Customer Reviews

The Gaelic Letters: A Novel of the Almost Perfect Crime

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have just finished reading The Gaelic Letters and am quite impressed. This has been a very enjoyable read of a complex crime novel with many interesting characters and a fascinating plot. Character development in the novel, I thought, was excellent! The plot deals with actual historical facts and the hobby of the family history, which many enjoy, particularly with respect to Ireland (the primary venue for this novel). I was thoroughly hooked on the novel within the first twenty or so pages. After that, the novel only became more intriguing. I consider this a five star read!

On the face of it, researching one's family tree may be of interest only to the immediate and maybe the extended family in question. However, when one discovers some long ago hidden scandal, and decides to follow up on that, then this family history project suddenly gets very interesting.

R. Thomas Roe delves into the dusty world of genealogy research with his debut novel, The Gaelic Letters which follows retired attorney Quinn Parker as he traces his roots through the libraries of Georgia, Minnesota, and Utah, and then eventually to Ireland. His curiosity is peaked when he discovers a collection of old letters written in the ancient Irish language of Gaelic while rummaging around his mother's basement after she recently passed away. When he finds someone who can properly translate these letters, he realizes that there is a whole side of his family that has remained in Ireland, straddling the line between the political conflict and becoming wealthy in the process. This family drama reaches its height as Quinn unravels the layers, exposing secrets that had been viciously protected for over a century.

Roe's novel is a first-class drama that reveals the flawed motives of every individual concerned. Any family has drama, but this family's is built on a century of deception that is about to crumble in front of everyone with deadly results. Roe is clearly an expert in the field of family research and, with a mastery of dialog, he is able to weave together a story which will certainly entertain as well as disturb.

Many American's roots trace back to Europe, some more strongly than others. "The Gaelic Letters: A Novel of the Almost Perfect Crime" tells the tale of Quinn Parker, a man who tries to find his family history, tracing it back to when his family came to America during the great potato famine. With letters written in Gaelic, Quinn finds that what his family left behind was more than just a few that didn't wish to come to America, but a massive criminal conspiracy that may be far more than he ever bargained for. "The Gaelic Letters" is a captivating read, worth getting.

I am generally leery of new authors. I have been burned a few times. I found The Gaelic Letters: a novel of the Almost of the Almost Perfect Crime while trolling through Kindle. I have read several novels and a few historical books on "The Troubles." While they were grim the horror of that time always grabbed me. so curiosity compelled to to download it.
This book is not for the fast reader. It is complex and there are plenty of bad people, but I found myself staying up later than I usually do, which meant that I was hooked. The books protagonist is a retired attorney and there is in sections extensive "legalese", but the author is an lawyer and he walks the layman through it nicely.
The author is obviously a student of Irish history and this book is an excellent review of the vicious and tragic story of this land.
When I was finished I realized that there were few true hero's in this book. Most all of the characters were flawed, many very deeply.
I am glad I took the chance and read it and would recommend it to all, especially those who enjoy history, and crime thrillers.
JJ Rieder,
Tampa, Fla

If you are looking for a light fast read that entertains you with historical information about the hard times in Ireland and how families there during this period dispersed and split up, many going to America, then this will work for you. It's a historical "who done it" that has repercussions for those following an audit trail into the 21st century. An enjoyable read

About a month ago I was tasked with finding a book for our Kindle Klub. I was immediately grabbed by the description of this book, in fact it gave me the chills. After reading several substantive reviews and seeing that it won an award, I suggested it to the group. We met last night and had a very animated, spirited, loud, and fun discussion, mainly about the plot and the characters. Regarding the plot, the book is difficult to put down, or in our case to turn off. It grabs you and won't let you go until you finish it. Along the way, you'll find mystery, intrigue, romance, and suspenseful action. The author also did a good job setting each scene; the imagery is palpable and vivid. And the characters are larger than life and true to life. Everyone in our Kindle Klub group had a visceral reaction to at least one character. Some people loved some of the characters that other people loathed and vice versa. That's what I found to be the most fun and interesting, hearing why people reacted so strongly to individual characters. We all agreed that for a book to do that, to generate that kind of impassioned discussion, it's doing something very right. It's not often that I come across a book that allows me to enter a new world and meet new people who actually get me fired up or make me laugh or leave a lasting emotional impression. Five stars all the way! Enjoy the read. And I mean it when I say that this was the best Kindle Klub book ever. For our particular group, this book had just the right combination of attributes to spark a truly great discussion.

I have just finished reading The Gaelic Letters. The author, R. Thomas Roe, has
written a spell binder that should satisfy the mystery needs of any reader. The
plot is creative, interesting, credible and pulls the reader along through to
its spellbinding climax. I strongly recommend this novel for the craftmanship of
the writing, the development of character and how it was all glued together in a
very believeable interesting fashion. The author obviously knows the field of
genealogy and takes the reader on a tour of genealogical research in Ireland in
a search for his family's roots. I had no idea geneaology was so interesting.
Mr. Roe has done the unexpected. This is a great mystery novel.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but almost immediately found it impossible to believe. Presumably, this book is set in the current day, but basic math makes that impossible. Let me explain.
The protagonist, Quinn is in his mid-sixties (let's say 65) and the sole descendent of his grandfather. Quinn's grandfather (born about 1835) emigrated from Ireland and had a daughter (Quinn's mother). If we say that the book is set in 1995 (though 2000 or later is more likely), Quinn would have been born in 1930. If his mother had him when she was 40 she would have been born in 1890, making her father 55 when she was born. This could be possible. However, then the author asks why a certain character can't be reached in a day when everyone has a cell phone (that's not the 1995 that I remember). Then he makes the mistake of having Quinn ponder why he never asked his grandfather more about leaving Ireland. So, either Quinn is lying about his age and is about 75 (making him about 12 when his grandfather died in 1932 and therefore old enough to think to ask this question) or he would have needed to be an incredibly precocious toddler. It would have been much simpler to just say it was his great-grandfather. Had that been the case maybe I could have bought into the book more.
It also seems to me that the author must really enjoy spy novels and wanted to write one himself. Maybe I just don't know enough about the Irish political situation, but I find it difficult to buy that an amateur genealogist would end up on anyone's radar and cause the kerfuffle described in the book.
Last thing. To say that someone "could care less" implies that they could, in fact, care less. If one wants to say that someone doesn't care at all it should be that they "couldn't care less." There are a number of typos as well.
Bottom line: It was an OK read, but I found it implausible.

This is one of the worst books I've ever read, or rather not read, because it was so poorly written, so clearly an amateur at work, that I couldn't finish it. I don't think it was even proofread. I would bet the author is an expert genealogist who writes stories as a hobby and was encouraged by his friends and family to write a book tying the two together. UGH!! It's replete with stock characters, male fantasies such as an age 37ish attractive woman wanting to spend time with a 65-year-old retired man, and every boring, terrible, awful writing mistake and cliche you can imagine. It truly offended me that something like this was even published. Don't waste your time.