The Fourth Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders

A formula book with some redeeming features.

First things first. Lawrence Sanders wrote formulaic murder mysteries. The Fourth Deadly Sin one was also formulaic, but better than most of his stuff.

 A New York psychologist gets murdered with a ball peen hammer in his own office and a dark and stormy night. A retired detective is pressed back into duty to lead an interesting team of detectives that is sorting through some of his patients, friends, employees and wife to try to figure out who did this dastardly crime.
Lawrence
Sanders
(1920-1998)
The old cop, Delaney, has one interesting vice. Rather than drinking when depressed over the progress their making, he eats cold sandwiches made of leftovers over the kitchen sink, which irritates his wife to no end.

 An interesting theme is developed - Delaney asserts that truly beautiful women (in this case the wife - literally everyone comments about her striking looks ) often are (self-)limited in other capacities because they can get by with just their looks. For example, they don't have to develop specialized skills or learn to how to get along with difficult people or situations because everyone caters to them.

 Anyway, I'll give this book 3 stars out of 5.  The detectives and their different styles were interesting, but I had pretty much figured out who did it about half way through.

This book can be found on Amazon here:The Fourth Deadly Sin (The Edward X. Delaney Series Book 4)   

 Reviewed on February 12, 2005.

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