Tell Me You're Sorry

by Kevin O'Brien

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. . .

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Audiobook

544 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 29, 2014

Reviews

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, ok. I'll do it. I will tell you that I am sorry.

I'm sorry that it took me so long to ever read a Kevin O'Brien novel. I'm sorry that I passed him by so many times, even though his books looked interesting. I'm sorry that now I have to read his books in reverse, instead of the proper, chronological way. Most of all, I'm sorry that I wasted time reading novels by less-talented authors, when I could have been enjoying this one.

Yes, "Tell Me You're Sorry" has so far been the surprise hit of the year for me (even if it is only May, 2014 at the moment). I admit, I picked this book up on a whim, not knowing anything about it, or O'Brien. It was just a cool looking cover, and the "New York Times Bestseller" blurb on there helped too. Now, I'm not usually one for murder mysteries as I typically find them boring, cliche, and way too easy to figure out. With O'Brien, all of those preconceptions are washed away. From the very first page, he hooks you in, and, building with the powerful prologue, it's impossible to put this book down; you'll be guessing all the way til the end on how the events can be happening, and how it'll come to its conclusion. The fact that he keeps things modern and contemporary helps ground you as well (even if his idea of teen texting seems a bit outdated).

A lot of reviews I read have said this is O'Brien's best novel to date, and for that, I'm a little bummed out. Now, I'll have to go backwards and be continuously comparing those older novels to this one. I suppose, in the long run, it's not that bad a price to pay for my ignorance.

Here's what all this boils down to. You should read this book. You should go and get "Tell Me You're Sorry" as soon as you possibly can. You won't be sorry, but you might have to apologize to someone later, and it won't be pretty...

[Kaora · Rating 2 out of 5]

My ratings for this book decreased the longer it went on.

At the start it was probably edging on a four, due to the great atmosphere of suspense the author created. It jumped around quite a bit, but I got a great perspective of what was going on and it raised a lot of questions that I looked forward to learning more about.

By the time we were introduced to the main character Stephanie I was thoroughly hooked. She was well developed, intelligent and I liked her.

So what went wrong?

It dropped to 3 stars once details started being revealed. I figured out who-dun-it 3/4 of the way through and it wasn't an incredibly surprising twist. I was kind of disappointed. All this build up and a quick and easy ending.

Some other issues I had were just things I had a hard time believing. The killer uses % symbols in his texts to produce double 'o'. "C U s%n" No one does that. Symbols are harder to type than letters! I freaking hate having to decipher bad text messages in books that go overboard with the abbreviations. Just STOP.

Idiotic behavior by cops. Do they really call to check if a suspect is home before they arrest him? Hey heads up... You better run. If someone turns on their stereo loudly at random during a traffic violation is that not suspicious? Or maybe they just felt like dancing to an upbeat song while they are being written up.

The final star fell off when the main character refers to someone as "just a taxi driver". Why are you looking down on someone who is working hard to provide a living? What is wrong with being a taxi driver?

Not impressed.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell Me You're Sorry. by Kevin O'Brien .. I won this book through Goodreads. Thanks, wow what a book. It keep a fast pace and I couldn't wait to read the next page. Revenge to the limits, not only to the seemingly guilty parties, but revenge and death to all family members. The four men were financially established. Their assets were take as well. A family member who's sister was murdered wanted the criminals brought to justice. Her wish was granted, due to her hard work. I'll have to read more of Kevin O'Brien's books.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza what a great book. I read a lot of mysteries and generally can figure how who is doing what to whom pretty early on but not with this one. It was so well written with just a tiny bit of the whole picture being revealed with each chapter. I got about 1/2 way and that was it. I literally could not put it down. I highly recommend this one and now plan on reading all the books by this author

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about Kevin O'Brien's Tell Me You're Sorry. If you like a good suspense book, then you must check this one out. I always enjoy his books, but I think he outdid himself this time. One of my favorite books of the year, if not THE FAVORITE book of the year. He drew me in from the first chapter and enthralled me until the very end. I will definitely read more of his books. 5+ stars

[E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book really sucked me in. There were murders, mystery, mayhem. Tons of characters were introduced, but I didn't have to keep up...they didn't live very long.
However, around the halfway point the intrigue began to decline. There was just way too much information given. I knew (pretty much) who the bad guy was, and I just didn't hate them enough. I knew they had done bad things, but I didn't actually witness their badness, just the aftermath. Consequently I had no connection, with the baddie or the heroes.
The ending was a little too "nice".

