One Last Scream [Paperback]

Kevin O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 18, 2007

Amelia Farady suffers from blackouts, and she has the feeling she is personally involved in a series of deaths. Eleven years have passed since 12 women vanished without a trace. Now, as new murders occur, Amelia continues to suffer from blackouts, leaving her to wonder if shes a cold-blooded killer or a pawn in a deadly game. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (December 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786017767
• ISBN-13: 978-0786017768
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you're not a fan of O'Brien already, ONE LAST SCREAM will make you a member of the club, January 15, 2008

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Last Scream (Paperback)

What's in a title? In the case of ONE LAST SCREAM by Kevin O'Brien, plenty.

O'Brien has been around for a while. ACTORS, his first novel, was published in 1987, but since 2001 he has averaged a book a year, with such efforts as MAKE THEM CRY, WATCH THEM DIE and LEFT FOR DEAD. His books stand on their own, and the titles that hint at pain and sudden end to mortal life are not kidding around. As one would surmise from the title ONE LAST SCREAM, nothing goes gently into a night that is anything but good.

However, don't think that O'Brien focuses solely on gore to keep the action moving. As frightening as his work may be, he constructs a complex and confounding mystery to support his plots, one that will keep you puzzled, guessing and (for our purposes, most importantly) reading. And ONE LAST SCREAM has quite a puzzle. It begins with an abduction, quickly moves to a multiple murder, and then things really get busy.

The person at the core of all this activity is Amelia Faraday, an attractive young woman who has much to be thankful for but remains troubled by vague and disturbing emotional complaints. Her life is changed forever when her adopted parents and aunt are brutally and inexplicably murdered. At first it appears to be a case of murder-suicide, yet Amelia has vivid memories of committing the murders. To make matters worse, her phantom recollections closely coincide with what is found at the crime scene.

Karen Carlisle, Amelia's therapist, is quick to point out all the reasons why she could not have been responsible, yet as time passes and her behavior becomes more and more bizarre, it appears that Amelia is guilty of murder and more. In an attempt to prove her innocence, Carlisle and Amelia's uncle begin an investigation into her past, one that will resolve not only a series of increasingly frequent murders in the present but also a number of puzzling disappearances in the past --- all of which seem to be tied directly to Amelia.

There is no other way to say it: ONE LAST SCREAM will creep you out. A number of passages led me to scream, "Oh my gosh! Oh shoot! No! Don't do it!" (or words to that effect), even as I jumped ever deeper into it. The book's strongest suit, however, is its baffling mystery, which the author manages to wrap up in the last 100 pages while never letting the action, suspense or violence lag for a moment. If you're not a fan of O'Brien already, ONE LAST SCREAM will make you a member of the club.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O'Brien Does it Again!, December 20, 2007

By 

Beth (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Last Scream (Paperback)

As much as I loved his last novel, I enjoyed ONE LAST SCREAM even more. Very suspenseful, perfectly descriptive, it was a most enjoyable beach read - I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Dark, Brutal, Intricate Story, January 19, 2009

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Last Scream (Paperback)

O'Brien's new horror/thriller is very effective in creating an atmosphere of dread and danger. His technical writing, as always, is top notch. The character development he writes is also some of the best in the business. And his talent for creating eerie and suspenseful moments are apparent in almost every chapter. All these elements are utilized in what is a very frightening story that feels all too real. I enjoyed reading this more than the last few books by O'Brien, and think this is one of his best.

There were, however, a few minor gripes I had in regards to the actions of a couple characters. Without giving any spoilers away, I found it more than a little strange that after hearing significant proof of her client/friend's confession of murder, that this character would go alone into the middle of the woods to verify the claim. This felt extremely reckless and pulled me out of the story for a while. Another out-of-character moment happened when a male character decided not to call the police when he discovered his family was in danger. No reason was even given as to why this choice was made. However, things began to fall into place as the pieces of this deadly puzzle formed a very satisfying tapestry of evil, and ultimately, a worthwhile, albeit short ending.

Overall, this is pretty fantastic book and I would recommend this to fans of both horror and thrillers alike. The reason I classify this title more a horror novel than a thriller, is that in thrillers, you are scared for the character, but in horror novels, you are scared for yourself. And in reading this book, I was constantly looking over my shoulder and out the darkened windows at night. As always, I'll be seeking out the next O'Brien book, Final Breath. Nice job, Kevin!