Emerald O'BrienReseñas

A news item about a woman being attacked in the woods by a man in a mask reminds Avery of her experience of being chased through the woods when she was a teenager by a masked person. She had escaped by accidentally falling off a ledge into a river and was rescued by someone who saw her fall.

The police had not taken her seriously ten years ago, but when she gets in touch with them now, new inspector Noah believes her story and believes that it is connected with what is happening now.

The story was ok, but I hadn't looked at the cover properly and was a third of the way through before I realised that it was a trilogy and not a series. At the end of book one, the killer has been identified but he evades capture. I think I would have liked it more if the story had been wrapped up instead of being dragged on for two more books - which I don't think I will have the patience to read to find out how it all works out.

This was a freebie and there were a lot of editing issues - wrong words being used, typos etc. And the way some of the characters related to each other wasn't quite consistent through the book. But I still would have given it 3 stars if it had not been dragged out into a trilogy.

I enjoyed this!
It read a bit like if Alice Feeney were to try writing the Hunting Party from one person's perspective. Lots of layers to it though!

"He had the control, and they didn't know it. They'd never understand until he showed them."

Well, this is another great book by Emerald O'Brien!! A bit more on the horror side than the other books I've read but still has all the suspense and twist I've come to know and love.

The story takes place on and around Halloween, so if you're looking for a creepy, pagan holiday read, definitely grab this one! This is so reminiscent of your favorite "friend group slasher movie"! You have the one friend who is convinced there's someone out there, one that tries to blow it off, the guy with the sick, twisted sense of humor, the protector, and of course, you have to have the playboy with the new girlfriend. Oh, and add in the serial killer on the loose with the creepy mask that every trick-or-treater seems to be wearing.

Great read!! Highly recommend!

This is a dark thriller as well as a very good murder mystery that will keep you wanting to read well into the night or however long it takes you to get to the end. The author has very cleverly written something that will completely throw you off track several times when you think you have it all worked out. This is a brilliant start to the series, and I am so looking forward to more. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of angst and fear. Avery was attacked ten years ago and has ever since lived her life in constant fear. When she sees a police report her world is once again turned upside down and her worst nightmare is coming back to rule her life again. She wonders, if with a crazy killer on the loose will the police be able to keep all of the girls safe. The only downside to this story is that it ends with a cliffhanger that will absolutely demand that you find book #2.

"This is what happens, they'd said. But it didn't have to end like this. This isn't how its supposed to be."

Holy Hannah, this was amazing!! I never saw that ending coming!!

The secret signal was three knocks on the shared wall between their apartments. It meant she needed help. But Remey was too late. Now her life is taking a wild spiral and you will not believe where it ends up!!

This one was well-paced and stress-filled! I was always waiting for the boot to drop, you know? There would be parts where the tension was high, then you are lulled back in to a level of semi-complacency, only to have the tension slam you in the chest again!!

This was a great read, with a twisty ending that will leave you with your jaw on the floor!!

Definitely grab this one!!

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by the author. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Remey is riddled with guilt after the death of her neighbor, Marlena, thinking she should have done more to save her. Remey hears Marlena crying and knocking on the walls, even though she is gone. While Remey is trying to adjust and unburden her guilt, her ex-boyfriend keeps hounding her and bringing up the night Marlena died. One night after a date with a new possible romance, Remey discovers she is not alone in the house she is watching for her best friend Nicole's parents.

There are little things: her medicine and a letter are missing, the back door is open, a fire is burning outside... But there wasn't that build-up when Remey finally realizes who is terrorizing her. We don't see multiple pieces fit together; she just knows. But that did NOT take away from the story at all. This was a short fast paced read that I would definitely recommend.

Worth reading next in series

Maybe it was just me, but i really couldn't get into this. It started out slow and for me, it just never picked up. About the time I thought it was starting to, it went off into past events again that had happened with the two sisters when they were children. By the time it returned to the current day story...I was just past caring. The story had crime, a mystery and action...some of the things that I need to be in a good mystery...and I can't even say that it wasn't well written. I bet anyone with more patience and tolerance than I have will probably be crazy about it. I'm not writing it off. I may try it again some other time.

"I'm not a bad person. I did a bad thing."
"I'm not a bad person. I did a bad thing"

Wow!! Talk about a page-turner!! If I didn't have to work, I would have finished this in a couple of hours!!

So, we have our main character, Chelsea, who has survived a horrific night of murder and loss. She's hailed as a hero, but is she really? She's holding secrets. Secrets she thought no one knew, until the notes started. Now she and those she loves could be in danger.

