Tag: No One Will Hear Your Screams

Book review: ‘No One Will Hear Your Screams’ by Thomas O’Callaghan

‘No One Will Hear Your Screams’ by Thomas O’Callaghan is the third in the John Driscoll series.

New York City native and graduate of Richmond College, internationally acclaimed author Thomas O’Callaghan is a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers associations. His work has been translated for publication in Germany, Slovakia, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, China and Italy. “Bone Thief,” his debut novel, introduces NYPD Homicide Commander Lieutenant John W. Driscoll. “The Screaming Room,” is the second in the John Driscoll series and the third, “No One Will Hear Your Screams” was released on May 9, 2020.  In “No One Will Hear Your Screams,” Lt. John Driscoll is on the case involving a sociopathic killer who is on the loose and murdering prostitutes in New York City.

“No One Will Hear Your Screams” is set in the dark and violent streets of New York City and begins as a woman helplessly calls out for help when she realizes that she is being held captive.  Her head, wrists and ankles are bound with rope and when she lets out a “bestial scream,” there are only trees outside her grave, but they are “deaf to her howling. Indifferent to her plight.” That is where the book’s title comes into play and the serial killer, only known as Tilden, keeps killing prostitutes, embalming them alive. He claims to have been sexually abused as a child by this mother’s john, but that is only one of the reasons why he focuses on prostitutes; he is also viciously attacked by one in the present . Lieutenant Driscoll, together with Sergeant Margaret Aligante and Detective Cedric Thomlinson, who each have their own issues to deal with, team up to stop the killings and bring Tilden to justice.  They stop the killings, but justice evades them because Tilden gets away too easily. He is taken down by ‘suicide by cop’ and does not get his due punishment.  Even though they stop the killings, “The Lieutenant knew the public sighs of relief would be temporary because evil always metastases. So, closure eluded him.” He will always be haunted by his inadequacies to stop evil in general. It ends with Driscoll’s final thoughts on the matter:  “Would he ever find reconciliation? He doubted he would.”

The most interesting characters are those who are flawed but still manage to help others.  In “No One Will Hear Your Screams,” every character is damaged or flawed in some way, but the detectives are still out there, catching the bad guys. They might be temporarily distracted, but they have a goal, something to keep them grounded. In Driscoll’s case, he had a rough childhood and is still haunted by the loss of his wife and daughter on a regular basis and that is what makes him relatable. The third person point of view narrative gives the reader an insight into the characters’ minds.  This is especially true with Tilden, who just before he is shot down, ponders: “If this was the end, and it appeared it was, he’d go out in a blast.”  Aided by short chapters, the dialogue driven-action is fast paced and captivating.  The character development is excellent all around, including Tilden’s traumatic childhood experiences, particularly in Catholic school, which is what partially fuels his violent tendencies.  With descriptive language such as: “Tilden moaned as shards of metal bored through his lungs, ripped tears through his tendons, lacerated muscle, sliced thorough viscera, shattered bone,” it is easy to envision the goriest parts. Because of this, it is not for the squeamish, since some of the details are too graphic, especially his last victim, whom he intended to consume. Even though it is disappointing that the last victim was not saved in time, “No One Will Hear Your Screams” is an impressive work of crime fiction and is recommended for readers who appreciate the hauntingly darker side of storytelling.

“The relevance, Cedric, is in the motive.  The ex-soldier confronts and kills his brother’s tormentors. Remember, nothing fuels murderous tenacity like revenge.” – NYPD Homicide Commander Lieutenant John W. Driscoll

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Book excerpt: ‘No One Will Hear Your Screams’ by Thomas O’Callaghan

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Thomas O’Callaghan, author of the new novel ‘No One Will Hear Your Screams.’ Courtesy photo, used with permission. 

Excerpted from “No One Will Hear Your Screams.” Copyright © 2020 by Thomas O’Callaghan. All rights reserved. Published by WildBlue Press.

Pearsol opened the mortuary cooler and pulled out the stainless steel tray supporting the victim. “Lieutenant, meet Jane Doe,” he said sliding the woman’s bloated body under Driscoll’s gaze. “Harbor Patrol fished her out of the muck.  I’d say she was a feast for the gulls for a day. Maybe two.”

“What’s that smell?  Paint thinner?”

“Phenol.”

“She was doused in phenol?”

“Injected.”

Driscoll’s eyes narrowed.

“The complete autopsy will fill in the blanks, but I’d bet my pension I already know what killed her.  The who, and the why, I’ll leave to you.”  Pearsol handed the preliminary lab report to Driscoll.  It identifies a mixture of substances inside her vascular system.

“Phenol, formaldehyde and Chloride of Zinc?”  Driscoll looked perplexed.

“The same Chloride of Zinc they put in dry cell batteries?”

Pearsol nodded. “There’s three more.”

“Myrrh, aloe and cassia,” Driscoll read aloud.  “That’s a strange mix.”  He glanced at Pearsol, who nodded.  “Says here you drained 851 milliliters from her circulatory system.  What’s that?  About two pints?”

“Just under.”

“A body contains five to six quarts of blood.  So the rest of this mixture?”

“Still in her.”

Using his finger, Driscoll pushed back a lock of the victim’s hair. “What could you have done to warrant this?” he whispered, eyes on the corpse.

“Right now the unofficial cause of death is phenol poisoning by arterial injection.  Familiar with the German word, ‘abgespritzt’, Lieutenant?”

“No.”

“Abgespritzt was a method of genocide favored by the Nazis in the early 1940s.  Hitler’s henchmen delivered instantaneous death by injecting 15 milliliters of phenol directly into the heart.”

“What kind of syringe injects six quarts?”

“More than likely he used a centrifugal pump.  And he knew what he was doing.” Pearsol pointed to the side of the victim’s neck, where a semi- translucent latex adhesive covered a two inch stretch of rippled flesh between the carotid artery and the jugular vein.  “An extreme method of murder, Lieutenant.  He arterially embalmed her.”

Driscoll winced.

“There’s more.”  The M.E. produced a transparent evidence bag containing a locket.  It was an inch in diameter and featured Saint Vitalis of Gaza; his name etched in a half circle below his likeness.  “I found it under her tongue.  Someone apparently placed it there before suturing the tongue to the floor of her mouth.”

“What’s that about?” Driscoll wondered aloud.

“Good question.  I’m not familiar with that saint.  You?”

“She‘s the patron saint of prostitutes.”

“Well, there’s a lead.  Oh, and there’s one other bit of information you’re sure to find intriguing.  The myrrh, aloe, and cassia injected with the embalming fluid were once embalming solutions on their own.  Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“They were the purifying fragrances applied to the linens that wrapped the crucified Christ before he was laid in his tomb.”

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Thomas O’Callaghan’s work has been translated for publication in Germany, Slovakia, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, China, and Italy. As an internationally acclaimed author, Mr. O’Callaghan is a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers associations. His debut novel “Bone Thief” introduces NYPD Homicide Commander Lieutenant John W. Driscoll. “The Screaming Room” is the second in the John Driscoll series. The third book in the series, “No One Will Hear Your Screams,” is now available from WildBlue Press.