I have been a fan of O'Brien's for a few years now - he's a talented writer with a good grasp on pacing, plot and characters. Needless to say, I am always keeping an eye out for his books - both the earlier titles that I missed and his newest. Though not really marketed as such, this latest one is actually something of a sequel to last summer's thriller, The Betrayed Wife. You don't have to read that one first (though O'Brien quickly sums up the pertinent points which will spoil the action for those who haven't read it - my bad memory greatly appreciated the reminders, though!).

This one focuses on the O'Rourke half-sisters, Hannah and Eden. They have received scholarships to a small, private (and fictitious) university on the North Shore of Chicago - in Delmar (squeezed in around Lake Bluff and Lake Forest). The author's own familiarity with the area really shows - and I greatly appreciated the details of the geography that all added up so flawlessly - seriously, everything just felt spot-on from the Metro stops, the correct highway exits and grocery stories (sometimes those details aren't correct in other Chicago-based books and it drives me crazy!). The authenticity really added to my overall enjoyment of this one!

The book moves along at a fast pace, with multiple perspectives, and multiple strings of the plot - from echoes of 1970s murders at the college, to suspicious characters and plenty of intrigue. A few of the plot's turns are more expected than others, but there are some real shocks here, too! Plus, the book addressed many of the open threads that were left unaddressed in its predecessor. This time, though, the epilogue seems to indicate that this is the end for the O'Rourke family - but I secretly hope that it isn't! I really liked all of the characters! I really and genuinely had fun reading this one from start to finish! I can't wait to see what O'Brien will write next!

The Bad Sister by Kevin O’Brien is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher, Pinnacle Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Fifty years ago, Our Lady of the Cove College was the site of the Immaculate Conception Murders.  It seems like history may be repeating itself.

After a rough couple of years of unwanted media attention that saw their father shot by one of the many women he had affairs with,  Hannah and her half-sister Eden both received scholarships to Our Lady of the Cove.  They end up living in the same bungalow, along with their roommate, heiress Rachel Bonner.  Eden's behaviour has always been rather erratic, and things have not changed.  She is driving Hannah nuts, but when her sister doesn't come back to their bungalow after a few nights, and given other recent discoveries, Hannah starts to worry....although no one else seems too concerned.

Hannah turns to Journalism Professor Ellie Goodwin for help.  Although Ellie is only their teacher, she has befriended Hannah, and agrees that Eden's disappearance is suspicious.  She feels that recent events are looking too much like the case 50 years ago, which may mean that Eden is in trouble.   However, both the police and the head of the school want Ellie to drop it.    Ellie is also having some other issues.  She is responsible for putting a number of people behind bars, and the threats she is getting via email seem to imply someone is out for revenge.


My Opinions:   

Well, as with all Kevin O'Brien books that I have read this one is complex.  There is a lot going on.  A lot of strange characters, a lot of secrets, lies, dysfunctional families....and twists.

A couple of things bothered me.  It took so long for a character introduced in Chapter 1 to reappear in Chapter 31....that I didn't recognize the name at first.   With reference to the characters, I found Hannah to be very naive, Eden reckless and Rachel spoiled.  So I couldn't relate to any of them.  As well, all the parents were idiots.  Thankfully I liked Ellie, because I find books very difficult to read if there isn't anyone to cheer for.

Although I felt it moved very slow,  it was still a fast read.  The last quarter's suspense made up for everything.

This one starts out with intrigue and keeps going. The plot is intense and full of surprises. The characters are interesting and keep you wondering. This author is a master at building suspense and tension and has done it so well with this one. I kept second guessing everything. What really happened, what character was believable. I don't want to give away too much, so I will say this is a must read for thriller fans!

