| Researcher | Author: Title | |
| Candice Dawes | Sanders, Lawrence: The Third Deadly Sin | |
| Assignment 1: Bibliographic Description | ||
| 1. First Edition Publication Information | Lawrence Sanders G.P. Putnam's Sons New York 1981 (This book was also published simultaneously in Canada by Academic Press Canada Limited, Toronto) | |
| 2. First Edition in Cloth, Paper, or Both? | The first edition was published in trade cloth. | |
| 3. Image of Cover Art | A1319990202163015.jpg | |
| 4. Pagination | The book contains 444 pages and has 225 leaves. Pages 1-6 are unnumbered, while 7-444 are numbered. The book also contains 11 chapters and is 24cm. | |
| 5. Edited and/or Introduced? | This book is neither edited nor introduced. | |
| 6. Illustrated? | The photo on the back cover is by Nancy Crampton. (See Supplementary Materials for photo) The jacket illustration is by Don Brautigam. The jacket design is by Lynn Hollyn. (See cover art for design and illustration) | |
| 8. General Appearance | Without the dust jacket, the cover of the book is plain. It has a navy blue cloth cover with bold white print (title, etc.) The typography is readible and is quite large. Each chapter begins with the text starting halfway down the page. Chapter numbers appear on each page which begins the new chapter. Page numbers on chapter pages are in the bottom right corner for odd numbered pages and in the bottom right corner for even numbered pages. For the rest of the pages in the book, the page numbers are in the top right corner for odd numbered pages and in the top left corner for even numbered pages. Overall, the book is in good condition. | |
| 9. Image of Sample Chapter Page | A1919990202163015.jpg | |
| 10. Description of Paper | The paper is holding up very well. The color of the paper is manilla and it is quite thick. The edges of the paper are even and smooth. The paper is in good condition as well. | |
| 11. Description of Binding | The color of the cloth is navy blue. The cloth has an irregular grain called embossed calico grain. This grain is relatively uncommon. The grain of the cloth is also fine. The spine of the book includes the title, author and publisher in white print. The letters in the title are capitalized, while the letters in the author's name as well as the publisher are in lower case letters. The pages of the book are sewn through the fold of the book and the sewn portion of the binding is glued into the inner spine of the book. | |
| 12. Title Page Transcription | THE THIRD|DEADLY SIN|Lawrence Sanders|G.P. Putnam's Sons|New York | |
| 13. Image of Title Page | A11319990202163015.jpg | |
| 14. Manuscript Holdings | It is unknown where Lawrence Sanders holds his manuscripts. | |
| 15. Other | The book contains two pages which include only the title of the book in capital letters which appear before and after the title page. The first of these pages contains (on the back of it) other works by the author, Lawrence Sanders. It reads: Also by Lawrence Sanders THE ANDERSON TAPES THE PLEASURES OF HELEN LOVE SONGS THE FIRST DEADLY SIN THE TOMORROW FILE THE TANGENT OBJECTIVE THE MARLOW CHRONICLES THE SECOND DEADLY SIN THE TANGENT FACTOR THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT THE TENTH COMMANDMENT The book jacket contains a brief synopsis of the book on the front and back flaps. Also, a brief synopsis about Lawrence Sanders is on the back flap. | |
| Assignment 2: Publication History | ||
| 1. Other Editions: | In 1981, Putnam Publishing group also issued the book in a Book Club Edition. This book contains 374 pages and is 21 cm. In September of 1993, The Putnam Publishing Group also issued the book in a set of three complete novels. This set includes not only The Third Deadly Sin, but also The First Deadly Sin and The Second Deadly Sin. This set has 896 pages and is trade clot h as well. | |
| 4. First Edition printings or impressions? | 1st printing - 125,000 2nd printing - 25,000 3rd printing 4th printing 5th printing 6th printing After six trips to the press, total copies in print were 195,000. There were at least 3 impressions of the first edition. | |
| 5. Editions from other publishers? | 1981: G.K. Hall Berkley Books Granada 1982: G.K. Hall Berkley Books Granada Macmillan Library Reference (June) 1985: Berkley Books 1987: Berkley Publishing Group 1993: Berkley Publishing Group | |
| 6. Last date in print? | The last date in print for this book was 1993, the paperback reissue edition. This was published by Berkley Publishing Company. However, The Third Deadly was also printed in a series with The First Deadly Sin and The Second Deadly Sin. The last date in print for this series was 1993. | |
| 7. Total copies sold? | The Third Deadly Sin sold a total of 187, 383 copies in 1981 and held the #8 slot with those sales for 1981. | |
