Deadstick [Mass Market Paperback]

Terence Faherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

Trying to determine why a previously unquestioned, forty-year-old case has been reopened, introverted law-firm researcher Owen Keane encounters locked archives that force him to resort to the local gossip for answers. Reprint. PW. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his memorable debut Faherty displays an assured talent for plot and character. Legal researcher Owen Keane is asked by his friend and employer, Harry Ohlman, to investigate the 1941 plane crash that killed blueblood banker William Carteret and his fiancee, Lynn Baxter. While the request is odd, it is even stranger that it has been prompted by a note from the dead banker's brother, Robert, who has not been seen publicly in years. Because Owen is well known for getting carried away with even mundane investigations, Harry is annoyed but not surprised when he has to take heat for an ill-advised attempt by Owen to visit Robert. Nevertheless, Owen persuades Harry that there is something to the inquiry: Lynn had alternated in her affections between playboy William and unassuming Robert; sabotage to the downed plane was suspected, but somehow the Civil Aeronautics Board had failed to pursue the allegation. Harry, in turn, informs Owen that the senior Ohlman had annulled Robert's one-day marriage to a nurse employed to look after Robert after his return from WW II. Owen then discovers that war injuries had left Robert's mental faculties in tatters, a fact kept secret by the top-ranking Carteret bankers. In a gothic journey to the scene of the crash, deep in New Jersey's Pine Barrens, Owen puts his research skills to their toughest test. A ultimate confrontation, worthy of the best whodunits, brings this gripping mystery to a strong conclusion.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A sure-handed debut introduces failed seminarian/current law- firm researcher Owen Keane, a questing young man often at emotional/philosophical odds with his attorney boss Harry, a college chum, and with his quasi-girlfriend Marilyn, a relentlessly pragmatic librarian. Here, Harry assigns Owen the task of handling client Robert Carteret's request: discover what caused the 1941 plane crash that killed his brother William and his debutante- fianc‚e Lynn. The reclusive Carteret, who makes Howard Hughes seem gregarious, is hidden away on his Long Island estate, while his family fortune is being managed by tough-minded businesswoman Carolyn Vernia. Owen's research leads him to a war-trauma analyst who treated Robert Carteret and, it turns out, forged the request to reopen the '41 episode. Was it an accident or--worse--a double murder? Is that Robert hidden away in the mansion--or William? A trip to the plane-crash site in a New Jersey pine forest ultimately explains all, though the facts can't be verified. Owen, a detective-fiction aficionado, a lifelong windmill tilter, enlivens a rather simple story, particularly in his relationships--with people/his career/life in general. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Worldwide Library (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373261675
• ISBN-13: 978-0373261673
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,215,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Reluctant Hero, November 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Deadstick (Hardcover)

Owen Keane is perhaps the most unassuming, reluctant "hero" I've encountered recently between the covers! In fact, his reluctance to reveal much about himself was part of what made this an interesting mystery read. Not only does the reader get to wonder about the "case" he is working, we also wonder about his own background. What happened in his life that pushed him to become such a self effacing "hero"? (We only get a hint here and there.) In spite of this, he manages to uncover some very obscure truths, both about himself and the case. I look forward to reading more about him, just to satisfy my curiosity. He is enigmatic in himself. His relationships with his closest friends are also a bit out of the ordinary. Makes me want to know more about him. Guess that's a good ploy by the author to drive sales, and create a following of Owen Keane fans....