Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Terrific Read Comes with an Alert!, May 21, 2002
...and the "alert" is: When you buy this novel (and I recommend that you do) DO NOT READ the page just inside the front cover. This page is usually reserved for reviews, but since "Make Them Cry" is a paperback original, the publishers have opted to print an excerpt from the novel. Unfortunately, that excerpt is most of page 273 which reveals much too much information and will definitely spoil a lot of suspense regarding what happens to whom and how.That said, this is the first novel by O'Brien that I've read. I bought it on the strength of the Amazon reviews for his previous books and I was not at all disappointed. O'Brien has a fast-spaced style, an ear for crisp dialogue, a knack for deft plotting, mostly solid characterizations and, in this case, a clever storyline that may turn some heads. On the fringes of a currently hot news topic, "Make Them Cry" centers around the shady goings-on among the young men at Our Lady of Sorrows seminary, not the least of which is a string of ritual murders. When a good friend of Father Murphy, the group's spiritual advisor, turns up dead under unusual circumstances, he sets out, with the victim's older sister, Maggie, to uncover the truth. The fact that the suspects are all priests or priests-in-training makes for some intriguing suspense. And while Father Murphy's un-priestly attraction to Maggie and the overall homoerotic atmosphere of the seminary are plot elements, O'Brien never stoops to sensationalizing his material. If you're looking for cheap, sleazy thrills, you won't find them here. What you will find is a genuine, plot-driven page-turner that doesn't get bogged down with lengthy travelogue descriptions or side-trips with irrelevant characters that go nowhere. While I found the ending a little too pat and would have appreciated a more detailed explanation of the killer's obsessions, "Make Them Cry" is still several cuts above the average beach-book read. With the kind of smart, no-nonsense writing O'Brien delivers, it's easy to see why he is quickly developing a following. And how can you not like a writer who calls the local hair salon the "Curl-Up and Dye"? I'm putting his previous book, "The Next To Die" on my "next to read" list.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Brien's Best to Date, January 18, 2004
SUMMARY: The rumored haunted hall of St. Bart's at Our Lady of Sorrows Seminary in upstate Washington is the host of a peculiar, loosely-related murder-suicides. New priest Jack Murphy teams up with the sister of one of the victims before the killer can strike again.WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: O'Brien's taut terror has never been better; this is by far the best book in what can be called a "series." As usual, characters are numerous, but there is more characterization in this work. You come to know these people and care what happens to them. Genuine twists abound and keep you guessing almost until the end. WHY YOU WON'T: Anyone who has a problem with the Thorn Birds or the Catholic church in general might not appreciate this book. Burgeoning teenage sexuality (and yes, this includes homosexuality) might turn some people off. BOTTOM LINE: O'Brien's best work, good characters, intruiging plot. Highly recommend.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A seminary, serial killer, and martyred saints, September 3, 2003
"Make Them Cry" is a chilling psychological suspense tale about a serial killer studying at a seminary in a Pacific Northwest town.Father Jack Murphy is the primary protaganist, a widower who lost his wife and child in an auto accident and then took his vows out of guilt and in hopes that he could make a better contribution to other lives. Maggie Costello is the older sister of John Costello, a freshman who was close to Father Murphy and who dies early in the story. Maggie and Father Murphy have an immediate chemistry, and his struggle with his vows creates plenty of tension throughout the book. The third protaganist is Peter Tobin, John Costello's best friend, also a talented artist and very confused young man. All three suspect foul play in the death of John Costello, and their separate investigations lead them to link the deaths of a prominent judge, a waitress, and several boys that died years earlier at the school. The book is full of suspense and tension on every page, which kept me reading. I enjoyed the details of the college, and found the characters sympathetic. As the pieces come together, the part about the saints is well done and creates an interesting twist as we learn connections with each character's name. I thought that too much was given away too early, and I guess the villain's identity right away. His voice was just too false and too much like Eddie Haskell from "Leave it to Beaver." I didn't trust him, so I wondered why the characters had no doubts, although he was carefully seducing them by playing on their grief and fears. Also, the villain's motive is never made clear, other than he's a sociopath. There is no depth to why he is carrying out his crimes.
The story is also an indictment of life at a Catholic seminary, with alcoholics, egotists, and closeted and not-so-closeted homosexuals thrown together in a modern Gothic setting. Still, the book was well-paced and pulled me into the bizarre world.
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