Louise is the central character in Of Sin and Blot . A small town girl from a poor family, Louise makes good-again and again, mostly through marriage. For one reason or another her husbands don't last long. Lou is a good husband who may not be what he appears to be. Her second husband, Jonathon, is a fun guy who is less holy than his reputation. Bill is a decent man who receives one more punch than he can roll with.

Over the years Louise retains a group of friends and relatives who support her, help her and hurt her. Together they seem doomed to destroy one another. Of the cast, three end up dead, one a result of murder. No one in this book is very good, but Louise may be the best of the bunch. The eternal optimist, she's always sure she'll land on her feet. Most of the time, she does.

The author, who has only written gentle books about good people, kicks over the traces this time. This is a shades-of-gray book which will keep the reader wondering who is good and who is bad or who is bad and who is worse.