Customer Reviews

Bone Thief

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Bone Thief is one of the best debut novels I've read in this genre. If this suspense thriller does not scare the bejabbers out of you, nothing will. Very few fictional scenarios provide the punch and chills I experienced while reading Bone Thief.
Characters and details were realistic and horror penetrated to the marrow.

O'Callaghan's protagonist is Detective Lt. John Driscoll, a cop who dresses with panache and openly grieves his personal sorrows. When he's not working as a cop, Driscoll cares for his brain dead wife in the home they shared. His young daughter was killed in the same accident that left his wife a vegetable. This Irish Catholic cop is an appealing character, not only for his skill as an investigator but for his devotion to a wife whose existence depends on machines. The author skillfully weaves Driscoll's personal life with an investigation into murders perpetrated by a serial killer.

Readers meet the serial killer early on. Colm Pierce is wealthy, intelligent, educated, multilingual, privileged, and hopelessly insane. His public persona is one of urbane normalcy. But Colm learned his insatiable desires and skills from Daddy, and nothing eases those desires like human bones. One boneless carcass after another turns up in carefully chosen sites around the city, and it's Driscoll's job to find the madman. Both Pierce and Driscoll speak fluent Old Irish, an interesting side plot that provides a few small clues.

Bone Thief, in addition to being fast paced and intriguing, was technically realistic. Such realism added greatly to the plot as an experienced investigator tracks his equally adept and intelligent prey. This mystery thriller is highly recommended, but not for young or squeamish readers.

As the title of this review indicates, Bone Thief is truly an excellent police thriller. Once you start reading, you simply can not put this book down---the ending of each chapter leaves you at the edge of your chair and you have no choice but to keep reading to see what happens next. I found the chapters about the police investigation to be particularly well-written and exciting. You can feel the intensity of the hunt for the killer and really get a sense of what a real-life homicide investigation must be like. I would HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced thriller. I know that I can't wait for a sequel or even better, Bone Thief the movie!!!!!!

Women are being stalked and lured to their final moments by a man who wants nothing more than their bones as trophies. Colm had a literally tortured childhood, one that made it impossible for his mind to reconcile itself completely to a life of sanity.

While he has become an accomplished doctor and on rare occasions wishes he could experience normal emotions toward women, he just can't rise above what his past taught him...life is not a precious commodity. Bones however, are beautiful and soothing.

His victims are left in a gruesome fashion, nothing more than a pile of boneless flesh minus the head, hands and feet. His only decent act is to leave their identification on the bodies, which is the only clue Lt. John Driscoll has to build on.

A team of investigators is put together and Driscoll must lay aside his daily grief over personal tragedy and his budding feelings toward his partner or face being responsible for future murders. With the help of a teenaged computer wiz who thinks herself invincible, Driscoll begins to gather information that will lead him to the epitome of evil.

Thomas O'Callaghan has begun his Lt. John Driscoll series of thrillers with an excellent volume. Although the killer's identity is known from the outset, it doesn't diminish the level of suspense strewn throughout the book.

There are highs and lows, rather than a uniform pace, but short chapters keep the pages flowing steadily. Also, at first, some character backgrounds seem irrelevant but they eventually tie-in neatly.

Sensitive readers will want to note that the author did not hold back with the graphic descriptions of crime scenes. A bit of fine tuning and O'Callaghan could prove to be a valuable addition to the genre.

This book is well written! It's fast pace had me finish it in one sitting. New York City is set as the backdrop for a fiendish series of killings. Lt. Driscoll of the NYPD, a tenacious cop, is called in to end the slaughter. The killer, he quickly realizes, is tracking his prey through the Internet. The pursuit ensues as the killings continue. A great read for the thriller fan!

Captivating read! The reader is drawn in on page one and the author never lets go. This is a fast paced psychological thriller set in New York City. It pits a dedicated police lieutenant against a brutal serial killer, who, like the title indicates, steals his victim's bones! Think Lucas Davenport tracking down Hannibal Lecter, stretched to the extreme. A quick read. Beware, though, this one should be read with the lights on!

Bone Thief by Thomas O'Callaghan was a fast, fun read that I enjoyed immensely. It is the type of book best read while waiting in an airport or whenever you have a few hours to kill. I read it in one sitting and it held my interest all the way through. I found the inside look at the NYPD's investigative techniques particularly fascinating. O'Callaghan has really done his homework here.

Bone thief will never win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but if you are looking for a quick, enjoyable read that will keep you happily engrossed then this is the book for you.

I think this is a GREAT first novel. I recognized some flaws but the story is excellent and kept me reading despite the typos (which are NOT the author's fault) and some technical errors concerning computers. I had a good several hours' worth of reading and I am looking forward to Mr. O'Callaghan's next novel featuring Lt. Driscoll. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels, especially about serial killers and how they are caught. This was one sick [...] and I think the author showed how he became the monster he was very adeptly (without making the reader pity him - after all, not every kid from an abusive family becomes a serial killer). I really liked the book!

Really enjoyed this thriller about a serial killer who collects unique 'trophies'. Easy read and definitely keeps you interested. Would have rated this a 5 except for slightly weak ending related to characters' personal lives, etc. Definitely worth the read, though. Enjoy!

When I first began to read this book, I thought it would be too gruesome for me. But the plot moves fast, and knowing who the killer is from the beginning helps make it a fantastic read! A refreshing change from the average detective/who done it thriller. This guy is bound to
become a very popular high demand writer as he continues hiw newly found talent! Good luck to you Thomas!

The serial killer removes the entire skeleton from his victims leaving behind skin, muscle and a form of identification. New York Police Department Lieutenant Detective John Driscoll leads the difficult investigation that with each new corpse the political suits and the "elated" media exponentially raise the pressure to stop the psychopath grows though neither group has altruistic motives.

The Irish Catholic lead cop also struggles with his life outside the department. His beloved wife Collette lives in a vegetative state at home as she has for five years since the accident that also killed their daughter, but his religious beliefs will not allow him to pull the plug on her; and his attraction to his partner Margaret only makes John feel more guilt. Still he compartmentalizes his personal feelings into a back brain cell because John must concentrate on stopping this particular gruesome serial killer.

THE BONE THIEF makes this an exciting serial killer police procedural though readers will wonder how John can keep his wife home (not just expense - think of the complexities of Terry Shiavo) though he is also a sympathetic character for trying to do right with his spouse. The story line moves quickly especially when the killer is performing his surgery and to a lesser degree during moments of John's lament. However, the use of a young teen hacker while the cops barely can turn on their machines seem double stereotypes from an earlier computer age (even an illiterate like me can surf the net). Still this is a tense thriller that fans who appreciate a novel killer will want to read.

Harriet Klausner