| 9. Advertising copy: | "Sanders's characters discuss facets of feminism and crime provocatively, and not at all simplistically, adding to the dimensions of a superior mystery." Publisher's Weekly, June 5, 1981, pg. 77 "High voltage thriller" Publisher's Weekly, June 5, 1981, pg. 77 The cover of the first edition copy appears on the cover of the May 29, 1981 issue of Publisher's Weekly. (Cover art under Supplementary Materials) A page long advertisment appears in the May 29, 1981 issue of Publisher's Weekly on the back side of the cover of the magazine. (Image is under sample advertisement) | |
| 10. Image of sample advertisement | A21019990305164106.jpg | |
| 11. Other promotion? | "Sanders has built another high-voltage thriller with the skill that made 'The First Deadly Sin,' 'The Second Deadly Sin' and his earlier books bestsellers. Sergeant Boone of Manhattan's Homicide Squad persuades former Ch ief of Detectives Delaney to help find what police fear most, a random killer. The two men and other characters from the earlier stories begin the slow, almost hopeless, scrupulously painstaking chore of tracking down and piecing together the tiniest clu es. The detecting account alternates with vivid, step-by-step descriptions of drab Zoe Kohler, who tarts herself up periodically and ritually murders men she picks up in convention-crowded hotels. In the telling, Sanders's characters discuss facets of feminism and crime provocatively, and not at all simplistically, adding to the dimensions of a superior mystery." Publisher's Weekly, Forecasts Section, June 5, 1981 "In this bestseller by the author of 'The First Deadly Sin' and 'The Second Deadly Sin," a police Sergeant and a detective painstakingly track down a random killer. PW, calling this a 'high voltage thriller,' noted that 'Sanders's characters discu ss facets of feminism and crime provocatively, and not at all simplistically, adding to the dimensions of a superior mystery.'" Publisher's Weekly, Forecasts Section (Fiction Reprints), July 2, 1982 | |
| 12. Performances in other media? | N/A | |
| 13. Translations? | Hebrew: Sanders, Lawrence. ha-Het ha-shelishi. Zemorah, Bitan: Tel-Aviv, 1983. 402 pages 22 cm. Italian: Sanders, Lawrence. Il terzo peccato mortale. Sperling & Kupfer: Milano, 1989. 490 pages 20 cm. Korean: Sanders, Lawrence. Che-3ui taejoe: Lorensu Saendosu changp'yon ch'uri sosol. Han'gilsa: Soul, 1991. 2v. 23 cm. Spanish: Sanders, Lawrence. El tercer pecado mortal. Plaza & Janes: Barcelona, 1988. 347 pages 22 cm. Sanders, Lawrence. El tercer pecado mortal. EmecÈ Editores: Buenos Aires, 1982. 366 pages 20 cm. Swedish: Sanders, Lawrence. Den tredje dˆdssynden. Wahlstrˆm & Widstrand: BorÂs [Sweden], 1987. 389 pages 23 cm. | |
| 14. Serialization? | N/A | |
| 15. Sequels or Prequels? | There were no sequels or prequels to this book, but Lawrence Sanders wrote his books in a series having to deal with the main character, detective Edward Delaney. These books are called "Edward Delaney Novels" and include: Sanders, Lawrence. The Anderson Tapes. New York : Putnam, 1969. Sanders, Lawrence. The First Deadly Sin. New York : Putnam, 1973. Sanders, Lawrence. The Second Deadly Sin. New York : Putnam, 1977 Sanders, Lawrence. The Fourth Deadly Sin. New York, N.Y. : Putnam, 1985 | |
| Assignment 3: Brief Biography | ||
| Lawrence Sanders is "best known for his frothy, padded paperbacks of technology, sex and the peccadilloes of the rich and famous. He has published entertaining, even provocative, and influential books in several crime genres, from capers to thrillers to police procedurals and even private eyes."i Many of his books became best seller novels, making Sanders well known for his fiction. Lawrence Sanders, an American Caucasian male, was born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in the Midwest and educated at Wabash College in Indiana and received his BA in 1940. After receiving his BA, he joined the Macy's Department Store staff in New York City and remained an employee from 1940-1943. Between the years of 1943 and 1946, soon after he left the retail business, Sanders joined the U.S. Marine Corps and later became a Sergeant. Sanders was not always a best selling novelist. His writing career began in 1946 as a free-lance writer for men's magazines. He worked for such publications as Mechanix Illustrated in New York City, where he was the feature editor, and Science and Mechanics, also in New York City, as the editor. Sanders wrote for various other men's magazines in New York City from 1967-1968 which include Magnum-Royal Publications. However, Sanders continued to diligently write fiction. From 1969 until his death, Sanders was a novelist. His official first break occurred when a series of his short stories featuring