As a huge fan of Kevin O'Brien, should be a must-read for me. As someone who dislikes historical fiction, I didn't just grab it up like I normally would though. Well, I finally did and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as most of his other books, it was definitely an interesting story. Nora's husband is a medic off at war. Nora and other women have to take over the jobs previously held by men. Riveting, for example. Nora becomes a riveter for Boeing. Someone is not happy about women taking over and they start dying. I thought the killer was extremely obvious and the story could have been shortened, but overall, I did enjoy it. The author did a great job of painting a picture of the wartimes and general attitudes and struggles of people going through that in my mind. It's also pretty cool that he branched out and came up with something different from his usual fare. Can't wait for his next one!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kevin O'Brien and Kensington Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I will publish my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

A different take on WWII novels, with a gripping story that unfolds in 1943, Seattle, as a serial killer targets women working in war-related plants across the city. I couldn't put this one down, then couldn't sleep afterward. Thrilling!

4.5 which I gladly round up to 5 because when I wasn't turning the pages of The Enemy at Home I was wishing I was.

Kevin O'Brien has combined two of my favourite catergories: historical fiction and suspense and as always he tells a great story that has those lights on long after they should be turned out.

Nora on the home front during WW2 joins the war effort while her husband is away serving his country. She becomes a riveter.

Someone is not happy that the women are taking over the men's jobs and doing it well.

A fellow riveter is found dead in her home and then another one is murdered just as brutally.

Someone is not happy that the women are taking over the men's jobs and doing it well.

The suspense builds with every page as Nora feels that the murderer is someone she knows.

Everyone is on edge.

Highly recommend you get your copy of The Enemy at Home and put it to the top of your TBR pile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington for a captivating read.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars (rounded up)

The Enemy at Home is set during WWII in Seattle, WA, and follows Nora, a mother of two whose husband enlisted as an army medic and is stationed in Africa and Europe. Nora works as a riveter in a Boeing factory with many other women to assist in the war effort. Throughout the story, multiple female workers are strangled and stabbed in their homes by a serial killer, and the police won’t believe the cases are connected in the beginning.

As a big fan of historical fiction and thriller novels, this book immediately jumped out at me. The first bit of the book did take a bit to get into admittedly, because it was mostly setting up the characters and explaining the setting. Every few chapters in the beginning there would be one short chapter where the killer tries to strike or does strike, but those were fewer and farther between. It did take me a while to get through this book because from about 30% of the way through, I was basically convinced I knew who the killer was because the evidence against them was so overwhelming and obvious. This made the book a bit dull for me for a bit and caused me to start skimming through long chapters and pages of intense details. I wasn’t actually hooked into the book until literally the very end when things start to get interesting and there is some actual suspense. Overall, the ending was not a huge shocker and there weren’t many twists throughout the book so I think it’s more of a mystery novel than suspense or thriller. I am a bit of a serial killer fiend so I would have loved more about that (sorry not sorry). Overall, not one of my favorite books I’ve read and I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone just because I think it was pretty slow and tough to get through. But if you are a fan of WWII and serial killers then maybe you will enjoy this book more than me.

The story was good, but it was somewhat repetitive and boring, I skimmed lots of this book. I was sure of who did it early on and I wasn't wrong. I thought it was mostly grueling to pick it up to read, but I finished it! I would not recommend this to anyone who likes fast pasted thrillers, but maybe it might appeal to cozy readers, because it certainly was that. Not my favorite.

Nora's husband, a doctor, is stationed in North Africa during WWII and Nora feels the need to do more so she goes to work at the Boeing plant in Seattle, yet worries about her children and about those who are angry that women are working at the plant. Then her coworkers start being murdered and it is clear that a serial killer is targeting the female employees.
Fast paced thrilling read that would also be easily discussable. Book clubs are sure to enjoy.

WOW. Suspense/mystery meets historical fiction in this masterpiece. You have the “Rosie’s” of the war and a serial killer who seems to be targeting them. Nora is one of these “Rosies” and, like the other women in Seattle, becomes scared for her life, especially when their husbands are overseas fighting the war.

Nora struggles to be a single parent to her teenage son and preteen daughter while balancing working in the factory. When one of her friends and coworker is murdered, Nora starts investigating the murder herself. She follows a dangerous and emotional path to discover who the killer is.

This is a page turner and I had a hard time putting it down. The author clearly did his research and it’s shown in the different side plots involving Japanese citizens, the racial hate towards them, and the draft of men who didn’t want to serve. These all come together to form this suspenseful, historical novel.

I loved the characters because you felt what they felt. They were written very well. At times, when Nora was mad at her son, I’d find myself mad at her son because I was able to form connections to the characters.

Overall, I loved this novel because it successfully combined suspense and historical fiction without losing too much of either side. It was balanced very well, the characters were amazing and the plot kept you twisting and turning trying to figure out who the killer was ( I had my suspicions but I was never fully confident in it).

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I’m intrigued by stories set during World War II and having read some of Kevin O’Brien’s books in the past, I was eager to read his latest.

I had mixed feelings about this one. The book started off well. A serial killer is targeting the women of Seattle, all of whom work in the defense plants. Nora Kinney is a forty-something-year-old housewife whose husband, an orthopedic surgeon, is overseas serving his country. She’s left at home to raise their two teenage children. When her seventeen-year-old son begins sneaking out of the house, Nora begins to wonder if there’s something more to his escapades than simple teenage shenanigans.