There were a couple of twists and cool scenes, but not enough to "wow" me. Its well written, but some of the dialogue was a little....dated? (A 30-something female pilot in the throes of trying to plan the demise of the murderer says "call the police so we can nab his partner". Nab? Maybe it's just me...)

It's a little forgettable.

[Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling · Rating 4 out of 5]

My View:
This is a pulse racing 500 odd pages of adventure, mystery, suspense, tension and …just a few murders. There were several places in the narrative that I caught my breath and waited for my pulse to settle before I read on. O’Brien certainly knows how to spin a complex, intriguing and great psychological drama that keeps you on the edge of the chair whilst you carve a swathe through this narrative. You will not want to put this book down!

I urge you to sit, read and enjoy this masterful creation of suspense and fear; don’t try and think too much, just read and absorb and let the story take you away to somewhere where the atmosphere and the sense of evil and foreboding dominate, where you breathe tight fast breaths and you forget about the outside world. What a great book to lose yourself in. Indulge your passion for nerve tingling, psychological mystery with this great read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book from 2014, Stephanie Coburn is a pilot. Her sister Rebecca was married to Scott and they had two children. Rebecca committed suicide a few months ago. Stephanie found it hard to believe since they were so close. Scott remarried suddenly but neither family or friends met the new wife Halle. All four were murdered in an apparent burglary with Halle being shot twice in the face. This immediately raised red warning flags with me. Why wipe out her face?

Other families are killed. Readers know a mysterious woman is involved. As Stephanie is reading about these murders, she notes the first wife died by suicide and each husband has recently remarried. Coincidence or pattern? Stephanie digs until she finds a connection.

The book jumps around to different scenes with different families so you have to pay attention to keep up. Several scenes are creepy, as the author intended. Someone is obviously out for revenge but who and why? I liked the ending. I can always feel the suspense when I read a book by Kevin O'Brien.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading anything by Kevin O'Brien, but it certainly won't be the last!

A housefire, a robbery gone wrong, a murder/suicide...at first glance the deaths that took these families seem to be random acts. But take a closer look. You'll see that in each family the wife has died, and the husband remarried quickly. And each man has a secret he has been running from for years. A secret that follows them each to the grave.

This book was crazy good in so many ways. I absolutely loved it! Not only was the story incredible and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, but the character development was amazing which is sometimes hard to find in a book like this. Not only did you get to learn so much about the main characters, but you also got a good look inside the heads of the victims and the killer also.

I loved this book and really look forward to reading more by this author!

[Maggie61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read more of Kevin O'Brien's novels, this one was an "I can't put down" book. I read most of it in one day, I didn't want to do anything until I was finished reading it.
So many times I thought I knew what was going on and kept thinking of different theories. I flew through to the last pages, I had to know it all.
Great suspenseful mystery. I will be reading more books of this author!!

[Nadhiah Aida · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story plot is different ... Your mind will be thinking and thinking ... Who, How and Why ...

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My personal "Tell me" Challenge read... #3

Tell Me You're Sorry by Kevin O'Brien, was sort of good, but had some serious flaws for a literal reader.

The plot here was pretty twisted and had some good bones but it also lacked some common sense. Families are dying, yet the police are not able to see the evidence of the crime, or connect any of the clues that Stephanie the airline pilot and a high school student are able to see? Uhmmmmm...

But despite the stupid text messages, some of the characters do not follow the common-sense actions of normal people, even abnormal people and the cops. Wow, the author had them doing stupid things to keep the book going forward. I understand creative license, but really? This kinda got out of hand.

But hey, we have all read worse... we all hope for better reads, but this one filled the time.

3 stars

Happy Reading!

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many twist and turns! I really enjoyed this. Kept me hooked all the way to the end.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 +
This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only.
**
In Tell Me You’re Sorry, Stephanie Coburn is a single airline pilot whose only family is her sister Rebecca, Rebecca’s husband Scott, and their two kids, CC and Ernie. When Rebecca commits suicide, Stephanie is at first shocked, then furious when Scott remarries a mysterious woman named Halle just three months afterward. And her world gets turned even further upside down when Scott, Halle, and both children are murdered on Thanksgiving, in an apparent robbery gone wrong.

