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With a Vengeance
Maggie O'Brien is tough. She has to be-as a tactical emergency medic for the St. Louis SWAT team and a trauma nurse at Blymore Memorial. The daughter of a violent ex-cop she prefers wits over weapons. Then one of her patients, a psychotic former FBI agent known as Montana Bob, dies in the ER from superficial wounds following a botched stand-off-but not before revealing a secret about Blymore...
It's called The List-a chillingly precise run-down of expendable citizens and patients. And one by one, under Maggie's care, they're dying from inexplicable causes. With each one comes another step in framing Maggie...with each step comes Maggie's fear that no colleague or friend is above suspicion-including her lover, police officer Sean Delaney. With no one left to trust but herself, her investigation takes her into the darkest recesses of a killer's mind bent on a vengeance that targets Maggie as the final victim.
It's called The List-a chillingly precise run-down of expendable citizens and patients. And one by one, under Maggie's care, they're dying from inexplicable causes. With each one comes another step in framing Maggie...with each step comes Maggie's fear that no colleague or friend is above suspicion-including her lover, police officer Sean Delaney. With no one left to trust but herself, her investigation takes her into the darkest recesses of a killer's mind bent on a vengeance that targets Maggie as the final victim.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
51 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Dreyer
74 books767 followersNew York Times bestselling, award-winning author Eileen Dreyer, known as Kathleen Korbel to her Silhouette readers, has published 28 romance novels, 8 medico-forensic suspenses, and 7 short stories.
2012 sees Eileen enjoying critical acclaim for her first foray into historical romance, the Drake's Rakes series, which follow the lives of a group of British aristocrats who are willing to sacrifice everything to keep their country safe. After publication of the first trilogy in the series, she has just signed for the next trilogy, following the graduates of the aptly named Last Chance Academy, who each finds herself crossing swords with Drake's Rakes. Eileen spent time not only in England and Italy, but India to research the series (it's a filthy job, but somebody has to do it).
A retired trauma nurse, Eileen lives in her native St. Louis with her husband, children, and large and noisy Irish family, of which she is the reluctant matriarch. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.
Dreyer won her first publishing award in 1987, being named the best new Contemporary Romance Author by RT Bookclub. Since that time she has also garnered not only five other writing awards from RT, but five RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, which secures her only the fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame. Since extending her reach to suspense, she has also garnered a coveted Anthony Award nomination.
A frequent speaker at conferences, she maintains membership in Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and, just in case things go wrong, Emergency Nurses Association and International Association of Forensic Nurses.
Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world, and admits she sees research as a handy way to salve her insatiable curiosity. She counts film producers, police detectives and Olympic athletes as some of her sources and friends. She's also trained in forensic nursing and death investigation, although she doesn't see herself actively working in the field, unless this writing thing doesn't pan out.
Get in touch: eileendreyer@eileendreyer.com
2012 sees Eileen enjoying critical acclaim for her first foray into historical romance, the Drake's Rakes series, which follow the lives of a group of British aristocrats who are willing to sacrifice everything to keep their country safe. After publication of the first trilogy in the series, she has just signed for the next trilogy, following the graduates of the aptly named Last Chance Academy, who each finds herself crossing swords with Drake's Rakes. Eileen spent time not only in England and Italy, but India to research the series (it's a filthy job, but somebody has to do it).
A retired trauma nurse, Eileen lives in her native St. Louis with her husband, children, and large and noisy Irish family, of which she is the reluctant matriarch. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the limelight.
Dreyer won her first publishing award in 1987, being named the best new Contemporary Romance Author by RT Bookclub. Since that time she has also garnered not only five other writing awards from RT, but five RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, which secures her only the fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame. Since extending her reach to suspense, she has also garnered a coveted Anthony Award nomination.
A frequent speaker at conferences, she maintains membership in Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and, just in case things go wrong, Emergency Nurses Association and International Association of Forensic Nurses.
Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world, and admits she sees research as a handy way to salve her insatiable curiosity. She counts film producers, police detectives and Olympic athletes as some of her sources and friends. She's also trained in forensic nursing and death investigation, although she doesn't see herself actively working in the field, unless this writing thing doesn't pan out.
Get in touch: eileendreyer@eileendreyer.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 15, 2023
3.5 stars
Published in 2003, With a Vengeance is about a St. Louis tactical medic, Maggie O'Brien, who begins investigating a series of mysterious patient deaths. Overshadowed by her infamous father who it is rumored was kicked off the police force, Maggie wants to prove herself. Who can she trust?
This was a good summer read. Kept me up past my bedtime to see what happens in the end. Read like a movie script. Very enjoyable!
Goodreads review published 15/07/23
Published in 2003, With a Vengeance is about a St. Louis tactical medic, Maggie O'Brien, who begins investigating a series of mysterious patient deaths. Overshadowed by her infamous father who it is rumored was kicked off the police force, Maggie wants to prove herself. Who can she trust?
This was a good summer read. Kept me up past my bedtime to see what happens in the end. Read like a movie script. Very enjoyable!