an insurance investigator, Wolf Lanihan, were featured in the magazine Swank in 1968. However, Sanders' "real break"i came when his novel, The Anderson Tapes was published in 1970, followed by the hit movie in 1972. The Anderson Tapes introduced the feature character of Sanders mystery novels to soon come, New York cop, Edward X. Delaney. The other novels included in the "Edward Delaney Novels" are: The First Deadly Sin (1973), The Second Deadly Sin (1977), The Third Deadly Sin (1981), and The Fourth Deadly Sin (1985). Sanders wrote many of his other novels in series. His "Archie McNally Novels" include: McNally's Secret (1992), McNally's Luck (1992), McNally's Risk (1993), McNally's Caper (1994), McNally's Trial (1995), McNally's Puzzle (1996), and McNally's Gamble (1997). In his "Commandment Series," Sanders wrote The Sixth Commandment (1995), The Seventh Commandment (1991), The Eighth Commandment (1986), and The Tenth Commandment (1980). Sanders also wrote under the pseudonym of Lesley Andress and Mark Upton from the suggestion of his agent, Bill Berger. Berger suggested this in order to avoid flooding the market. The novel he wrote under the pseudonym Lesley Andress was Caper, which was written in 1980. The other pseudonym was Mark Down, since the publisher paid him less. Despite Sanders suggestion, his agent settled on Mark Upton. As Mark Upton, he wrote The Dream Lover (1978) and Dark Summer (1979). Other novels Sanders wrote include: Tales of the Wolf (1968), Love Songs (1972), The Tomorrow File (1975), The Tangent Objective (1976), The Marlow Chronicles (1977), The Tangent Factor (1978), The Case of Lucy Bending (1982), The Seduction of Peter S. (1983), The Passion of Molly T. (1984), The Love of Harry Dancer (1986), The Timothy Files (1987), Timothy's Game (1988), Capital Crimes (1989), Stolen Blessings (1989), Sullivan's Sting (1990), Private Pleasures (1994), The Pleasures of Helen (1996), and Guilty Pleasures (1998). Sanders also wrote numerous short stories and novellas. Sanders' last residence was Pompano Beach, Florida to which he moved after his longtime friend, Fleurette Ballou, was mugged twice in New York. Although Sanders may have lived in Florida, he missed New York. His Pompano Beach condo is where he died on February 7, 1998. He is survived by his longtime friend, Fleurette Ballou whom he never married because "writing was the most important thing in his life--above marriage."ii His obituary notice and other articles of his death can be found in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Although Sanders has passed his name is still carried on through many of his best seller novels. Years from now he will still be remembered for his mystery and suspense genre. i www.colba.net/~kvnsmith/thrillingdetective/trivia/sanders.html, February 18, 1999. ii Carol Wallace, "Lawrence Sanders Leads a Quiet Life, Leaving the Sex and Violence for His Readers," People Weekly. Sept. 1985:23. | ||
| Assignment 4 | ||
| Contemporary Reception: | ||
| The "Third Deadly Sin", by Lawrence Sanders is one of his many best selling novels. As Peter Andrews in his New York Times Review entitled "Much Blood," put it, it is the story of a "woman homicidal maniac who stabs and mutilates male conventioneers visiting New York and then leaves a trail of splattered gore from one end of the city to the rest." So, if you have a taste for blood, Lawrence Sanders has written the novel for you. He also noted this novel as "one of the rare ones that is both a first-rate thriller and a solid contemporary novel." Andrews also compares Sanders' progress throughout his novel writing between this best selling novel and two of his others. Compared to his first hit, "The Anderson Tapes" which was noted as having "all gimmiks and plot turns with little substance," he praises this novel and its ability to "keep rolling from start to finish in a manner that is logical, arresting and altogether satisfying." "The First Deadly Sin," the first of the Sin novels, Andrews thought started of well but, "got tangled up with clumsy characteristics and fell apart at the end." But as Sanders kept writing fiction novels, Andrews thought he grew "more skillful with each outing," making this Sin novel "his best novel so far." Andrews and the Washington Post Book World Section also praised Sanders for his well-developed characters. According to Andrews, he does not simply construct his characters, but "lavishes enormous care on their development and shows them off to their best advantage." This may be due to the fact that according to the Kirkus Reviews, this novel contains "no thrills n'chills" so it must "rely on different strengths to hook the reader: wit, setting characterization, and structure." Nevertheless, his two main characters Edward X. Delaney, the