The Sinner, the third Rizzoli & Isles book: brutal murders in a convent. (ENG/ESP)
Happy Sunday, blog friends! I’m here to review the third book in the Rizzoli & Isles thriller series—a must-read if you enjoy gritty thrillers. Naturally, this installment brings back Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles. The story opens with two gruesome murders at a convent just days before Christmas. The victims are the young, lovely Sister Camille—a novice who practiced extreme self-denial and penance, almost to an unhealthy degree—and Sister Ursula, who had recently returned from India, having miraculously survived a horrific massacre in a leper colony. The murders are senseless and incredibly brutal. Detective Rizzoli begins her investigation at the convent, though she is going through a difficult time personally; she has just discovered she is pregnant by an ex-partner—an officer she no longer works with—and this situation is affecting her job. Dr. Isles is also shaken by the brutality of the killings; during the autopsy, she discovers that the young nun was pregnant. What happened to the baby? And, above all, who was the father? The investigation turns to the few men who frequent the convent—including a handsome young priest—raising the question: could this convent, inhabited mostly by elderly nuns, be hiding a dark secret? Meanwhile, Dr. Isles is facing her own personal struggles: her ex-husband has reappeared after three years—a man vastly different from her, given that she is cold, rational, and pragmatic. Her ex works for volunteer organizations and is a deeply passionate man, wholly dedicated to humanitarian causes—particularly in the world's poorest nations. While this passion had originally won the doctor over, it eventually became a source of conflict during their marriage; their clashing personalities, combined with his infidelity with a nurse, caused their relationship to collapse. Now, however, he seems intent on winning her back, and the doctor—perhaps due to the approaching Christmas season or a sense of loneliness—is beginning to reconnect with him, hoping to rediscover the sense of family and partnership she has missed during years spent dealing only with cold corpses and murders.
¡Feliz domingo, amigos del blog! Estoy aquí para reseñar el tercer libro de la serie de suspense Rizzoli & Isles; una lectura obligada si os gustan los thrillers crudos e intensos. Como es natural, esta entrega trae de vuelta a la detective Rizzoli y a la doctora Isles. La historia comienza con dos asesinatos macabros en un convento, apenas unos días antes de Navidad. Las víctimas son la joven y encantadora hermana Camille —una novicia que practicaba una abnegación y penitencia extremas, casi hasta un punto insalubre— y la hermana Ursula, quien había regresado recientemente de la India tras sobrevivir milagrosamente a una horrible masacre en una colonia de leprosos. Los asesinatos son gratuitos e increíblemente brutales. La detective Rizzoli inicia la investigación en el convento, aunque atraviesa un momento personal difícil: acaba de descubrir que está embarazada de una expareja —un agente con el que ya no trabaja— y esta situación está afectando a su labor profesional. La doctora Isles también se siente conmocionada por la brutalidad de los crímenes; durante la autopsia, descubre que la joven monja estaba embarazada. ¿Qué pasó con el bebé? Y, sobre todo, ¿quién era el padre? La investigación se centra en los pocos hombres que frecuentan el convento —incluido un joven y apuesto sacerdote—, planteando una pregunta: ¿podría este convento, habitado mayoritariamente por monjas ancianas, ocultar un oscuro secreto? Mientras tanto, la doctora Isles se enfrenta a sus propios conflictos personales: su exmarido ha reaparecido tras tres años de ausencia; un hombre muy diferente a ella, dado que ella es fría, racional y pragmática. Su ex trabaja para organizaciones de voluntariado y es un hombre profundamente apasionado, totalmente entregado a causas humanitarias, especialmente en las naciones más pobres del mundo. Aunque esa pasión fue lo que inicialmente conquistó a la doctora, con el tiempo se convirtió en una fuente de conflicto durante el matrimonio; el choque de personalidades, sumado a la infidelidad de él con una enfermera, provocó el colapso de la relación. Ahora, sin embargo, él parece decidido a reconquistarla, y la doctora —quizás debido a la cercanía de la Navidad o a una sensación de soledad— empieza a reconectar con él, con la esperanza de recuperar el sentido de familia y compañerismo que ha echado de menos tras años lidiando únicamente con cadáveres fríos y asesinatos.
The investigation continues, and the body of a deformed newborn is soon discovered in the pond; furthermore, another murder draws the two experts into the case. In an abandoned restaurant—a dilapidated, ghastly setting—the body of a woman is found; she is mutilated and unrecognizable, missing her hands and feet, with her face completely destroyed. The only visible marks are strange skin abrasions which, after extensive investigation, are revealed to be leprosy—a disease long since eradicated, at least in the West. Could the unknown woman be connected to the murdered nun? Did the doctor’s ex-husband perhaps work in that village where the massacre took place? And how does young Sister Camille fit into all of this? What began as a brutal murder in a convent unfolds into a much larger, more intricate investigation involving various people, all linked in some way to the horrific massacre in India. Meanwhile, both protagonists must also grapple with their own personal and romantic struggles. This third book lives up to expectations: it is gripping, intriguing, and packed with suspense and plot twists. The writing moves at a fast pace, never letting the reader’s interest flag—a truly excellent thriller! Naturally, I have already ordered the fourth book in the series; I am certain it won’t disappoint, and I will of course review it as soon as I’ve read it!
First picture edited by my phone translation with deepl.