Goodreads review published 15/07/23
July 10, 2017
I read this in 2004 and never forgot it. Here's my review, courtesy of Romance Junkies... Book provided by the publisher/author for an honest review.
People are dying in St. Louis and Maggie O'Brien is caught in the middle of it all. Maggie is a medic for the newly formed S.W.A.T. team in the city, as well as a trauma nurse at the hospital. She should have been able to save Montana Bob because his injuries were not life threatening. Somehow, everything has gone terribly wrong and his dying words send her on a search for answers.
That search leads her to the The List. It is a way for the hospital staff, police and medics to let off some steam. They formed The List, on the wall in the hospital staff lounge and put names of people on there that had given them trouble in the past. But now, The List has become part of something bigger, no longer just a list to let off steam. Maggie can't let Montana Bob's dying words escape her memory and has to find the reason for his death.
Could those she had trusted all these years really be a part of something so horrible? No one will believe such a story, not even her lover, police officer, Sean Delaney. Maggie considers so many of them her family, being the daughter of a cop and surrounded by her father's friends most of her life. Can she find the answers and once she does, can she tell anyone her findings? Or, will the killer make her his final target?
Eileen Dreyer has created a medical thriller that is so realistic I could see the action happening in my mind, just like a movie. I couldn't read fast enough or get any sleep, wondering what would happen next in this non-stop, action packed novel. The details of the S.W.A.T team, hospital staff and police that Ms. Dreyer put into this novel proves her expertise in this area and makes it one of the most realistic thrillers I have read. The relationship between Sean Delaney and Maggie O'Brien is as flammable as the life-threatening situations that are typical of their professions. If that isn't enough, Eileen Dreyer made me laugh at the ridiculousness of the human race in the midst of a crisis, convincing me her talent as an author will keep me coming back for more.
People are dying in St. Louis and Maggie O'Brien is caught in the middle of it all. Maggie is a medic for the newly formed S.W.A.T. team in the city, as well as a trauma nurse at the hospital. She should have been able to save Montana Bob because his injuries were not life threatening. Somehow, everything has gone terribly wrong and his dying words send her on a search for answers.
That search leads her to the The List. It is a way for the hospital staff, police and medics to let off some steam. They formed The List, on the wall in the hospital staff lounge and put names of people on there that had given them trouble in the past. But now, The List has become part of something bigger, no longer just a list to let off steam. Maggie can't let Montana Bob's dying words escape her memory and has to find the reason for his death.
Could those she had trusted all these years really be a part of something so horrible? No one will believe such a story, not even her lover, police officer, Sean Delaney. Maggie considers so many of them her family, being the daughter of a cop and surrounded by her father's friends most of her life. Can she find the answers and once she does, can she tell anyone her findings? Or, will the killer make her his final target?
Eileen Dreyer has created a medical thriller that is so realistic I could see the action happening in my mind, just like a movie. I couldn't read fast enough or get any sleep, wondering what would happen next in this non-stop, action packed novel. The details of the S.W.A.T team, hospital staff and police that Ms. Dreyer put into this novel proves her expertise in this area and makes it one of the most realistic thrillers I have read. The relationship between Sean Delaney and Maggie O'Brien is as flammable as the life-threatening situations that are typical of their professions. If that isn't enough, Eileen Dreyer made me laugh at the ridiculousness of the human race in the midst of a crisis, convincing me her talent as an author will keep me coming back for more.
October 15, 2017
"She didn't want to hurt any of them. But if she started asking questions, she would. By exposing the murderer, Maggie would expose them all.
Pros
Sassy Banter Is Sassy-The banter between Maggie and her coworkers was snappy, snarky, and just plain fun to read about. The subject matter may have been totally serious, but the dialogue lifted the mood at precisely the right times.
Insight Into a Little Known Career-Being a nurse is hard. I’m not one, but several of my friends are. But being a nurse AND a medic on the SWAT team? That has to be akin torture. And since the author was once a trauma nurse, she knows her stuff. And she let’s us know how damn hard it is for Maggie and her coworkers both in and out of the field. Having to listen to that stuff on a daily basis, I should know how it feels, but she gives a really good sense of feeling what it’s like to live it day in and day out.
Cons
Language That Would Make a Sailor Cringe-Now this wasn’t a con for me, per se. But I know that it might be a con for some people. So I probably should forewarn any future readers that the language in this book is strong as hell, and this is someone who hears them on a daily basis for work. While the plot may be appealing, the language probably won’t be.
Too Many Plot Lines Going on At Once-The plot synopsis the flap gives you going into this book that Maggie O’Brien, a SWAT team nurse, suspects that some of her patients are being murdered, and she needs to find out why. However, there are like five different plot points going on at the same time. We have the murder plot, a conspiracy plot, an ’angel of death’ acting out on her wing in the hospital that has nothing to do with the original investigation, and a ‘day in the life’ summary of Maggie’s day. Dude, one plot line would have been more than sufficient, thank you very much. It made the book drag on and on when it didn’t really need to, thus making it an absolute chore to read.
Casual Fuckboy Relationship-Throughout the book, Maggie and a coworker on her team engage in a casual ‘friends with benefits’ relationship. Now if by casual you mean having sex so rough you literally break the furniture relationship, then yeah, it’s casual.