officer in charge of the investigation and Zoe Kohler, the murderer, were praised by some for their character traits. Andrews thought that Edward Delaney, unlike so many fictional policemen knew when to forget the books and "follow his hunches." Sanders' technique of alternating between Zoe's point of view and Delaney's was praised by the Washington Post because this shows the reader both sides of the crime and "generates and even-headed empathy for everyone involved." This forces the reader to split their loyalty between the two. As Andrews stated, this is another trick of "a commercial novelist used to manipulate readers emotions." But, not all critics praised Sanders characterization. The Kirkus Reviews criticize Sanders' carelessness for having a novel "about a psychopathic killer, which doesn't bother to make the killer's psycho-motives even half-believable." This review considers Kohler's description a "surface characterization" because she is a hotel secretary and once a month around her monthly periods she decides to kill a man. They considered this description "not psychopathworthy" making it "unconvincing and inconsistent." But, Andrews and The Washington Post thought this neatness and "averageness" of Zoe helped to make her unnoticeable from any one else walking down the streets of New York City. Yet, it may not even matter how developed his characters are because this novel makes the reader watch in enthrallment not who the murderer is, but the investigative process, because according to The Washington Post, this is a "police procedural novel, not a whodunit." No matter how his novel was praised or criticized, Sanders, in an article in People Weekly says, "you can't let review influence you; Critics read symbolism into my work that I didn't even know was there." So, even though he was hailed for his characterization and at the same time criticized, the Washington Post thought he was still able to "come up with an original variation on the old theme," the third deadly sin. In Michele Leber's review, she thought Sanders fans were not disappointed, even though the novel may have been "a bit ponderous, the sociology sometimes simplistic, and the plot somewhat predictable; Sanders still supplies a final shocker and a full measure of satisfaction." One customer from amazon.com commented that "even though you find out whodunit in the opening pages, this novel is riveting. Not only do you get Edward X. Delaney and his sandwiches; you also get a couple of hundred pages from the killer's perspective. Some of Sanders' later works were kind of weak, but this one is superb!"SOURCES USED FOR THIS RECEPTION SUMMARY: Carol Wallace, "Lawrence Sanders Leads a Quiet Life, Leaving the Sex and Violence for His Readers," People Weekly. Sept. 1985:23. Kirkus Reviews, v.49 no.11, June 1, 1981, p.697 Michele Leber, Library Journal, v.10 no.13, July 1981 Peter Andrews, "Much Blood", New York Times, September 6, 1981 www.amazon.com, April 15, 1999 Washington Post, August 6, 1981 | ||
| Assignment 5 | ||
| Critical Essay: | ||
| Lawrence Sanders' "The Third Deadly Sin" was among the top selling novels in 1981. This novel ranked eighth among the best selling novels of 1981 with sales of 187, 383. This novel, in which a homicidal, maniac woman stabs and mutilates male conventioneers visiting New York proved so far his best. Why Sanders' "The Third Deadly Sin" surpassed his first two sin novels and his other novels is due to numerous reasons. These reasons range from his characterization to his experience as a writer. Although reasons such as the trend in 1981, his name noted as a previous best seller and because of the popularity of the key character Delaney entered this novel on the bestseller list, the novel must have had other characteristics to keep it on the best selling list. These elements are sex, violence, wit, great characterization, the impact it had on the culture and manipulation of the reader's emotions. Although Sanders may have been a veteran to the best selling list as of 1981, this novel, surpassed all of the others and made him (according to the jacket of the book) one of America's hottest mystery writers. The Third Deadly Sin appeared on the Publisher's Weekly hardcover fiction list on July 24, 1981 at number fourteen. The book reached its peak on September 4, 1981. The book stayed at its peak for two weeks, but spent a total of twenty-five weeks on the Publisher's Weekly Hardcover fiction list. The book debuted on the New York Times fiction list on August 2, 1981 at position six. The book peaked on September 6, 1981 at number two. "The Third Deadly Sin" stayed at its peaked position for one week, but remained on the list for a total of twenty-four weeks. The paperback edition was published by Berkley Publishing Company