The Bottom Line: An electrifying, character-driven political thriller that will have readers hooked from the very first chapter.
A Noble Sin begins as FBI agent Emma Noble finds herself trapped in a suffocating North Carolina traffic jam. Her eyes are drawn to a sobbing child in a nearby car. With the summer heat pressing down and sirens wailing in the distance, Emma’s sixth sense kicks as she spots bruises on the young girl’s arm and a driver who seems off. Her attempt to investigate quickly devolves into a violent confrontation with the driver, who, as we soon learn, has abducted his girlfriend’s child.
Having established Emma’s instinctual and physical prowess, author Andrew Bridgeman soon introduces a string of related murders. The first is a software engineer from Chula Vista whose roommate is missing. Soon, another coder is found dead, and subsequently, a banker is killed as well. An obvious early connection between the victims is that the killings appear to have been carried out by a professional experienced in precision executions.
Bridgeman wastes little time in making Emma’s story as personal as possible. The bombshell comes as Emma’s father, a CIA operative named Sam, becomes the primary suspect. The killer was seen fleeing the scene in a black truck registered to him. What’s more, his credit cards haven’t been used, and he has disabled his cellphone. All signs point to Sam being on the run.
As a storyteller, Bridgeman’s greatest strength lies in weaving a character-driven narrative within a thriller framework. In Emma, he has created an investigator with finely-tuned instincts. Her ability to connect disparate threads is a key reason she’s so respected in the bureau, and her elevated status makes it all the more suspenseful when – even after uncovering uncomfortable, long-buried secrets about her father – she can’t help but try to protect him.
Partner Roshelle Hess proves to be a well-drawn partner and bestie for Emma. Whereas Emma often relies on her gut, Roshelle balances her with psychological insights. Among the book’s best scenes are those when Roshelle, a classic profiler, challenges Emma’s emotional attachments to the case. Elsewhere, Bridgeman showcases his ability to create a compelling master manipulator whose targeted politeness serves in chilling contrast to his monstrous acts. What emerges is a well-crafted conspiracy through which Bridgeman delivers surprise after surprise. A Noble Sin is the second installment in the Emma Noble series, but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. Highly recommended.