But seriously guys. THEY HAVE SEX SO HARD THAT IT BREAKS THE FREAKIN’ KITCHEN TABLE. They also seem to want to have sex every time they finished a major emergency. A mentally insane person dies? Let’s have sex! A rough, sixteen-hour shift night? Let’s have sex!
An arson case where a six-year-old dies from smoke inhalation because his father held him captive in the apartment building.
LET’S HAVE SEX IN THE SHOWER, ON THE FLOOR, ON THE COUCH, ON TOP OF THE BED, AND OUT ON THE APARTMENT DECK, WHY DON’T WE??!!
(And yes, this actually happened).
We get it. You two like to have sex. Real, rough sex. It doesn’t progress much beyond that, and the whole casualness about it kind of annoyed me after a while. Not to mention that Delany’s a shady figure and Maggie treats him like crap most of the time.
The Killer Is Whom??!!-With all these mysteries and plot lines going on here, it’s hard to keep track of potential suspects. But let’s just say that there are multiple killers at work here, and while one of them is genius, I was kind of disappointed (and a little bit baffled) by who the other killer was. They were blatantly obvious, but their motive made no logical sense whatsoever.
There are better romantic suspense novels out there, and while the dialogue was witty and the professions shown noble, this book couldn’t be saved from its course language, a bad friends with benefits relationship, and so many plotlines that trying to find the main one was like playing a losing game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’
P.S.: I just want to congratulate myself for not cussing in this review even though I REALLY wanted to.
Pros
Sassy Banter Is Sassy-The banter between Maggie and her coworkers was snappy, snarky, and just plain fun to read about. The subject matter may have been totally serious, but the dialogue lifted the mood at precisely the right times.
Insight Into a Little Known Career-Being a nurse is hard. I’m not one, but several of my friends are. But being a nurse AND a medic on the SWAT team? That has to be akin torture. And since the author was once a trauma nurse, she knows her stuff. And she let’s us know how damn hard it is for Maggie and her coworkers both in and out of the field. Having to listen to that stuff on a daily basis, I should know how it feels, but she gives a really good sense of feeling what it’s like to live it day in and day out.
Cons
Language That Would Make a Sailor Cringe-Now this wasn’t a con for me, per se. But I know that it might be a con for some people. So I probably should forewarn any future readers that the language in this book is strong as hell, and this is someone who hears them on a daily basis for work. While the plot may be appealing, the language probably won’t be.
Too Many Plot Lines Going on At Once-The plot synopsis the flap gives you going into this book that Maggie O’Brien, a SWAT team nurse, suspects that some of her patients are being murdered, and she needs to find out why. However, there are like five different plot points going on at the same time. We have the murder plot, a conspiracy plot, an ’angel of death’ acting out on her wing in the hospital that has nothing to do with the original investigation, and a ‘day in the life’ summary of Maggie’s day. Dude, one plot line would have been more than sufficient, thank you very much. It made the book drag on and on when it didn’t really need to, thus making it an absolute chore to read.
Casual Fuckboy Relationship-Throughout the book, Maggie and a coworker on her team engage in a casual ‘friends with benefits’ relationship. Now if by casual you mean having sex so rough you literally break the furniture relationship, then yeah, it’s casual.
But seriously guys. THEY HAVE SEX SO HARD THAT IT BREAKS THE FREAKIN’ KITCHEN TABLE. They also seem to want to have sex every time they finished a major emergency. A mentally insane person dies? Let’s have sex! A rough, sixteen-hour shift night? Let’s have sex!
An arson case where a six-year-old dies from smoke inhalation because his father held him captive in the apartment building.
LET’S HAVE SEX IN THE SHOWER, ON THE FLOOR, ON THE COUCH, ON TOP OF THE BED, AND OUT ON THE APARTMENT DECK, WHY DON’T WE??!!
(And yes, this actually happened).
We get it. You two like to have sex. Real, rough sex. It doesn’t progress much beyond that, and the whole casualness about it kind of annoyed me after a while. Not to mention that Delany’s a shady figure and Maggie treats him like crap most of the time.
The Killer Is Whom??!!-With all these mysteries and plot lines going on here, it’s hard to keep track of potential suspects. But let’s just say that there are multiple killers at work here, and while one of them is genius, I was kind of disappointed (and a little bit baffled) by who the other killer was. They were blatantly obvious, but their motive made no logical sense whatsoever.
There are better romantic suspense novels out there, and while the dialogue was witty and the professions shown noble, this book couldn’t be saved from its course language, a bad friends with benefits relationship, and so many plotlines that trying to find the main one was like playing a losing game of ‘Where’s Waldo?’
P.S.: I just want to congratulate myself for not cussing in this review even though I REALLY wanted to.
July 2, 2008
There was an AWFUL lot going on in this book. And I'm still wondering how one person can hold down three crazy critical jobs and still have time for hot, break-the-furniture sex. Hmm.
Read
January 26, 2010Pros: good storyline, very suspenseful and great ending. Cons: drawn out too long.