She takes a job as a riveter in the Boeing factory and quickly makes new friends. When one of them becomes a victim of the serial killer, and the police appear to be doing a poor job with the investigation, Nora begins to dig into the crime herself.

One chapter was filled with a lot of backstory, which slowed the pace. I was almost ready to give up but then the action picked back up. I figured out the killer early on, but the author threw in a few red herrings that made me doubt for a while. I was ready to give this one five stars until the end. Questionable actions by Nora caused me to knock it down a star, but overall, this was a good read.

Thanks to Kensington Net Galley for an advance reader copy.

The Enemy at Home by Kevin O'Brien is a great WWII-era historical fiction that had me pulled in from the very beginning.

This book has it all: murder, mystery, suspense and a an entertaining narrative.

This book takes place in Seattle during 1943 and we get to see the how families and the home front were changed while the boys snd men were away at War. Women pick up more responsibilities, enter the workforce, and apparently get wrapped into murder/mysteries.

Nora has her hands full: mom to two kids with their own issues, husband gone to serve, starting a new job, keeping things afloat, keeping her house from being victimized from vandals, and helping solve a murder.

I enjoyed the plot, pace, background information given, the character cast, and the ending. Very entertaining and kept me on my toes.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/22/23.

There are many reasons I loved this book. Once being a Kevin O'Brien is a new author for me and I love getting to read new authors. The time period the book was written I love historical fiction and the third being the suspense and drama factor.
The World War 2 time frame when all the women wanted to do something for the war effort. So they end up working for Boeing and become riveters. Enter Nora Kinney a wife and mother whose husband Pete is a doctor doing his part to help out the war effort. Nora needs to decide to if working in a male dominated profession is worth the extra money and time away from her children. Once Nora starts working things are hard for her with hard nosed male bosses and no real friends. Until she meets a group of ladies and they become friends and one by one her friends are killed or almost killed. What is happening? The girls that are being killed are young beautiful women who all happen to work as riveters. Nora then throws herself into finding out who is killing these women especially since one of them was her friend Connie from the factory.While this is all happening Nora rents out her garage apartment to a man who has a reason he wants to be close to Nora and her family. Plus Nora's brother Ray shows up. He has issues of his own that will somehow involve Nora. What could they be and can Ray be trusted?

I could not put this book down. It has all the elements of a good interesting book. Mr. O'Brien's characters are so real. The loving mother who wants to see her friend get justice, yet wants to protect her family and is missing her husband. A troubled brother who brings trouble with him and a renter who is looking for answers.
Great characters, wonderful story and an intense plot.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC copy. I will look into Mr. O'Brien's other books and for any new ones he will write.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Nora recently got a job while her husband is fighting a war. When a co worker is found murdered, Nora is scared. When more women are murdered, Nora is unsure of who she can trust. This book grabbed my attention from the start.

Rosie the Riveter killings!?

What a breath of fresh air! I love O’Brien’s novels and writing style always keeps me guessing and satisfied. Nora is a war wife, set in WWII, her husband is off to war leaving her raising their 2 children and working as a riveter at Boeing. Someone is killing female riveters using women’s nylons. O’Brien wants us to suspect Nora’s son Chris, as he has some mysterious evening disappearances coinciding with the murders. But that would be too easy. A subplot of Nora’s louse of a brother coming home and his subsequent departure back to his post in the Navy. I devoured every word of this, such a great read!
Much thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This is a reflective, slow-burn whodunnit that will appeal to the same audience that likes Lifetime movies on the tube. It's not badly written but moves at a ponderous pace, dwelling overmuch on its female protagonist's thoughts and feelings, sacrificing pace and action to the heroine's interminable inner monologue and maternal musings. These latter reflections go on far too long for my taste but, true to the book's genre, this attribute is certain to recommend it to its predominantly female audience. The author works in various false leads throughout but telegraphs his final plot twist far too obviously. An historical thriller with a domestic drama overlay.

4.5 stars that I am rounding up to 5 simply because this was so action packed and clever that I'm still trying to catch my breath. Granted, I figured out the who pretty easily and pretty early, but I had no idea of the how or the why. What an amazing bit of storytelling this was. I highly recommend it.

I really liked this book! The story and characters were engaging. The mystery keeps you wondering until the end. Very good read!

The Enemy at Home by Kevin O'Brien A historical fiction thriller set during WW2 featuring a serial killer hunting women factory workers in Seattle. Work and home life for Nora Kinney are realistically portrayed for the 1940s. The reveal of the killer was unexpected. A fast paced and gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington and the author for the opportunity to preview the book.

This book is different than so many other books set during WWII and I really enjoyed it.set in Seattle, Nora is one of the many women on the home front who went to work in factories while the men went off to war.

While taking care of her family and working, Nora has a lot on her plate. But when someone is starting to murder women who work in the factory with her, Nora adds fear to her plate as well. is. ira connected to the killer, if so how, and how can she stay safe and be there for her family?

Great use of World War 2, the characters felt like they belonged in that time-period. I was invested in what Kevin O'Brien wrote and was hooked from the first page. I enjoyed the story overall and getting to go on this journey. It left me wanting to read more from Kevin O'Brien.

"Nora self-censored whatever she wrote to Pete. For example, she wasn’t going to tell him that she’d just double-locked the doors and checked the first-floor windows because a Belltown woman had been strangled last night—and the killer was still out there somewhere. She didn’t tell Pete anything that might worry or distract him too much."