We learn her story through both the present and the past, which I might add, were perfectly placed and flowed flawlessly together. The entire time, I was going back and forth in my mind as to who did what, and who the culprit was, and in the end I was .........wrong! You know, I consider myself pretty smart - not a genius by any means -but I've got an acceptable level of intelligence. For the life of me, I could not figure this out!!

And that ending? Well, I NEVER saw that coming!

Obviously, I'm not going to give anything away here. No spoilers, but you have to read this one. Go. Do it now. Now.

This was such an amazing thriller! I loved it!!! Definitely pick this one up!!

This was an absorbing read because the characters and plot were interesting.½

This story was written well enough to keep me in the story for a few empty hours.½

"I'm sitting next to the man that always seems to be hiding something these days, and now its my turn."

Well, that was one heck of a ride! The whole time I kept second guessing myself - Is he or isn't he? Could he? Nah, he wouldn't. Is she or isn't she? Should she? Nah, she shouldn't. I had mental whiplash trying to figure it all out! Of course, I couldn't, but that's what makes this such an amazing thriller!

So, we have Hayden and Sid who are struggling to regain a trust that was broken when Hayden discovers a huge secret that Sid had been hiding - one that nearly cost him his life. But, can that trust ever really be rebuilt? I couldn't tell if he was really being sincere, or if he was just a manipulative genius. I couldn't tell if Hayden should give him the benefit of the doubt, or if she should follow her gut instincts.

I'm not going to spoil anything here, but HOLY HANNAH!! That ending!!! #MindBlown!

It will leave you with one question - Is it, or isn't it?

Brilliant thriller!! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone!!

Published: March 18, 2021
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emerald O’Brien was born and raised just east of Toronto, Ontario. She graduated from her Television Broadcasting and Communications Media program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. As the author of unpredictable stories packed with suspense, Emerald enjoys connecting with her readers, who are passionate about joining characters as they solve mysteries and take exciting adventures between the pages of great books.

“So, hold your pieces close, or you’ll have none.”

Lane has an artistic and in real able bond with her great uncle. And now that he has dementia, there is no one else who could care for him more. When CeCe, Lane’s sister, comes to stay with them in Donnie’s art-filled home, more than memories come flooding back. With so many secrets, will anyone indeed be okay?

Wowza. This was a beautifully dark, twisted tale about the bond of family, the power of choice, and the beauty in all things broken. I loved the characters in this. Selfless Lane, who never hesitated to abandon her wants and desires to care for those she loved, appeasing CeCe, who didn’t want to let anyone down but also refused to be anyone’s victim. Artistic and sensitive Donnie, who adorned his great-niece more than art. Roger the loyal and brave. Seever, the selfish and entitled.

The elements represented in this book were so well played. And the way this story unfolded was genuinely dark and so well executed. Like a fire, the build-up for this story started slow, but as things intensified and as the slow burn quickly became a raging inferno, all I could do is keep reading.

This book is addictive, and I found myself unable to find a suitable place to stop reading. The deeper involved I became with these characters, the more their stories intertwined, and the truth started seeping out- the faster I flipped the pages.

The twists in this book are delivered so smoothly and so intricately that you almost don’t realize what just happened. In a cunning game of whodunnit and brutal truths, a pair of sisters realize just how badly they need each other, especially with so much at stake.

With an ending that will leave you staring at the words and a plot that will make your heart race, this is a thriller you will never see coming.

This book has so many unexpected twists that I felt like a pinball bouncing off them. Some people would say the coincidences are unreal and unbelievable but it sure makes for an entertaining read. I could not stop until I finished. And then I just sat there. I certainly didn't see the end coming! Just when you think it can't get worse it does. The characters were good and developed throughout the book. Lainey moves in with her Uncle Donnie to take care of him but she needs help. Sister CeCe moves home with secrets of her own and isn't much help. Donnie's son is just an evil creep who gets more evil. How does the abusive neighbor fit in? It all ties together, much of it in a letter to Lainey written by Donnie to be given to her later. Another winner for Emerald O'Brien!

"Maybe he'd found me like he promised he would. Maybe I really did see him in the backwoods, more prepared to dig two graves than I'd been. After all- he had nothing left to lose."

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this author! She never fails to throw me for a loop and leave me with my head spinning at the end! This one was no different.

