Devious
Written by Lisa Jackson
Narrated by Joyce Bean
4/5
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About this audiobook
The crime scene at St. Marguerite’s cathedral in New Orleans is shocking, even to seasoned detectives like Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya. A novice nun named Sister Camille has been found dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted, her body covered with an altar cloth.
Valerie Houston is devastated by her sister’s death. For weeks, she’d begged Camille to leave St. Marguerite’s, where she seemed determined to live as some kind of martyr. But Camille had a knack for making bad choices—she joined the convent in part because she’d fallen for Val’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade.
Convinced the police aren’t doing enough, Val begins to investigate. Slade, on a mission to repair their marriage, is determined to help her. But the deeper Val’s inquiries go, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite’s is far from the tranquil retreat many believe, and everyone, from handsome Father Frank O’Toole to the mysterious Mother Superior, has their own agenda. Despite their closeness, even Camille had a hidden life Val never suspected. But someone knew about Camille’s past—and Val’s, too. Now she has no choice but to catch a devious, depraved killer intent on purging St. Marguerite’s of all its sins—before she becomes the next victim.…
Lisa Jackson
When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion, and high emotion, bestselling Oregon author, Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes. Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Lisa rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinnydipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud. "Nobody could have had a better childhood," Lisa remarks, her twinkling eyes and got-away-with-something-grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact that she is in her mid-40s and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mum and dad were and still are my greatest supporters." Why then does Lisa write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'? "I think the deepest angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Lisa replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like those help me to keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book." Lisa studied English Literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and landed a nine-dollar-per-hour bank job. Before she could begin work, however, her supervisor was arrested for embezzling. "About then I sold my first book, A Twist of Fate, which — guess what! — was about a woman suspected of bank embezzling. It was purely coincidental. The story came out of my background in banking," Lisa provided. "But I guess you could say, if not for a bank embezzler, I might not have made it as an author." In addition to suspenseful contemporary page-turners, Lisa also delivers medieval romances set in eleventh and twelfth century Wales. "I enjoy doing these medieval period pieces, because women were so trod upon then. By nature of their lot in life, I can generate empathy or sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get-go. Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!" Britannia Roads, a creative Lansing, Michigan tour packager, read the first in Lisa's medieval trilogy and loved her writing so much that she designed a tour of Wales, with Lisa as the featured guest. Tour members will visit some of Princess Diana's favourite places to stay in Ruthin Castle. They'll be in for a treat when Lisa regales them with author stories during the tour, for she is as talented at public speaking as she is at writing novels. When not writing, Lisa enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching The X-Files and socialising now that she's a single mum. Her favourite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis, and other authors who also write compelling page-turners.
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Reviews for Devious
128 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Packed with my unexpected twists. So shocked as the story came near the end. Great writer! Enjoyed this book!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Leave it to author LISA JACKSON to come up with another great thriller! In DEVIOUS, we have a serial killer who is going after nuns. The deaths are quick and the crime scene gruesome but Detectives Montoya and Bentz are on the scene and what makes this one more difficult is that the victims are known,even once friends. the two detectives must stop this person before they kill and kill again! I have been a fan of Lisa Jackson and her books. The thriller DEVIOUS shows that she is not slowing down when it comes to a heck of a good read. Think you got the killer named? Guess again! And to me that is what a makes a good thriller.I recieved this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devious is the 7th book in Lisa Jackson's New Orleans Series. It is the first I read and I had no problem following the story. It features Detective Reuben Montoya and his partner, Rick Bentz. It is quite dark and scary with a serial killer on the loose.
The story starts with a bang. There is a terrible murder in a chapel at St. Marguerite's Convent. It is Sister Camille, a novice nun with a rather troublesome past. When Montoya and Bentz arrive at the crime scene, Montoya realized he knew the victim, in fact, they dated in high school. Not only that, but the nun who discovered the body, dated his brother and the suspect in the murder, Father Frank O'Toole was a friend of his growing up. Valerie Renard, Camille’s sister is dealing with her own problems while dealing with her estranged husband who has shown up from Texas and wants to reconcile. Of course, he shows up on the night of the murder and it was an issue between Camille and him that caused the estrangement in the first place. As more nuns become victims in rather gruesome ways, Valerie realized that these deaths may be linked to the orphanage, St Elsinore, where she and Camille lived before getting adopted. Is Mother Superior keeping secrets. What happened at St Elsinore's.
