This was a dark, gritty murder mystery with a likeable and determined lead. The story was compelling and action packed. I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first in this series, The Fields featuring Riley Fisher, and this follow up did not disappoint. I loved Fisher's transition into an FBI agent, and the attendant self doubt she experiences as she tries to fit into her new role. She's such a well drawn character all round, and hugely empathetic, due not only to her background but also for her very human foibles, interspersed with moments of real integrity and intelligence which she very much tends to shield from others as she has wavering self confidence. The plotting is assured and and Young injects some lovely changes of pace to keep the reader immersed in this very credible storyline. A little drawn out towards the end of the book, but aside from that an excellent read.

Riley Fisher was once a small town cop, but now she’s in the big leagues as an agent of the FBI. She’s back Iowa and on the hunt for the serial attacker called the Sin Eater.
At the same time she is on protective duty guarding the state governor who has had death threats.
Also partnered with an agent she is not sure is trustworthy, Fisher is up against it.
When things start to unravel, Riley starts to see connections between the threats to the governor and the hunt for the elusive Sin Eater. This is the ultimate test for Fisher in the bleak winter Midwest, can she prevail or will she be too late?
This is the second book in this series and the best one so far.
The book flies out the traps and doesn’t stop until its jaw dropping finale.
Erin Young has written a great story, with a character that has the ability to grow.
I personally thought this book was great and highly recommend it.

Original Sins by Erin Young is the second book in the Riley Fisher series.
In short, Riley Fisher’s first assignment as an FBI agent is to investigate a death threat against newly elected female state governor and soon discovers the disturbing connection to an historic serial attacker known as the Sin Eater who started the brutal attacks back in the early 90’s. As the investigation unravels Riley’s fears about the job shifts. She was no longer worried about whether she could succeed in Des Moines, but whether or not she wanted to.
Original Sins is another action packed thriller with a wealth of surprises along the way. It’s chillingly believable because the characters are so brilliantly drawn…it’s a compulsive read which had me turning the pages way into the night.
Big thanks to Erin Young, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

A well written thriller with the lead character Riley a very likeable and interesting person. Some background we learned about but as this is Erin Young’s second book I imagine more can be found in her debut.

This is book 2 in the Riley Fisher series. I have not read book 1 but I will do after finishing Original Sins. I think you can read this novel without having read the first book.

We meet new FBI agent Riley Fisher and she is a very strong and likeable character. She is on her first case and it is the horrible stalker known as Sin Eater, he stalks and attacks women and its quite grim.

Riley is thrust into the case and along with various other issues she has in the background she tries her best to solve the case of the Sin Eater.

Erin Young's writing style for me was easy to read and understand and made for a really good and twisty read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed me from the start and I was drawn in by the well written characters, especially Riley. I’ve subsequently discovered that this is book 2 of the Riley detective series, so I’m going to get book 1 now. The dramatic tension ratchets up and there were places 2hen I literally couldn’t put the book down until those moments had passed. Erin Young is going on my authors to watch list.

This was a fantastic read that I really enjoyed. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book in the series and knew more about Riley but I didn’t realise there’d been one. The writing style was excellent and the tension was built throughout. Atmospheric and tense – just my cup of tea! I have to find the first book now. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this early copy.

This is an interesting and very dark read. In an attempt to leave behind a difficult family situation, Riley Fisher has begun her assignment as an FBI agent based in Des Moines, Iowa. But she hasn't bargained for the hostile situation she is about to encounter in her new job...

In the grip of an icy winter, Des Moines is also in the grip of fear, as a serial killer nicknamed The Sin Eater appears to be stalking women in the city. Meanwhile, Riley is also investigating an apparent threat to the newly elected State Governor, Jess Cook. Is there a connection between these twin threats to women's wellbeing?

The novel covers a range of contemporary issues - from political intrigue and corruption, to deep seated misogyny, sexual violence and the daily threats faced by women (illustrated globally by the necessity of their many-faceted attempts to stay safe). This is a gripping story.

Set in Des Moines, a harsh and unwelcoming environment in more ways than one, Riley Fisher is assigned to her first case as an FBI agent. Brutal murders are happening to women and people are frightened. There are echoes of previous deaths and the media go into overdrive with speculation about the possible return of the ‘Sin Eater’ . Erin Young has written a suspenseful original thriller that despite the topic remains grounded. For those who enjoy crime thriller is an original setting, Original Sin will not disappoint.

I have very quickly become a fan of Erin Young's Riley Fisher books. The Fields was a dark and brooding thriller that kept me rapt. The setting for Original Sins may have changed - Riler starting out on a brand new career with the FBI in the city - but the book has lost none of the tension or darkness I was expecting. If anything, it's opened up the realms of the possible a little as in a city, even one as relatively small as Des Moines, Iowa, there is a greater capacity for violence, corruption and, as Riley is set to find out, danger.

I really like Riley Fisher as a character. She has her share of problems, and a very challenging family situation which she has deliberately tried to leave behind her with the move to the city. What she hasn't been able to leave behind is danger which has an alarming ability to find her. Tasked alongside a new, and very reluctant colleague, to investigate a threat against the state Governor, Jess Cook, it doesn't take long for Riley to make a possible link between the threat and spate of attacks against women across the city by a vicious character named by the media as the Sin Eater. Being the newbie, Riley has a real battle on her hands to be taken seriously, in part because of the way in which she found herself attached to the Des Moines office. But the author has infused her with an addictive determination and tenacity, as well as a fabulous ability to hold her own in some very sticky situations. She's not superhuman, and her gender is very much against her given the circumstances, but Erin young balances the divide between being the 'weaker' sex and her natural instincts well keeping it all very plausible.