December 11, 2020
This is a medical thriller set in St Louis, Missouri in 2003, and the main character is the hard-working Maggie O’Brien. She is an extremely busy person, working as a Tactical Emergency Medic for the city/county, a part-time Paramedic in Manchester, and her main job being as a Trauma Nurse at Blymore Memorial Trauma Hospital. St Louis is being overwhelmed by a biblical sized plague of cicadas, which is sending lots of its residents a bit loopy, bringing rising violence and medical emergencies. We first meet her when she is called into a hostage situation with a local cop Sean Delaney, her best friend and sort of boyfriend, being held hostage by a homeless man she knows well, Montana Bob, who believes the noise from the cicadas is the government talking about him and trying to kill him! Her father’s old partner, John or Uncle John as she calls him, is the man in charge of the negotiations and puts her into play accessing the hostage and the culprit’s injuries over the phone and tries to calm Bob down. Bob was only shot in the arm and should have been find, but he dies shortly later and Maggie doesn’t understand why!
That was the newly formed joint SWAT team’s first callout and Maggie’s first call in this new and hard fought for role. A celebration takes place afterwards and unfortunately it is spoilt as her father Tommy ‘the Terminator’ O’Brien turned up to congratulate her and ask when she was going to pick up a gun and become a cop! He is the most infamous cop in town, having resigned before he would have been kicked off the force for alleged brutality, but has never been proud of what she has managed to achieve and his words hurt her deeply. There is far more to his resignation than face value of the facts at the time. He now works as a security guard in the very hospital where she works and when she gets walloped in the face by a drunken patient, because she was distracted, he tells her yet again that she should have a gun and use it! She doesn’t even have a gun for her role with SWAT, always tanking her qualification shooting, when she is in fact a quick-shot competition winner multiple times over. Another dig by her father, putting her down for not following the path he expected. But she will pay for her comments back to him, especially in front of others who actually respect him! Another member of staff makes the comment that the patient will be on The List, a list of people who piss off the staff of all the emergency services.
There is an actual wall with names written on it, hidden away in the staff area, and once it becomes full, it is painted over and then starts all over again. It helps all emergency services staff to vent some of the stress and anger they come under and a way to forget! Weeks later, she is told her own name has been put on the list and presumes it is a cop called Paul who did so. When taking her own name off the list, she sees some names that pull at her memory but she can’t remember why. Until some of Montana Bob’s ramblings come back to her, they were coming for him and have already killed Sancho and Urban and dog and snake! There is something going on and her concerns about Bob’s death, wondering if she may have done something wrong or missed something while he was being treated. Now other people in her care start turning up dead and she wonders if someone is taking the idea of the list a little too seriously and killing off patients as retribution for their actions. Maggie thinks of her fellow staff at the hospital and within the police and SWAT teams, as part of her family and she is loyal to them all. But now she has to worry about justice for the people who are being killed or staying loyal and taking the sides of her colleagues who she relies on every day.
If she betrays the trust of her colleagues and tries to seek justice for the victims, she could be the next target to be killed, but if she does nothing and stays loyal to them, then the balance of justice will fall and fail. She raised concern when she couldn’t not look into Bob’s death immediately after it happened and certain people who were obviously behind these deaths, will take action if she doesn’t keep quiet, no matter whose daughter she is! She makes the difficult decision that even though she might betray the very people she thinks of as family, she has to do it as she believes in justice, unlike her father Tommy, who believes in being in control and being right all the time! Whenever he passes her and the patients she is dealing with, there is no shred of empathy or kindness from him. Just derision and the faint smell of alcohol. Without justice there can be no redemption, especially for those under the influence who might never have done the same whilst sober, or for those who manage to change their lives for the better if they get the chance. Another sudden and unexpected death, after someone got in touch with her, pushes her to a conclusion about all of these deaths.
Maggie has now placed herself in the crosshairs of a killer and has no one on the force she can ask for help, as the blue line has far too strong loyalty between brothers, for her to get any answers from anyone once she starts asking and that will reveal what she is doing as soon as she starts! Anyone at the hospital, her friends and family, could be the killer and she trusts them all with her life, but now must try to figure out how many people have been killed, how they were killed and who is responsible. A dangerous task and made more so by an eager young reporter who has been following Maggie in her jobs for weeks, in order to do a story on her role as the first SWAT female medic, but has also got her own ideas for a much bigger story she could be writing about ‘THE LIST’! Another exceptional story from this author, who has lived the lives being described and can give a true voice to all the medical issues raised here. I can’t wait to pick up yet another book from this author, knowing that it will be an amazing read with such a touch of reality, you can’t ignore it. Certainly an author I would recommend to all who love a good read and a great thriller! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
That was the newly formed joint SWAT team’s first callout and Maggie’s first call in this new and hard fought for role. A celebration takes place afterwards and unfortunately it is spoilt as her father Tommy ‘the Terminator’ O’Brien turned up to congratulate her and ask when she was going to pick up a gun and become a cop! He is the most infamous cop in town, having resigned before he would have been kicked off the force for alleged brutality, but has never been proud of what she has managed to achieve and his words hurt her deeply. There is far more to his resignation than face value of the facts at the time. He now works as a security guard in the very hospital where she works and when she gets walloped in the face by a drunken patient, because she was distracted, he tells her yet again that she should have a gun and use it! She doesn’t even have a gun for her role with SWAT, always tanking her qualification shooting, when she is in fact a quick-shot competition winner multiple times over. Another dig by her father, putting her down for not following the path he expected. But she will pay for her comments back to him, especially in front of others who actually respect him! Another member of staff makes the comment that the patient will be on The List, a list of people who piss off the staff of all the emergency services.