The descriptions in this book are so detailed, I could picture the setting and the crime scenes. The plot had me hooked and I quickly read through this story trying to figure out what would happen next. Was Valerie going to become a victim? The suspense and tension will keep you glued and interested until the last page. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoy Lisa Jackson's writing. It makes you turn the page to see what happens next.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was pretty good.. I'm a fan of all of her books for the most part.. Although why she likes to make her make characters all seem to have "blade thin lips" I just don't get it.. I'm also not a fan of a whole lot of tongue rubbing the roof of my mouth.. But I do at least find the sex scenes amusing..
I was surprised to find out who the killer was.. As I so often am in Lisa Jackson's books... Left a cliffhanger too of course! And I was pleased to see there will be more of Bentz and Montoya in the future if we are to believe the authors note in the back..
I find I really enjoy the images I get in my head when she describes the setting.. The little touches she adds in - while some may find these tedious and tend to go on too long.. While I get what they mean - I always like the fact that I get the whole picture!
I also found that for some reason reading about the nuns - reminded me of a mini-series I had seen in the early 90's.. Called Brides of Christ. It was an Australian series and a young Naomi Watts played one of the girls who attended the school taught by the nuns. Also the then unknown Russell Crowe makes an appearance in one episode!! So I happily revisited the series again and thoroughly enjoyed it!!
And as always with this series I love the New Orleans setting.. I find myself wanting to find more books about... MURDER SEX RELIGION and NEW ORLEANS!!! (Or someplace else in the South) although typing that into Google really doesn't bring up what I was hoping for.. So if anyone reads this and does know of any books that have similar subject matter?? Let me know!!! And FYI.. I'm currently reading all of Lisa Jackson's books in order by series.. I have them all!! Thank my mom for the years worth of hand me downs!! So if you were going to suggest more of her books.. I'm already on it!!
Thanks for reading!! Take care all!! - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It was a good enough tale - would be a great beach read if there was a beach near me - but there were a few situations where I just found it hard to believe that Val would react in that way. Not a bad book at all, but (in my humble opinion) it just didn't blow me away. Not that they all should, of course. But a little breeze would be nice.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5“Devious” is a page-turning murder mystery that follows two detectives as they investigate the murders of nuns from the St Marguerite Convent in New Orleans. Besides the detectives, a former cop, Valerie is also looking into the murders since one of the nuns was her sister.
Lisa Jackson’s finely detailed writing places readers into the thick of New Orleans and the hunt for a murderer. She teases you with small narrations from the murderer and the curious clues left behind from the victims. For each answer or clarification you think you get there is more hiding in the shadows. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a great book. Kept me on my toes. You think it is this person , then nope .Then you think it is that person . Nope. Lets just say the ending was quite a surprise.... Enjoyed the book .
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lisa Jackson is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, plain and simple. Devious is only the second novel of hers that I have read, and while I did not enjoy it as much as Without Mercy, I love her writing style and her ability to maintain suspense over 400 pages. Some may feel that the novel is longer than necessary and although there is some agreement from me there, the rich back story allows you to get to know the characters and develop an understanding and appreciation for the issues they deal with.
The novel opens, as so many do, with a gruesome murder scene. A young nun in New Orleans, Camille, has high hopes for the festivities of the evening, but her night goes horribly wrong when she is brutally killed in a church. On the other side of town, her older sister Valerie is battling her own demons, but can’t shake an eerie feeling that all is not well with her sister. Estranged after Camille and Valerie’s soon-to-be-ex husband Slade had a ‘moment’ together, the two women had recently attempted to reconcile their differences. Both adopted from orphanage St. Elsinore’s after their biological parents were killed, Val had softened towards her sister once Camille told her she was pregnant and ready to leave the convent. However, the promise of a brighter future is shattered when two detectives (Jackson’s long-standing duo Bentz and Montoya) arrive with the horrible news that Camille has been murdered.
Camille was a nun at the rigid and orthodox St. Marguerite’s, a parish with some dark secrets. The prime suspect is Father Frank O’Toole, a handsome young priest who seems to find the celibacy gig a bit tough. He seems to be the man with everything to lose, but as Bentz and Montoya dig into the history of St. Marguerite’s, they start to think something far more sinister is at work behind the walls of the parish. When another nun is found dead, the pressure is on the detectives to make some progress to catch the sadistic killer. Another victim turns up, with a creepily similar MO from a serial killer who is presumed dead (from Jackson’s previous novel Hot Blooded), and the detectives must re-assess everything they thought they knew about the case and the terrifying killer known as Father John.
