Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, your past catches up with you. That's what has happened to forensic nurse Chastity O'Connor. Living in St. Louis in a happy although lonely existence with her cat, Chastity has created a life that's both fulfilling and the polar opposite from the horror of abuse from her childhood. She thinks she's insulated herself from the past until her estranged sister, Faith, goes missing mysteriously in New Orleans. Max Stanton, her brother-in-law, calls Chastity imploring her to come to New Orleans and help find Faith.

Chastity hasn't had contact with Faith in 20 years, since Faith left home abruptly with their mother. When Chastity was 16, she accused her father of sexually abusing both she and her younger sister, Hope, and he was subsequently convicted. Faith refused to believe the abuse occurred. Not able to deal with recalling the abuse, Hope tragically committed suicide. Chastity was left alone to survive the trauma and rebuild her life.

Reluctantly, Chastity agrees to come to New Orleans and assist with searching for Faith. She learns that Faith has been working closely with two fertility clinics over the past couple of years. Although Faith is childless herself, she has this internal drive to help other couples, or so her husband Max informs Chastity. All suspicions point to something with the fertility clinics, as people who interact with Chastity and have ties to the fertility clinics are horribly murdered. Chastity, however, is not sure all is what it seems and has qualms about what exactly is going on and what has happened to her sister.

Interwoven in the story is the tension of an impending hurricane barreling down on New Orleans. Chastity is hell- bent to solve the mystery of her sister's disappearance and hightail it out of New Orleans before the hurricane hits. Will she make it in time?

SINNERS AND SAINTS is a riveting story that weaves lies and intrigue so tightly that you feel the tension as it builds. Dreyer provides such a rich backdrop for this story with the New Orleans setting. The characters, sights and sounds of the Big Easy melt beautifully throughout the story and sometimes become characters in their own right. The build- up of the hurricane and the underlying reasons why Chastity has such urgency and fear about the impending storm add to the tension of the story. If you enjoy rich settings for novels or stories with twists and turns, SINNERS AND SAINTS is the book for you.