There is an actual wall with names written on it, hidden away in the staff area, and once it becomes full, it is painted over and then starts all over again. It helps all emergency services staff to vent some of the stress and anger they come under and a way to forget! Weeks later, she is told her own name has been put on the list and presumes it is a cop called Paul who did so. When taking her own name off the list, she sees some names that pull at her memory but she can’t remember why. Until some of Montana Bob’s ramblings come back to her, they were coming for him and have already killed Sancho and Urban and dog and snake! There is something going on and her concerns about Bob’s death, wondering if she may have done something wrong or missed something while he was being treated. Now other people in her care start turning up dead and she wonders if someone is taking the idea of the list a little too seriously and killing off patients as retribution for their actions. Maggie thinks of her fellow staff at the hospital and within the police and SWAT teams, as part of her family and she is loyal to them all. But now she has to worry about justice for the people who are being killed or staying loyal and taking the sides of her colleagues who she relies on every day.
If she betrays the trust of her colleagues and tries to seek justice for the victims, she could be the next target to be killed, but if she does nothing and stays loyal to them, then the balance of justice will fall and fail. She raised concern when she couldn’t not look into Bob’s death immediately after it happened and certain people who were obviously behind these deaths, will take action if she doesn’t keep quiet, no matter whose daughter she is! She makes the difficult decision that even though she might betray the very people she thinks of as family, she has to do it as she believes in justice, unlike her father Tommy, who believes in being in control and being right all the time! Whenever he passes her and the patients she is dealing with, there is no shred of empathy or kindness from him. Just derision and the faint smell of alcohol. Without justice there can be no redemption, especially for those under the influence who might never have done the same whilst sober, or for those who manage to change their lives for the better if they get the chance. Another sudden and unexpected death, after someone got in touch with her, pushes her to a conclusion about all of these deaths.
Maggie has now placed herself in the crosshairs of a killer and has no one on the force she can ask for help, as the blue line has far too strong loyalty between brothers, for her to get any answers from anyone once she starts asking and that will reveal what she is doing as soon as she starts! Anyone at the hospital, her friends and family, could be the killer and she trusts them all with her life, but now must try to figure out how many people have been killed, how they were killed and who is responsible. A dangerous task and made more so by an eager young reporter who has been following Maggie in her jobs for weeks, in order to do a story on her role as the first SWAT female medic, but has also got her own ideas for a much bigger story she could be writing about ‘THE LIST’! Another exceptional story from this author, who has lived the lives being described and can give a true voice to all the medical issues raised here. I can’t wait to pick up yet another book from this author, knowing that it will be an amazing read with such a touch of reality, you can’t ignore it. Certainly an author I would recommend to all who love a good read and a great thriller! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
June 21, 2012
I enjoyed the medical and police procedural aspects (Maggie must be related to James Patterson's characters who never need sleep and recover from major injuries overnight) but I didn't really *like* any of the characters. The plot was intriguing (is someone killing off patients that have ticked off the hospital staff without leaving a trace?) but I had difficulty buying in to Maggie's continued abuse by her father which had me questioning my "strong woman" tag. The middle of the book sort of wandered around but the culminating scene worked well, though. I just couldn't give it the "romantic suspense" tag -- Maggie's relationship with Sean wasn't at all romantic and while there may have been action there was no zing for me. I'll probably try another of Dreyer's titles, if only for the medical credibility.
October 9, 2010
It took me a minute to get involved in this book. I picked it up from my mother mostly because it's set in St. Louis and it's always nice to read about places you know.
I was disappointed when I thought I knew "whodunit" and then pleasantly pleased to discover I was wrong. Once I got sucked it, I was completely sucked in. This was a really good book. I enjoy Dreyer's writing style and her characters.
I would love to see more books with Maggie O'Brien as the heroine.
I was disappointed when I thought I knew "whodunit" and then pleasantly pleased to discover I was wrong. Once I got sucked it, I was completely sucked in. This was a really good book. I enjoy Dreyer's writing style and her characters.
I would love to see more books with Maggie O'Brien as the heroine.
February 22, 2009
This book is pretty enjoyable in an unsubtle way! It is fun to read a book set in St. Louis, a town about which I know very little.
August 7, 2012
Book Club pick. Too many characters but otherwise, pretty good.
March 3, 2011
Quick, interesting, and Bright.