and appeared on the Publisher's Weekly mass market paperback list on August 13, 1982 at the number ten spot. It reached its peak on September 3, 1982 at the number one spot and held this position for two weeks. It remained on the list for a total of thirteen weeks. "The Third Deadly Sin" appeared on the New York Times mass-market paperback list on August 15, 1981 at the number fifteen spot and reached a peak on August 22, 1982 at the number two spot. It remained at the number two spot for three weeks and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the list. "The Third Deadly Sin" spent a total of seventy-six weeks on the Publisher's Weekly and The New York Times lists combined, spending the largest amount of time on these best sellers list than any of Sanders' other bestsellers. The trend for the year of 1981 was one in which Mystery/Crime/Suspense novels stole the show. From looking in The Bowker Annual for 1982, of the top 15 best selling novels of the year, 10 were in the Mystery/Crime/Suspense genre and five of these in particular were investigative or police procedural novels (* denotes police procedural novels). These top fifteen novels were: "Noble House" - James Clavell "The Hotel New Hampshire" - John Irving "Cujo" - Stephen King "An Indecent Obsession" - Collen McCullough *"Gorky" - Martin Cruz "Masquerade" - Kit Williams "Goodbye, Janette" - Harold Robbins *"The Third Deadly Sin" - Lawrence Sanders *"The Glitter Dome" - Joseph Wambaugh *"No Times for Tears" - Cynthia Freeman "God Emperor of Dune" - Frank Herbert "The Legacy" - Howard Fast "The Cardinal Sins" - Andrew M. Greeley "The Last Days of America" - Paul Erdman *"Free Fall in Crimson" - John MacDonald Sanders also followed one of the trends of 1981, according to The Bowker Annual, because veteran best selling novelists dominated the top of the fiction best selling list for 1981. Sanders has made quite a name for himself, he has had numerous best sellers before this novel. His Mystery best sellers before this sin novel include: "The Anderson Tapes" (1970), The First Deadly Sin" (1973), "The Tomorrow File" (1975), "The Second Deadly Sin" (1977), "The Sixth Commandment" (1978), "The Tenth Commandment" (1980), which ranked number 15 overall of total sales in 1980, "The Dream Lover" (1978), "Love Songs" (1972) and "Caper" (1980). Of all of his mystery novels published before 1981, 7 of 9 (including "The Third Deadly Sin") were best sellers. But his success cannot solely be attributed to his name. This may have attributed to him being more recognizable, but this is not enough to keep him on the best seller list. This was evident in that he wrote under the pseudonyms of Lesley Andress and Mark Upton, and two ("Dream Lover" and "Caper") of those three novels were best sellers as well. So what is the main ingredient for his success? Having made a name for himself also helps in determining how many books to print. Sanders customers were not the only ones who thought his novel would do well, his publisher did as well. According to The Bowker Annual of 1982, of all of the best sellers on the best seller list for 1981, 21 of the 25 top selling fiction books sold over 100,000. Sanders' publishers had a lot of confidence in his work because his initial printing was a printing of 125,000 novels. His total sold for the year was 187, 383. 66.7% of his novels sold were printed in the first printing. Sanders publishers must have known that this novel was going to be a best seller because of his previous best selling novels. Compared to other novels on the Publisher's Weekly best seller lists for 1981, this is large for a first printing. Of the top sellers for 1981, "Goodbye, Janette" also published 125,00 copies in its first printing, "Gorky Park" and "God Emperor of Dune" both published 100,000 in their first printings, "Free Fall in Crimson" published 90,000 and "The Cardinal Sins" published about 60,000 copies. The only other novel for which statistics were found that published more than "The Third Deadly Sin" was "The Noble House" which ranked number one for the year and had a first printing of 250,000 which was the largest for the Publishing company, Delacorte. The other novels which had lower first printings than this novel and did not make the top selling list for the year were "The White Hotel" which after five trips to the press only had 70,000 in print, "XPD" had 80,000 copies in print and "The Company of Women" which after four trips had 135,000 copies in print. It also helped that "The Third Deadly Sin" is part of a procedural series that Sanders wrote. The First two sins, "The First Deadly Sin" and "The Second Deadly Sin" were already recognized because they were best selling novels as well. The novels are also police procedurals and they feature the