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The Last Day For Rob Rhino
Claire’s a rich widow on a mission, who partakes with abandon from the pharmacy stored in her Prada purse. Rob’s an aging, hygiene-challenged porn star and reality show celebrity.
Stuck on the same flight, bound for the same eccentric town, she hates him on sight. She thinks she knows all there is to know about him but is dying to find out more. He’s disinterested but somehow still sees right through her. But they’ve both got big problems. Hers is in the Louis Vuitton carryon in the overhead. His is in his pants.
To Claire’s dismay, Rob turns up everywhere she goes, yet they form the unlikeliest of friendships. He cares for her in ways she’s never known before. He could be the best thing in her life—or the worst.
In a place full of secrets, including their own, they help each other find answers they didn’t even know they were looking for, yet some questions linger. What happened to Rob’s first wife? What happened to Claire’s husband? Will they live through the answers?
The Last Day for Rob Rhino is a dark, tragic, and funny novel about the bonds of family and friendship. If you’d love a Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, or Stieg Larsson novel with a humorous twist, this would be it.
Stuck on the same flight, bound for the same eccentric town, she hates him on sight. She thinks she knows all there is to know about him but is dying to find out more. He’s disinterested but somehow still sees right through her. But they’ve both got big problems. Hers is in the Louis Vuitton carryon in the overhead. His is in his pants.
To Claire’s dismay, Rob turns up everywhere she goes, yet they form the unlikeliest of friendships. He cares for her in ways she’s never known before. He could be the best thing in her life—or the worst.
In a place full of secrets, including their own, they help each other find answers they didn’t even know they were looking for, yet some questions linger. What happened to Rob’s first wife? What happened to Claire’s husband? Will they live through the answers?
The Last Day for Rob Rhino is a dark, tragic, and funny novel about the bonds of family and friendship. If you’d love a Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, or Stieg Larsson novel with a humorous twist, this would be it.
315 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 2013
133 people are currently reading
482 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen O'Donnell
3 books288 followersKathleen is a 2x Book of the Year Finalist and Thriller of the Year award winner. She is a wife, mom of four, grandmother of six, a recovering blogger and living in Nevada with her husband. They are travel junkies who try to visit a different country every year. If she weren't a writer she'd be a photographer.
She writes dark, irreverently funny mystery/thrillers about women behaving badly. In addition to the Invisible Heiress she has three novels coming out 0n 2019.
She writes dark, irreverently funny mystery/thrillers about women behaving badly. In addition to the Invisible Heiress she has three novels coming out 0n 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 9, 2015
Things are not always as they appear. Kathleen O'Donnell has created an amazingly broken character in her protagonist Claire. I went into this book with zero preconceptions, having not read any blurbs or excerpts, and so I followed blindly as I was led into a world of aging porn stars and the revenge schemes of the very wealthy. Claire makes the unlikely acquaintance of Rob Rhino, an ex-porn star with a famous tool, and despite her constant contempt for him, he slowly manages to ingratiate himself with her. This book is full of complicated characters and surprising plot twists, and no one's motives are entirely transparent.
This is a fantastic novel, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
This is a fantastic novel, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
June 18, 2019
Wonderfully weird!
I would not exactly call this book a thriller but it definitely was weirdly suspenseful. It made me laugh and feel sorry for the characters at the same time. Claire Corrigan is a bald addict with an unusual mission who cannot seem to escape from Rob Rhino, an aging porno star. Throw in her bizarre in-laws and a small town that cannot seem to decide between religion and pornography and you have a recipe for some very unusual character interactions. Of course, there is an odd death or two to make you wonder about everyone.
The book is very well-written and the storyline will keep you glued to the pages like it did me.
I would not exactly call this book a thriller but it definitely was weirdly suspenseful. It made me laugh and feel sorry for the characters at the same time. Claire Corrigan is a bald addict with an unusual mission who cannot seem to escape from Rob Rhino, an aging porno star. Throw in her bizarre in-laws and a small town that cannot seem to decide between religion and pornography and you have a recipe for some very unusual character interactions. Of course, there is an odd death or two to make you wonder about everyone.
The book is very well-written and the storyline will keep you glued to the pages like it did me.
