About All Sins Remembered
Synopsis
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Format: Hard Cover |
In All Sins Remembered, Phil Ryan brilliantly traces the immigrant history of San Francisco to bring a deeper understanding of the two prominent families that suddenly find themselves under criminal investigation. Going back in time to the events that shaped the city from its founding – including the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906, the formation of the Bank of America, and the birth of the San Francisco Opera Company – Ryan provides a fascinating historical backdrop to explain why the murder of Paula Brady Panforte might have been a tragically inevitable event.
The narrator of All Sins Remembered is Pat Kelley, the Chief Clerk of the Superior Court. Armed with the oral history of the Italian migration to San Francisco, which is detailed passionately within the story, it is Kelley who finally intuits the generational enmity that holds the key to Paula Panforte’s murder. This gripping multi-generational tale will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the final climactic Hitchcock-like ending.
"You know when a novel is really good, when you walk about in your daily activities, thinking and living within the novel, and somewhat oblivious to the tasks at hand. Mesmerizing, I think you could call it. The prologue slowly draws you in, the characters introduced and shaped, until they take on a life of their own. Pat Kelly, the Panforte family, and inspectors O'Day and Murphy are all crafted so well, I could paint their portraits. I am going to savor this novel slowly, like a fine old Gran Cru Bordeaux. No rush, just pleasure in reading how it all unfolds."
"All Sins Remembered is a remarkable book that wraps the history of San Francisco; from just before the earthquake to the present, into a modern murder mystery.
As the thriller unfolds, the author tells the story of the Italian and Irish immigrants who build and rebuilt the City. Just to hear that story told is worth the price of admission.
But the story itself cannot be discounted. The characters are believable, the mystery riveting, and there is a nice twist at the end. Finally, the prose is very special. I imagine that you'll find yourself rereading paragraphs to savor the words."
"Phil Ryan's All Sins Remembered is a marvelous page-turner of a novel! A compelling mystery and courtroom drama lie at the heart of the book, but it is more than a deftly-told tale. It is also a fascinating and faithful history of San Francisco and the memorable people, some fictional, others real, but all believable, who rebuilt a great city on the ruins of the devastating 1906 earthquake. Ryan is a first-time author, but writes fluently, with the poetic grace of a far-more seasoned novelist. All Sins Remembered is the first in a trilogy. Given the fertile inventiveness Ryan reveals here I can hardly wait for the next in the series."
"This is a fine scholarly effort, that vividly, with carefull precision, stages the background for a seminal period of the San Francisco Bay Area, and masterfully entwines the passions of a love story with a notorius murder mystery. It is a truly engrossing historical novel, not only for those who have fallen in love with San Francisco and are fascinated with the rich and eclectic pastiche, that is today's legacy of the area, it will also absorb the interest of those who love good literature. Cudos to the author for this fine work!"
--Robert Burns, classical guitarist, Mendocino, California
"All Sins Remembered is a remarkable book that wraps the history of San Francisco; from just before the earthquake to the present, into a modern murder mystery.
As the thriller unfolds, the author tells the story of the Italian and Irish immigrants who build and rebuilt the City. Just to hear that story told is worth the price of admission.
But the story itself cannot be discounted. The characters are believable, the mystery riveting, and there is a nice twist at the end. Finally, the prose is very special. I imagine that you'll find yourself rereading paragraphs to savor the words."
--Rob Klopp of Zephyr Cove, NV
"Phil Ryan's All Sins Remembered is a marvelous page-turner of a novel! A compelling mystery and courtroom drama lie at the heart of the book, but it is more than a deftly-told tale. It is also a fascinating and faithful history of San Francisco and the memorable people, some fictional, others real, but all believable, who rebuilt a great city on the ruins of the devastating 1906 earthquake. Ryan is a first-time author, but writes fluently, with the poetic grace of a far-more seasoned novelist. All Sins Remembered is the first in a trilogy. Given the fertile inventiveness Ryan reveals here I can hardly wait for the next in the series."
--Judge Arlene Pacht of Chevy Chase, MD
"This is a fine scholarly effort, that vividly, with carefull precision, stages the background for a seminal period of the San Francisco Bay Area, and masterfully entwines the passions of a love story with a notorius murder mystery. It is a truly engrossing historical novel, not only for those who have fallen in love with San Francisco and are fascinated with the rich and eclectic pastiche, that is today's legacy of the area, it will also absorb the interest of those who love good literature. Cudos to the author for this fine work!"
