Customer Reviews

Killing Spree

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the fourth book I've read by Kevin O'brien and I found it to be okay. It was not as good as LEFT FOR DEAD or ONE LAST SCREAM or MAKE THEM CRY, but it was readable with a good plot. It would have been much better had the ending been a bit more believable. No, make that the ending and the way we got to it. The ultimate plan came down to driving around a likely neighborhood looking for a green SUV in a driveway. Really? That's the plan? The police couldn't put this together. The private detectives couldn't put it together. The mob couldn't locate Barry. Gillian did and she did it when the pressure was on - In one afternoon with just a hunch to go on. She also found her son just on a hunch. And Jason coming out of nowhere to save the day was just too much out of a melodrama to be real. Still, despite not really buying into the plot, and the fact that I didn't really care for some of the characters like Ethan, Jason and Ruth, this was not a bad read. It had a pretty good idea and lots of twists and red herrings to keep the reader off the scent. I think if you're a fan of Kevin O'Brien you should read it. If you haven't read any of Obrien's works before, don't make this one your first. He has done much better.

Okay, I was enjoying this book, like I've enjoyed other O'Brien books, until I got to the end. Around the middle of the book, the future knight in shining armor killed Gillian's upstairs neighbor. Didn't he? I've read that section 4 times and each time it's the same. And so I waited through all kinds of action and interaction for Gillian to discover that he was a bad guy. And yet O'Brien morphs him into the hero and romantic interest, leaving you to wonder WTF just happened. Is this a mistake? Did I read it wrong?

My mother picked up "Killing Spree" at the store and gave it to me, we read a lot of books and had not heard of this author. All I can say is that I'm hooked now! I've read The Last Victim and am working on Left for Dead. Right after Killing Spree, I went and got what I could find of his at the library. Definitely a page turner, I couldn't put it down...there's always a twist that you don't see coming and you're always guessing! I've been staying up all night reading his books because I just can't put them down! I've never written a review before...I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Killing Spree. I was sorry when I finished it.

Killing Spree is an improvement from the last O'Brien title, but only marginally. What made this outing better was the two lead characters, Gillian and Ethan, who are probably the most unlucky people on the face of the earth... The gambling husband leaves Gillian to hide from the mob and the police and now they're after not only her, but her 14 year-old son. If that isn't bad enough, Ethan is discovering he is gay and getting bullied in school, his only friend turns his back on him, and to top it off, a serial killer is recreating the murders from Gillian's published novels. Okay, a little to much thrown in, yes, but it was a lot of fun to read. Way too many red herrings and characters, too.

I'm giving Kevin an assignment for his next book; watch the film, Dead Calm. There are only 3 people in the entire movie and it's one of the most chilling, susupenseful thrillers ever made. It's all about great characters and an awesome premise. If Kevin thinks outside the box a little, his work will be outstanding once again. He just needs the story to catch up with his superior technical writing. Besides a few continuity errors and a handful of typos, I had a good time with this one. As always, I'm looking forward to his next book.

Gillian McBride is a Seattle-based published author with five thriller books to her credit and even though she is pleased to be in print, she is not a happy person. Her husband Barry walked out on her and their son to avoid being killed by people he borrowed money from to support his gambling habit; these loan sharks periodically come around looking in her mail and garbage for a clue to the whereabouts of Barry. On top of that her son is going through an identity crisis because he is attracted to males yet doesn't want to be labeled gay.

A series of murders starts in New York City where a woman was stabbed to death in a taxi by a man wearing a Zorro costume. A man picks up a hitchhiker, drugs him, and murders him and surgically removes his lover jaw and heart in Billings, Montana. In Chicago, a woman is killed in a department store dressing room. All of these scenarios are found in Gillian's novels and the killer finds various ways of informing her of each killings. As the killer gets closer and closer to Gillian's loved ones, she puts her life on the line to stop him from killing again.

