Original Sin

by Brandt Dodson

Book Overview

When FBI agent Colton Parker is fired, his first case a private detective is the murder of Emma Caine. All the evidence points to Emma's nephew, Billy Caine: his girlfriend doesn't believe it and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0736918094
• ISBN13: 9780736918091
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Parker seeks justice

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (1/07) Former FBI agent Colton Parker lost his job with the feds and sets himself up as a private investigator. His first case walks through the door in the form of a distressed female. Predictable. Angie Howe hires him to prove her boyfriend Billy Caine did not murder his aunt. He has been arrested and the police are certain he did it. Predictable. Parker takes the case and begins investigating the murder of Emma Caine, respected high school guidance counselor. As he probes into the seamier nooks and crannies of Indianapolis, he learns Emma isn't the upstanding citizen many believed her to be. He charges ahead using brain and brawn and clashing with nearly everyone he meets--public officials, organized crime, and the FBI. He soon enlists the help of former colleague Mary Christopher to help him take down an Internet pornography operation. Also predictable. Dodson follows a lot of the classic whodunit structure: Hard-boiled former cop, damsel in distress, an open-and-shut case that turns out to be bigger than anyone expected, all told in a fast-paced story. But once the author assembles the classic elements he pulls together some surprisingly unpredictable twists. Parker, the edgy tough guy, turns out to have a heart. He cares about justice and the people he helps. He doesn't fall for the damsel. Instead he grieves the wife who died six months ago and left him fumbling to be a good father to their grieving thirteen-year-old daughter. His budding faith experiences a crisis as he wrestles with how his wife's God could let him lose everything. He feels troubled and ill-equipped to handle his human frailties and failings. This first of the Colton Parker mysteries is a well-written debut novel. Mystery readers will enjoy this character armed with dry humor and dogged persistence. Dodson also delivers a believable supporting cast and a plot filled with unexpected turns. Some readers will find a few segments of the book a bit too preachy, but the rest of the story overcomes that weakness. Christian readers will appreciate the rough and tumble mystery not enmeshed in the gruesome details of the sins involved. This intriguing whodunit beckons readers to follow Colton Parker on his professional and personal quest in "Original Sin" and the rest of the series.

Good mystery

If you like private eye mysteries, and I do, you'll enjoy this book. Colton Parker, private investigator, used to be with the FBI, until he lost his temper and beat up a suspect. The suspect admitted he had kidnapped a young girl, and because of that confession the bureau was able to save the child, but Colton still lost his job. Anna, his wife, was killed in an automobile accident, leaving him to raise their thirteen-year old daughter. His new detective agency is going under, and the rent is due when Angie Howe shows up with a job for him. Billy, her boyfriend has been arrested for murder, and everyone, except Angie, thinks he's guilty. The case takes him deep into the porn industry, among other things. Brandt Dodson comes from a long line of police officers, spanning several generations, and it shows. Original Sin is a fast paced story that will keep you turning those pages.

4 1/2 Stars...A Great Debut

With "Original Sin," Brandt Dodson doesn't just wander onto the scene of mystery writers, he saunters in with dry humor and panache. His style is no-frills, shoot-from-the-hip, and knock-'em-dead. Colton Parker is an ex-cop, turned private investigator. He's also the single parent of a teen girl. The death of his wife six months earlier has left him apathetic, distant, and wrestling with God. He is also willing to bend a few rules to accomplish his job. His first professional challenge draws him into the seemier side of Indianapolis, where he uses his wit, brains, and brawn to delve into the truth behind an older woman's brutal murder. Along the way, he is faced with his own faults as a man, as a private eye, and as a father. He also stumbles upon a few surprises. "Original Sin" is a tight mystery, filled with great dialogue and interesting characters. A few times, characters seem a little too willing to tell Colton everything he needs to know, and his brief encounters with a well-meaning pastor come across a bit forced and preachy. Nevertheless, Parker's questions and struggles are believable, and I was drawn into his story. This is a great debut to a mystery series. I'll be looking forward to the second installment, "Seventy Times Seven."

So, what next?

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the end -- I just flat ran out of pages to turn! A strong story with a great cast of characters, especially for the mystery genre; I am eager to watch each of them come to life in future Colton Parker books. Colton himself is dryly engaging, vacillating from heroic to heartless and back without ever noticing his own moral contradictions. I'm not a big mystery reader, but I'll definitely be picking up the next installment.

WOW This is a author to watch * A KEEPER*

I will be buying anything this guy writes. It was a wonderful Private Eye Mystery. I loved it. I felt like this ex FBI man was a real person. I did not want it to end. Don't want to put to much down here and spoil the book but I highly suggest you read it.