So, I started reading this and I thought maybe this one was just a story about a young woman caring for her great-uncle who is suffering with Alzheimer's. The heartbreak of her watching his decline, and coming to the realization that she could no longer give him the care he needed. Add in, her sister who comes to stay with them, but rarely lifts a finger to actually help, the lack of sleep, the incessant worry, and it all becomes too much for her. A tough decision needs to be made.

But there is, oh, so much more to it than that!

About half way through the story, it all hits the fan! Talk about twists! The last half of the book is a whirlwind of suspense, secrets, betrayal, and total carnage! You will not believe this ending!! Definitely grab this one and hold on to your hat for a wild ride!!

"If I don't keep moving, I'll let the fear stop me again, and I can't"

Holy Moly!! Talk about keeping you guessing!! I can't tell you how many times I thought - "I bet it's him" then "Ooooh, maybe it's her" then, "It's gotta be him", then "maybe she's imagining all of it", then, and then, and then. I was wrong on all accounts!!

I audibly gasped several times while reading this book. I don't know about you, but I've had that eerie feeling that someone is watching me before, or following me. But this? Yikes! Not only does our main character feel that, but there are little things that the reader notices that she doesn't seem to, that will have you on edge! And there are so may potential who-dunnits that you just won't be able to see the end coming!

What a great read!!! I have read several books from Ms. O'Brien and each one is just riveting!! Definitely grab this one!!

A close knit group of friends who have pledged to always be there for each other. Their annual getaway weekend with lots of fun and lots of drinking. A strange woman knocking on the door at night in the middle of a thunderstorm, a cut on her head and her car wrecked. A great setup for a mystery. It was a dark and stormy night.......This book left me doubting most of the characters at one point or another. The story was told by Tabbie, who is going through a divorce. She was the only one I didn’t doubt but everyone else seemed to. As evidence of a crime mounts it seems that someone may be trying to frame the group. But who? I really didn’t see the ending coming! The characters’ stories were well developed over the course of the book with enough left out to add to the suspense. This book was very well written with the suspense building throughout. I couldn’t put it down. It’s the first book Of Ms O’Briens’ that I have read but it certainly won’t be the last. I wish to thank the author and BookFunnel for giving me a copy to read and review and for allowing me to discover a new author.

What She Found by Emerald O'Brien is a mesmerizing, addictive and captivating story of love, loss, and fear. A Psychological Suspense that is twisted, addictive, a page turner, that will kept the reader on the edge of their seat. The fear is tangible, the loss is great and with ties that bind, readers will definitely be in awe.
A definite must read for fans of Psychological thrillers, suspense, mystery and trust.
WHAT SHE FOUND is well crafted, and well excuted. The characters are believable and engaging. Twisted with a bit of everything a reader would expect in a Psychological Suspense and more with a gripping and explosive conclusion.
Highly recommended!

"I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review."

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating:
Reviewer: AprilR½

"They made a mistake. Whoever's doing this made a mistake."

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!! Holy Hannah, did this one keep me guessing! All the way through, I was saying "oooh, it's him, I know it" , then "Ooh, maybe it's her!", then I'd be back to him, no her, no him. GAH!! I loved it!!

So, this group of friends meets up at a vacation rental. Tabbie, Connor, Liz, Arland, Cassy, Matt, and the newcomer, Wesley. Everything is going great, the booze is flowing, then comes the knock on the door. A stranger in their midst, injured, and someone who's presence starts the tight bond of these friends to slowly unravel when she disappears without a trace. Here's where the fun begins!

As the police try to solve the mystery of this missing woman, the group which was the last to see her, start looking at each other with suspicion, doubt, and distrust. The finger pointing is endless, secrets come out that change the friendship dynamic in big ways, and each thinks someone else in the group knows more than they are letting on. Who is lying? Are they all lying? There is more to this stranger and her odd connection to to this group than anyone could have imagined. But, at the end of the day, the truth will come out, and none of them will ever be the same.

I love a thriller with tons of twists and turns! This one had my head spinning!! I couldn't figure out who did it, or if there was even an "it" to have done!! Whoo hoo!! What a ride!! Definitely grab this one, you won't be sorry!! And that ending? Well, prepare to be shocked!!!

This was my first read of this author. There is no way I'm stopping here. I will, for sure, be gobbling up everything else she's written!

Things were going ok until I got to "disrespect authority" - the only way I can figure that idea into the book is with the base assumption that authority is entirely autonomous - i.e. never has to give account for anything it does no matter how egregious - which is indeed the perspective of a large portion of the globe, but as an American I find it offensive. at that point I just bailed.