Having been involved in the cover reveal (here) for The Sinner by Caroline England I knew I’d love the book so I’m delighted to be part of the blog tour and to share my review today. My enormous thanks to Caroline for inviting me to participate and to Beth Wright at Little Brown for sending me a copy of The Sinner in return for an honest review. It’s a real privilege to help close the tour.

Caroline has been a very welcome visitor to Linda’s Book Bag in the past. I reviewed Betray Her here.  I also welcomed Caroline England to the blog when she wrote a guest post here all about secrets. Under her other writing persona of Caro Land, Caroline has stayed in with me to chat about Convictions and you can read about that this blog post.

Published by Little Brown imprint, Piatkus, on 16th June 2022, The Sinner is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Sinner

‘Powerful . . . psychological menace and dramatic plot twists’ Daily Mail

EVERY SAINT HAS A PAST

To the unsuspecting eye Dee Stephens has a perfect life as the vicar’s wife: a devoted marriage to her charismatic husband Reverend Vincent, an adoring congregation and a beautiful daughter.

EVERY SINNER HAS A FUTURE

But beneath the surface, Dee is suffocating. Vincent is in control, and he knows her every sin. Desperate, Dee escapes into a heady affair with Cal, an old schoolmate.

EVERY CONFESSION HAS A PRICE

But is Cal the saviour she thinks he is? What dark secrets does he harbour? And to what lengths will Vincent go to when he uncovers the truth?

My Review of The Sinner

Life is not perfect in the vicarage.

My goodness me, The Sinner is a corker of a read. It’s so cleverly plotted and crafted that Caroline England trips up her readers time and again, making The Sinner such a compelling, interesting and exciting read.

It’s hard to say too much about the plot for fear of spoiling the read for others, but  it is based on so many carefully layered psychological aspects from deception, to control and guilt that mean it is perfectly titled. By the end of the book my mind was reeling with trying to decide just who is the biggest sinner in the story.

Indeed, almost every character here could be said to be a sinner of some kind so that reading The Sinner makes the reader realise just how we all have the potential to commit a sin. Caroline England presents these aspects with such skill that by the end of the book I’d have been willing to climb into the pages and commit a few myself.

Britt and Vincent in particular created strong emotions in me. I loathed them both. Cordelia (Dee) garnered my greatest sympathy and I found echoes of Shakespeare in her family with her father perhaps (or not!) more sinned against than sinning, and three siblings with complicated personal lives. Here we have a vivid cast of people who can be their own worst enemies and yet are fascinating and mesmerising. As their lives were uncovered I found myself embroiled in their stories and increasingly hooked into the narrative. I really did find this story completely compelling.

With interesting characters and a twisty and entertaining plot, The Sinner is a really good read, but add in the themes of marriage, family, control, guilt, adultery, relationships and all the psychological aspects they weave into the narrative and The Sinner becomes quite fabulous. I think Caroline England is honing her craft and becoming an author to watch. The Sinner is, in fact, a real winner!

About Caroline England

Caroline England was born and brought up in Yorkshire and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before leaving the law to bring up her three daughters and turning her hand to writing. Caroline is the author of The Wife’s Secret, previously called Beneath the Skin, and the top-ten ebook bestseller My Husband’s Lies. Betray Her was her third novel. She lives in Manchester with her family.

To find out more you can follow Caroline on Twitter @CazEngland and find her on Instagram and  Facebook or visit her website.

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