Sin Killer

by Larry McMurtry

Book Overview

The first novel in McMurtry's New York Times bestselling four-volume work is now in paperback. The aristocratic English Berrybender family is on its way up the Missouri River in 1830 to see the untamed West. Along with Indians and pioneers, they meet a part-time preacher called the Sin Killer.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743451414
• ISBN13: 9780743451413
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Pocket Star Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.6" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

The Berrybender books are very, very good.

_____________________________________ This a quick minireview of the whole Berrybender series, now complete with the fourth volume -- it's really one long novel, and an omnibus edition can't be far behind. A *very* odd bunch of English aristos visit the American west in the 1830's and have adventures. A few of them even survive . This is McMurtry in antic farce mode, but with a base level of cruelty & violence that may squick some. And don't get too attached to your favorite characters! McMurtry is as good a novelist as any now writing, and knows the history of the American west very well, indeed. And doesn't let real history get in the way of a good story . The past is a foreign country, and McMurtry's treatment of 1830's American history is strange enough to be sfnal.... Anyway, I had a great time reading the Berrybenders. Second only to _Lonesome Dove/Streets of Laredo_ among his historicals, I think, though not much like those. But very, very good. Happy reading-- Pete Tillman Google "Peter D. Tillman" +review for lots more reviews

McMurtry has done it again!!

This is going to be a great series.As with all of Larry's novels, I contend they are completely different from one another.The first one I read was Cadallic Jack and it got me hooked.At this point I have read most of his books.Surprisingly,the one I haven't read is Lonesome Dove;but I have the video and have watched it several times.Like I said, I find every book different,'Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen',Terms of Endearment','The Last Picture Show'are totally different from one another. So it is with 'Sin Killer'.Here Larry introduces us to a world of wealthy, wacky, europeans trying to make their way westward in the mid 1830's.It is hilarious and pitiful at the same time as this band of misfits go from one unbelievable event to the next.There are an awful lot of characters involved,but the two page summary of characters at the front of the book helps make it all manageable.I even put a tab there for quick access.A photo or drawing for these characters would have been a great and different addition to the book.'A picture being worth a thousand words'idea would apply here. There are quite a lot of Customer Reviews, and readers seem to love or hate this book, with few falling in the middle. I doubt if any of McMurtry's other books have left readers so divided. I happen to think this set of Berrybender Narratives will rank alongside 'Lonesome Dove' and there will be a lot of discussion as to which is best.However;these discussions will never be resolved,because two things so different just simply can't be compared. I just can't wait to read the next books in the tetralogy.

A wild comedic ride up the Missouri River in 1832

Larry McMurtry is one of the best known western writers today. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his "Lonesome Dove" trilogy and is also known for "Terms of Endearment" and "The Last Picture Show". Now, he's taken on a big task - a four-novel series he calls "The Berrybender Narratives". This book, "Sin Killer" is Book 1 and was just published in May of 2002.A mere 300 pages long, it's a wild comedic ride with the Berrybender family in 1832. They've come over from England and are on a boat making its way up the Missouri River. There's Lord Berrybender, his wife, his mistress, six of his 14 legitimate children, servants, guides, tutors, artists and a couple of Indian chiefs traveling home after being feted in Washington. The family is rich and spoiled and totally clueless. They meet a variety of tragedies but the writer presents it all as a farce, and I couldn't help laughing out loud at times.Central to the plot is the oldest daughter, Tasmin. She falls in love with an American God-fearing frontiersman named Jim Snow, nicknamed "Sin Killer" by the Indians. Their romance is hilarious as are the other events in the book, as the many characters meet with accidents, violent death and love affairs. Several of the women are held captive by the Indians, some of the men are caught in a snowstorm while out shooting buffalo, and the wild and wooly frontier itself plays a role in the story. There are lots and lots of characters who romp across the pages, each with a distinctive personality, profession and passion. I loved them all.This is a fun book, not to be taken seriously. It's just pure entertainment all the way and the action never stops. I loved it. And, since all the threads of the complex plot were certainly not tied together on the last page, I am eagerly awaiting Book 2. I sure hope it's released soon because I can't wait to continue this very enjoyable saga. Recommended.

Delightful Reading

Reading through the reviews for Sin Killer, I see there is a decided split of opinion about this one. I really enjoyed the novel, but I can see how many would absolutely hate it. I think if you are looking for a Western in the Lonesome Dove vein, keep looking and don't pick this one up. I think the publishers do this novel a disservice by packaging it in the manner of Lonesome Dove. If you enjoy a good toungue-in-cheek romp, one that will take you a little below the surface if you want to, then give Sin Killer a try. Larry McMurtry is certainly a talented writer. I have read many of his novels, and on the storytelling level, none ever fail to disappoint and in that connection Sin Killer makes enjoyable reading. The story of the Berrybender family--an eccentric collection of British nutcases in the early 18th century who decide to explore the American west on a steamboat so the borderline insane patriarch can go hunting--is, of course, absurd. The story, however, allows McMurtry to explore the differences between American and British culture at the time, enabling him to smash through the assumptions that the Americans were wild and uncivilized. Most characters in the novel (except for perhaps the Sin Killer himself) are full of folly and hubris, and McMurtry exploits them to our benefit. The characters in the novel form a microcosm of their respective societies--everyone being an exaggeration. The story is fun and makes for fun reading (so long as you can forget you ever read Lonesome Dove). If you can handle this one not being anything like Lonesome Dove (other than it being written by McMurtry and taking place in the American West), if you are looking for an enjoyable, humorous read, pick this one up. It's a lot of fun.