Original Sins
Thriller
Flatiron Books
February 13, 2024
In a brilliant and addictive thriller for fans of Tana French and Liz Moore, FBI rookie Riley Fisher must navigate a brutal serial killer as well as a kidnapping plot against the governor
It’s a brutal winter in Des Moines, Iowa, and the city is gripped by fear. A serial attacker known as the Sin Eater is stalking women and has just struck again. It’s a tough time and a tough place for Riley Fisher, a former small-town sergeant, to be reporting for duty as an FBI agent on her first assignment.
Teamed with a man she’s not sure she can trust and struggling to prove herself―while fighting the pull of her old life and family dramas―Riley is tasked with investigating a vicious death threat against the newly elected female state governor. Gradually, she traces a disturbing connection between this case and the hunt for the Sin Eater. Through snow, ice, violence and lies, Riley Fisher is drawn towards a terrifying revelation.
Erin Young follows up her acclaimed crime debut, The Fields, which has drawn comparisons with Mare of Easttown, Silence of the Lambs, and True Detective, with another stunning thriller full of dark menace, surprise and suspense.
Reading Original Sins was an exciting journey of suspense and misdirection.
An avid reader of mystery thrillers will always be looking for clues throughout the story. Any minor detail that seems inconsequential can later be revealed as the pivotal twist that changes everything. In Original Sins, readers will be treading cautiously throughout the various characters, shifting POV’s, and seemingly innocent conversations. Just when you think you know who’s pulling the evil strings, you’re blown away by yet another puppet master.
Original Sins is Erin Young’s second book, and a continuation of Riley’s story. Riley is our main character throughout, but the story does occasionally shift into the POV of main and side characters. I found this to be a little challenging at first, but soon realized this was key to understanding the full plot, and moves the story along very well. I didn’t read Young’s debut Novel “The Fields” but that doesn’t detract too much from this book. There are references to previous moments amongst characters from The Fields, but ultimately Original Sins can be read as a standalone.
Original Sins reaches deeper than just another murder thriller.
Young wrote this story during the pandemic and it mirrors some of what many Americans will remember quite clearly during that time. Civil unrest, masks in public, and a female politician receiving very public threats. I found the parallels between truth and fiction to be a vivid reminder of our not so distant past. It was a little chilling to be honest. Riley’s struggles as a female rookie in the FBI, women trapped in dangerous relationships, misogynistic men in power, it’s all a little non-fiction to a fictional story.
Original Sins by Erin Young keeps you hooked. When Riley solves one piece of the puzzle, another piece gets shifted. It is a thriller that will continue to surprise you as the story builds, and you don’t want to miss out!
*This review contains affiliate links.
Kristin lives in the PNW with her husband, and three kids. She loves to read YA fiction, fantasy, and romance. She enjoys a few side-hustles, including creating bookreels/booktoks for authors. The only shows she watches are re-runs, and if she’s not reading a book, she’s listening to one.