same main character, Edward Delaney. Why would this novel not be a best seller if the other two novels were? Sanders was not the only one who made a name for himself. Edward Delaney made a name for himself as well. Sanders' first two novels in which Delaney was the main character were made into hit movies, "The Anderson Tapes" and "The First Deadly Sin." These movies premiered in 1971 and 1981 respectively. The year before this book was published, "The First Deadly Sin," premiered with Frank Sinatra playing his character. Who better to play the role of Delaney than the acclaimed Frank Sinatra? And who better to play Delaney's wife than Faye Dunaway? Delaney made a name for himself having appeared on screen twice before the release of this fourth novel featuring him. Although the above elements may have helped readers to recognize the name "Lawrence Sanders," he needed other elements to keep him on the lists for a total of seventy-six weeks. Sanders' main elements of success with this novel were that it contains the ingredients for commercial success as George Grella states, "sex, violence, sensationalism, distinctive characterization, and sociological observation." Sex and violence are known contributors to a novel's success. According to Kohli, they help to entertain and inspire the reader. Sex in particular is a repressed issue in our culture. We as a culture tend to want to involve ourselves with issues that we are denied. Also, sex serves to titillate the reader. This novel does just that because it contains many sexual passages in it. Since the novel deals with the third deadly sin, lust, Zoe Kohler seduces the victim before killing him. One particular passage that contains sex is when Zoe Kohler goes to a bar, meets a gentleman and they have sex. Sanders describes this passage through the words and actions of Zoe. This passage is "'Oh,' she had cried out. 'Oh, oh, oh.' 'Good, huh?' he said, grunting with his effort. 'You like this… and this…and this? Oh god!' Moaning, just as Maddie Kurnitz had advised. And Remedial Moaning. Zoe Kohler did as she had been told. Going through the motions. Threshing about. Digging nails into his meaty shoulders. Pulling his hair. 'So good!' she kept crying. 'So good!' Wondering if she had remembered to turn off the gas range before she left her apartment. Then he kept pumping" (91). Sanders even includes elements of oral sex in his novel. In the same scene as the previous he states, "He clamped her head between his strong hands and guided her mouth. 'Now you're getting it,' he instructed her. 'Up. Down. That's it. Around. Right there. The tongue. It's all in knowing how, doll. Take it easy with the teeth." (91). Sanders also describes the female body erotically. He says, "She started the tub, then returned to the bedroom to undress. When she was naked, she palpated her breasts tenderly. That morning they had been soft, saggy. Now they seemed enlarged, harder, the nipples semi-erect" (31). Sanders goes on to say, "She did not masturbate" (31). Because he contains sexual language and scenes in his novel, he provides the reader with an extra source of entertainment. Obviously, it worked. Violence, one of his other elements of success, was thought by Kohli to be a part of nature and a vital element of life. In addition, our culture is one that is violent. The media is full of violence. In the year 1981, the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan was a key, violent event of that year. A deranged loner attempted to kill the President and the whole nation watched the coverage. Violence is seen throughout our nation. Gory passages in his novel help to bring this factor to light. In a passage where violence is involved, Sanders describes a scene in which Zoe is killing a male conventioneer. He describes it as "he made a sound, a gargle, and his heavy body leaped convulsively from the bed. Blood spouted in streams, gobbets, a flood that sprayed the air with a crimson fog. It soaked the bed, dripped onto the floor. Zoe Kohler threw back the sheet, exposing his pulpy abdomen, veined legs, his flaccid penis and testicles, half-hidden in a nest of grayish-brown hair, tangled. With bloodied, slippery hand, she drove the knife blade again and again into his genitals. No triumph or exultation in her face. Not grinning or yowling, but intent and businesslike. Saying with each stab, 'There. There. There.'"