back stabbing, double crossing with familial cross marriages thrown in.

Always great repartee between Stone and Dehan, but it still bugs me that Stone holds all the cards. And, his growing love for her is more than apparent.

Also, when did Detectives get to drink on the job? This fact has bothered me since the beginning of this series. Olivia Benson never drinks on the job

[Rosemary Dreyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these detectives but this novel in the series was so far fetched and racist, that I’m being generous giving it 3 stars. What I liked: Jones and Dehan; the unraveling of the cold case. What I didn’t like: this author desperately needs an editor and someone to stop the blatant racism in his writing; the captain being almost a patsy; the recap of the plot because it was so convoluted and improbable; how Jones really did make his partner almost seem unnecessary.

[Gary Rounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally Great

One those books, in fact the whole series, was easy to just kick back and enjoy from the first word to the last. One of those series you may as well buy the whole series as you’re going to end up doing it anyway. Save your self the time and hassle of doing it later when you would rather be reading!! GMR

[Teresa Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six ways to Sunday and back.

As Stone and Dehan progress in both their work and personal relationship, they encounter a convoluted scheme of murder, assault and dishonesty that would shame even the Vatican. Although I guessed the end fairly early, it was a wild ride to that end with a few surprises and unexpected twists. I'm curious to see what they manage to uncover next.

[Marilyn Friga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read , keep my interest in the whole book

I choose the rating because I like the characters solving cold homicide cases. Makes unlicensed if more cases could be solved in the US, if the department's had cold case divisions. Love the British mystery and learn so much about another country's law enforcement too.

[Andy Andetson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cold case technician is certainly what Stone is!

I find it amazing that John Stone and his partner, Carmen Dehan, find bits of evidence from seemingly nothing with which to tackle their cold cases. Well Done! Oh, and how can they get in so deep at the end without instead firing a disabling shot at the perps.

[dano wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is great casual reading [my main reason, escape to another "field"]. It is typical of the detectives to run you around all over the place, suspecting everyone and everything until the facts and evidence zero them in on the true culprit--then BAM!! they close the case.
Keeps you in thrall as you read, a true murder mystery!!
continuing to read more of this series!!! highly recommend!!