There is a really dark undertone to this book. I don;t think it felt quite as stark as The Fields did at times, but there is an underlying sense of threat that runs from the start of this book. The author has taken the very risk danger that women are in on a daily basis, that feeling of unease and sense of jeopardy that comes from being a female alone at night for example and amplified it in a way which feels tragically authentic. It also takes the idea of an Incel style movement and amplifies it tenfold. As readers, we are more aware of the who and the scale of the challenge the FBI and local police face in catching the Sin Eater, and it makes for scary reading at times. There are some moments in the book where the pace and threat really picks up and I could feel myself actually reading faster, desperate to know how it all played out. And with some skillful misdirection and characters who are often quick to dismiss the threats as Riley's overactive imagination, it really did keep me gripped to the very last page.

It's a brilliant blend of action, intrigue, threat and carefully sculpted character that have made this an definite all the shinies read for me. I blasted through it, quickly reminded of what a compelling storyteller Erin Young is, and how much I like Riley Fisher. If you haven't picked up The Fields yet, I'd recommend you start there as although this is a self contained story, you'll understand Riley and her family situation so much better if you go on the, sometimes traumatic, always addictive, journey with her from the start.

Riley Fisher starts her first day at the FBI with a high profile assignment - investigating a threat against the first female governor. In tandem, she is investigating a brutal attack on a young woman that mirrors previous crimes committed before by a person dubbed The Sin Eater.

I really enjoyed this book and found the plot to be really interesting and gripping. The book heavily touches on the struggles that women face, particularly in a ‘man’s world’ (I’ve put quotes around that because it’s ridiculous that people hold that view). I liked Riley and thought she was brilliant and relatable. Her dogged determination of these men has you rooting to bring the b****rds down.

This was the first book I read from this author and about Riley as I haven’t read the previous book. Would highly recommend and can’t wait for more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC. In exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The second outing for Riley Fisher was a really enjoyable novel. I enjoyed The Fields but I think I actually enjoyed this one even more.

We meet Riley Fisher as a new FBI Agent who has been tasked with investigating a threat made against a female governor. At the same time, the Sin Eater serial killer is also haunting the city and when Riley finds what might be a link between the two cases, the danger (and excitement) soon ramps up.

As I say, this was really enjoyable. I like Riley as a character but I think there is so much to develop over the course of this series (which I hope continues) and I am looking forward to seeing where this character goes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Enjoyable police/crime novel based in Des Moines. A series of brutal attacks in women cause a community to believe a criminal still at large, named ‘the Sin Eater’ is back in town. However the MO does not quite match and the lead protagonist, FBI ‘rookie’ Riley, is pulled in deeper in an attempt to find out what is going on. Tension ramps up as the state senator is kidnapped on Riley’s watch. A chance discovery whilst refilling her coffee, points Riley in the direction of the villain, who is hiding in plain sight. Game over.

I was left wanting to know more about Riley herself. We hear plenty about her family & her background, but not so much about what makes her tick. Not sure if this knowledge gap means I will want to read the next book or if I just didn’t have enough to really care about the character.

Thank you to Netgallery for my ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Original Sins, the second novel to feature Riley Fisher, now an FBI agent in Des Moines, Iowa.

Riley is partnered with an agent she doesn’t think she can trust to investigate a serious threat against the governor and her family. Trying to prove herself and being sidelined at every turn Riley goes over every clue and thinks she has found a link to the hunt for the so called Sin Eater, a man who brutally attacked women in the 1990s and has recently resurfaced.

I enjoyed Original Sins, which went places I didn’t expect and has a most unexpected plot. I can’t say that it gripped me or held my attention entirely, that may be due to me having too much on and being unable to relax into the read, but equally it may be because the point of view keeps changing.

To be fair, once it gets going the novel only switches between Riley and a witness to the bad guy’s doings. The author does a tremendous job of building both narratives side by side and complementarily. It raises the tension considerably and presents a parallel view of some disturbing, but topical events. With this presentation of both sides the novel is a gradual buildup of information and background, but not all is revealed and the author saves her big twists and the majority of the action for the later chapters.

I like Riley Fisher. She’s not overly sure of herself and that’s an understatement, when the reality is that she’s a one woman crime demolition crew, able to solve anything put in front of her in slow, methodical steps and bursts of inspiration. There seems to be more spring in her step by the end of the novel, so I’ll be interested to see what she does next.

Original Sins is a good read that I can recommend.

I really enjoyed Erin Young’s debut The Fields, it was such an excellent read and so I was really looking forward to this new Riley Fisher book and it didn’t disappoint. As with the first book there is such a good sense of place, with Riley now working for the FBI in a field office is winter Des Moines.
Here she is still battling with her own demons but is also on the hunt for a serial killer known the Sin Eater. The story unfolds slowly building up a sense of menace with Riley unsure who she can trust and if she can even trust her own instincts. The turns the narrative takes ratchet up the tension making this a clever and engrossing page turner.

I love Erin Young’s thrillers and this was no exception. I was glad to read one set in a unique place like Iowa City, and it was as pacy and menacing as her previous work. Thank you for the early copy!

Absolutely loved this book!!

I´m off to find "The Fields", the author´s first novel.

Totally engrossing. Fantastic read!

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Such a perfectly written thriller! It was relevant and modern which I loved. There were twists and turns and the tension was built up beautifully throughout. I liked the characters and that they felt well written and well rounded with depth and personality and the writing style was engaging and just flowed perfectly

Gritty thriller with plenty of twists. Strong characters and a topical storyline help make this a good read.