Seven Deadly Sins (novel series)
Seven Deadly Sins is a fantasy novel series written by various authors under the pseudonym Victoria Holt. The series, published in the 1980s, each explores one of the traditional seven deadly sins as a central theme or motivation within the narrative. While the books are presented as a series, each novel is a standalone story with different characters and settings, loosely connected by the overarching concept of the sins.
The seven novels in the Seven Deadly Sins series are:
- Pride
- Envy
- Lust
- Wrath
- Greed
- Sloth
- Gluttony
Although attributed to Victoria Holt, the Seven Deadly Sins series was ghostwritten by several different authors. Victoria Holt was a well-established pen name of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, a prolific British author who also wrote under the names Philippa Carr and Jean Plaidy, primarily in the genres of historical romance and gothic romance. However, due to the sheer volume of books published under these various names, a stable of ghostwriters was often employed.
The books in the Seven Deadly Sins series are generally considered gothic romance novels, featuring elements of suspense, mystery, and dramatic relationships. The narratives often center on female protagonists navigating complex social situations and facing moral dilemmas related to the specific sin being explored in that novel. The settings vary widely, ranging from historical European locales to more contemporary (for the time of publication) environments. The series enjoyed moderate popularity, capitalizing on the established Victoria Holt brand and the thematic hook of the seven deadly sins.