Great Beach Read Book: The Last Day for Rob Rhino By Kathleen O'Donnell

It has come to my attention that I need to pay better attention. See, I love a Pulitzer Prize winning book or a book that gains attention for it meaty content or a book written about or by someone I admire. The Last Day for Rob Rhino by Kathleen O'Donnell fits into no category of mine so I didn't notice it at all. (Now I find that it was an Indy Book of the Year Finalist.)


I first noticed the book when I was reading Kathleen O'Donnell's blog on her website that carries her name. The blog page is called Bald Spots. I read a post she had written recently about her stepfather. She did not particularly like him, his alcoholic lifestyle or even the way he treated her mother. But she held a grudging respect for the effort he put into trying to be the father he knew she needed. He fell far short and she could not grieve his death because her memories were clouded by his abusive behavior. It is not a happy story but the way she wrote it was just beautiful honest and even poignantly funny. 

Kathleen O'Donnell

When I saw that she had written a book, I went to Amazon and bought the Kindle version. That was day before yesterday. I finished the book late last night. 

O'Donnell's byline for her blog is "There is nothing scarier than normal people." It gives a hint that she is able to look behind the mask and see something interesting even in the least likely people.  

She gathered a list of character that might be on a list of people least likely to ever meet...ever. I found an angry, rich and drug addicted bald widow, a outrageous old porn star, a slimey manager for the star, a liberal arts college with a cemetery open to only the trustees and a dead husband in a cremation box with a whole gaggle of crazy relatives. In a lot of cases, these people are not who they appear to be in the beginning. Somehow O'Donnell manages to bring them all together in a mysterious set of circumstances that keeps the reader reading long after their eyes have gone to bed.

Even though there is a porn star and his quirky friends, there is no sex. There is just one small murder with tiny hints of more. I am only telling you this because I thought you would want to know.

So, if you are looking for the perfect read for the beach or a rainy afternoon snuggled in a chair with a cup of tea, this is it.  Put it on your list. You will not regret it.

 Available on Amazon: The Last Day for Rob Rhino  

By Kathleen O'Donnell, ( Author ) [ 2013 ) [ Paperback 

Indy Book of the Year Finalist

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