Thriller readers are going to thoroughly enjoy KILLING SPREE, a tale with many sub-plots that tie seamlessly into the main storyline. There is so much action that the audience never gets a chance the catch their breath. The heroine, who is besieged on all sides, is a strong willed person, who never even whines or whimpers when life gets difficult; instead she rises to the occasion to cope with her latest crisis. Kevin O' Brien provides a strong thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Kevin has done it again....only better! I have been reading his books for 5 years now and each book gets better and better. I could not put this book down. The second half of the book I could see it, as if it was a movie taking place in front of my eyes. I do not bite my nails but I was tempted to on this book.

KILLING SPREE is a book I connected with because of the characters. You feel so involved with Gillian and her son Ethan as if you have known them for a very long time. I found myself speed reading to find out what happens.

Ruth was a kick butt person and a fun character that was such a key person in the book that made it really fun.

My heart was breaking for Ethan when he was dealing with his sexuality. Kevin did a very good job of explaining and making the reader understand the problem Ethan was going through. Why do people judge so? I smiled at the end. To write a book that SCARES you, makes you SMILE, touches your HEART is a great accomplishment.

Keep writing Kevin and to anyone who is reading this....needs to buy his books.

Book was a really good but with this being my 2nd book by him I am wonder if he just finds different ways to use the same formula.

Here is what I mean if you have read some of his books.

Single mother trying to make it, Takes place in Seattle, Father is long gone (dead or divorce), Gay character, first chapter hooks you with the murder but after that tapers off.

He does have action and his books really are thrillers but a part of me is wondering if all his books have the same "formula."

All in all I recommend this book just know that if you read another book by him instead of getting peanut butter and jelly you may get jelly and peanut butter...just sayin!

I read a lot of thrillers, and I've always found Kevin O'Brien to be a reliable writer of suspense. His novels are not particularly original, but they are always well written and entertaining.

KILLING SPREE is no different. This novel is a fun thriller with a likable heroine, mid-list mystery writer Gillian McBride. O'Brien is highly skilled in creating believable characters that the reader can relate to. I enjoy books about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and that's what this book is essentially about.

The plot of KILLING SPREE is standard serial killer stuff, and is nothing groundbreaking. But O'Brien knows how to write, and the pace of this book (especially the last half) is very fast. This book is basically a whodunit where you don't know the identity of the serial killer until the very end. There are a lot of plot twists in this book, including some that I didn't expect. This novel is a fun way to spend an afternoon, and reminds me of the work of Mary Higgins Clark and Wendi Corsi Staub, albeit slightly more graphic on the violence and sex.

There is a subplot in KILLING SPREE involving the main character's son, who is coming to grips with his sexual orientation. I must admit I found this subplot a little heavy handed, but it is still very touching, and I applaud O'Brien for including it. Mr. O'Brien is one of the few suspense authors who gives gay characters a major role in his novels, and he does a fine job of portraying them as human beings, as opposed to stereotypes.

This book also does a good job of portraying the life of a mid-list mystery writer, which is not an easy one(I suspect that O'Brien is engaging in a bit of autobiography here). And you have to like any novel where the reader reviews on Amazon play a major role in the plot!

O'Brien's prior paperback hit the New York Times Bestseller List, so his publisher is making a major push for this novel. If you like fun, fast-paced books with a lot of twists and suspense, KILLING SPREE is definitely worth a try. I found this book worth the money.

Three and a half stars.

Very long book! that would have been nice at about 150 pages--story just didnt grab me, but i read it all-- I would try another unless our a fan of the author

Let me begin by saying I think Kevin O'Brien is a great writer. I have found quite a few of his books interesting to read. However I must say this was a long drawn out story. The plot seemed interesting in the beginning then it began to be a little hard to follow I found myself flipping back pages to double check if I misread a passage.

I have to agree with C. Coleman's review WTH!? happened with the guy Vicki (upstairs neighbor) slept with because it seemed to me that he was the bad guy, perhaps I got lost among all the people who were watching Gillian's house, that I couldn't figure out who the bad guy was? But I do recall a paragraph in the book where Ethan (Gillian's son) saw the upstairs guy coming up from the ravine drenched in rain or something??? But then all of a sudden at the end of the book hes a nice guy/hero? What did I miss??? I too read certain chapters again just to see if I missed something. Perhaps this was a mistake? Not sure but a difficult book to follow.