Original Sins

Young’s terrifying second Riley Fisher novel (after The Fields) finds the former Des Moines, Iowa, police sergeant working as a freshly minted FBI agent when unsettling news breaks. In the 1990s, a Book of Genesis–quoting criminal dubbed the Sin Eater brutally assaulted at least 18 Iowa women before vanishing. Evidence from a series of recent assaults in the state suggests he’s returned, and that his criminal ambitions are growing more violent. After the governor of Iowa receives an anonymous and virulently misogynistic letter decorated with the Sin Eater’s signature serpent markings, the FBI and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations create a Sin Eater task force to which Riley is assigned. Pressured to succeed for the sake of both public safety and her fledgling career, Riley can’t shake the feeling that one of her new colleagues on the task force has ulterior motives for signing up. As the investigation unfolds, 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. Agent: Daniel Conaway, Writers House. (Feb.)