Product Description

In his extraordinary debut novel of psychological suspense, Thomas O’Callaghan proves himself a worthy successor to Thomas Harris as he introduces one of the most compelling and terrifying serial killers since Hannibal Lecter in a book where every harrowing page crackles with the white-knuckle feel of a race against time and the gritty authenticity of a real forensic investigation.

A housewife snatched in broad daylight. A tattooed drifter displayed under a boardwalk. A wealthy, high-society heiress left in a city dump. A busy, young mother on her last errand.

The women seem to have no connection except one: they have all been the victims of the Bone Thief, a twisted madman who slays his victims and steals their bones as gruesome trophies.

Since tragedy struck his own family, Lieutenant John W. Driscoll has been a man on the edge of both sanity and life. But now, with New York City in the grip of panic, Driscoll is needed more than ever. With time running out and the stakes rising every hour, he’ll have to guide a troubled team while battling his own demons in order to hunt and catch the most cunning predator he’s ever faced—a serial killer who is the very soul of evil and whose most shocking revelation is yet to come…

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #349162 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780786018116
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Excellent suspense thriller, not for the squeamish
Bone Thief is one of the best debut novels I've read in this genre. If this suspense thriller does not scare the bejabbers out of you, nothing will. Very few fictional scenarios provide the punch and chills I experienced while reading Bone Thief.
Characters and details were realistic and horror penetrated to the marrow.

O'Callaghan's protagonist is Detective Lt. John Driscoll, a cop who dresses with panache and openly grieves his personal sorrows. When he's not working as a cop, Driscoll cares for his brain dead wife in the home they shared. His young daughter was killed in the same accident that left his wife a vegetable. This Irish Catholic cop is an appealing character, not only for his skill as an investigator but for his devotion to a wife whose existence depends on machines. The author skillfully weaves Driscoll's personal life with an investigation into murders perpetrated by a serial killer.

Readers meet the serial killer early on. Colm Pierce is wealthy, intelligent, educated, multilingual, privileged, and hopelessly insane. His public persona is one of urbane normalcy. But Colm learned his insatiable desires and skills from Daddy, and nothing eases those desires like human bones. One boneless carcass after another turns up in carefully chosen sites around the city, and it's Driscoll's job to find the madman. Both Pierce and Driscoll speak fluent Old Irish, an interesting side plot that provides a few small clues.

Bone Thief, in addition to being fast paced and intriguing, was technically realistic. Such realism added greatly to the plot as an experienced investigator tracks his equally adept and intelligent prey. This mystery thriller is highly recommended, but not for young or squeamish readers.

Excellent Police Thriller
As the title of this review indicates, Bone Thief is truly an excellent police thriller. Once you start reading, you simply can not put this book down---the ending of each chapter leaves you at the edge of your chair and you have no choice but to keep reading to see what happens next. I found the chapters about the police investigation to be particularly well-written and exciting. You can feel the intensity of the hunt for the killer and really get a sense of what a real-life homicide investigation must be like. I would HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced thriller. I know that I can't wait for a sequel or even better, Bone Thief the movie!!!!!!

An Excellent First Book in the Lt. Driscoll Series
Women are being stalked and lured to their final moments by a man who wants nothing more than their bones as trophies. Colm had a literally tortured childhood, one that made it impossible for his mind to reconcile itself completely to a life of sanity.

While he has become an accomplished doctor and on rare occasions wishes he could experience normal emotions toward women, he just can't rise above what his past taught him...life is not a precious commodity. Bones however, are beautiful and soothing.

His victims are left in a gruesome fashion, nothing more than a pile of boneless flesh minus the head, hands and feet. His only decent act is to leave their identification on the bodies, which is the only clue Lt. John Driscoll has to build on.

A team of investigators is put together and Driscoll must lay aside his daily grief over personal tragedy and his budding feelings toward his partner or face being responsible for future murders. With the help of a teenaged computer wiz who thinks herself invincible, Driscoll begins to gather information that will lead him to the epitome of evil.

Thomas O'Callaghan has begun his Lt. John Driscoll series of thrillers with an excellent volume. Although the killer's identity is known from the outset, it doesn't diminish the level of suspense strewn throughout the book.

There are highs and lows, rather than a uniform pace, but short chapters keep the pages flowing steadily. Also, at first, some character backgrounds seem irrelevant but they eventually tie-in neatly.

Sensitive readers will want to note that the author did not hold back with the graphic descriptions of crime scenes. A bit of fine tuning and O'Callaghan could prove to be a valuable addition to the genre.