Die Dreaming (Owen Keane Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Terence Faherty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994 | Series: Owen Keane Mysteries

Owen Keane learned at his ten-year high-school reunion that his old friends share a sinister secret, and now, ten years later at the next reunion, he discovers just how sinister that secret really is.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Owen Keane was studying in his preparation for the priesthood when he roamed the back roads of the midwest in Faherty's excellent 1993 The Lost Keats . Met again here, in 1978, he's a seminary drop-out and self-styled sleuth working in a Boston liquor store. At the 10th reunion of his class at Our Lady of Sorrows High School in New Jersey, Owen stumbles across--and solves--a mystery dating from senior year that left one classmate struggling hard with nightmares of drug use and duty in Vietnam. A leap ahead to 1988 finds Owen tending bar in Atlantic City and still addicted to finding answers, this time to questions about the recent death of that same classmate. Investigating in his laid back and largely cerebral manner, Owen uncovers further secrets shared by his old classmates. As one woman remarks, Owen's gift is that much that appears to escape him actually doesn't. He's a rare bird in crime fiction and while this tale sprawls and rambles in parts, its rewards are rich and surprising.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A unique story idea is the most notable feature of Faherty's latest mystery. Owen Keane, a student at Our Lady of Sorrows High School in the turbulent 1960s, is now a liquor-store employee with a fascination for mysteries. When he's invited to his 10-year high-school reunion, he decides to impress his former classmatesespecially the most popular clique, known as the Sorrowersby claiming to run his own detective agency. But his ruse backfires when one of the women at the reunion asks him to take on a bona fide blackmail case, and Owen finds himself involved in a convoluted, abstruse puzzle with roots deep in the past. The truth eludes him until 10 years later, when Owen returns to his twentieth reunion and discovers the shocking secret kept hidden by the Sorrowers for two decades. Unfortunately, while Faherty's plot is inventive and original, his lackluster dialogue and one-dimensional characters keep the novel from being much more than mildly entertaining. Still, it's recommendable for large mystery collections. Emily Melton

Product Details

• Hardcover: 282 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312110456
• ISBN-13: 978-0312110451
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,901,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A moody, atmospheric read, March 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Die Dreaming (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this novel because of the atmosphere, although Owen Keane was a bit irritating - coming close to the kind of character that you want to slap and say "Get on with it!". There are no speeding car chases or really tense moments, but I was drawn along by the puzzle and Faherty writes well. I will definately read the others in the series.

2.0 out of 5 stars Die Dreaming, August 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Die Dreaming (Mass Market Paperback)

The pace for a detective novel is slow, with too many long and tedious descriptions of things that don't need to be described in such detail for the plot to move. Pacing is a serious problem.

4.0 out of 5 stars A different sort of mystery--Faherty is worth discovering., November 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Die Dreaming (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Faherty book I've read, and I'm online to find more of his books to read. I thoroughly enjoyed "Die Dreaming". His protagonist is imperfect and unusual, and his writing style unique and entertaining. Faherty knows how to tell a good story--and that's what it's all about.