Customer Reviews

Watch Them Die

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

SUMMARY: Hannah Doyle is an abused wife on the run with her four year old son, who has settled in Seattle for the time being. Everything is going well; Hannah, a film buff, has a job at a video store which she loves, attends a film class at the local community college, and has the unconditional love of her precocious son, Guy. Soon, Hannah becomes the object of affection for three different men, all of whom, she realizes, are following her. While worrying that her husband has found her at last, she begins receiving videos of old movies cued to notorious murder scenes; soon, people Hannah knows, even if only tangentially, start dying in exactly the manner of the movies. This killer has decided Hannah will be his next leading lady. Who can she trust?

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Wonderful characterization; you come to know and care about these characters, particularly Hannah and her son. The action sequences are taut and well-told, and the suspense is kept at a breakneck pace. The plot is original and terrifying. Genuine surprises frequently abound.

WHY YOU WON'T: Too many chefs spoil the soup, and in this case, too many stalkers spoil the story. It can be difficult to keep up with who is who in this novel frought with a plethora of characters. Some plot devices are overly contrived, and seem to make the work longer than in needs to be.

BOTTOM LINE: Above average thriller from a writer who knows how to tell a good, and horrifying, story. Definitely recommend.

I'm not a big fan of serial killer books or movies, but I am a fan of Kevin O'Brien's version of the genre. This is the third of a series, following The Next to Die and Make Them Cry. The settings of the three stories are very different: one is set in Hollywood, another in a seminary, and this latest in Seattle.

All three books share O'Brien's trademark features. Fast pacing that is pulse-quickening but not so fast that the reader is left at a sharp turn or ceases caring about the central characters. The characters are down-to-earth-people that you can imagine bumping into in real life. His books read like well done movies. I certainly hope that screenplays are circulating.

All in all, a great page turner that I found hard to put down. Highly recommended!

Rae Palmer knows she is being stalked, but no one believes her. When her boyfriend fell from a rooftop, the police ruled it an alcohol induced accident, but Rae knows better. The killer ultimately films his murdering her during a sexual encounter. He leaves the video of the snuffing in the return box of Seattle's Emerald City Video. Employee Hannah Doyle takes it home only to believe she has seen a real murder imitating a scene from the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

Hannah panics when she realizes that someone accessed her apartment after finding a copy of Rosemary's Baby in her VCR. Later she learns a customer, who was recently nasty towards her, fell from a window just like a scene in Rosemary's Baby. Hannah already worried that her abusive husband, whom she fled, will find her and their four-year-old son, wonders what to do. She believes that the killer plans to murder her and perhaps her son soon. She speculates that the killer is a student or professor both coming on to her in a film study class.

Though there is too much baggage hoisted by the heroine, readers without a shadow of a doubt will appreciate this taut serial killer thriller. Each prime player seems real from Hannah whose fears geometrically increased to the professor hitting on her to her fellow student and finally those working with her at the store. Readers never quite know who the killer is and why he fixated on Hannah until the end as Kevin O'Brien does what he does best: keeping the suspense at unbelievably high levels.

Harriet Klausner

This novel kept me guessing right up until the end. A very enjoyable read, with so many twists and turns, that I can't tell you how many times I changed my mind about who the real villain was?

It's a mystery, thriller and love story with some wonderful characters whom you will find yourself sympathizing with, and some despicable one who will give you the creeps. This is my third Kevin O'Brien novel and I have enjoyed every one of them.....can wait to read the next one.

This is the second book I have read by Kevin O'Brien. The first one (The Next To Die) was so good, I bought this one which is his latest release. This story covers characters from all walks of life, professors to video store employees to film makers to artists.

The main character already has problems because she is on the run with her 4 year old son from her highly abusive husband. She can't divorce because her husband comes from a powerful and wealthy family. Now she is viewing murder victims on video tapes and she dosen't know who to trust and what to do. I totally empathize with this lady because of the estangement issue as well as her being the stalked and chosen witness. I won't say anymore about the story itself, because I think everyone should read it.

