Punish the Sinners

by John Saul

Book Overview

Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear. Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real and imagined in the flames of the burning stake. Neilsville, 1978. Peter Blasam has come to this sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High School -- something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the two... while a dark order...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440170842
• ISBN13: 9780440170846
• Release Date: June 1978
• Publisher: Dell
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Bizarre tale with lots of strange twists

John Saul is a master of horror story telling. His stories cause shivers up and down your spine, butterflies in the stomach, and the uncontrollable urge to keep reading. I am deliberately keeping these reviews vague so as to not spoil anything. Punish the Sinners is a bizarre story, set in the backdrop of a private Catholic high school called St. Francis Xavier High School. When Peter Balsam begins teaching a controversial psychology course, he notices that the children in this school have been very well indoctrinated in the attitude of the whole village (Neilsville, WA), which is very much a small town filled with very religious people. However, something isn't quite right at the high school and Peter is determined to find out what it is. There are strange rumors, whispers about a dark secret society. And then the children start dying ... This story is just creepy and I loved reading every word. Don't miss it if you are a fan of horror. Saul writes true horror, so don't expect any happy endings here. But DO expect to be thrilled and chilled. Don't miss this great story.

Punish The Sinners

Punish The Sinners is escapism at its best. Sauls weaves a sad tale of suspense and intrigue. Readers will find the opening funny and almost instantly chilling. Sinners exposes Saul's ability to craft a story that exposes the delicate almost fragile nature of children. This is the catylist for the evil that prevails. If horror has a first name, this book may just be the middle name. This is a must read. FYI..there is one part of the book that is sure to have you cringing or puking. Either way, you will be moved by this horroring tale.

One of John Saul's Best

Peter Balsam has come to Neilsville to teach a class in psychology at the local high school. Then one by one girls start killing themselves and the grieving parents blame Peter who discovers all too late the unholy truth behind the deaths. But the madness that has the town in its grip won't be stopped and evil walks the streets wearing the face of righteousness. This is a very scary book and I'm gonna read it again tomorrow.

Chilling and Surprising

This book grips you from the very start and never lets go. While its a fast pace horror novel regarding suicide, and religious fervor it also tackles other topics such as abuse of power, sexual hypocrisy and the church overall. I got a bit upset when the sexual element was introduced; thinking Saul was making a judgement call but as the story progressed it redeemed it self. It also has one of the best and realistic endings I ever seen in a novel of this type. I am glad Saul had the good sense to end it in the way he did. A great audio book from the first CD to the last. The reader did a good job though his female voices needed some fine tuning at times. Still a great listening experience. I'm off to buy another! This book contains 5 CDs and is read by a single reader.

Awesome !

All of John Sauls books are great. This is a good book to start with and will have you ..dying.. for more ! I'm always re-reading his books while waiting for a new one to come out. He is the best horror writer out there.