October 1, 2020
“With a Vengeance” by Eileen Dreyer is mix of police and medical thriller, both themes link by the jobs of the FMC. Maggie O’Brien is a multitasker, overachiever, working as an ER nurse and the new appointed medic for the SWAT city-team. Her first assignment is a fully success, but after the subject, a mentally ill-man, dies unexpectedly afterwards, she begins to find links with some other unusual deaths. As the dead start to pile up around her, she centers her investigation on her own co-workers, medics and cops and stumbles among a conspiration that seem to be targeting society rejects, from gang members to terminal ill-elders, the ones who registered in “The List”, an unofficial record of so-called ‘undesirables’. As investigating her own co-workers wasn’t dangerous enough, the killer(s) are targeting Maggie herself to have her take the blame for the killings.
A classical police crime novel with a generous side of medical thriller, both well linked and balance through the FMC. A gripping, exciting book, with interesting characters and a good-thought plot.
A classical police crime novel with a generous side of medical thriller, both well linked and balance through the FMC. A gripping, exciting book, with interesting characters and a good-thought plot.
September 11, 2020
The heroine is an ER nurse and medic for the new city-county SWAT team. She's on one of the first assignments which ends well, except that the mentally ill man-- one she knows-- dies after everything is all over. That gets her to wondering about other unusual deaths. Then more people die, some while she was treating them. And the only suspects she has are the people she works with-- other medical professionals and cops. It's a good read. I liked it a lot.
August 19, 2025
I couldn’t even get through the first chapter. I just didn’t vibe with how they spoke of mentally ill people, specifically calling them crazy, and actively making laughing at them. I understand that humor is needed in serious situations sometimes but this kind of humor I can’t get behind on. I personally believe the author shouldn’t use a person’s lowest moment as a source of comedic relief. It’s ableist language and I can’t stand by that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2019
A good book. Decent connection with characters. Turned into more conspiracy than expected. A little different than expecting from excerpt. Would recommend. Some medical, some police, conspiracy, some suspense, family drama. Some slow areas, but overall good.
May 8, 2018
I gave up after 1 chapter, not interested.
October 17, 2020
This book wasn’t for me. I found it very difficult to get into, as well as stay interested in the characters and their story. Strange mix of too many things going on at once.
January 27, 2021
The first 100 pages was difficult to follow. Is Sean her boyfriend or lover? Couldn't finish it.
May 13, 2021
Wenn det Klappentext schon nicht zum Buch passt. Inhalt ziemlich enttäuschend. Hat was von einer 08/15 Krankenhausserienfolge .
February 16, 2023
Didn’t finish. Too boring.
July 22, 2018
Eileen Dreyer Slow start but really picked up. Definitely want to read more Eileen Dreyer
April 17, 2010
Face it, everybody has a List, whether you call it that or not. There are some folks who piss you off so much that you’d like to see them put up against a wall and shot. You may not put it down on paper, but somewhere in the back of your mind you probably add at least one person to that list every week. Maybe you and some co-workers, or some friends, even share a list. The boss is probably there, plus a particularly annoying salesperson or the guy who “fixes” the photocopier which breaks down within an hour of his visit.
Now imagine a group of folks who not only have such a list, but also actually go and do something about it. Their list includes, not just the annoying, but people who are dangerous–rapists, child molesters, wife beaters and a whole range of people that the world would not miss and might actually be better off without.
Dreyer introduces us to Maggie O’Brien, trauma nurse and medic on a SWAT team. Maggie is the daughter of a former policeman, who was retired from the force when he took the rap for a junior officer guilty of police brutality. Much to the disgust of her father, Maggie is not following in his footsteps. She not only does not become a police officer, but even now that she is a member of SWAT, she refuses to carry a gun.
Maggie knows about The List, which is scribbled on the break room in the hospital where she works. Maggie has even added a few names herself. It’s only when she witnesses the death of a homeless man, whom she has befriended, that she begins to suspect that some folks around her are taking The List a bit more seriously than she does.
Dreyer, herself a forensic nurse, creates in Maggie a believable and troubled woman. Taught from childhood to believe in justice, Maggie finds that those whom she has considered her friends may have a very, different idea of how justice can be achieved.
Dreyer’s style is closer to Nevada Barr than to Patricia Cornwell (both better known writers in the ‘thriller’ genre), although filtered through primetime network programming. She primarily lacks the better-known Cornwell’s ability to bring a larage cast of characters to life. In fact, only Maggie comes across as multi-dimensional, with other characters never attaining any reality. Some never get beyond being stereotypes, brought in to fill some demographic niche.
Still the story, filled with double crosses, close calls and the inability of Maggie to know whom to trust does drive the story and that is, after all, what we want from this type of book. I found myself liking Maggie and I think Dreyer would be wise to bring her back for another adventure.
Now imagine a group of folks who not only have such a list, but also actually go and do something about it. Their list includes, not just the annoying, but people who are dangerous–rapists, child molesters, wife beaters and a whole range of people that the world would not miss and might actually be better off without.
Dreyer introduces us to Maggie O’Brien, trauma nurse and medic on a SWAT team. Maggie is the daughter of a former policeman, who was retired from the force when he took the rap for a junior officer guilty of police brutality. Much to the disgust of her father, Maggie is not following in his footsteps. She not only does not become a police officer, but even now that she is a member of SWAT, she refuses to carry a gun.
