Customer Reviews:
 A rollercoaster-ride thriller with a flawed but fascinating protagonist June 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"To Dream...To Dare...To Win...." are the words inscribed in Latin on the gold medallion that Vito Nunziato finds as a teenager. Vito nearly drowns the day he discovers the medallion while snorkeling at the bottom of the sea off the Isola di Levanzo, across the Mediterranean Sea from Marsala. According to legend, the medallion was once owned by King Midas, and later by Julius Caesar.
Since the day of Vito's discovery, the mysterious medallion and the chain holding it have been his most prized possession. And each time he tells his young son Michele the story of how he found the medallion, Vito makes Michele promise that no matter what happens, he will never part with it until Michele can pass it on to his own son.
One sunny Sicilian day in 1975, Michele sneaks the medallion from his father's hiding place and plays with it in the barn while waiting for his mother to prepare lunch. But his childhood innocence comes crashing down that afternoon. In a hail of gunfire, he huddles in the barn in horror as his family and their farmhands are murdered. Cowering in a haystack, Michele clutches his father's prized medallion and prays that his own life will be spared.
Orphaned and afraid, Michele is raised by Don Luciano Scaglione, a powerful and rich Mafia boss. Growing up, Michele's most cherished possession is the medallion, which he wears around his neck as a reminder of his past --- and protection against harm. The words on the medallion propel him to excel academically and achieve great financial success, while dreaming of moving to America --- a country where he believes anything is possible.
After a bitter parting of ways with Don Scaglione as a result of a sour business deal, Michele arrives in America, determined to escape his painful past. With the assistance of corporate attorney Naomi Burns, he reinvents himself, changes his name to Michael Tiranno (the Tyrant) and settles in Las Vegas, Nevada. In Sin City, his grand vision of financing and constructing the elegant and luxurious Seven Sins Casino and Resort eclipses the glitz and glamour of other casinos on the Strip.
But all is not well in Sin City. Like Julius Caesar, Michael is an ambitious man --- and ambition is a grievous fault. In his rise to wealth, power and fame, he has made many ruthless and determined enemies. He also has endeared himself to loyal friends, most notably his strong-arm, killing-machine bodyguard, Alexander.
When simultaneous terrorist attacks explode across the desert landscape --- destroying several Las Vegas casinos and damaging The Seven Sins --- tourists, gamblers and high-rollers flee for safety. With the city's future in danger and his personal fortune at risk of ruin, Michael is convinced that the attack on the casino is personal.
Determined to discover the identity of the mastermind planning and bankrolling the attacks, Michael circles the globe --- and he returns to his humble beginnings in Sicily. In his quest for the truth, he uncovers secrets, conspiracies and vendettas.
In THE SEVEN SINS, acclaimed author Jon Land has created a rollercoaster-ride thriller with a flawed yet fascinating protagonist in Michael Tiranno, whose daredevil personality and single-minded ambition thrust him into a high-stakes world of greed, betrayal, revenge and murder. Hell-bent terrorists, cut-throat pirates, murderous vendettas, ancient medallions and blood-thirsty sharks --- in water and on land --- THE SEVEN SINS has it all. Land's gripping novel is a sizzling summer page-turner to devour while sunning on the beach. But while you're reading it, you might not want to think too much about the sharks.
--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt
THE SEVEN SINS is Pure Gold! June 29, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not only is Jon Land a gem of a person, he's a brilliant author as well. Michael Tiranno is a fabulous character who had me hooked from the beginning, and when it comes to scene and setting, nobody does it better than Jon Land. Tiranno's office is amazing. Truly unique. Once you start THE SEVEN SINS, you'll be hard pressed to put it down. Kudos, Mr. Land!
by Andrew Peterson
The Best Character from Vegas since Elvis! June 28, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have now read 24 of the 26 novels written by Jon Land (except for Dolphin Key and Hope Mountain), and I think this is one of his best books ever! It has been a few years since we have seen a new book by Mr. Land. He is one of the few authors whose books I collect in hardback. For most other authors I wait for their paperback versions, but not for a Jon Land novel.
On the cover of "The Seven Sins", Vince Flynn states "The Godfather reinvented for a new generation:. He is dead on with this statement.
Michael Tiranno lives up to this namesake "The Tyrant". I love this character and got involved in his life's story. But as I read along I slowly realized that there was a dark side indeed to Michael. You truly DO NOT WANT to cross the Tyrant. All the reviewers mention his lawyer (Naomi) helping Michael discover clues to unraveling the mystery, but no one mentions another great character, Alexander: Michael's bodyguard. Alexander's character is ONE BIG tough son of a gun. Ruthless, but loyal to Michael. I would love to read a novel featuring Alexander as the main character.
I waited for over 4 years to read another book by Jon Land and I was not disappointed. Welcome back Mr. Land, and I am looking forward to the next story in this series. How can you top this?
 Not Much Depth Here, but a Fun Read Nonetheless June 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Whether you like THE SEVEN SINS depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a story with a complex plot and characterization, you will no doubt be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're looking for a fast-paced story with a lot of action and twists, this one isn't so bad.
The main character of THE SEVEN SINS is a casino mogul in Las Vegas with a secret past involving the mafia. Someone is trying to destroy his business and empire, and he spends most of the novel trying to find out who's behind the nefarious plot. As the story progresses, we learn more about the mogul's life history in a multitude of flashbacks.
THE SEVEN SINS is written like a James Patterson book, in that it resembles a fleshed out screenplay, where each scene gets its own chapter. It's pretty easy to read, and Land keeps most of the book pretty entertaining. Most of the characters border on cartoonish, but they are fun cartoons for the most part, especially the mafia don character who dominates the early scenes of the book.
One thing I really disliked about this book was the sheer number of flashback scenes, which prevent the present-day story from achieving any real momentum. Parts of this book read more like a biography than a story. Land also constantly jumps from character to character, and from time period to time period, which made it difficult for me to get absorbed in the story.
Overall, THE SEVEN SINS is passable entertainment, nothing more. Still, the storytelling is somehwat better than most of James Patterson's recent output, so fans of that author may want to give this one a try.
 The first page killed it for me June 25, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
The book opens:
"The Aegean Sea, 74 B.C.
"'She's out there all right, Captain. Hiding from us.'
"Captain Ali-san Kubivaros returned the spyglass to his eye. . .."
Spyglass? 74 B.C?
I read another fifteen pages or so, but my mind kept returning to the spyglass; the first known practically functioning telescope is credited to the German-Dutch lensmaker Hans Lippershey in 1608.
I knew I'd never finish a book that started out this poorly, so I took it back to the library, thanking my lucky stars that I had not paid out good money for it.
Where oh where are the editors of yesteryear? Where oh where are the authors of yesteryear who would have known better than to create such a foolish anachronism?
This reminds me of another book I reviewed in which the author moved the White House to 1400 Pennsylvation Avenue, NW.
ARGH!!!!
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