Customer Reviews

One Last Scream

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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.

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!

Karen is a therapist who is concerned when one of her patients, Amelia, claims to have premonitions before murders, and later remembers fragments of how the murders took place as though she were actually there. Initially she is confident of Amelia's innocence, but when Amelia's family and friends start dropping like flies Karen cannot help but confront the possibility that her patient and friend may be a serial killer.

I really enjoyed Watch Them Die, so I was looking forward to reading One Last Scream also. Unfortunately, it was obvious to me early on what the twist was going to be. That took much of the enjoyment out of this book - if you can figure out the mystery (which you likely will), the book is no longer suspenseful and is reduced to a cat-and-mouse chase story.

This is the first book of Kevin O'Brien's that I have read. Actually I'm only half way through the book. I felt moved to create a review based on what I've read so far. When I first started the book, I wasn't sure that I would finish, because I hate reading about kids who witness crimes or worse, are a part of them. But I read on and before long the plot of the book sucked me in totally! The more you read the more intense it gets. Being at the halfway point I can hardly put it down. This book has a couple of twists and turns in it and has been totally engrossing so far.
I like the way Mr. O'Brien writes as well as he doesn't put a lot of boring filler in his books. Every word is interesting and I like the characters, especially Karen who is the therapist.
I know now that I will definitely finish the book and I have another book waiting of Mr. O'Brien's that I look forward to.

Kevin O'Brien knows how to write a page-turner but some significant flaws left me unsatisfied. Here they are:

1) There is more than one occasion in this thriller when any sane person would call the police for help but the character in the book doesn't. I'm all for "suspending disbelief" but when otherwise intelligent characters repeatedly make stupid decisions for no apparent reason, the story suffers.

2) One of the characters, a psychotherapist, violates several ethical principles of her profession without a thought. Either Mr. O'Brien isn't aware of such ethical rules, which I doubt, or he simply ignored them because they would get in the way of his plot.

3) The book mixes the psychological with the parapsychological in a manner that suggests Mr. O'Brien expected the reader to accept parapsychological phenomenon without question, when, in fact, what he describes resides in the realm of fantasy, not fact. If he had informed the reader from the outset that "some of what happens in this book doesn't happen in real life" as in a Dean Koontz novel, it would have been fine. But instead he plunges into the story as if it is a realistic crime drama and it is only deep into the text that you realize some weird stuff might be going on.

To the author's credit, his understanding of the effects of trauma on one's psyche is solid and he uses this knowledge effectively in both the development of one of the characters; the psychotherapeutic relationship; and in service of the plot.

Amelia Faraday was adopted as a four years old child by loving nurturing people; she has no memory of her biological parents. Overall she has been contented and understands how fortunate she has been. However strange happenings worries her as she has no explanation re their cause; she suffers from blackouts and wakes up in places that she has never been before and cannot recall how she got there. Amelia feels intense phantom pains that have no physical source and she knows things that are occurring as they happen.

When her younger brother died, Amelia felt that she somehow killed him though logically she knows that was impossible. When her parents and her aunt were killed in their vacation home, Amelia feels as if she murdered them though logic once again tells her otherwise. Her psychologist Karen tries to convince Amelia that she never killed anyone while her Uncle George searches for his niece's origins. These two people who care about Amelia and want to help her are unaware that someone condemns to death based on guilt of association.

Kevin O'Brien writes an entertaining electrifying thriller as readers will find themselves mesmerized by ONE LAST SCREAM. Karen is a strong courageous individual who goes the extra kilometer for her beleaguered patient; George has his own grief that he puts aside for his ailing niece. However, the tale belongs fully to the enigmatic Amelia as the audience wonders whether she is the killer perhaps during her blackouts or the ultimate omega target of a serial killer targeting her and her loved ones. Needing to know, the enthralled audience will read this psychological whodunit in one sitting.

Harriet Klausner

I fell upon one of his books and was compelled to continue on. While this is not his best, it is very, very good and keeps you absorbed. I would recommend it.

fast shipper!!!! book was in great shape!!! would buy again from this seller!!!i love this book!!!

This was my 3rd Kevin O'Brien book, and my least favorite. The story line was very weak in this book, and it went on and on. I only finished about 3/4 of the book.