Maggie knows about The List, which is scribbled on the break room in the hospital where she works. Maggie has even added a few names herself. It’s only when she witnesses the death of a homeless man, whom she has befriended, that she begins to suspect that some folks around her are taking The List a bit more seriously than she does.
Dreyer, herself a forensic nurse, creates in Maggie a believable and troubled woman. Taught from childhood to believe in justice, Maggie finds that those whom she has considered her friends may have a very, different idea of how justice can be achieved.
Dreyer’s style is closer to Nevada Barr than to Patricia Cornwell (both better known writers in the ‘thriller’ genre), although filtered through primetime network programming. She primarily lacks the better-known Cornwell’s ability to bring a larage cast of characters to life. In fact, only Maggie comes across as multi-dimensional, with other characters never attaining any reality. Some never get beyond being stereotypes, brought in to fill some demographic niche.
Still the story, filled with double crosses, close calls and the inability of Maggie to know whom to trust does drive the story and that is, after all, what we want from this type of book. I found myself liking Maggie and I think Dreyer would be wise to bring her back for another adventure.
August 26, 2015
This is the 2nd book of Dreyer's I've read, but I believe only shares a minor character or two with the other book. Here, SWAT team member and nurse Maggie is trying to establish an identity for herself other than as the daughter of one of the most famous, and later most disgraced, members of the St. Louis police force. One day, the SWAT team is involved in a situation involving Montana Bob, a man Maggie knows well from her ER job, and who recognizes her through the fog his mental illness leaves in his mind. He is taken to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and Maggie accompanies him, where he dies suddenly of a suspected drug overdose. Maggie is familiar with Montana Bob's situation, and drug addict was not a term she would use to describe him, but grudgingly accepts the conclusion, because perhaps he tried drugs for the first time and had a poor reaction to them.
As Maggie considers something Montana Bob said to her before he died, she realizes there have been a number of similar unexplained deaths in the city recently, and it continues to happen. What links them all together is that the people who died could all be considered 'undesirables' in society, from the mentally ill like Montana Bob, to violent gang members, to chronically ill elderly people. Many appear on 'The List', an unofficial record the hospital staff members and police have of all the people who have ticked them off on a given day, moreso a way to vent without taking it out on the individual or those around them. Maggie wonders if someone is taking The List a little too far and arranging to have certain members taken off permanently.
I enjoyed the earlier part of the book, but as Maggie's investigation continued, I found myself lost when it came to how she came to certain conclusions. Also, her father seems to be omnipresent, even though it is established he was kicked off the police force. That said, I would definitely be interested in reading more books by Dreyer, as I felt the beginning of the book was strong enough to make up for the confusing way she wrapped things up, and she did have me guessing until the end.
As Maggie considers something Montana Bob said to her before he died, she realizes there have been a number of similar unexplained deaths in the city recently, and it continues to happen. What links them all together is that the people who died could all be considered 'undesirables' in society, from the mentally ill like Montana Bob, to violent gang members, to chronically ill elderly people. Many appear on 'The List', an unofficial record the hospital staff members and police have of all the people who have ticked them off on a given day, moreso a way to vent without taking it out on the individual or those around them. Maggie wonders if someone is taking The List a little too far and arranging to have certain members taken off permanently.
I enjoyed the earlier part of the book, but as Maggie's investigation continued, I found myself lost when it came to how she came to certain conclusions. Also, her father seems to be omnipresent, even though it is established he was kicked off the police force. That said, I would definitely be interested in reading more books by Dreyer, as I felt the beginning of the book was strong enough to make up for the confusing way she wrapped things up, and she did have me guessing until the end.
September 7, 2021
Don’t miss this one!
NO SPOILERS HERE. This is only my third book by Eileen Dreyer and I can honestly say that she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I am very partial to medical thrillers, mysteries, and police procedurals and Ms. Dreyer has a talent for blending the finest aspects of all of these into one riveting story that takes the reader on an amazing journey. Her main characters tend to be strong female protagonists who are in some way flawed or have personal secrets making them vulnerable and multi-dimensional just like real people. In this story, trauma nurse and SWAT medic Maggie O’Brien is faced with figuring out what is happening when patients begin dying unexpectedly. Suspicions abound as the investigation unfolds, leading Maggie to question even those she has worked with and trusted for so long. This story has it all, intrigue, suspense, mystery, fear, retribution and some realistic glimpses into the inner workings of emergency rooms which could leave the reader a bit uneasy about their next hospital visit. I am looking forward to reading more from this gifted author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.
NO SPOILERS HERE. This is only my third book by Eileen Dreyer and I can honestly say that she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I am very partial to medical thrillers, mysteries, and police procedurals and Ms. Dreyer has a talent for blending the finest aspects of all of these into one riveting story that takes the reader on an amazing journey. Her main characters tend to be strong female protagonists who are in some way flawed or have personal secrets making them vulnerable and multi-dimensional just like real people. In this story, trauma nurse and SWAT medic Maggie O’Brien is faced with figuring out what is happening when patients begin dying unexpectedly. Suspicions abound as the investigation unfolds, leading Maggie to question even those she has worked with and trusted for so long. This story has it all, intrigue, suspense, mystery, fear, retribution and some realistic glimpses into the inner workings of emergency rooms which could leave the reader a bit uneasy about their next hospital visit. I am looking forward to reading more from this gifted author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.
