The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns - Review

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns
by Elizabeth Leiknes
Bancroft Press, 2009

[reviewed by Patricia]

It all started very innocently. Lucy's sister Emily was badly hurt in an accident. She became comatose and recovery looked unlikely. So Lucy wrote a pleading letter To Whom It May Concern, placed in a secret mailbox (where she and Emily also placed their Dear Santa letters). To everyone's delight Emily miraculously recovered, and Lucy had a reply to her secret letter. "Dear Lucy, Happy Birthday! I'll be in touch", and that's how it began.

Years later Lucy is in the employ of the Devil. She works as His facilitator on earth. Whenever some evil soul is ready for their last journey, Lucy lures him (or her) to the fiery basement of her house which happens to be an entrance to hell. I picture our heroine as a metaphysical Dexter.

Her job offers several perks. She is gorgeous and ageless. She can easily afford designer clothes, and will always fit into small sizes since large quantities of tempting foods will never cause a weight gain. Still she hates her job! The down side means no contact with her family, no chance of ever having a husband and children, she's not even allowed a regular boyfriend. She wants out, a seeming impossibility until someone tells her about the loophole. That's when things really get difficult.

Lucy's often comic travails are hilariously told by author Elizabeth Leiknes who, dare I say, has a wicked sense of humor. Many times I found myself laughing out loud. Like the time the pressures of the job got so severe that, at her own party, Lucy drinks one too many martinis, desperately seeks the bathroom, pees in the coat closet instead, passes out, and wakes up to see the face of an extraordinarily attractive man. I hope you get the idea. The author writes the scene so much better than I can describe it.

Despite working for Him, Lucy is an endearing character with a lot of love in her heart. You want everything to turn out right for her. This is a short book that can be easily read in a day and is guaranteed to lighten your spirits.