The Final Kill

by Meg O'Brien

Abby Northup finally has the quiet life she's dreamed of, living in Carmel at the former monastery she purchased and renovated. But The Prayer House is more than a peaceful home for Abby -- unofficially it is an underground safe haven for abused women and children. And when an old friend and her daughter appear on Abby's front step looking for safe haven, Abby's tranquil life begins to dissolve.

Alicia Gerard is the wife of a wealthy business tycoon with strong connections to the political world. Abby agrees to take Alicia and her daughter in, but when FBI agents swarm the building looking for them, Abby finds herself trapped in a world of murder, conspiracy and threats to national security. On the run from government agents who make their own rules, Abby must decide which of her beliefs are worth dying for -- and which ones are not.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Suspense

395 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

In this book from 2006, Abby Northrup lives in a remodeled monastery and takes in abused women and children. A friend Alicia turns up on her doorstep in the middle of the night with her teenaged daughter. The woman is married to an extremely powerful man. No one expects the FBI to show up a few minutes later. Abby hides them but when the FBI leaves, Alicia is gone.

I have no problem with reading fiction where stories are not very plausible. I'm afraid this one was simply too much. The story became wild and outlandish. Toward the end, I would have to call it preposterous.

[Wendy Morden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gah! Awful awful book, I can't believe it's been rated so high. The plot was too unbelievable and with so many twists and turns that it was ridiculous.

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this one! In fact after I had finished it I had run out to the bookstore to see if they had any more books by this author (which I almost never do). But this story was just so exciting! Plus it has one of the most unique opening scenes ever in a book too - a huge twist that truly surprised me.

I really don't understand why so many reviewers are saying this is a bad book. It's well written and moves at a good pace. There is uncertainty about the characters, lots of danger too...

The main character is running a secret safe house for women. But things go wrong when an old friend shows up unannounced and needs help. And some very powerful people are after her. This puts Abby in tons of danger. I was totally hooked while I read this. And I will definitely keep this book and reread it again.

This is also the first book I have read by this author..

[Madeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous book. Only reason I finished it was because I had nothing else to read while on vacation.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the beginning when the murder of the dreaded lilac-killer is in process. What a brilliant way to begin a book and get you curious.

I really liked that the ending showed a character in the progress of her life. Things aren't wrapped up nice and neat, which only happens in books and movies. Instead it was more like seeing a segment of a person's life.

The plot was very convoluted and new twists were constantly coming your way. Nothing was as it seemed and you never know who to trust. It was fast paced and pretty good. I liked the book and will be looking for more from this author.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

not listed as part of a series so I read it as a stand alone. there is info in there that flashes back to a previous book by the author with the same main character.

book was great! I did not want to put it down.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put it down . Every chapter was suspenseful . Want to read another of her books .

[Allison McCauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok at the cabin read - author spends time referencing previous books - it was a little fantastical but that’s what fiction is....

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was bored through out the whole book.. probably not my style of book to read 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good book. Wished I read the first one before this.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, somewhat unrealistic Abby's character is very strong. Her unbelievable strength is why I did not give it five stars. Definitely recommend reading Sacred Trust first.

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally Abby Northup has the quiet life she has dreamed of. She purchases a
former monastery in Carmel CA and she renovates it. It is called The Prayer
House but it is more than a peaceful home for Abby. Unofficialy it is an
underground safe house for abused women and children. When an old friend of
Abby's and her daughter appear on the front steps Abby's peaceful life begins to
dissolve. Abby's friend Alicia Gerard is the wife of a wealthy business
tycoon with strong political connections. Abby agrees to take them in but then
FBI agents are swarming the building looking for them. Suddenly Abby finds herself
trapped in a world of murder, conspiracy, and threats of national security.
Abby suddenly finds herself on the run from government agents who make their
own rules. Now she must decide which of her beliefs are worth dying for and
which are not. This is an older book from around 2006 but still worth reading.

[Angie crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. Interesting characters. I liked the strength of Abby. I will read the one about her story before this book. I liked the end for the most part. I would recommend this and will be reading others by this author.

[Marla]

Started to read it just before I moved - think I will go put it by my bed to read tonight!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is reall good. It is a suspense-thriller.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tone is too fluffy for the brutal subject matter. Still, I'll probably read the book that this is a sequel to, out of curiosity.

[Thelma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a GREAT book i injoyed every page

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many twists and turns in this book that it was a fun read that always kept you guessing at exactly what was going on and who did it.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride O'Brien took me on with this sequel to Sacred Trust, whew; and the Hitchcock ending, well done.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This story doesn't "hang together" very well.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 3 out of 5]

The similar sounding names for some of the main characters required a bit of thought as to who was who until the plot was well established.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preposterous AND poorly-written.