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SINNERS AND SAINTS
by Eileen Dreyer
St Martin's Press, September 2005
384 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0312330685


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Ten years earlier, when she was 16, with her father in jail, Chastity O'Connor's mother and eldest sister Faith left St. Louis, leaving Chastity behind. She has overcome most of the trauma by going to a therapist, becoming a forensic nurse, and generally learning to be independent and working hard. Her mother and sister had blamed Chastity for testifying against her father and also for not taking care of the middle sister, fragile Hope, who has recently committed suicide.

Then, one day, Chastity gets a phone call from a man in New Orleans who claims to be her brother-in-law. He tells her that he has been married to Faith for six years, but now she is missing and he wants Chastity to come down and help him find her.

After debating with herself for a while, Chastity agrees to come to New Orleans. This is a great step for her, as she has never been out of St Louis. She has been in touch with a fellow trauma nurse, Kareena Boudreaux, who has given her some tips and a place to sleep.

When she lands, she walks down the taxi line until she finds a cab driver with a burned face and hand. James Guidry is Kareena's cousin and someone Chastity had been told to look for. She had lost her license for speeding in St Louis so she needs a car and driver for her New Orleans stay.

Chastity searches for her sister, learning things about herself along the way and finally, slowly, beginning to overcome the problems that had been created by the abuse she suffered as a child. Each horrific episode builds on earlier incidents, all coming together to explain why Chastity and Faith, both damaged in their own way, act as they finally do. The ending is an unforgettable ride through a hurricane, much like Katrina.

Eileen Dreyer was a trauma nurse for many years. Her major characters always have been practitioners of the same profession. In Chastity O'Connor, she has created the ultimate trauma nurse, one who keeps forging on ahead despite her own problems. She reminds me of the nurse who took care of me in the recovery room, as I was awakening from having undergone nine hours of surgery. She was gently combing my hair because she didn't want me to wake up and see blood in my hair. The best nurses do things like that.

Chastity and Kareena are both like that. And James, the injured firefighter, is another nurturing soul. Dreyer has only written ten books in the last 14 years, mostly standalones. They are worth waiting for.

Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, August 2005

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