(43) Sanders filled his passages of Zoe Kohler's killings with gory details such as "handling the Swiss army knife like a dagger, she plunged the big blade into the left side of his fat neck and sawed back toward her" (43). He repeats this process throughout the book again as he describes Zoe Kohler killing. He says, "the blade went into soft cheese. His body leaped frantically, but with her left hand and knee she pressed him down. The knife caught on something in his neck, but she sawed determinedly until it sliced through" (439). He continues with "out it went, the blood, in a spray, a fountain, a gash. She held him down until his threshings weakened and ceased. Then he just flowed, and she tipped the torn head over the edge of the bed to let him drain onto the rug" (439). A violent action is like sex, provides the reader with extra excitement. Peter Andrews in his review of "The Third Deadly Sin" also attributes the novel's success, like Grella, to its characterization. He states that Sanders has the ability to "lavish enormous care of their development and show them off to their best advantage." Zoe Kohler, our female psychopathic killer, is not your ordinary psychopath. She is a neat, ordinary female character. She is a hotel worker who works in the hotel's security department and seems like an ordinary woman until night strikes and she decides to kill men. Sanders is able to evoke pity from the reader for Zoe because she has Addison's disease, a rare disease of the endocrine and hormonal system. She is not our typical female serial killer; she does not kill out of passion. Her murders have no pattern. Since she looks like every other female who walks the streets of New York, this makes her less noticeable. Zoe's plainness in her characterization can also be attributed to the fact that Sanders wanted her to appear as the average 1980's woman. The early1980's, was a conservative time. As I stated before, Reagan was the president and the country was filled with preconceived notions of how a woman should act. But, Sanders destroyed this preconceived notion and this impacted the nation. He invented a rarity in his novel, a female psychopathic killer. It even took Delaney a while before he discovered who the killer was because he was used to murderers being men, such as Jack the Ripper and Son of Sam. Sanders also made Delaney's wife, Monica a feminist and there are several arguments between the two in the book about pre-conceived notions of women. Delaney has never seen a female murderer like Kohler. He believed they all acted out of passion or greed or because they were drunk, but Kohler did not. In one particular quote from Mrs. Delaney, Sanders reveals the point of his making the murderer a female. She says, " But now you find a female character who's intelligent, plans well, kills coldly with no apparent motive, and it shatters all your preconceptions about women. And not only does it destroy your romantic fancies, but I think it scares you-in a way." Mrs. Delaney goes on to say, "Because if a woman can act in this way, then you don't know anything at all about women. Isn't that what scares you? Now you've discovered that women are as capable as men. Capable of evil, in this case. But if that's true, then they must also be as capable of good, of creativity, of invention and art. It's upsetting all the prejudices you have and maybe even weren't aware of. Suddenly you have to revise your thinking about women, all your old, ingrained opinions, and that can be a painful process. I think that's why you want more than the killings ended. You want revenge against this woman who has caused such an upheaval in all your notions of what women are and how they should act" (432). Sanders is commenting on society's preconceived notions of women. He is saying that if women can become murderers, they are capable of anything. This he portrays through the Mrs. Delaney, who represents his voice, and Edward Delaney, who represents negative thinkers toward women and their capabilities. This book motivated and changed preconceived notions of women. This same year, Sandra Day O'Connor entered the Supreme Court, an all-male institution. President Reagan nominated her in July of 1981. Sanders also hooks the reader by using a trick of commercial novelists, he manipulates the reader's emotions. He accomplishes this by telling the story in two viewpoints, that of Zoe Kohler and the other of Edward X. Delaney. Half of the chapters are Zoe's voice and thoughts and the other half, Delaney's. This makes the reader split allegiance between the two characters. As Andrews states, "it was not easy to empathize with a woman who lures men into hotel rooms primarily to kill them, but I did." Zoe suffers from Addison's disease and so the reader feels sympathy for her because she has such a rare disease. This is highly emotional subject matter that Sanders has used. Sanders paints a sad picture of Kohler when he describes her disease. He says, " the abdominal pains were constant now, almost as severe as menstrual cramps. Weakness buckled her knees; she frequently felt gridy and feared she might faint on the street. She continued to lose