I also like the references to all the old movie classics. All these movies are my old favorites. It was a trip down memory lane for me. I knew right away that Kevin O'Brien did all his homework. He had all the scenes down to the last detail. Also Kevin O'Brien knows how video store employees get treated and what goes on in the back office. I could tell since I used to work in a video store way back when. Also Kevin O'Brien has the courtesy to acknowledge all the movies at the end of the book.

This book is a definite page turner and stay up allnighter. There are a lot of twists and turns. Just like the last book I read by this same author, there are a lot of characters and not only the plot stays solid, but it thickens. Some suspense writers use a lot of characters and then they can't keep the reader's attention because of this. With Kevin O'Brien, it is different, he keeps the readers glued to the book. I see a very talented suspense writer that I hope will write for many years to come.

I gave "Watch them Die" five stars mainly because the author kept me glued to the pages from the very first page until the very last. I didn't want to put it down. The book was a good who-done-it thriller. My only complaint with this author is that I wish he would include more red herrings to throw the reader off. It was fairly obvious who the killer would be, but that did not spoil the ending. It also didn't have that happy go lucky-everything is wonderful kind of conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Kevin O'Brien and look forward to reading more.

A killer is on the loose. He is stalking her, videotaping her and plotting his next masterpiece murder. Already on the run, she can not go to the police without fear of being arrested herself. With everyone a suspect, who can Hannah trust? Who will be next, and can she find out the truth before the killer makes her his leading lady in his next murder film?

Is it worth buying?

Yes! If you are looking for a very suspenseful thriller(without gore)that will hook you to the story right away and never let up, than you will enjoy this book. If you want a book that will stump the reader and leave you shocked at the ending, than you would not enjoy this book. The suspense level is what makes this book a truly enjoyable read.

This is the third book in this series and I have read the other two. I bought this book because of my love for the others. I know that I am not an avid reader by any means. The reason I mention this is that it took me about three weeks to read this book cover to cover. Which means there is something there to keep me reading.
I enjoyed reading this particular novel because of the movie twist. I thought it was a brilliant plan to have the killer use plots from movies. It a very believable plot in every way. The characters act very well together and are very well spoken. I really enjoyed the interaction of the main character and her co-workers.
Kevin has provided the reader with a lot of details and interesting dialogue. I also love his page turning style, you just have a hard time putting the book down (you should see the bags under my eyes!). If you haven't read the other two books I recommend that you pick them up as you purchase this one. I think you will be incredibly impressed with the way he keeps you hanging till the end. He also provides a list of the movies used in the book, and that sparked a new love for older movies that I haven't seen. I now have a reason to watch them and see what the character in the book means when she watches them die. And this will not be the last Kevin O'Brien novel I buy, because as long as he writes them i'll keep reading them.

Holy cow I feel like I'm in deja vu when reading this book. I just got done reading 'Final Breath' and found it pleasant enough to give this author another go around. I can't be the only one here that hears his record playing over and over am I?
Both plots of these books are exactly the same. Both in Seattle, both involve a single mother being given clues to multiple murders that dont happen yet, both encouter break ins where the killers leave hints to the crimes in the house, both of the main characters have a healthy craving for wine and they confide in a close male friend or relative of some kind. Among many more similarities, I have decided that this will be the last book that I get from O'Brien. The only redundant detail that I appreciate in his books are the location, being from Seattle. But I find that he is incredibly lacking in creativity and imgination. This book was a complete replica of another and which ever came first doesn't matter.
I think 2 stars is generous.

Hannah Doyle is an abused wife on the run with Guy her four year old son. They have settled in Seattle for the time being. She wants to divorce her husband but he comes from a very powerful and wealthy family. Hannah becomes the object of affection for three different men, all of whom, she realizes, are stalking her.

While worrying that her husband has found her at last. People that she knows now are dying, being murdered around her. Who can she trust? Is it her husband or one of the stalkers killing the people she knows.

This story is full of stressful tense moments and you will be on the edge of your seat worrying about Hannah and what is about to happen next. I recommend this story.

This is a very good book. After reading Kevin O'Brien's first book, I immediately went online to look for others. He is a great author. Have you sitting on the edge of your seat.