Denis R. O'neill
Author, Screenwriter & Producer
The Author’s New Book
The Author’s Last Book
The Author’s Sixth Book
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The Author’s Third Book
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The Author’s First Book
The River Wild – Book
Headwaters of The River Wild
As any moving body of water has a headwater – a starting point – so, too, does this novel.
Publishers Weekly Review
“Screenwriter O’Neill successfully adapts his 1994 movie The River Wild to the page.”
In an effort to save her floundering marriage, lawyer Gail MacDonald, a resident of Brookline, Mass., takes her architect husband, Tom, and their 13-year-old son, Roarke, to ride the rapids in Montana’s Lewis and Clark National Forest, where she once guided raft trips.
At their campsite, they encounter two men, murderer William Deakens “Deke” Patterson and rapist Terrance “Terry” Everton O’Reilly, who have just escaped from prison. The convicts, determined to elude law enforcement, compel the MacDonalds to travel down the river with Gail as their guide. Gail knows that, even if she can get them all safely past the violent rapids known as the Gauntlet, her family will be killed when they’re no longer useful to Deke and Terry. Meanwhile, Det. Lt. Bobby Long of the Montana State Police and his assistant, William “Billy” Heston, are trying to locate the escapees, but they have no leads.
O’Neill pits man against man and man against nature in this gripping thriller.
Audio Book Excerpt
A brief excerpt from the book read by the author.
Where to Get the Book
On Barnes & Noble
On Skyehorse Publishing
Get it on Amazon
Reviews — Quick Takes
Thrills, chills, spills!
“Thrills, chills, spills! Those time honored adjectives apply to the movie The River Wild. But it turns out it was only the half of it. The “all of it” applies to the novel Denis O’Neill has crafted from his superb screenplay.”
A class-5 ride from Denis O’Neill
“As much fun, and a lot safer to read on dry land, as it was to actually go through the terrifying twists and turns the movie captured. A class-5 ride from Denis O’Neill.”
The River Wild plunges into a terrifying ride
“Set in the lovingly described Montana wilderness, The River Wild plunges into a terrifying ride, hurling the reader into as many heart-stopping spins and drops as the beleaguered family at the heart of the story.”
A plot that gushes faster than those Class VI rapids…
“Not a wasted word, with a plot that gushes faster than those Class VI rapids…
suspense-filled thriller and a rollicking thrill ride right from the get-go. Terrific storytelling that includes Mother Nature as a formidable cast member. Sweeps you into the twisting, turning current and never lets go. I really couldn’t put it down.”
A very visual, colorful and suspenseful ride down the river.
“As a veteran homicide investigator and fugitive hunter, I’ve never found fictional books written about these matters interesting. But I’ve changed that opinion after reading Denis O’Neill’s The River Wild. He takes the reader on a very visual, colorful and suspenseful ride down the river. At some points it felt like I was right in the raft with the characters. The author also does a great job portraying the police. They’re not perfect, and they make mistakes, particularly in homicide cases. But they do the best they can, knowing a murderer will kill again.”
Fits a long tradition of ordinary people rising to extraordinary circumstances
“Denis O’Neill’s THE RIVER WILD fits into the long tradition of ordinary people rising to deal with extraordinary circumstances. Just getting down the river in one piece is not enough.”