weight; her flesh deflated over her joints; she seemed all knobs and edges. The discolored blotches grew; she watched with dulled horror as whole patches of skin took on a grayish-brown hue (417). Like Andrews said, the reader applauds whenever Delaney finds a new clue, but worries about what danger this provided for Kohler. Kohler was so commonplace, an employee of a hotel. Andrews considers it a waste for a "city to expend such resources in her apprehension." Delaney on the other hand is one of those cops that according to Andrews, "knows how to forget the book and follow his hunches." He is unlike many fictional policemen. Delaney also thought "picking the woman up and getting her out of circulation makes sense. But I think going for prosecution and conviction makes more sense" (429). Andrews also thought that, "so many fictional cops feel that being taciturn is a professional requirement, but not Delaney." Delaney thought that "political was everything weak, sly, expedient and unctuous. Political was doing the right things for the wrong reasons, and the wrong things for the right reasons" (415). Therefore, this trick that Sanders uses adds to the success of the book. Sanders also uses wit in his novel. The fact that Zoe Kohler goes on a killing rampage during her monthly menstrual cycle is comical. It is also funny that a man writes the book, yet he comments on the pain she feels while on her period. Edward Delaney is also a comical character throughout the story, particularly his fetish for sandwiches. As Andrews says, "if you get nothing else out of the 'Third Deadly Sin,' you will learn some terrific recipes." Police officers are infamous for jelly donuts, but this cop is infamous for his love of sandwiches. Several pages of the book can back this up. Although Sanders' name and main character were previously known before the release of this best selling novel, "The Third Deadly Sin," other factors led to his success. He used these names and the trend for they year to spark his success, but he needed something to guarantee this success. He used essentials for commercial success: sex, violence, great characterization, an impact on the culture, wit and threw in a bonus trick for the reader, empathy for characters. Although many best selling novels are popular for many different reasons, these are the reasons for which I believe that Lawrence Sanders and "The Third Deadly Sin" ranked eighth among the best selling novels of 1981. Works Cited:Andrews, Peter. "Much Blood." New York Times 6 Sept. 1981: 10.Grella, George. St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers.Justice. Bestseller Index. Kohli, Suresh. Sex and Violence in Literature. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Private Ltd., 1973.O'Hare, Joanne and Betty Sun. The Bowker Annual, 1982. 27th ed. New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1982.Publisher's Weekly, 1981Sanders, Lawrence. The Third Deadly Sin. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1981.www.2facts.com | ||
| Supplementary Materials | ||
| Photo of Lawrence Sanders on back of book jacket. | S1img19990204191000.jpg | |
| Cover of the paperback edition by Berkley Publishing Company | S2img19990305110058.jpg | |
| Cover of the May 29, 1981 issue of Publish er's Weekly | S3img19990305223446.jpg | |
| The Third Deadly Sin appeared on the Publisher's Weekly hardcover fiction list on July 24, 1981 at position fourteen. The book reached it's peak on September 4, 1981. The book stayed at it's peak f or two weeks, but spent a total of twenty-five weeks on the Publisher's Weekly Hardcover fiction list. The book debuted on the New York Times fiction list on August 2, 1981 at position six. The book peaked on Septmeber 6, 1981 at number two. The Third Deadly Sin stayed at it's peaked position for one week, but remained on the list for a total of twenty-four weeks. The paperback edition was published by Berkley Publishing Company and appeared on the Publsiher's Weekly mass market paperbak list on August 13, 1982 at the number ten spot. It reached it's peak on September 3, 1982 at the number one spot and held this position for two weeks. It remained on the list for a total of thirteen weeks. The Third Deadly Sin appeared on the New York Times mass market paperback list on August 15, 1981 at the number fifteen spot and reached a peak on August 22, 1982 at the num ber two spot. It remained at the number two spot for three weeks and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the list. The Third Deadly Sin spent a total of seventy-six weeks on the Publisher's Weekly and The New York Times lists combined. This book spent the largest amount of time on the best sellers list than any of his other bestsellers. | ||
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