Members, remember to participate in our free book programs by Saturday!

What do readers think of Original Sin by Beth Mcmullen? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Original Sin by Beth Mcmullen

Original Sin

A Sally Sin Adventure

by Beth Mcmullen

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Jul 2011, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 6 of 7
There are currently 50 reader reviews for Original Sin
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Denice B. (Fort Bragg, CA)

Not Original
The promising premise just didn't deliver. "Original Sin" (same title as a P. D. James mystery) was a bit witty, but mostly it was tedious. The perils recounted in hindsight by the main character were repetitive and didn't lead me anywhere. I was hoping for a more strongly portrayed connection between Mother/ex-spy and toddler, who seemed kind of annoying and one-dimensional.
Diane D. (Cape Elizabeth, ME)

Sally Sin.....Suburban Spy!
Although it was a little slow in the beginning, this Sally Sin mystery is a fun frolic through Chick Lit adventure! It's got the everyday Suburban wife/mother involved in intrigue & espionage! There's plot twists & several loose ends that will tempt the reader to come back for more.
Anne M. (Austin, TX)

Please let it be the ONLY sin ...
This wasn't even all that exciting a "suspense" novel: I felt as though I knew what was coming every time I turned the page. The character of "Sally Sin," aka Lucy Hamilton, is fairly well-drawn, but I just couldn't really make myself care what happened to her by the end of the book.
Andrienne G. (Azusa, CA)

okay debut, needs more oomph
Finally finished the book. It started out with a lot of promise, but somewhere near the middle, the book was trying to figure out what genre it fell under. At times, it felt like a really good chick lit, and other times, it felt like a tepid book about something else. I was drawn to the character of a stay-at-home-mom ex-spy, but the story was flimsy at best. It didn't hold my interest long and I'm a fan of adventure spy stories and chick lit, alas, the book wasn't able to blend the two well.
Anna S. (Auburn, AL)

Once a spy . . .
Lucy Hamilton, a suburban stay-at-home mom who wants to stay that way, was once a spy called Sally Sin. Unfortunately for her, her former agency needs her help to lure her old nemesis out, and they won't take "No" for an answer. This very funny novel has all the earmarks of the first of a series, and I look forward to the next installment of the adventures of Sally Sin.
Carolyn S. (Decatur, GA)

Original Sin
This story about the life of a former spy is humorous and engaging, but at times the story is not fleshed out enough to suspend belief.
Joyce S. (Tyrone, GA)

Cosy/Thriller/Comedy
Getting into this book was a little difficult for me. Lucy Hamilton seemed a flippant and totally self absorbed stay-at-home mom of a 3 yr old telling a 1st person story that was a bit boring. As insights into her past life unfold she becomes a bit more interesting. The development of her back-story through jumps to tales from the past was not especially smooth and sometimes a bit confusing. Eventually the past and present start intersecting and things move more quickly. By the end of the book I liked her a lot but found myself feeling that too many of the things that happened seemed a little too unbelievable to make me take her and her story seriously.
Linda Z. (Corydon, IN)

Original Sin
I had a hard time getting into this book and understanding where the author was going with the plot. It did not make a lot of sense to me. She had some clever jabs at the spy organizations but her main focus was not realistic. I would assume there is going to be a sequel but I think I shall pass on it.

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket: Everything We Never Had
    Everything We Never Had
    by Randy Ribay
    Francisco Maghabol has recently arrived in California from the Philippines, eager to earn money to ...
  • Book Jacket: The Demon of Unrest
    The Demon of Unrest
    by Erik Larson
    In the aftermath of the 1860 presidential election, the divided United States began to collapse as ...
  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Who Said...

Children are not the people of tomorrow, but people today.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.