May 23, 2019
This book was so entertaining. I found myself at times comparing Rob to a old male porn star that had been in reality shows in the US in recent years. I loved how these 2 characters (Rob and Claire) were completely opposite but yet so very much the same. I loved the plot twists. I felt guilty at times wanting revenge but loved how karma took care of things.
July 12, 2019
This book was different than I expected it to be: an aging porn star and a rich widow are certainly an unlikely pair to be come friends...though it takes most of the book before that occurs. Claire is out to seek revenge against her dead husband by burying him with his family and how all this shakes out is weird, at times crazy and also funny. The end was unexpected to me and definitely added to my enjoyment of the story!
May 17, 2019
Delightfully Quirky, Cozy Thriller
This book was loaded with surprises, twists and turns, love, revenge, hypocrisy, humor, devotion, deviance, deception, pain, healing, mystery, and delightfully quirky characters. I loved it! (And I want to know more about Claire’s life after her return to California!)
This book was loaded with surprises, twists and turns, love, revenge, hypocrisy, humor, devotion, deviance, deception, pain, healing, mystery, and delightfully quirky characters. I loved it! (And I want to know more about Claire’s life after her return to California!)
June 15, 2019
This book has many twists and turns that you won't see coming. The author keeps you guessing as to what will happen next.
March 27, 2019
Enjoy
This is probably one of the best books I've read this year. A bald, pill popping widow bound for Pennsylvania to exact her revenge meets an aging porn star. The rest, as they say, is a really good story. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll enjoy the entire experience.
This is probably one of the best books I've read this year. A bald, pill popping widow bound for Pennsylvania to exact her revenge meets an aging porn star. The rest, as they say, is a really good story. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll enjoy the entire experience.
August 8, 2019
I loved the characters and the storyline is great. It's very different, disturbing, provocative and there are so many twists and turns, funny and sad moments. Revenge takes many forms and has many consequences. Fascinating book.
June 7, 2019
loved this thriller - definitely a page turner that keeps you wanting to read !!!
March 27, 2019
I love it when a book surprises me. When it does so while making me laugh and find myself caring about the people created in the world inside the pages, you have me flopping on the deck, gills gaping as I gasp. "More, more."
It's a coming of age book, in a very unique fashion as the two main characters are not on the cusp of adulthood. The protagonist however finds herself examining her life, intending to lay he late husband's ashes with that of his family. Everything goes sideways from there.
I'm not telling you anything more. Just read the book. You won't regret it.
It's a coming of age book, in a very unique fashion as the two main characters are not on the cusp of adulthood. The protagonist however finds herself examining her life, intending to lay he late husband's ashes with that of his family. Everything goes sideways from there.
I'm not telling you anything more. Just read the book. You won't regret it.
September 11, 2013
"Claire had been a beauty until she wasn’t." What a great opening line this would have made!
I'm writing this review on The Last Day for Rob Rhino by Kathleen O'Donnell and I really want to do justice to the author, who, by the final chapters, deserved a standing ovation.
The Last Day of Rob Rhino is not in a genre I would normally have chosen to read, so I began reading with a jaundiced eye.
Claire Corrigan, a bald, socialite widow, is on a sedative induced mission to reunite her dead husband with the family he rejected in life. In her travels, she meets Rob Rhino, an aging porn star from the 70's with 13 inches of porn history hiding in his pants.
With expert skill, the author makes the reader feel the sedative induced confusion Claire stumbles through life in, her repulsion toward Rob Rhino, and later, a burgeoning kinship with him.
What do a 50-ish socialite widow and an aging porn star have in common? Layer by layer, the resemblances are revealed through expertly contrived plot twists and unexpected moments of humor, sadness and commonality.
The book started out interestingly enough, with a few minor stutters, making it a 3 to 4 star book, and, by the fourth chapter, I was expecting it to remain there. Amazingly, Kathleen O'Donnell pulled a jackrabbit out of the proverbial magician's hat in the final half of the book, bumping this up to a 5 star story.
Still, I can't justifiably go higher than a strong 4 star rating because of the faltering beginning and some errors/omissions I found. It wouldn't take much to make this a 5 star book and I would gladly provide a revised review providing the author is willing to make only minor improvements.
I highly recommend this book and will be watching for future releases by this author.