Full of mystery, secrets, and revelations, Devious takes a little perseverance to get in to, but once you’re there, it gets you good. Jackson is a master at leaving you hanging right till the very last page, and while this book didn’t wrap up as neatly as others have (there are quite a few loose ends), I will eagerly await her next Bentz and Montoya novel as I firmly believe a writer of her calibre wouldn’t leave ends loose unless they were to be tidied up in the future. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fun to listen to! Someone is strangling novice nuns in Jackson's terrifying if overwrought seventh Bentz and Montoya novel (after Malice). When NOPD homicide detectives Reuben Montoya and Rick Bentz arrive at the first crime scene, the chapel of St. Marguerite's Convent, Montoya recognizes the murder victim, Sister Camille, as his old high school girlfriend, Cammie Renard. In another coincidence, the novice sister who discovered Camille's body, Lucia Costa, once dated Montoya's brother. On top of that, one of the prime suspects is a high school classmate of Montoya's, Fr. Francis O'Toole, who may have had an affair with the victim. As Cammie's sister, Valerie, a former Texas cop now a New Orleans Garden District B&B owner, struggles with a surprise visit from her estranged husband, more nuns succumb to a crazed killer. Val learns more than she bargained for about her past—and Cammie's—at a nearby orphanage in a creepy thriller sure to please Jackson's many fans. (Apr.)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let me tell you this was a really good, if not great, example of romantic suspense. The action takes place in New Orleans with some familiar detectives at the helm, Montoya and Bentz. As with previous stories involving these members of New Orleans finest, there is some personal interest.Montoya dated the first murder victim, Camille Renard, back in high school. If that's not personal enough, his younger brother Cruz dated the lady that found that body. What makes this all the more interesting is that both ladies are now nuns. Camille's sister, Valerie, is shocked over the murder especially since she knew that Camille was planning on leaving the church due to a pregnancy. What is even more surprising, is that Sister Camille was evidently having a relationship with one of the priests? Is it possible that Father Frank is the murderer? Both the Catholic Church and New Orleans have been hit hard in recent years, but can the Church survive a murder spree of nuns and novitiates that all appear to have had relations with one of its priests? There's a lot more going on that meets the eye with this story. The heat gets turned up a notch when Cruz Montoya returns to New Orleans and tries to restart a relationship with Sister Lucia. The heat gets even hotter when Valerie's estranged husband, Slade Houston, shows up on the very night that Camille is murdered. Slade's presence forces Valerie to re-evaluate her belief in her sister's word, namely that Slade attempted to seduce her rather than vice versa. (Hard to believe that someone so focused on sex that she’s willing to attempt seducing her brother-in-law wanted to be a nun? Oh yeah, that probably explains her pregnancy and affair with the priest!) Thankfully there's a diary that reveals almost as much as it hides.The twists and turns in this story are just as devious as the actions of the murderer. Just when you think you know who the culprit is or where the story is going there's another unexpected twist to shake things up and keep you guessing. It is for these reasons that I enjoyed reading Devious. If you're into romantic suspense or just suspense then this is probably a good book for you.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
The proprietors at Roma’s Preread Books, in Rockwall, TX were kind enough to give me an advance uncorrected proof to Devious in April. From the moment I picked up the book, I could not put it down.
I have read many books by Lisa Jackson, but Devious: A Bentz and Montoya Novel is by far the best. The plot twists and turns, the characters have many facets, and the book does not rely on sex to fill in the gaps.
Valerie Radnar, a one-time police detective, is now a woman torn by the actions of her sister and her husband. She returned to New Orleans in an attempt to put her life back together, only to be devastated once again when her sister, now a Catholic novice, turns up murdered. Her husband Slade returns the same night, and Valerie must deal with the confusion of having a husband she still loves, while trying to sort out the enigma of her sister, and the actions of a serial murderer at St. Marguerite. The plot thickens when detectives discover that many of the participants attended the same high school, and many spent time at St. Elsinore before their adoption. Add in crime scene elements related to a serial killer Detective Bentz hunted at some point in the past and a nun with ESP, and the story leaves the reader trying to find all the clues to piece the story together.
A great read, diverting and positive. Thoroughly enjoyable, thank you Roma’s Preread Books.