Original Sins - by Erin Young

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"A nimble, assured thriller." --The New York Times

"Young transforms a seemingly rote procedural into a high-octane, ardently feminist thriller with surprising narrative layers and a nightmare-worthy villain. Karin Slaughter fans, take note." --Publishers Weekly

"A meticulously plotted police procedural that absolutely has it all: an icy setting in rural Iowa, a timely political backdrop... and one of the most chilling villains I've read in recent history. This book is perfect for fans of Tana French." --Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark

"Intricate plotting, breakneck pacing--and, in FBI agent Riley Fisher, a compelling heroine you'll not soon forget." --Wendy Walker, author of What Remains

"This book will chill you to the bone. So atmospheric I feel like I've actually been to Des Moines. A complex, tense, dark thriller with a cop to root for and a killer to fear. So good!" --Araminta Hall, author of One of the Good Guys

"Bold, gritty and deeply immersive, the compelling plotline, richly drawn characters and authentic sense of place wrapped up in taut heartfelt prose, drew me in and had me racing through the pages well into the night. A stunning and hugely suspenseful follow up to The Fields." --A. A. Chaudhuri, author of The Final Party

"The Fields was an assured and thought provoking debut, but with Original Sins Erin Young takes the authenticity and pacing of her story telling to a new level. This book is both meticulously researched and enthralling." --Anthony Riches, author of Nemesis

"Original Sins is compelling from the first page to the last, dealing with important and challenging issues through a propulsive, edge-of-the-seat narrative. A brilliant thriller, and Young's superb writing on every page, along with her engaging cast of characters, lifts the novel into a class of its own." --Marina Palmer, author of The Russian Doll

"A proper cinematic thriller!" --Tariq Ashkanani, author of Follow Me to the Edge

"Incredible. A chilling, terrifyingly plausible and white-knuckle of a thriller. Erin Young's masterful writing makes you not only feel you've been airdropped into Des Moines but that the horrors that unfold are happening around you." --Graham Bartlett, author of City on Fire

"A totally fresh take on the FBI procedural, Original Sins is beautifully written and utterly absorbing--an absolute must-read." --Kevin Wignall, author of A Death in Sweden

"An intoxicating, atmospheric and tense thriller that compels you from the first page." --Nadine Matheson, author of The Jigsaw Man

"Horrifyingly compelling, ingeniously twisted, each character, every plot turn meticulously crafted. Forensic knowledge of middle America and pitch perfect detail. Brilliant." --Sarah Sultoon, author of Death Flight

"Riveting, sophisticated and nail-bitingly tense, Original Sins is hands down the best procedural I've read in years. Erin Young has talent to burn." --Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place

"Dark, menacingly atmospheric and characters that vibrate off the page. At times poetic, I loved Original Sins. Riley Fisher just might be my favorite ever detective!" --Rachel Wolf, author of Five Nights

"This fast-paced feminist thriller marks a series hitting its stride; pair it with Joanna Schaffhausen's Annalisa Vega procedurals." --Booklist

"Riley Fisher's resilience and tenacity as she's thrown curveball after curveball--in both the case and her personal life--will have readers rooting for her as she puts the pieces of the mystery together." --Kirkus

About the Author