Review: Tell Me You’re Sorry by Kevin O’Brien

Title: Tell Me You’re Sorry by Kevin O’Brien
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: 545 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

First You’ll Say You’re Sorry

A family is wiped out after a burglary gone wrong. An executive accused of embezzling kills himself and his loved ones. A house fire claims the lives of all its inhabitants. Separate incidents with two common threads–a first wife who took her own life, and a secret the victims took to their graves. . .

And Then

Stephanie Coburn has barely recovered from her sister’s mysterious suicide before her brother-in-law and his new wife are murdered, her face disfigured beyond recognition. Stephanie never met the bride, has never even seen a clear photograph. But she knew her sister, and she knows something is desperately wrong. . .

You’ll Say Goodbye

The police won’t listen. Her only ally is another victim’s son. Step by step, they’re uncovering a trail of brutal vengeance and a killer who will never relent–and whose forgiveness can only be earned in death. . .

The Review:

Tell Me You’re Sorry is another intricately plotted and intriguing mystery by Kevin O’Brien. This suspense-laden novel is a fast-paced and engrossing page-turner that is impossible to put down.

Stephanie Coburn is still reeling from her sister’s inexplicable suicide when her niece, nephew, brother-in-law and his wife are savagely murdered. The murders are quickly solved but Rebecca is not fully convinced the police have the killers in custody. When her own investigation into the deaths turns up a similar pattern in two other cases, Stephanie reaches out to Ryan Ferrell, a teenager whose family died under the same mysterious circumstances. Working together they discover a possible motive for the murders, and their trail leads to the one man who can fill in the missing pieces to the perplexing puzzle. But will they uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?

Stephanie and Ryan are an unlikely but effective crime fighting duo. Stephanie has survived several attempts on her life and when her career is threatened, she is certain her suspicions are correct. While she pursues leads on her own, Ryan’s efforts uncover the link between the victims and a possible motive for their murders. By the time they figure out the killer’s next victims, Stephanie and Ryan are one step behind the killer and they frantically devise a desperate plan to save not only the intended targets, but themselves as well.

Tell Me You’re Sorry is a complex mystery that is virtually impossible to solve. Several of the chapters track Stephanie and Ryan’s investigation while other chapters provide tantalizing glimpses into the lives of the victims before the killer strikes. These snapshots show ordinary people living normal lives with no hint of their impending deaths, and this makes their murders all the more shocking. Late in the novel, there are chapters from the killer’s viewpoint but the murderer’s identity and motives for the killings remain closely guarded secrets. Kevin O’Brien brings the novel to a pulse-pounding and thrilling conclusion that is a little shocking but immensely satisfying.