Kevin O'Brien is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

of thriller and suspense novels. He grew up in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's North Shore, attending Sacred Heart School and New Trier East High School in

Winnetka, Illinois Winnetka () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located north of downtown Chicago. The population was 12,316 as of 2019. The village is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of household income. It was the second- ...

. He studied

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, Wisconsin and moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in 1980. He worked as a railroad inspector for several years, while writing his first novel in various hotels. His second novel, ''Only Son'', was published in 1997 and was optioned for film rights by

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

. It was also selected by

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for their Select Editions, along with novels by

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Ame ...

Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an American novelist, screenwriter, and philanthropist. He has published twenty-three novels and two non-fiction books, some of which have been ''New York Times'' bestsellers, with over 115 m ...

, and Barbara Delinsky. His second novel, '' The Next to Die'', was published in 2001 and became a

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

bestseller. He has since written over twenty more novels, many of which have also been USA Today bestsellers. ''The Last Victim'' (2005) hit the New York Times Bestseller List and won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Pacific Northwest Mystery. His latest novel, '' The Enemy at Home'', is set to be released on August 22, 2023. It is a historical thriller set in 1943 Seattle, where a woman joins America's "Army at Home" of defense plant workers and becomes connected to a serial killer they call the "Rosie Ripper". He resides in Seattle today and is active in efforts in supporting up-and-coming authors, including Seattle 7 Writers and Hugo House.

Bibliography

Standalone novels

*''Only Son'' (1997) *''The Next to Die'' (2001) *''Make Them Cry'' (2002) *''Watch Them Die'' (2003) *''Left for Dead'' (2004) *''The Last Victim'' (2005) *''Killing Spree'' (2007) *''One Last Scream'' (2007) *''Final Breath'' (2009) *''Vicious'' (2010) *''Disturbed'' (2011) *''Terrified'' (2012) *''Unspeakable'' (2013) *''Tell Me You're Sorry'' (2014) *''No One Needs To Know'' (2015) *''You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone'' (2016) *''Hide Your Fear'' (2017) *''They Won't Be Hurt'' (2018) *''The Night She Disappeared'' (2021) *''The Enemy at Home'' (2023)

Family Secrets series

* ''The Betrayed Wife'' (2019) * ''The Bad Sister'' (2020)

Anthologies

* ''Hotel Angeline: A Novel in 36 Voices'' (2011) (with others) * ''Nothing Good Happens After Midnight: A Suspense Magazine Anthology'' (2020) (with others)

References

External links

Official website

Kevin O'Brien at Fantastic Fiction

Kevin O'Brien at Goodreads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Kevin Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Writers from Chicago Marquette University alumni Year of birth uncertain 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois Year of birth missing (living people)