AIA Reviewers
I'm writing this review on The Last Day for Rob Rhino by Kathleen O'Donnell and I really want to do justice to the author, who, by the final chapters, deserved a standing ovation.
The Last Day of Rob Rhino is not in a genre I would normally have chosen to read, so I began reading with a jaundiced eye.
Claire Corrigan, a bald, socialite widow, is on a sedative induced mission to reunite her dead husband with the family he rejected in life. In her travels, she meets Rob Rhino, an aging porn star from the 70's with 13 inches of porn history hiding in his pants.
With expert skill, the author makes the reader feel the sedative induced confusion Claire stumbles through life in, her repulsion toward Rob Rhino, and later, a burgeoning kinship with him.
What do a 50-ish socialite widow and an aging porn star have in common? Layer by layer, the resemblances are revealed through expertly contrived plot twists and unexpected moments of humor, sadness and commonality.
The book started out interestingly enough, with a few minor stutters, making it a 3 to 4 star book, and, by the fourth chapter, I was expecting it to remain there. Amazingly, Kathleen O'Donnell pulled a jackrabbit out of the proverbial magician's hat in the final half of the book, bumping this up to a 5 star story.
Still, I can't justifiably go higher than a strong 4 star rating because of the faltering beginning and some errors/omissions I found. It wouldn't take much to make this a 5 star book and I would gladly provide a revised review providing the author is willing to make only minor improvements.
I highly recommend this book and will be watching for future releases by this author.
AIA Reviewers
April 21, 2014
Won a copy from Good Reads First Reads
This book deserves every one of the 5 shiny, golden stars I gave it :)
Wow this book exceeded all expectations I had of it. Loved everything about it. Thank you Kathleen O'Donnell for this gem.
Claire is a bald, drug dazed, widowed socialite. She is going to reunite her dead husbands ashes with his estranged family whom she has never met. Enter porn star Rob Rhino. Claire has the unfortunate luck to be seated next to Rob on their flight. She dislikes Rob upon sight. They both end up in the same small town where all is not as it seems. Rob & Claire forge an unlikely friendship that seem to happen at just the right time for these two characters.
This book was filled with so many twist & turns. Just when I thought I might know what was going to happen, I didn't & the direction the storyline took was just amazing.
I absolutely loved the characters of this book starting with Claire & Rob. I love how they address each other by their full names & how Rob can interject humor from his line of work into their arguments/conversations. Claire has lived in a fog induced life from painkillers & alcohol abuse, but of course she's not an addict. The minor characters were fab as well. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed reading this book & I got it free & signed by the author. Really how much better does it get.
Read this book. You won't regret it!!!!
This book deserves every one of the 5 shiny, golden stars I gave it :)
Wow this book exceeded all expectations I had of it. Loved everything about it. Thank you Kathleen O'Donnell for this gem.
Claire is a bald, drug dazed, widowed socialite. She is going to reunite her dead husbands ashes with his estranged family whom she has never met. Enter porn star Rob Rhino. Claire has the unfortunate luck to be seated next to Rob on their flight. She dislikes Rob upon sight. They both end up in the same small town where all is not as it seems. Rob & Claire forge an unlikely friendship that seem to happen at just the right time for these two characters.
This book was filled with so many twist & turns. Just when I thought I might know what was going to happen, I didn't & the direction the storyline took was just amazing.
I absolutely loved the characters of this book starting with Claire & Rob. I love how they address each other by their full names & how Rob can interject humor from his line of work into their arguments/conversations. Claire has lived in a fog induced life from painkillers & alcohol abuse, but of course she's not an addict. The minor characters were fab as well. I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed reading this book & I got it free & signed by the author. Really how much better does it get.
Read this book. You won't regret it!!!!
January 22, 2015
Claire Corrigan is a bald woman on a mission. She has the ashes of her cheating husband in the overhead compartment on an airplane. She has her mobile pharmacy in her purse. She is planning to settle accounts by burying her husband in a place he has been avoiding in Pennsylvania. On the same airplane is Rob Rhino, one time porn start and reality show host. Yet Claire has more problems than she realizes. Problems the Rob Rhino has seen far too often in his line of work. He is determined to help her before she destroys herself.
