Sister Saint, Sister Sinner


Fiction - Literary
323 Pages
Reviewed on 01/04/2022
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Author Biography

I've always been fascinated with sisterhood: the shared past, the diverging lifestyles. My thought at the outset was "What would happen if...?" and the result is a story with murder, redemption, thrills, suspense and, in the end, a sense of satisfaction.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Sister Saint, Sister Sinner is a work of fiction in the women’s literature genre. It is suitable for the general reading audience and was penned by Peg Herring. The book follows sisters Nettie, Ruth, and Kim as they follow the chaotic, dangerous, and exciting paths that life has laid out for each of them. Nettie’s past – kept secret from her sisters – returns with a vengeance when she commits a murder, Ruth’s husband is on the campaign trail with a dream of becoming the President of the United States, whilst Kim’s safe routine is shaken apart as her husband leaves and she is fired.

This work manages to balance both being an epic saga spanning years in the sisters' lives whilst also maintaining the intimate focus on each of their lives and journeys throughout. An impressive feat indeed that Peg Herring accomplishes without breaking a sweat, letting us enjoy the slice of life moments in her heroines' lives one moment then swooping out to the bigger picture surrounding them at those moments. Each of the sisters is marvelously fleshed out and beautifully developed, never dipping into tired cliches or easy tropes but instead showing the diverse mix of kindness, selfishness, joy, and sorrow that forms the human experience. Sister Saint, Sister Sinner is a fantastic example of telling a huge story with twists, turns, and tribulations aplenty without losing the focus on the all-important character work that lets readers invest in the journeys as they unfold. An excellent read, I recommend this book to all.

Jennifer Ibiam

Sister Saint, Sister Sinner by Peg Herring is the story of three sisters named Nettie, Ruth, and Kim. The trio was raised in a stable family but grew up leading different lives. While Nettie lived the life of a drug addict, Kim was stuck with a job and marriage that drained her. Ruth lived every girl’s dream of being married to a wealthy man, with a stable home and beautiful children. When Ruth’s husband, Butch, entered the race for the presidency, the three sisters’ lives entwined. Nettie shot her son dead, Ruth maniacally needed power, and Kim was the voice of reason but had her troubles. They each held secrets that would culminate into a wrecking ball, leaving disaster in its wake. Will the sisters float or sink?

Sister Saint, Sister Sinner by Peg Herring was a captivating novel that left me feeling overwhelmed. The brilliant plot and unpredictable storyline were EMMY-worthy materials. This novel took me behind the scenes of government operations where manipulation, deception, scheming, and self-serving agendas ruled. The line between loyalty and morality was a blur, and everyone had a price. Peg is a gifted storyteller that sucked me into this fantastic page-turner through stylish writing and flawless character development. Nettie was an intimidating character, and Ruth was quite the interesting one. Her multiple personalities left me in awe. Ruth gave everyone the face they wanted to see. I detested Gavin so much because he had no scruples. The question of women having to choose between raising kids or being career-minded remains a valid discussion. This novel was a masterpiece, Peg.

Bernadette Longu

in Sister Saint, Sister Sinner by Peg Herring, the author has taken a story that countless movies have been made about and brought a fresh and unusual slant to it. It takes place between the years 2023 to 2026 and revolves around the lives of three sisters. Janet, the eldest, has a fragile character and believes what people tell her about herself. Ruth is the second eldest but would love to have been the eldest, and likes her own way in everything. Kim is the peacemaker who just goes along with things to keep the peace. The sisters' lives each take a different path until Ruth and her husband Butch Mendel decide to run for the Presidency of the United States. Everything starts out normal but then the twists and turns slowly start to creep in and the book then changes into a detective murder mystery of class.

This is a book that you will keep reading as you will find it hard to believe that siblings from the same family with the same upbringing can be so different and see things so differently. Peg Herring has given the themes new life with unique twists and turns and the ending really surprises you as you feel that there should be a continuation. It does capture you from the first page to the last as you are not sure how the good guys are going to overcome the evil ones who have let power go to their heads. You cannot put the book down as you need to know how good overcomes evil and how the evil done is held in check. Sister Saint, Sister Sinner is lovely to curl up with under a warm blanket in front of a fire with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate and settle in for a relaxing and exciting read. Peg Herring will capture your attention from start to finish. Thank you for a wonderful read.

Stephanie Chapman

Hiram Mandell is running for president. His wife, Ruth, aspires to significant changes that can be made for the country. When the news reports her older sister, Nettie, has murdered her son, Ruth dismisses the media attention by stating she hasn’t had contact with her in years. When her younger sister, Kim, finds herself accused of embezzlement, Ruth deals with the issue. Kim joins Ruth’s campaign and advisory committee. Ruth Mandell appears to personify the ultimate caretaker of her family and supporter of her husband. When Hiram wins the election and suffers a stroke, he is found several hours later by his attorney Gavin Croft. Ruth and Croft begin setting in motion a series of events that threaten the lives of Nettie and Kim.

In Sister Saint, Sister Sinner, Peg Herring presents a story where good intentions do not always have good results. From the very start of the story, I disliked Ruth's need for acknowledgement of her accomplishments. She was very calculating and Croft was very deceptive from the beginning. The more power that Ruth wanted, Croft would take full advantage of the situation. Nettie was my favorite character. The intrigue Herring built from the beginning made this a page-turner for me. I wanted to know why Nettie chose to end her son’s life and not tell anyone her motivation. I kept wanting to ask Kim to wake up and do something regarding Ruth’s deception about her husband’s health. She knew, morally, what Ruth was doing was wrong, yet Kim’s loyalty to family overrides her logic. The story alternates seamlessly between the three sisters, and the timeline was easy to follow. The end of the book was as shocking as the climactic scenes preceding it. Mystery readers that like legal thrillers will enjoy Sister Saint, Sister Sinner.

Rabia Tanveer

Sister Saint, Sister Sinner is a fantastic women’s novel by Peg Herring. This is the story of three sisters from a very humble background. Nettie, the oldest, throws away all of the opportunities that life offered her to become broke and desolate, ending up working at their family’s farm. Ruth, the middle child, turns out to be the most successful with her rich husband and perfect life. Kim, the youngest, is stuck somewhere in the middle with her simple job at a firm and a simple life with her husband. However, things change very suddenly for all three of them. Ruth’s husband runs for president and wins, but that is exactly when something terrible happens. Kim’s husband wants a divorce, and Nettie kills someone. With Nettie in jail, each of the sisters has to look for a way to support each other and make sense of their personal lives at the same time. Can they help each other out? Or will their personal tragedies drive a wedge between the sisters?

Novels such as Sister Saint, Sister Sinner are one in a million. You hardly come across novels like this that make you lose yourself in the plot and never want to let go. Nettie, Kim, and Ruth are three very different women who grow closer when tragedy strikes. Each of them has a story to tell, and author Peg Herring devotes ample page space to each of them to do them justice. I felt bad for Nettie, but her story was necessary to further the plot and make readers understand how one bad decision changes your life. Ruth’s life was all perfect and, in a way, it remains perfect until the end (even if she faces a huge tragedy). However, Kim is the MVP of the story. She makes efforts to help Nettie out, support Ruth, and focus on her life at the same time. The dialogues are perfectly in sync with the flow of the story too. The pace is perfect, and the character development is off the charts!