In The Screaming Room, a whirlwind thriller set in New York City, a pair of abused children visit "the sins of their father" on seemingly random tourists in the city, first at Coney Island and the American Museum of Natural History and later at other tourist meccas throughout the five boroughs.
When NYPD homicide commander, John Driscoll is called to head the investigation, there is little to tie the murders together -- no witnesses, no forensic evidence, and no pattern. As Driscoll and his team attend the increasing number of crime scenes, hints of dark and disturbing secrets emerge -- Secrets that will take them to the doorsteps of some of the city's most prominent citizens.
Angus and Cassie
The reader meets brother and sister, Angus and Cassie on page one as they discuss the murders they will soon commit. They have crafted a board game about the sights of New York City, and where their player ends up is where they will kill that day. It's startling in its simplicity and its seemingly randomness.
Tracking a Murderer
Driscoll's team includes Detective Cedric Thomlinson, a bright, but troubled police officer and Sergeant Margaret Aligante, a beautiful and insightful woman with secrets of her own. Driscoll, himself, would do anything to avoid this case, having just buried his wife, who died after six years in a coma. The mayor asked him directly, however, and wasn't about to take no for an answer. Can the trio find the killers before they can strike again? Are their crimes truly random or is their a motive behind them?
The Screaming Room is a gripping, albeit dark, drama, filled with enough plot twists and turns to interest any mystery fan. His characters are likeable, and have just enough flaws to be believable. Unfortunately, O'Callaghan has subscribed to the James Patterson style of multiple short chapters -- over 100 of them in a 340-page novel. The effect is that of watching a television movie that is repeated interrupted by commercials. Please, writers, this technique is not necessary to grasp readers -- for me, at least, it has the opposite effect.
About Thomas O'Callaghan
Thomas O'Callaghan is the author of a previous novel, Bone Thief, featuring Commander John Driscoll and is at work on a third novel in the series. A native New Yorker, he now lives with his wife in Belle Harbor, New York, steps away from the Atlantic Ocean.