The story starts off with a bang about two brothers Gil and Nate and their two girlfriends taking a trip to their family's very secluded vacation cabin in the woods to celebrate their birthdays as they did when they were kids. As the night progresses two strangers appear out of nowhere very distraught and injured needing help so the girls readily open the door for them. Maybe they should never have opened that door!I

Two Years Later-
Hannah and her half sister Eden are enrolled with full hardship scholarships to a small Catholic college which they are so thankful for or they would only have been able to only go to community colleges near their hometown. They soon meet their third roommate Rachel who is a society media princess and has her own chauffeur/bodyguard at her disposal. What and eclectic trio this will make since Hannah and Eden cannot stand to be in the same room together for more than five minutes. Unbeknownst to the girls this college was the site of The Immaculate Conception Murders which happened 50 years ago where several girls and a teacher were brutally murdered not that would change anything for them but it made Hannah feel creepy vibes that she could be living so close to such a gruesome occurrence and not understanding why she never saw any of this disturbing history when she thoroughly researched the college on the internet. Soon thereafter, some strange events start occurring and also a possibly missing student and another death on campus and Hannah is always feeling she is being watched and now she is also starting to believe there may be a copycat serial killer within their midst.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The first chapter was a WoW and I couldn't wait to find out more. I enjoyed that there were a few seemingly different stories going on at one time with so many twists and turns and that I didn't have a clue who the real predators were and was shocked by the final conclusion of the story where everything came together very well with quite a bit of a suspenseful ending. The writing and storytelling was so good that I just didn't want to put the book down. I can't wait to read more of Kevin O'Brien's books and highly recommend this novel to any mystery/thriller lover.

I want to thank the publisher "Kensington Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this terrific story and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this novel a rating of 4 1/2 Deliciously Creepy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 Stars!!

This book has one of the best prologues I’ve read in a long while. The tension drops with the opening of the story two years later.
A pair of half sisters arrive for their freshman year at a small college far from their home. The girls do not get along, the school was not either girl’s first choice, and they’ll be roommates.
The author builds tension at a steady pace until the climax. He provides several plot twists and brings all the characters together in a logical and believable way. The main characters are well developed, the writing is good, and the ending is satisfactory.
All in all, this is an enjoyable read.
I received an advance copy of The Bad Sister from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A fast paced well written murder mystery! Hannah has a half - sister, Eden, who is her father's bastard child. Now, two years later they are off to school, where they meet a kind hearted teacher Ellie, a renowned newspaper journalist. The three will have to use their wits when malevolence comes to visit. I liked the characters, but once again I figured out the bad guys before the author revealed them; yet the read was thouraghly enjoyable.
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

Kevin O'Brien does an excellent job of shifting the focus between the two sisters to keep you guessing. THE BAD SISTER is set against the back story of 50yr old murders and how they fit into current deaths on the same campus. A quick read for me that gave had few quick twists so I didn't know who the killer was until the end. And that's what a good thriller should do!!!

This book was just ok for me, the story was interesting enough but somehow didn't connect to anyone, maybe too many storylines and not enough emotion, no one's perspective was strong enough and while I cared about Ellie, I didn't believe she would have taken the level of risks that the author had her take.

An absolute winner of a thriller. Taunt and suspenful it will keep you happily guessing until the end. Not to be missed. A must read. Happy reading!

Hannah O'Rourke and her half-sister, Eden, are not friends and are not happy to be going off to college at the same school. They're even stuck sharing the same bungalow with one other girl, and in the same journalism class with a teacher who keeps asking questions about their newsworthy past which Hannah's hoping to leave behind.

Fifty years ago the campus was the site of the Immaculate Conception Murders, where multiple people were murdered. When Hannah and Eden arrive on campus, disturbing events, including mysterious deaths begin. Is it a coincidence or is a copycat recreating the past murders?

The Bad Sister was wonderfully and outrageously twisty. The fast pace and multiple plotlines makes for a complex and fascinating story with a large number of strings that all come together in the end. Recommended for fans of psychological suspense.


