Rating: 
Summary: A wild comedic ride up the Missouri River in 1832
Review: Larry McMurtry is one of the best known western writers today. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his "Lonesome Dove" trilogy and is also known for "Terms of Endearment" and "The Last Picture Show". Now, he's taken on a big task - a four-novel series he calls "The Berrybender Narratives". This book, "Sin Killer" is Book 1 and was just published in May of 2002.A mere 300 pages long, it's a wild comedic ride with the Berrybender family in 1832. They've come over from England and are on a boat making its way up the Missouri River. There's Lord Berrybender, his wife, his mistress, six of his 14 legitimate children, servants, guides, tutors, artists and a couple of Indian chiefs traveling home after being feted in Washington. The family is rich and spoiled and totally clueless. They meet a variety of tragedies but the writer presents it all as a farce, and I couldn't help laughing out loud at times. Central to the plot is the oldest daughter, Tasmin. She falls in love with an American God-fearing frontiersman named Jim Snow, nicknamed "Sin Killer" by the Indians. Their romance is hilarious as are the other events in the book, as the many characters meet with accidents, violent death and love affairs. Several of the women are held captive by the Indians, some of the men are caught in a snowstorm while out shooting buffalo, and the wild and wooly frontier itself plays a role in the story. There are lots and lots of characters who romp across the pages, each with a distinctive personality, profession and passion. I loved them all. This is a fun book, not to be taken seriously. It's just pure entertainment all the way and the action never stops. I loved it. And, since all the threads of the complex plot were certainly not tied together on the last page, I am eagerly awaiting Book 2. I sure hope it's released soon because I can't wait to continue this very enjoyable saga. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Usual McMurtry caliber
Review: After reading this novel, I had to ask myself "why was this ever even published?" I've enjoyed McMurtry novels immensely over the years and was horribly disappointed in this piece of rubbish. The characters are simply bizarre and as a whole evoke no emotional response from the reader. The plot is childishly simple and, although at times humorous through folly, not specifically engaging. Barely 300 pages (and that's with careful formatting), it's obvious "Sin Killer" was churned out to simply make a deadline and is not a true effort from a highly talented writer. There are many much better Larry McMurty novels. Forget this one and go try something else.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Fast paced, wildly funny tale with outstanding character development and visual imagery. McMurtry has outdone himself with this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A green parrot and a boatload of Brits
Review: It's 1832, and Lord Albany Berrybender has chartered a steamboat to take him up the Missouri River on a hunting expedition. Albany is one of the richest aristocrats in England, and also a dissolute, selfish, old fool. Along for the ride are his wife Constance, six of their fourteen spoiled children, fifteen of nineteen servants, an aging parrot named Prince Talleyrand, the staghound Tintamarre, and a gaggle of American talent hired to ease their way, including Toussaint Charbonneau, the guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition many years previous. The first noticeable feature of SIN KILLER, the start of a four-book series, is the lengthy cast of players requiring a two-page character list. In addition to all those on the boat, there's a couple dozen ashore - Indians, trappers, and such - to provide local color. Chief among these is the SIN KILLER, a young trapper named Jim Snow, who has an exaggerated sense of God-fearing righteousness and an awkward way with women. Since McMurtry's tales of the Old West are, for its characters, affairs perilous to life and limb, I immediately expected some of the English crowd to soon become victims of misadventure. (After all, such a large number is a heavy load to carry.) I wasn't disappointed. It's apparent early on that the main protagonist of the book, and I suspect the series, is Tasmine, Lord Berrybender's independent and willful oldest daughter. Nothing scares her, not even her Old Man. And I expect the villain of the piece, the cruel, old Aleut-Russian squaw Draga, who passes herself off as a sorceress, won't scare Tasmine either if and when their paths cross. (Draga is a psycho in the grand tradition of other McMurtry psychos such as Blue Duck and Mox Mox. Remember them?) Judging from this first installment, there are a couple of reasons I don't think the Berrybender saga will be the author's best work. First of all, crucial events happen relatively quickly without too much plot or character development. Perhaps, as McMurtry gets older, he's driven to get it written and published faster. (You never know when you're going to be ambushed and scalped by savages.) Secondly, a lot of the action and dialogue has a slapstick quality about it that seems forced. However, at 300 pages, SIN KILLER is a quick, engaging read. I loved McMurtry's LONESOME DOVE trilogy. (The 1989 miniseries adaptation of that title starring Robert Duvall is my favorite western of all time.) While perhaps not presaging such excellence, this first volume of the Berrybender epic left me looking forward to the next. Oh, and I hope Prince Talleyrand continues to survive. Like Gus's pigs in LD, he's very cool.
Rating: 
Summary: Book Gone Bad
Review: The book Sin Killer is not a very good. The book is pretty much pointless. In Sin Killer it did not give very much information and it was not clear. It talked about where they were going but the author jumped around on many subjects. The author would be talking about one thing then all of the sudden he would be talking about else. I would reccommend this book to people that are older mature and can read very well. I think this book was more written for adults than young adults. This book was mainly about a girl who moved to America. When they got there they bought a steamboat and started to travel the rivers of the west. It talks about what goes on the in the wild west and the adventures they have. This bookis best suited for adults.
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Summary: intriging book
Review: I wasn't sure about this book when I started it and thought I'd see it through a couple chapters. Well, I was hooked by about Chapter three. Many who have written reviews are right, it isn't a whole lot like "Lonesome Dove", but a new type of book by McMurtry. The only books of his I've read are the Lonesome Dove series and of course loved all of them. I'm also anxiously awaiting the next in the series of the Berrybender family. If a movie was made, casting would be fun!
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read!!!
Review: After reading many of the reviews for this book, I felt compelled to weigh in my opinion. First of all, everyone seems to be chasing a high they got from "Lonesome Dove". While it is one of my personal favorites, it does not serve as a benchmark for everything to follow--both a unrealistic and unfair standard.
That being said, I found "Sin Killer" quite enjoyable. It was funny and entertaining, and was an easy, leisurely, yet quick read. I think that identifying the book as a sort of black comedy is key to enjoying it. I am eagerly awaiting the next book.
If anything can be learned by the two extremes of reviews this book has garnered thus far, it is that you should not judge a book by its cover OR its inside flap. Just trust the author and read the book!
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Summary: Fehhhhh... Gross family with Gross ways...You've been warned
Review: This is my first McMurtry novel. I have never read "Lonesome Dove" and all I can say, is why would anyone write about such a bombastic abusive, and disturbing family as the Berrybenders? ...About the only interesting part for me was the "Buffalo Man" storyline... Other than that, I was sadly disappointed by tale. The Berrybender's were a vastly unappealing bunch.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed reader
Review: Awful..Just simply awful. I forced myself to read about 140 pages and finally gave up..Not once did I even crack a smile at what I suppose was meant to be funny. I gave up and so should McMurtry.
Rating:
Summary: Sin Killer
Review: This was a total waste of time. There was nothing of redeeming value in this book. No real history, no moral lesson, simply a story of selfish riches and "fornication". Not worth you time nor money
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