"Terrified" by Kevin O'Brien. A Book Review

There is a creepy feeling out there, past the darkened window in the somnolence of the night. Someone is watching. You have something to conceal and no one to whom you may turn.

Lisa has two deadly problems. One from which she is hiding and another she doesn’t even imagine. Fleeing an abusive husband after faking her own suicide, Lisa escapes to Seattle armed only with a new identity and a moral dilemma. Her spouse, back in Chicago, has been charged with the brutal killing of his wife, which the press has dubbed ‘the trash bag murder’, and the evidence seems overwhelming. Should Lisa reveal she is alive to save the ego-maniacal sadist, or hunker down and let him take the fall even as she carries his unborn son?

‘Terrified’, the riveting new thriller from the pen of NYT bestselling author Kevin O’Brien, took me on a throat-tightening, gut-festering journey into depravity, darkness and lethality. From the neighborhoods of metropolitan Seattle to the hospitals and homes of Chicago’s elite, I guarantee you’ll be closing the drapes with all the lights blazing as you are drawn into Lisa’s descent into Hell-on-Earth. She struggles to survive and protect her child against a past that is catching up, a present that is lurking just out of sight—and out of control—to a future agonizingly desperate. Where do you go when there is no place to hide? You go where you are told and you pray.

The more you know, the more you fear. And the less you understand. That translates into a crackerjack novel I enjoyed until the last page. Thriller fans will be satiated briefly with this latest offering.  But after gobbling up this meal, we won’t be satisfied until Kevin once again leaves us terrified.

Just released, this reviewer purchased a copy, but also received a gratis copy for review purposes.

Terrified by Kevin O'Brien

ISBN: 978-0-7860-2138-3

Amazon.com link here 

Barnes & Noble link here

'Deed To Death' a novel by D.B. Henson--Book Review

With the launch of my own first novel, 'Island Dawn' on the electronic horizon for August 1st, it seemed appropriate to review a debut novel that became a national bestseller electronically before a publisher came calling and offered a contract to the author.

D.B. Henson first released her novel 'Deed to Death' in April 2010, and by word-of-mouth alone sold 100,000 e-copies, becoming one of the few self-published authors to make Amazon's "Best of 2010 Customer's Favorites" list.  The release date for this edition is July 5.

Her principal character, Toni Matthews is a top-end real estate agent in Nashville about to be married to the man of her dreams, a successful architect partnered in a thriving practice.

Inexplicably, her fiance' throws himself to his death from the top floor of a hotel he is building.  Toni, grief-stricken, finds herself graveside burying her beloved Scott on what would have been their wedding day.

Toni is convinced that all is not what is seems, and despite what the police rule as a clear case of suicide after a perfunctory investigation, she believes it wasn't suicide or an accident--it was murder.  And she has a suspect in mind; Scott's brother, Brian.

Her friends think she is in denial, but Toni presses on, launching her own investigation which peels back layers like an onion, revealing Scott may not have been everything she thought he was and puts her own life at risk as she begins opening doors wherein skeletons are becoming restless.

This is a great way to introduce yourself to a new genre of fiction with which you might be unfamiliar.  If you have concentrated on romance, fantasy or even non-fiction and want to try your hand at figuring out who-dunnits this is a good place to start.  It has all the thrills, plot twists and unexpected u-turns necessary to keep a novice mystery reader fully engaged.

Written with a decidedly feminine voice, this first-time author should find great success with first time readers in the genre.

If you would like a free copy of this book send an email to robert@rlpace.com.  Put 'Deed to Death Giveaway' in the subject line.  I will select two names at random and contact them for shipping information.

This caveat for veteran readers of murder mysteries is in order:  Choose a book from a more experienced writer.  Some of my recent reviews would suggest authors you might consider if unfamiliar with their work.  You'll think you have this one mostly figured out at the halfway mark, and you'll be mostly correct.

Trade paperback, order from most sources.  Use a local independent bookseller, help keep them alive and well.

Deed to Death
Touchstone (Simon & Schuster)
ISBN 978-1-4516-4960-4

Disclaimer--This book was provided to me in advance of publication at no charge by Simon & Schuster for review purposes.

'Disturbed' A Novel by Kevin O'Brien--Book Review

Molly Dennehy is a new bride and she has a secret; and so, it seems, do the old neighbors that came attached to her new husband and his two kids.  But then, don't we all have a few secrets?  Perhaps, but hers and theirs are becoming dangerous, in fact downright deadly and unlikely coincidences are piling up faster than the brutally murdered bodies.

Kevin O'Brien's latest NY Times bestseller, 'Disturbed', will have veteran thriller readers assuring themselves they have the who-dunnit figured out by the half way point.  You will be wrong, happily.  Completely wrong.

All the major players have their own motives, means and opportunities--but just when you think you know who the culprit is--the character just might get bumped off!


A merciless serial killer is haunting the cul-de-sacs of the metropolitan Seattle area, and local readers will enjoy the area tour as he weaves his web of deception and duplicity.

A misunderstanding at a school leaves a family shattered.  Unwanted shadows from the past haunt the present, and, of course, there is an ex-wife and her neighborhood gal-pals with which to contend.

O Brien plaits an intricate plot that will keep you guessing, literally to the last page, in this knuckle-biting, page turning, twisted, psychological killer-thriller.


If well crafted downright scary murder thrillers are part of your reading game, then Kevin O'Brien is a name that should be a regular on your reading list.

Paperback, widely available.  Support a local independent bookseller, help keep them in business!

Pinnacle (Kensington Press)
ISBN-13: 978-07680-2137-6         or
ISBN-10: 0-7860-2137-3