Content Warning (SPOILERS) below:




Murdered infant (described); torture mentioned but not described; misogyny; peeping tom and hidden interior cameras; stalking; rape (not on page); pedophilia; incest

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

Another fantastic read by O’Brien. This is the sequel to The Betrayed Wife and we meet with Eden again. Full of twists and turns, trying to figure out who is recreating murders from decades ago. Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How could there be another serial killer working the same area in the same way fifty years after the first? That's the question Ellie, a journalism professor, hopes to answer. She thinks there's a link, somehow, to Hannah and Eden, half sisters who, btw, really don't like one another. They've got a secret in their background but is one of them a killer? No spoilers from me. This gives you several perspectives and a time line which will help keep things straight. You, like me, might guess the answers Ellie is seeking but that doesn't mean you, like me, won't keep reading to know if you're right. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pandemic read on a hot day spent inside.

Who is really the bad sister? This book draws you in and then when you think you've figured it out, have you really? I have read all of this Author's books and he never disappoints!

The Bad Sister is a slow burn. It starts out a little slow, but before you know what has happened, you are in the middle of a story that is full of secrets, lies and murder.

This was the first book I read by O'Brien, and if his others are like this, I can't wait to read them. As I said, it started out a little slow to me, but boy did it pick up. I couldn't put it down, but when I had to, I couldn't wait to pick it back up.

You get lies, secrets and murder with this one. Also, the way it climaxes is unreal. I highly recommend it if you like psychological suspense books, that are a little creepy.

Thanks to Netgalley, O'Brien, and the publisher for the Kindle Version of this book for my honest opinion and review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.25 Hearts I had high hopes for this book once I read the first few chapters. And enjoyed the first half of the book for the most part. But the second half left me a bit, well, unsatisfied. I liked the writing of the first half. The flow is different and entertaining but in the later half the writing changed.

I almost felt like the writer had written half than put the novel away to come back to it later.

Just not all I hoped it could be.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Kevin O'Brien is one of my favorite authors. I've read every single one of his books. However, the title should have been "The Twisted Sister." (No offense, Mr. O'Brien). The situation at the start of the book really caught my attention and I was prepared for a roller coaster ride. Alas, that didn't happen because the book jumped to a different time and situation. There was a lot of excitement! The sisters/half sisters were a confusing bunch. This family was the true meaning of dysfunction and then some! There were many twists and turns and I thought I had figured who was the killer. Boy! Was I mistaken!

The story is intense and excruciatingly exciting! A must read! Family secrets can kill you literally! Must read.

CW: rape, violence, blood/gore, incest

The Bad Sister drew me in instantly when the first chapter took place two years prior to the rest of the story.

The book continued to chronicle specific days and times for each chapter and gave us the perspective of a handful of main characters.

The first half of the book had me enthralled! A serial killer terrorizes a small college in Chicago then fifty years later a copycat strikes!

The second half of the book began to slow a bit and get a little muddled with an influx of sometimes random information.

While the ending didn’t come as a total surprise, there were still some elements that I wasn’t able to guess.

I look forward to checking out more books from Kevin O’Brien.

Thank you to Kevin O'Brien, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love all of Kevin O'Brien's books, and this was no exception. The story starts off with a bang, and leaves you wondering who really is the bad sister throughout the whole book. The ending had a twist I didn't see coming (and one that I did) but the overall story was still great.

I read the previous book in this series by Kevin O'Brien and looked forward to reading this one also.. The story sucked me in from the beginning.. Eden and Hannah are half sisters attending a college where several murders took place 50 years ago. Throughout the book copycat murders are occurring.. I really enjoy books by Kevin O'Brien and this was no exception. Wasn't able to figure out throughout the book which sister was the "Bad Sister" until near the end.

The premise behind this book is interesting and there were parts that I really liked but I felt like the book didn't quite flow. I really wanted to stick with it but I honestly didn't finish it and it usually bothers me not to finish a book. I'm sorry, I just couldn't make myself like it.