This not the type of book I usually like to read. It is a book of odd contrasts. It was difficult to get through, but it was intriguing at the same time due to its unlikely hero. Rob Rhino has seen many people in the porn industry destroy themselves with drugs. He recognizes the symptoms when he meets Claire and sets off to save her.
What made it difficult to get through for me was the soap opera nature of the story.What kept me reading was the way Kathleen O'Donnell made me care about the the characters even after the masks were stripped away, even because the masks were stripped away.
The book began slowly and, at first, I found it hard to grasp the point of the story. Once I reached that halfway point the various threads began to come together.
This not the type of book I usually like to read. It is a book of odd contrasts. It was difficult to get through, but it was intriguing at the same time due to its unlikely hero. Rob Rhino has seen many people in the porn industry destroy themselves with drugs. He recognizes the symptoms when he meets Claire and sets off to save her.
What made it difficult to get through for me was the soap opera nature of the story.What kept me reading was the way Kathleen O'Donnell made me care about the the characters even after the masks were stripped away, even because the masks were stripped away.
The book began slowly and, at first, I found it hard to grasp the point of the story. Once I reached that halfway point the various threads began to come together.
March 20, 2019
Author Kathleen O’Donnell weaves a dark, tragic, and humorous psychological thriller with intriguing twists and turns that will easily captivate the reader’s attention from the beginning. The Last Day For Rob Rhino had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I really look for in a good book.
There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class suspenseful psychological thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of mystery, thriller and suspense will want it! Five stars.
There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class suspenseful psychological thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of mystery, thriller and suspense will want it! Five stars.
October 4, 2014
Every so often, I go through the giveaway section of Goodreads and enter for basically any book that looks interesting to me. I'm not much of a lucky person, so I rarely expect to win, but for once I did. I had it shipped to my parents house, and didn't receive it for a month or two after it arrived. When I opened the package, not only had Kathleen signed the book, but she also included a hand written note. I found it to be so thoughtful, that I started reading almost immediately.
And once I started, I could barely stop. It wasn't anything like I had expected. The characters were much more colorful than I had anticipated, there was more mystery and even suspense than I had thought there would be, and I didn't see the ending coming until it hit me in the face. Hands down I have to say this is one of the best new releases I have read in quite a long time.
Thank you, Kathleen! I hope to see more of your work in the near future!
And once I started, I could barely stop. It wasn't anything like I had expected. The characters were much more colorful than I had anticipated, there was more mystery and even suspense than I had thought there would be, and I didn't see the ending coming until it hit me in the face. Hands down I have to say this is one of the best new releases I have read in quite a long time.
Thank you, Kathleen! I hope to see more of your work in the near future!
July 26, 2019
Claire Corrigan and Rob Rhino are an unlikely pair of allies in this humorous albeit tragic story that has you wondering who is really helping who. Claire is seeking revenge and is going back to her dead husband's hometown to exact it. Enter Rob Rhino, an aged, over the hill porn star who still has a following (in wouldn't you know it) the same small town that Claire is headed to. Without giving anything away, there are characters that a super likable and super UNlikable, and you find yourself cheering for the underdog. You also find yourself accepting all the characters for who they are and how they fit together is amazing! I found myself laughing out loud in many parts, and had no clue through the twists and turns, where the book was taking me! The ending is a jaw-dropper, so although the book starts a bit slow, stick with it! After the first few chapters, I found it hard to put down. Get this book, you'll be glad you did.
August 7, 2013
Here's humor with a twist. Laugh-aloud satire-with-a-heart, Kathleen O'Donnell's first novel springs surprises and double entendres galore. If you dare, follow the unexpected adventures of Claire, a bald socialite on the road to a showdown with her infamous hero. The layers of vengeful plot peel back as naturally as Claire pops her next pharmaceutical and washes it down with orange juice, vodka, or maybe a splash of water if the other two aren't handy. Just when you think you know where the story's headed, Kathleen expertly turns a different corner. It's a story that will have you thinking long after the last page has turned.
January 5, 2014
I read a lot and people love to add their favorites to my "must read" list. I am often disappointed. A friend recently told me her cousin wrote a book . . .okay . . . This was a great recommendation. A bald, rich, and widowed druggie meets an aging, good hearted porn star. An adventure ensues. The flawed characters are eloquently presented, crammed with emotion and subtle humor. The storyline is dysfunctionally smart.
