return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
Follow Us: 
    Reader reviews of Original Sin

Read what people think about Original Sin by Beth Mcmullen, and write your own review.

Original Sin

Original Sin
A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
Published in USA Jul 2011,
304 pages.

Publication information




Critics' Opinion: 
Readers' Rating: 
About BookBrowse Rankings
Share: 
Buy This Book
Page 1 of 9 There are currently 50 reviews
for Original Sin
Select your view:
Order Reviews by:
Click Here To Write Your Own Review
Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Sherry H. (Naperville, Illinois)
"Wanna Get Away?"
It took a little while to get into, but once I did it was fun. Good book for the summer or at the beach. Not so much if you're looking for an involved discussion at book club.

Good main character and humorous predicaments. Think Jennifer Cruise meets Janet Evonavich!

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by 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.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Sally G. (Saint Johns, FL)
Original Sin
Beth McMullen is a California resident and that is all I can tell you or….shoot you.
This is her debut novel about Lucy Hamilton; spy, stay-at-home Mom to Theo, and wife to Will a tree hugger.
We meet Lucy crawling around her backyard looking for something or someone her intuition has alerted her senses. We learn that her paranoia is because she had been a spy by the name of Sally Sin.
This fell a little short on the comic side for me and I was not thrilled by the flashbacks, as they seemed a little contrived and not flowing. It is a good story and has well described characters especially Ian Blackford her former handler. I think future novels will be better.
This is reminiscent of Jane Doe on Hallmark Mysteries.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Karen L. (Antelope, CA)
Great debut novel
Original Sin is a clever riff on the espionage novel, with a unique voice, swift pace, great characters and a plot that seems fresh for such a well-plowed genre. While the book's book jacket description seems quite tongue-in-cheek, the fact is that this is a serious spy-turned-Mom story, punctuated by a good spy/bad spy clash at the Point Bonita lighthouse involving her 3 year old son. The author effectively weaves the past and present into a story that pushes the reader to suspend disbelief about how a spy could try to become a regular person. I found the book hard to put down once the story kicked into high gear.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Carol N. (San Jose, CA)
Sinfully Delightful
Remember the 1980’s television show, “The Scarecrow and Mrs. King” starring Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner? If so, then this author’s first book will be familiar. Imagine your neighbor is Sally Sin aka Lucy Hamilton living in San Francisco with her handsome husband and 3 year old child. And unbeknown to your husband she has a “past” . . . one filled with escapades involving international situations in foreign countries and an ex-agent bad-guy nemesis that reappears to interrupt her “new” life. This book is fast paced, highly enjoyable and a fun read especially on a weekend of being “snowed-in”. Since the mystery of Sally’s parentage still persists along with how will her husband handled the situation (does he or doesn’t he know), I feel there may be another book in this “sinful” series.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Gayle M. (Billerica, MA)
Surprisingly good read
When I started reading this book I thought I was in for fluffy chick lit about a woman trying to balance motherhood with being an international superspy. Instead I read a book with a lot more heart about a woman struggling to keep the various areas of her life on track. Yes, the book does have international espionage, but Sally Sin was no super spy. She got the job done, more or less. Then she met Will, got married and had a son, whom she adores. Now her main focus is on being the best mom she can be. Of course, her old life comes back to haunt her. This is where the book begins.
The story is well told and surprisingly believable. The characters are likable and three dimensional. The plot moves along at a nice clip. And you are satisfied at the end of the book. What else can you ask for from a book? Overall a fun read.
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   next »

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  Jun 19 
  •  Jun 17 
  •  Jun 15 
If You Find Me
Emily Murdoch

If You Find Me Jacket

There are some things you can't leave behind…
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah Jacket

Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Karen Joy Fowler

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Jacket

The story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.
The Expats by Chris Pavone
   Most Recent Blog Entries
Top Ten Guidelines For How to Behave in a Book Club
Movies Based on Books: Summer 2013 (May - August)
Jewish Themed Young Adult Books, Not About The Holocaust
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
Recent Reader Reviews
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story... read more
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner
From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years... read more
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
1. Coraline
Neil Gaiman
2. Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
3. The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
4. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
5. Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Katherine Boo
More...
Book Club Recommendations
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple
Paperback (Apr/13)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
by Rachel Joyce
Paperback (Mar/13)
The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards
by Kristopher Jansma
Hardback (Mar/13)
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
by Mohsin Hamid
Hardback (Mar/13)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
Crime of Privilege
by Walter Walker
Four Stars            (Jun/13)
Her Last Breath
by Linda Castillo
4.5 Stars            (Jun/13)
Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani
4.5 Stars            (Jun/13)
More...
  Latest BookBrowse News
Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate (Jun 12 2013)
Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: We've been discussing guidelines for book club etiquette. Which of these do you think are important?
Read the book
Listen thoughtfully to all members
Take notes while you're reading
Stay on topic when you're speaking
Enjoy yourself
Don’t get drunk
Bring chocolate, everyone likes chocolate!
Eat before you come so you don’t devour the snacks
Compliment others sincerely
Have a good sense of humor
Don’t fret the small stuff
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters

Online Book Club
More about
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
You Only Get Letters From Jail


one of the finest and truest collections of 'American' short stories I have ever read

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"T M T C, T M T Stay T S"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Carol Rifka Brunt
Kent Wascom
Jennifer McVeigh
Elizabeth Becker
frame bottom
HOME Book Submissions | Advertising | Library Subscriptions | Reviewing for BookBrowse | Contact Us