Stephanie tries to figure out the deaths of her sister, brother-in-law, and their two children. She slowly begins putting together the clues from her brother-in-law’s past, and finding connections to two other slain families who follow the same very specific pattern:

-For several years, a father receives unsigned cards on Fathers Day.
-Then the mother commits suicide (or seems to).
-The grieving father remarries a short time later, usually within a few months.
-Shortly after that, the father, children, and dad’s new wife are all murdered.
-After the deaths, it’s discovered that all of the family’s money and valuables are gone.

In trying to solve the mystery of Rebecca’s death, Stephanie meets Ryan, a high school student/football star, who was living away from his family due to an estrangement with his father when his whole family was murdered. He begins working with Stephanie long-distance to try to figure out why their families were targeted, and who the murderer is. They are later joined by Allison, a teenage girl whose family may be next.

To further complicate things, the bad guys know that Stephanie is on to them, which brings a next-level element of cat and mouse to the book, as they try to destroy her credibility and kill her before she finds them. There’s also a whole side plot about a woman who’s been kidnapped and is being held prisoner throughout the story.
**
A housefire, a robbery gone wrong, a murder/suicide...at first glance the deaths that took these families seem to be random acts. But take a closer look. You'll see that in each family the wife has died, and the husband remarried quickly. And each man has a secret he has been running from for years. A secret that follows them each to the grave.

**
In this book from 2014, Stephanie Coburn is a pilot. Her sister Rebecca was married to Scott and they had two children. Rebecca committed suicide a few months ago. Stephanie found it hard to believe since they were so close. Scott remarried suddenly but neither family or friends met the new wife Halle. All four were murdered in an apparent burglary with Halle being shot twice in the face. This immediately raised red warning flags with me. Why wipe out her face?

Other families are killed. Readers know a mysterious woman is involved. As Stephanie is reading about these murders, she notes the first wife died by suicide and each husband has recently remarried. Coincidence or pattern? Stephanie digs until she finds a connection.

The book jumps around to different scenes with different families so you have to pay attention to keep up. Several scenes are creepy, as the author intended. Someone is obviously out for revenge but who and why? I liked the ending.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow. Wow, wow, wow! Stephanie Coburn is an airline pilot whose parents were killed when she was a teen and refused to go out to the usual family dinner at a Chinese restaurant, leading them to go to an Italian restaurant instead where they were shot dead by an enraged dumped boyfriend gunning for their waitress. She lives with the guilt and went to live with her sister Rebecca and her husband Scott until college when they abruptly moved away. She is alone and lonely when Rebecca supposedly committed suicide leaving her husband Scott a widower and their two kids C.C. and Ernie motherless. Stephanie has a boyfriend Jim who is a Senator who was widowed but refused to openly date since his 10 year old daughter Maura didn't want him to nor did his rich in-laws who he got money and public support from. Scott marries within months of Rebecca's death and then the whole family is murdered on Thanksgiving in what was supposedly a burglary gone wrong. There is something fishy about the whole thing and Stephanie finds out more when she discovers her brother-in-law's new wife would not allow her photo to be taken, had dropped her family and friends, and other oddities. All of Scott's money and the family valuables are gone.

While that is suspicious, what really makes Stephanie suspicious is to find that one of Scott's old school chums named Dick had the exact same thing happen in another state. His wife killed herself, he met and married another woman within weeks, and they were at a remote cabin when they all died. Add to that the fact that their money and valuables were gone too and Stephanie sees a photo with Scott and Dick and two other mem at a tennis court- yet none played tennis.

Meanwhile, teen high school student and football player Ryan Ferrell is abused by his dad over being perfect in football and obeying Dad's commands while playing when his dad has a physical confrontation on the field where the dad attacked Ryan and Ryan fought back. He refuses to live at home and goes nearby to live with grandma. Ryan's mother dies and Ryan's dad is remarried in weeks. Ryan gets a mysterious call to come home It is a stormy night and he drives there but turns back and goes back to Grandma's, not hearing the screaming and gunshots as his dad, stepmom and siblings are murdered.

Stephanie goes to the funeral of Ryan's family and tries to make him understand the pattern but he thinks she is a nut. Even after she is given LSD in food and almost pilots a flight, she becomes even more discredited, Jim wants to cool off what little relationship they have, and hate mail and attacks on her home begin.

