Customer Reviews

Don't Scream

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the death of their fellow sorority sister Rachel, Brynn, Cassie, Fiona, and Tildy each receive a birthday card that has them wondering if Rachel died that fateful night she fell over a cliff while drunkenly celebrating her 20th birthday their sophomore year in college. The four never reported the accident for fear that their sorority would shut down, or worse, they would be charged in her death. When they meet for the first time in many years to plan their next steps, old rivalries and the need to keep the past a secret have them going their separate ways. Then one by one, they fall victim to a killer who goes the extra mile in gruesome, setting up a macabre birthday party for each victim on her 30th birthday. Rachel's step-brother Isaac has been searching for Rachel for the past ten years, and every relationship has suffered as a result. Could he be so distraught that he wants to get even with the quartet?

Staub tosses out several potential killers and manages to surprise the reader with the revelation. Each of the women has a distinct personality and plenty of drama in their own lives. At nearly 500 pages, the novel is so well written that the pages just flow. It still amazes me that Staub is the same woman who writes romance novels under the pseudonym Wendy Markham! "Don't Scream" is a taut thriller that will have you second guessing at each turn.

Wendy Corsi Staub's latest thriller is a treat for her fans, both new and old. This one will truly keep you guessing until the last pages. I was so sure I had the killer figured out near the end, but I was wrong. Who can resist a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. "Don't Scream" will do just that. The characters are real and well developed. It's always difficult to wait a year for a new thriller from this talented author, but this book was well worth the wait. Don't miss it!

I have to agree with reviewer Ross. I'm a woman, and I didn't like it either. He felt the book was for female reading. That's because it was so full of feminine stereotypes. I didn't really feel for the characters. Because my emotions were not involved while reading, the book was "flat" for me.


The book is about 5 closeknit sorority sister being killed off one by one. Three reason I didn't like the book:

-Ten years previously one sister falls to her death while intoxicated. The other four were present. They checked to see if she was, in fact, dead; and then, they left her where she fell. They didn't want to be involved. I mean, they were close. Not one of the remaining four had the guts and character to stand up and call 911 for their "sister". They just left her to be eaten by vultures.

-The main protaganist is Brynn, she's currently married to her former professer. One of her sisters, tried to get her husband into bed. With friends like that, do you need enemies?

-Brynn and her husband have two children. He doesn't want anymore. Brynn becomes pregnant and "hides" it from him. He actually finds out she's pregnant from their young child. I mean, come on already. Brynn's husband knew Rachel, (the young woman who fell to her death). He was involved in the search party when she went "missing". In ten years of marriage Brynn has never confided in her husband about what happened that night. Brynn's husband, Garth, has his own secrets. When he tells Brynn he slept with one of her sorority sister before their marriage, and this same sister, propositioned him after their marriage; Brynn goes ballistic. She refuses to talk it over with him. He was not unfaithful after their vows, but the thing that mattered to Brynn, is he kept something that important from her. Honesty and confiding in your mate is a two-way street.

This book has too many stereotypes: wimpy females; catty females; I can keep secrets from my husband, but he's SO wrong if he keeps them from me; Your're my friend, but....not really, I can't trust you with my husband; One of the sister is a financially successful business woman, and she's a Bi***. These sterotypes, I don't buy into. They were so glaring. Even though these women were supposed to be friends(sisters), there was no real friendship between them. I couldn't like any of the characters, so I couldn't enjoy the book.

Ms. Staub is quite the pro at dangling red herrings. Like Mary Higgins Clark, she introduces extraneous characters with hints that raise your suspicions. Yet the ending is still a surprise. I really thought I had it figured out but was totally wrong.

Don't Scream introduces you to a group of friends who were in sorority sisters who witnessed a fellow sister's (Rachel) death ten years ago. Ten years pass and each "sister" (Tildy, Cassie, Fiona, Brynn) receive a birthday card for their thirtieth birthday. (All the sisters birthdays including Rachel's were around the same time) Soon they come to realize that someone else knows what happened to Rachel and knows what part they played. They didn't see anyone else that night. Who could it be? Is Rachel still alive??