January 28, 2021
I do not think that I have ever read anything by Eileen Dreyer that I have not loved, no matter the genre or name that it has been written in. This book is no exception and it has also become a favorite of mine about the field of medical trauma and the toll it takes on those who work in that field as well as the outlets that are utilized that help alleviate the stress from that toll which may not be understood by those who do not experience it. But what if one of those outlets is misinterpreted and is taken literally and starts to be acted upon thereby putting others in grave physical danger, if not outright murder? What would you do if you suspect it could be someone that you also work with? Now put yourself in the shoes of trauma nurse Maggie O'Brien.
A riveting medical murder suspense drama that begs the question...WHAT WOULD YOU DO??
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A riveting medical murder suspense drama that begs the question...WHAT WOULD YOU DO??
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 16, 2016
Book Description
Publication Date: March 5, 2003
Maggie O'Brien, a nurse and a medic on a SWAT team, has a thirst for justice, and a chip on her shoulder. She lives in the shadow of her father, a famous (or infamous) cop. Is she more his daughter than she wants to admit? The question hits home when Maggie feels the desire--as all cops, nurses, doctors and medics sometimes do--to dispense her own brand of justice. Soon she finds evidence that someone else may be acting on that desire. Her search for the truth is a searing tour through the shades of gray between the impulse to heal and the urge to punish.
This book was a little slow for me. I would have to say that I didn't really enjoy the writing - not enough suspense and was a little predictable. I'll give the author another chance but if the next book doesn't give a good enough punch then I am moving on!
Publication Date: March 5, 2003
Maggie O'Brien, a nurse and a medic on a SWAT team, has a thirst for justice, and a chip on her shoulder. She lives in the shadow of her father, a famous (or infamous) cop. Is she more his daughter than she wants to admit? The question hits home when Maggie feels the desire--as all cops, nurses, doctors and medics sometimes do--to dispense her own brand of justice. Soon she finds evidence that someone else may be acting on that desire. Her search for the truth is a searing tour through the shades of gray between the impulse to heal and the urge to punish.
This book was a little slow for me. I would have to say that I didn't really enjoy the writing - not enough suspense and was a little predictable. I'll give the author another chance but if the next book doesn't give a good enough punch then I am moving on!
October 16, 2020
What would you do if you suspected your friends and colleagues were committing murders. Maggie was definitely unwilling to let what she suspected go and kept working until she got her answers. The story combines a medical mystery with dirty public servants. There is a bit of suspense as Maggie tries to figure out who all is involved with the murders. Montana Bob was much sharper than everyone thought and I'm glad he was able to help with things. Sean had a tough road to tow and I'm glad he and Mags got a happy ending. I laughed, was brought to tears and was glued to the edge of my seat as I was immersed in the story. The descriptions in the book were wonderful and gave you a real feel for the settings. I could not put this book down and parts of it will stick with me for some time to come.
August 3, 2016
Maggie O'Brien, SWAT medic and ED trauma nurse, questions the death of a psychotic former FBI agent who died from superficial wounds. As she begins to notice other suspicious deaths, they all seem to be people on the List. A List that Maggie assumed was a list of people who frustrated the staff, but now seems to include people who are criminals also, but who also came to the hospital for medical attention, many through ED. But as Maggie investigates, more people die and now, it seems, that someone is trying to make it look like Maggie is the guilty one. Maggie's investigation leaves her with few people to trust. This was a suspense filled plot with a heroine with guts but not foolish. She's a woman who has had to deal with a violent father and who abhors violence. A well done thriller.
July 17, 2015
I wish I could vocalize as well as my daughter does exactly why I do or do not like something. I will try. After having just finished "Memory Man", which I thought was excellent, I know there was a profound difference in it and "With a Vengeance". In the Baldacci book, the reader is pulled along with the people trying to solve the crime. We are fed bits of bread along the suspenseful trail toward denouement and those bits of bread are written with an excellent weaving of words and building of characters.
This book wanted to say something, but had trouble finding its focus. There were also times when I was thinking, "surely you could have taken time and written that passage better". As I've said previously this sumemr, it was ok reading for the pool.
This book wanted to say something, but had trouble finding its focus. There were also times when I was thinking, "surely you could have taken time and written that passage better". As I've said previously this sumemr, it was ok reading for the pool.
October 24, 2020
Maggie O'Brien is a trauma nurse and also works on a SWAT team. She is doing everything she can to get out from under her father's shadow. When people start dying while in the care of the hospital she works for unknown reasons. She also notices that their names are on "The List". Try as she might, she can not find out how these people died. She reaches out to other people for help, and that only causes her more problems. Someone is pulling the strings, and her name is at the top of "The List", can she keep from dying and find out the who? A very intense story that I enjoyed very, very much! Wish I could add more than 5 stars to it. Highly recommend it!!! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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