When it all seems hopeless, a laid off Stephanie receives a new partner -teenaged Ryan Ferrell- who, with a teenaged friend, join in solving the crimes. Things really get hot then- Stephanie is stalked, her house blown up, plus there are secrets about gang rape, a country club, and more help from a teen girl Allison whose dad is the 4th person in the photo and whose mom supposedly committed suicide, a man who is already being pursued by a woman weeks after his wife's death.

This story is so excited I read for 12 hours in a row to finish all 500 + pages. Breathtaking!

[K~Terror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

This book started off as a 5-star read with a very attention-grabbing opening and awesome atmospheric writing. However, as it went on, there were a few issues that caused the book to loose just a bit of appeal for me.. I love when the ending is more surprising while I'd had the conclusion figured out at least 3/4ths of the way. (Also, some of the things the culprit got away with just seemed a bit far-fetched, even for me.) Other than that, I enjoyed the characters and the writing in this book and plan to read more books by Kevin O'Brien.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A convoluted yet well-told thriller. There's a hell of a lot of pages here, yet not a lot of wasted words. The plot is thick, the characters many however it was not a difficult novel to follow. I also found it had no obvious pieces to it. The story is smoothly told, the whodunnit made sense, and zero characters made me hate them :)

[Melanie Chabrol- · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! definitely Kevin O'Brien's best book. Now it's my turn to say "TELL ME YOU'RE SORRY" for not picking up this book earlier. Even with Kevin telling me it was coming out.
A family is destroyed after a burglary gone wrong, Someone accused of embezzlement. Men losing a loved one and re-marrying. Separate incidents, in separate towns, separate jurisdictions.
Stephanie doesn't believe in co-incidences. The more Stephanie finds out the more she becomes a threat. Her sister committed suicide. That's unlike her, they are/ were close and unseperable. I won't say more but the ending get Kleenex. This book kept me up at night and was on my mind 24x7

[James F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was to far fetched that I had a hard time believing the story line. a couple kills your wife and makes it look like a suicide the partner in crime kidnaps a single woman and steal her identity. woman. then entices the widower and ends up marrying her. She steals all her new husbands money then a few months later they bring the kidnapped woman (held captive)and they kill the entire family and shoot the kidnapped woman in the face. okay Now they do it again throw a little romance into the story line get real

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brutal vengeance.

First half of this book is confusing, if you pass that point, starts making sense. All the killings for vengeance was sick. Suspenseful last part was good but long. Many editing mistakes, big and small. Like coffee on all day long would have been burned, why she couldn't change her cell in the car...

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good storyline. No giveaways here, you’ll need to read it yourself.
I’ll say this; the good people you really liked and the bad people......well they were really bad people.

[Tara Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was disappointed with this book - I had the crime solved within the first third of the book and couldn't believe how easy it was to unravel. But the story still held my interest as the author revealed the smaller details of how the crime went down and as the "heroes" try to get themselves out of trouble. I was a little annoyed when no one would believe the main character; what she was proposing had merit and I found it hard to believe she'd be dismissed so easily.

[Yuliya Belova-Pachefsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing mystery thriller by Kevin O'Brien. This is book #3 for me of his. The book moves at a steady pace when it comes to unfolding of characters and events. You definitely have to pay attention. The characters, the plot, the directions in which everyone & everything turned kept me on edge. I kept my fingers crossed the whole time that the main characters will be okay! The unveil of who was behind everything was unexpected, but also made complete sense. I loved the ending, the author provided updates on everyone & there were no loose ends. I highly recommend this book!

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

i mean, it was a well written book but it was way too long for it to be THAT predictable. you could pretty much guess what happened, like, a quarter into the book and i was hoping there would be some shocking insane twist or something to make that tedious ass journey worth it, but nope.

[Lee Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books where I actually cheered when the bad guys got their comeuppance. Plus, as a cat lover, I was thrilled that Simon made it along with his beloved owner.

Some parts were a little unbelievable, but I really didn’t care. Bravo, Mr O’Brien!!

[Jennifer Timko Lofland · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Up until about chapter 26 I was all in, then the story unraveled. The who, what, when, where and why was figured out in a few short sentences. The last couple of chapters felt rushed and thrown together.

[Krista B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook 2.5*

Very good plot.
I think my rating is more based on the fact that there were so many characters. It was very hard to keep track of them all on the audiobook. I think I would have liked reading a physical copy better.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this Authors books in the past and to me this was just OK...

[Jeanna Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, kept me guessing from the first page. Loved how it unfolded!