Original Sins (Riley Fisher Book Two) by Erin Young

 

Original Sins (Riley Fisher Book Two) by Erin Young.

Published 7th March 2024 by Hodder and Stoughton.

From the cover of the book:

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 and suspense.

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Riley Fisher, small town sergeant transformed into rookie FBI agent, leaves home and family behind to relocate in Des Moines, Iowa, for her first posting. With no time to settle, she is thrown head first into two tough investigations, alongside a partner she neither knows, nor trusts.

A serial attacker, known as the Sin Eater, has resurfaced and recommenced his reign of terror stalking women on the wintry streets of Des Moines. His crimes bear the hallmarks of a deep hatred of women and religious fundamentalist views, but so far his identity remains elusive, despite the 'snake' tag he leaves behind. Meanwhile, the state's newly elected female governor has received a chilling death threat, and is living in fear that someone will harm her family, while she tries to push through her plans to help even the playing field for Iowa's women.

As Riley battles her own demons, she hunts down clues in both cases, and gradually uncovers a connection between them. Secrets, lies, and violence pave the way to what motivates the guilty - but not even Riley can imagine quite how dark their designs really are, or how far they spread.

In an absolutely cracking thriller that deliciously channels True Detective by way of The Silence of the Lambs, Erin Young knocks the ball out of the addictive novel park in Original Sins, the follow-up to her acclaimed debut The Fields.

Riley Fisher is a great protagonist to get your teeth into: strong and vulnerable in just the right measure, Young plays nicely on the past that haunts her to build in all the little emotional tugs you need to tie your colours firmly to her cause. Her desperation to prove herself drives her through all the beautifully crafted twists and turns in a thriller that thrums with everything I love about a page-turning cop story, while also incorporating a veritable feast of timely themes.

Brutal violence against women lies at the heart of the plot, but Young also touches on so much more about women's rights at home and in the workplace; family ties; the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic; and false promises that fan the flames of male disaffection into hatred and fear. And there is a lovely thread about fatherhood that runs through the book. So much of this novel rings disturbingly true, and Young uses this to blend authenticity into her gritty, atmospheric plot. Superb!

I consumed this book, totally absorbed from cover to cover. It is one of the best thrillers I have read in ages, and I cannot wait for the next one! 

Original Sins is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Erin Young’s debut thriller, THE FIELDS, was inspired by an article about the menacing power of Big Agriculture. A decision to set the novel in Iowa, corn-capital of the world, led her to make a fascinating journey across the state, from chance encounters with cops and farmers to an audience with a local mayor, shooting Glocks and getting caught in supercell storms, from the state capitol to the state fair. Having grown up in a fishing village in Devon, she is drawn to the claustrophobic dramas of rural small-towns and the secrets they hide.

Erin Young is the pseudonym of acclaimed historical novelist, Robyn Young, author of eight internationally bestselling novels. She has been published in 19 languages in 22 countries, selling two million books worldwide. THE FIELDS is her first contemporary thriller. She lives and writes in Brighton, England.