Title: Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
Author: Beth McMullen
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: July 12, 2011
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1401324216
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

From the Publisher:

After falling in love and making a quick exit from her nine-year career in the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction), ex-spy Sally Sin does her best to become Lucy Hamilton, a stay-at-home mom in San Francisco. No one, not even her adoring husband Will, knows about her secret agent escapades—chasing no-good masterminds through perilous jungles, escaping evil assassins, and playing dangerous games of cat and mouse with her old nemesis, Ian Blackford, a notorious and dashing illegal arms dealer.

In her new life as Lucy Hamilton, she squeezes inside forts crafted from couch cushions by her three-year-old son Theo, makes organic applesauce, and frequents the zoo. But sometimes her well-honed spy reflexes refuse to lay low. She can’t help breaking into her own house to check on the babysitter or stop herself from tossing the yoga instructor who gets on her nerves. And when Ian Blackford, who is supposed to be dead, once again starts causing trouble for the USAWMD, the agency becomes desperate to get Sally back on the job.

How can Sally or Lucy or whatever her name is save the planet while at the same time keeping her own family’s world from spinning out of control?

My Review:

Original Sin by Beth McMullen is a charmingly witty and funny thriller about a spy turned at-home mom who is called back to duty.  Known as Sally Sin in her former spy role working for the US Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction, Lucy Hamilton is mother to 3-year-old Theo and wife of Will Hamilton and the three enjoy their calm and relatively uneventful lives.  McMullen brings a great sense of humor to the spy-thriller genre in her portrayal of Lucy as she experiences the real life of motherhood, organizing get-togethers with other moms and their children, cooking, cleaning and even going to yoga classes.  Moms will appreciate the true-to-life experiences that this trained killer has to deal with.  Continuing with a great sense of wit, McMullen brings readers into the spy world when Lucy is called back to duty by her boss, Simon.  Packed with action, this thriller has characters that are not invincible nor are they flawless, making the storyline more realistic.  In an effort to not reveal any of the major plot twists, I will end by saying this debut novel leaves enough loose ends to prepare readers for a second installment from Sally Sin.  To mystery thriller fans and those uncertain about the genre, I recommend trying  McMullen’s  Original Sin as it brings together a hilarious character in Sally Sin with exciting and thrilling adventures in the secret world of intelligence.

To learn more about author Beth McMullen please visit her website.

I received an arc of Original Sin by Beth McMullen from Hyperion to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.