Tildy is a rich socialite who was the chapter leader at the sorority. She is very selfish, snobbish- thinking only of her career, connections, and social status. A character you love to hate.

Brynn is a stay at home mom with two young sons. She lives an average life- plays the roles of doting mother and loving wife seamlessly. She comes off as the most realistic and relatable of the bunch.

Fiona is a divorced mother of one. She is a counterpart to Brynn- hard focused on advancing her career at all costs, particularly being a loving mother to her daughter. She is bitter and confrontational. Another character you love to hate.

Cassie is training to be a pediatrician. She is engaged to be married in a few months time to another doctor but is unsure of what she wants in life.

It's a fast paced mystery- keeps you guessing until the very end. Though, it is at times confusing, as you try to put the pieces together and solve just who-dun-it. It's chilling to see just how vulnerable they are. You can easily predict who the victims will be and who will survive. Overall a good story- one of the better mysteries I've read.

I have to say that I was drawn to this book after reading Most Likely to Die and I wasn't disappointed.
The only question I have is this.........how is it that Cassie's fiancee Alec is a podiatrist but later in the book Cassie tells her mother that Alec can't join them for dinner because he is giving a collagen injection to a mother of the bride to be?????? That glaring error aside the book is excellent and the mystery surrounding the murders keeps you guessing until the killer is finally revealed.

I had never heard of Wendy Corsi Staub before. I tend to stick with the same authors over and over. I'm an avid James Patterson fan and read Mary Higgins Clark and Janet Evanovich quite regularly. While I was looking at books in the pharmacy, someone told me to purchase this one - that it was really good. I bought it, but was reluctant to jump into it- since I didn't know the author. Now that I've read it, it was wonderful. I wish I had read it earlier! It is a very long book, but it flows well and the characters are well developed. I will be purchasing another Wendy Corsi Staub book today! I hope it is just as good.

BTW, this is a story set in a sorority past, but I don't think you need to know or feel anything about sororities to enjoy the book. It is just a plain good book!

This was a great read, by a great author.. great plot, great suspense, characters were *real*, great ending. i loved it.

This is my first book from Wendy Staub, and I have to say that is was a great book. It defintely keeps you guessing till the end...which you won't expect. Halfway through the book you think you've guessed the "who done it" but towards the end, you'll be second guessing yourself. My only problem w/ the book (and it's a small one), is I got a little tired of the women making excuses of not to tell (a.k.a. go to the police). Other than that, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading more of Wendy Staub books.

I am not going to go into the synopsis of the book as the other reviewers before me did a great job at that. I will say that while it is more of a thriller in my opinion because there is very little romance, it is certainly a page-turner. I read it over the weekend and that says a lot for me because I'm usually a slow reader but I couldn't put it down and thus finished this thick book quicker than I normally would. If you are an avid romantic suspense reader, as I am, I would still recommend it. The storyline is outstanding. This is my first whole book by Ms. Staub. The first time I read anything by this author was Most Likely To Die which was written by three different authors, one of which was Ms. Staub. As I thoroughly enjoyed her spin on that story, I immediately decided to read more of her and I am glad I did.

Ten years ago, five Zeta Delta Kappa members went to a popular drinking spot The Prom to imbibe hard booze because one of them Rachel Lorant was feeling depressed on her birthday. She got so drunk that evening that she fell off the slope and died. Her four surviving sorority sisters vow to never speak of that tragic night as they believe the body will be found by someone the next day because someone always walks that trail as it is a popular spot.

Now a decade later, socialite Tildy, business tycoon Fee, stay at home mom Brynn, and resident Cassie each receives a letter from someone who is supposed to be Rachel. Someone knows what happened that fateful tragic evening leaving the quartet uneasy, but hoping it is just a prank until Tildy is murdered on her birthday. Brynn is determined not to be a victim so she seeks out a clever killer who hides in plain sight.

Readers who like the chilling thriller works of P.J Tracy and T.J. MacGregor will find DON'T SCREAM enthralling. Although Brynn is the prime protagonist, the story line is told from the points of view of all four of the women. This leads the audience wondering who will survive if any and just who the killer is as Wendy Corsi Staub provides readers with a fantastic cat and mouse thriller.

Harriet Klausner