When I first picked up a copy of Sins & Shadows, I believed the volume to be from a freshman fantasy author; I was, however, only partly correct. In actuality, Lyn Benedict is a pseudonym. The author also writes political intrigue under the name Lane Robins (Kings & Assassins, Maledicts).

Our heroine is Sylvie Lightner, the owner of a private invesigating agency. She's about to close up shop and fire her one employee when Kevin Dunne, the God of Justice, walks into the shop and tells her he wants her to find his lost lover Brandon Wolf or else everyone she loves is going to suffer.

This urban fantasy takes place in a world where the gods of Rome are real and just as capricious as the mythos describes them to be.

There are several flaws in this book that detract from this reviewer's enjoyment. Sins & Shadows reads like the second book in a series. Terms such as Magicus Mundi, ISI (some kind of government agency) and events within the book are mentioned but not explained fully. If you like me are a character reader, this may not be the book for you, as Sylvie herself is more of an antihero than a sympathetic lead and you will probably not bond strongly with her.

The closing leads me to believe this is the first book in a continuing series. The concept is interesting enough for me to consider picking up the second book, but I would probably have to read a chapter or two before I actually made the purchase.