Readers of these reviews are likely asking questions along the lines of "what's this book about?" Yeah, a few of you just want to know “is it any good?” But hopefully some of you are also asking "what's the author trying to do here (in addition to being entertaining)”?
First, of course the author is aiming at being entertaining. And he succeeds! Especially compared to what I spend most of my time reading (contracts, statutes, regulations), reading A Noble Sin (like A Fortunate Son before it) is a warm bath for the brain chemicals.
Yes, there is violence and bloodshed, but it's not stomach-churning. Yes, there is sadness and loss (more on that in a moment). But there is a calming elegance as well. Events unfold in a matter-of-fact way, without florid adjectives or obscure tangents. Characters are illustrated cleanly, plainly, though with enough oblique angles to fully humanize them. I read my copy nearly in one go.
A Noble Sin, though, is also, unsurprisingly, about nobility. Or, if you prefer, honor. In the movie "Rob Roy" the protagonist/title character says honor is a gift to yourself. A sentiment shared by the protagonist here, Emma Noble. In an era (and a genre) where too often our heroes succeed by cutting corners, digging around as if the 4th Amendment were for other people, Emma Noble's respect for her work – even when it points to guilt in her own family - signals the author is both willing to take risks and unwilling to compromise or pander.
Examples abound: Emma stifling in a hot car, unwilling to ignore the call of duty from the car right behind her - a Good Samaritan with a steel baton. Emma fessing up to her mistakes. Emma working within the confines of her FBI orders. Emma never going the easy way when the right way is difficult.
A real-life hero, Jen Easterly, wrote recently about the Cadet Prayer at West Point, which extols one to “choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” As Easterly notes, "that’s not just guidance. It’s a challenge—and in today’s world, maybe even a bit of a radical one." A radical challenge Emmaline embraces.
The book also illustrates honor is not cost-free. Characters die in this book, including ones you like. Things don't always work out. This is not a fairy tale book or a fable - among other things, moral lessons are shown, not told. But that’s not to say they are obscure.
Maybe I should have put this up front in the review, but the author and I were friends in college (no surprise to see Carlisle, PA, appear in his work) and while that was years ago, some things are timeless. Among those, paraphrasing the motto of our alma mater Dickinson College, are the values of being faithful as well as curious.
Or perhaps more relevant here: fidelity, bravery and integrity. Director Comey had new agents visit the Holocaust Museum, to make sure they fully appreciated that power of a badge and a gun and the blessing of the government entail great responsibility. Being an FBI agent, unlike most jobs, involves taking an oath to faithfully execute one’s duties. Emma Noble lives up to that oath. So does Andy Bridgeman.