March 24, 2014
Refreshingly different! Funny, poignant, heart-felt and with the speed and turns of a roller coaster.
It's difficult to create a character that is simultaneously offensive, funny, quirky, intelligent, and self-centered, but also with a big heart. Amazingly, O'Donnell pulls it off with not only one primary character, but with two.
This book is a complete joy and what I hope is the first of many from an extremely talented writer.
It's difficult to create a character that is simultaneously offensive, funny, quirky, intelligent, and self-centered, but also with a big heart. Amazingly, O'Donnell pulls it off with not only one primary character, but with two.
This book is a complete joy and what I hope is the first of many from an extremely talented writer.
April 21, 2014
Kathleen
Thanks for selecting me to read your book. I just loved it and I did not think I would when I first started it. I never expected all the twists and turns the book offered. The characters were fully developed and were very complex Being from Pennsylvania I kept trying to find clues to tell me where the exact location of the novel, but unfortunately was unable to decipher any landmarks So I placed it in Western PA
KUDOS
Thanks for selecting me to read your book. I just loved it and I did not think I would when I first started it. I never expected all the twists and turns the book offered. The characters were fully developed and were very complex Being from Pennsylvania I kept trying to find clues to tell me where the exact location of the novel, but unfortunately was unable to decipher any landmarks So I placed it in Western PA
KUDOS
August 20, 2019
I’m always nervous to read a book by someone I know even if it’s someone I only virtually know. I worry it will be too amateurish or just try too hard. But a few chapters in, I didn’t care who wrote the book because I loved the characters so much! No one you want to or expect to love because they are all tragically flawed. And yet somehow, you find yourself rooting for them. A great read from start to finish, especially if you love quirky characters.
June 13, 2015
Totally unexpected characters and plot. When I close a book with a smile, I know I'll be giving it 5 stars. Don't try to guess what this book is about - just trust the excellent writing and storytelling and you'll be immersed before you know it! The unique characters will stick with me for months to come. Loved the depth as well as the humor. Fresh and realistic.
April 15, 2014
I was very lucky and won this book from Goodreads. I LOVED it! It made e laugh and made me cry. What an amazing story. I am recommending this to all my friends who are avid readers. Thank you so much, Ms O'Donnell. Cynthia Parks.
July 27, 2019
This book wasn't what I was expecting, and was the better for it. Sometimes you pick up a free book because it is free and if you don't like it, you have lost nothing if you decide not to finish it. Fortunately, this book turned out to be one that I did enjoy and kept me reading to the end.
July 27, 2019
I hated the main character for most the book lol. But I can understand why she did the things she did. It is an amazing story of family conflict, betrayal, and hurt with a dash of humor and healing.
July 27, 2019
Incredible nail-biter
Fantastically written, very original. Believable characters, so well done you felt you knew them. Story fast-moving, twisting and turning to the very last word. Well done.
Fantastically written, very original. Believable characters, so well done you felt you knew them. Story fast-moving, twisting and turning to the very last word. Well done.
July 27, 2019
Rob Rhino, Star of Stage and Screen
What an intricately woven story. Totally thrilling to read. Absolutely an all consuming psychological thriller. I've never read anything like O'Donnell's five star Last Day of Rob Rhino.
What an intricately woven story. Totally thrilling to read. Absolutely an all consuming psychological thriller. I've never read anything like O'Donnell's five star Last Day of Rob Rhino.
September 10, 2019
Funny, eye opening, and stylish
What a book? Makes one think of how one can be clouded by their judgment until it comes full circle. Revenge is something one must do on a clear mind and not in haste. But once the mind clears, how to do it in style
What a book? Makes one think of how one can be clouded by their judgment until it comes full circle. Revenge is something one must do on a clear mind and not in haste. But once the mind clears, how to do it in style
July 27, 2019
Inrecridibly entertaining
I loved every single character in this book, although I have to say Rob was my very favorite. The story was original and endearing. A must-read!
I loved every single character in this book, although I have to say Rob was my very favorite. The story was original and endearing. A must-read!
July 26, 2019
👍
A good book . Realistic description of addiction. Loved the happy ending. Thank you for writing it. I think everyone will like it
A good book . Realistic description of addiction. Loved the happy ending. Thank you for writing it. I think everyone will like it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews