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Secret Sins
Twenty-seven years ago. A cold, snowy night in Cleveland...
And a traffic pileup that left eight cars wrecked, at least four people dead. But in the midst of this ugliness and pain, a small miracle. A little girl was alive. Her parents weren't so lucky.
Gene Zajak, a cop who'd seen more than his share of dead bodies, took the toddler home. Jessica Marie Pazmany became Jessica Marie Zajak.
Now--twenty-seven years later--Jessica's fascinating, if less than faithful, ex-husband has come to see her, armed with some terrifying evidence. Jessica Marie Pazmany is dead. And she'd died seven months before the car crash.
There are answers, and they're out there. He's determined to find them. She may not live to find them..
And a traffic pileup that left eight cars wrecked, at least four people dead. But in the midst of this ugliness and pain, a small miracle. A little girl was alive. Her parents weren't so lucky.
Gene Zajak, a cop who'd seen more than his share of dead bodies, took the toddler home. Jessica Marie Pazmany became Jessica Marie Zajak.
Now--twenty-seven years later--Jessica's fascinating, if less than faithful, ex-husband has come to see her, armed with some terrifying evidence. Jessica Marie Pazmany is dead. And she'd died seven months before the car crash.
There are answers, and they're out there. He's determined to find them. She may not live to find them..
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1996
About the author
Jasmine Cresswell
115 books57 followersBorn in England, Jasmine Cresswell now divides her time between her winter home in Sarasota, Florida and her summer home in Evergreen, Colorado. Jasmine has been writing since 1975 and has published over 50 novels, with 9 million copies of her books in print.
Jasmine served for two years as the editor of the Romance Writer's Report. She also served as president of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is a founder and former president of Novelists, Inc. She received the Colorado Authors' League Award for Best Paperback Novel of the Year and the Romance Writers of America Golden Rose Award. Her books also have received numerous Romantic Times certificates of excellence.
Experienced as a public speaker, Jasmine has conducted college seminars and addressed many writers' conferences. Interviews and profiles have appeared in newspapers throughout the country, and Jasmine considers herself a veteran of talk shows and news broadcasts.
Married to Malcolm Candlish, whom she met while she was working for the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Jasmine and her husband have lived all over the world. She has a Bachelor's Degree with a double major in history and philosophy from Melbourne University, a second degree in history from Macquarie University, as well as a Masters Degree in history and archival administration from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
Jasmine served for two years as the editor of the Romance Writer's Report. She also served as president of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is a founder and former president of Novelists, Inc. She received the Colorado Authors' League Award for Best Paperback Novel of the Year and the Romance Writers of America Golden Rose Award. Her books also have received numerous Romantic Times certificates of excellence.
Experienced as a public speaker, Jasmine has conducted college seminars and addressed many writers' conferences. Interviews and profiles have appeared in newspapers throughout the country, and Jasmine considers herself a veteran of talk shows and news broadcasts.
Married to Malcolm Candlish, whom she met while she was working for the British Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Jasmine and her husband have lived all over the world. She has a Bachelor's Degree with a double major in history and philosophy from Melbourne University, a second degree in history from Macquarie University, as well as a Masters Degree in history and archival administration from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 28, 2009
I posted this review on Amazon first.
I strongly suggest you not read this book if infidelities in a "romance-mystery" novels bother you ( I wasn't aware of this until I got the book). If you're unable to fully appreciate a great story for this reason, as I am, then I suggest you pass on this.
However, because this author is truly talented, I feel she deserves 4 stars regardless of the irritating plot device, and this coming from someone who read this book being mostly annoyed.
This is a love story about a divorced couple, who come together after 3 years apart to find the heroines true identity. This is the mystery part of the story, the best part of the book.... who really is Jessica, and who were her real parents and how/why did she end up in the car that killed the couple who were in the car with her....
And the love story: They were married for 2 years, and within those 2 years, the heroine supported them while the hero dreamed of being an actor, lost auditions, spent the rent money SHE made so he could buy a plane tickets behind her back so he could fly to LA to audition...In a word, he was a failure, incompetent jerk, who was unfaithful, which all led to the heroine divorcing him. Heroine was Ms Perfect, emotions always hidden... this made the hero feel more of a failure...
The bad:
Once a cheater always a cheater, and cheaters who justify their behaviors and tries to spread their mistakes and bad judgments are the worst kinds. A woman who takes back a cheater, is setting herself up for more pain. I know in the real world things aren't this black and white but do I want to sit around reading about this in a romance novel? No. And if the author tries to use this device in a romance novel, I wish they would at least make the hero's grovel some. In this book, the reasoning was mind boggling...the heroine forgiving him, just like that....then jumping into the sack...just like that...then HEA...just like that was too pact...
All in all, the book was good, the mystery was complex, and beautifully written. I just wish the book had a different heroine/hero. Heroine with a backbone, a hero who truly was one...I think I would've given this book 5 stars.
I strongly suggest you not read this book if infidelities in a "romance-mystery" novels bother you ( I wasn't aware of this until I got the book). If you're unable to fully appreciate a great story for this reason, as I am, then I suggest you pass on this.
However, because this author is truly talented, I feel she deserves 4 stars regardless of the irritating plot device, and this coming from someone who read this book being mostly annoyed.
This is a love story about a divorced couple, who come together after 3 years apart to find the heroines true identity. This is the mystery part of the story, the best part of the book.... who really is Jessica, and who were her real parents and how/why did she end up in the car that killed the couple who were in the car with her....
And the love story: They were married for 2 years, and within those 2 years, the heroine supported them while the hero dreamed of being an actor, lost auditions, spent the rent money SHE made so he could buy a plane tickets behind her back so he could fly to LA to audition...In a word, he was a failure, incompetent jerk, who was unfaithful, which all led to the heroine divorcing him. Heroine was Ms Perfect, emotions always hidden... this made the hero feel more of a failure...
The bad:
Once a cheater always a cheater, and cheaters who justify their behaviors and tries to spread their mistakes and bad judgments are the worst kinds. A woman who takes back a cheater, is setting herself up for more pain. I know in the real world things aren't this black and white but do I want to sit around reading about this in a romance novel? No. And if the author tries to use this device in a romance novel, I wish they would at least make the hero's grovel some. In this book, the reasoning was mind boggling...the heroine forgiving him, just like that....then jumping into the sack...just like that...then HEA...just like that was too pact...
All in all, the book was good, the mystery was complex, and beautifully written. I just wish the book had a different heroine/hero. Heroine with a backbone, a hero who truly was one...I think I would've given this book 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2023
This was a very pleasant surprise. I expected to hate it. Hubby chose it from the bookshelves that have been hidden for years and it wasn’t one of my favourite genres. Romance usually makes me want to barf. But this was mostly a thriller with a wee bit of romance thrown in. The gratuitous sex scene was a mere few pages long and was limited to only one scene of the usual barfiness. It was an intriguing tale of a girl who finds out she’s not who she thought she was, intertwined with a lady faking madness missing her daughter and fearing her husband. I thoroughly enjoyed this and only hated the romance aspect slightly.
April 26, 2014
intriguing mystery read nicely crafted. loved the character of Constance so frail yet so brave!
July 14, 2011
Jessica já adulta descobre que seu verdadeiro nome é Liliana. Algumas memórias de um acidente de carro quando ela tinha 4 anos lhe vem subitamente à cabeça. Ela resolve investigar seu próprio passado para descobrir o que tinha vivido antes do acidente e quem é sua verdadeira mãe biológica.
Constance resolve confiar no Doutor Edgar e lhe contar toda a verdade sobre sua vida para tentar provar que não é louca de verdade.
O juiz Victor está prestes a ser eleito para a corte suprema de Nova Iorque.
Essas três histórias se encontram rapidamente e logo se descobre a relação entre esses três personagens. A história é muito interessante, apesar de bastante angustiante em alguns pontos. É uma leitura que prende muito a atenção. É impressionante a que ponto uma pessoa pode chegar na busca por dinheiro e prestígio.
Constance resolve confiar no Doutor Edgar e lhe contar toda a verdade sobre sua vida para tentar provar que não é louca de verdade.
O juiz Victor está prestes a ser eleito para a corte suprema de Nova Iorque.
Essas três histórias se encontram rapidamente e logo se descobre a relação entre esses três personagens. A história é muito interessante, apesar de bastante angustiante em alguns pontos. É uma leitura que prende muito a atenção. É impressionante a que ponto uma pessoa pode chegar na busca por dinheiro e prestígio.
August 26, 2012
I had not read a Cresswell book in a while so I was pleased to find this one in my tbr pile. It was a good, fast read. I liked the character of Jessica and her reunion with Dan. The secondary characters were compelling and gave depth to the story. Ms. Cresswell combines the right amount of romance, suspense and danger and the reader is the winner. I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more of her books.
August 8, 2018
Intriguing book at the beginning. Who was Jessica Marie? However, half-way through the book, the author told all. I would have preferred not to know everything until closer to the end which would have made the entire book more intriguing.
Jessica's mother, Constance, feigned mental illness in an institution for 16 years but came through at the end of the book as a strong character--somewhat unbelievable.
Jessica's father, Victor, a prominent judge, was always portrayed as the total slime he was. A little more mystery there would have also been more intriguing. His were the (Not-so-)Secret Sins, which made the title of the book a farce.
Jessica's mother, Constance, feigned mental illness in an institution for 16 years but came through at the end of the book as a strong character--somewhat unbelievable.
Jessica's father, Victor, a prominent judge, was always portrayed as the total slime he was. A little more mystery there would have also been more intriguing. His were the (Not-so-)Secret Sins, which made the title of the book a farce.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2025
"Secret Sins" This is an older book, published in 1997 By Jasmine Cresswell. I enjoy reading older published books simply because most books today are uninteresting. I came across this book quite by accident. I must say, it was one of those books you just can't put down for very long. And when I got about 3/4's of the way I just couldn't stop reading. I had to find out how the story ended. It was definitely an exciting book. I was disappointed at the ending though. I would have enjoyed seeing Victor suffer through humiliation, devastation, and have all his sins plastered all over.
May 23, 2026
Wat leest dit boek lekker weg! Goed geschreven.
February 24, 2008
I absolutely hated this book. It was a total bore until the very end. It didn't get good until page 280 or something. Although the storyline was good. Definitely wouldn't recommend this book to anybody.
January 23, 2008
romance thriller, pure entertainment
January 26, 2009
Good enough plot to keep you turning the pages waiting to see what would happen next. Major problem for me is all of the typos toward the end of the book. It became very distracting.
July 6, 2009
Story of a young woman whose parents were killed in a car wreck when she was small and then adopted by a family. As an adult, she began to discover that things were not always as she had supposed.
October 21, 2009
Absolutely loved the ending!!!
July 18, 2013
Een lekker boek voor een zwoele zomer zondagmiddag. Spannend, maar voorspelbaar.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews