Orion Rising: An Owen Keane Mystery

A 5 star mystery. The author's Owen Keane character is a rather unusual amateur detective. Owen Keane mysteries are thoughtful and thought provoking. Nicely paced yet rather low key. Orion Rising was a page turner, hard to put down. Lots of entertainment for very little money. Fans of this book should seriously consider subscribing to the Ellery Queen and/or Alfred Hitchcock mystery magazines.

Terence Faherty is a wordsmith. His attention to detail and the amazingly graphic development of his characters embrace the reader and make you feel part of the action. This story takes Owen Keane back to his college days when a brutal murder rocked the campus of Boston College. Two and a half decades have passed and now the police have announced that they've solved the case. A DNA test has linked an old friend of Owen's to the crime. The man can't defend himself because he has been murdered leaving his wife and daughter to live with the disgrace. Owen knows that his old friend was innocent and sets out to uncover the truth. Along the way he finds indications that someone has been tampering with the evidence in order to implicate the old college chum. But who? And why? Returning to his old school stirs a lot of memories in Owen Keane, some good and some bad. The reader lives the experience right along side of Owen. In spite of the frequent flashbacks, this story is put together very well. You never get lost in the past and you never get tired of visiting it. Terence Faherty simplifies a complicated plot and takes the reader for a very entertaining tour.

Terence Faherty, one of America's top writers in the mystery genre, has produced another literary delight in "Orion Rising" in the continuing Owen Keane series. Keane, whose last appearance was in 1997's entertaining mystery, "The Ordained" (also published by St. Martin's Press), weaves this story between 1969 and 1995. Keane must solve a seemingly iron-clad charge of a brutal rape and beating of a female college student against a now deceased Boston college student whose DNA has now been determined to match the vicious crime. Keane's determined persistence and unrelenting drive for the truth allows him to overcome many obstacles. This story also features two characters who have been in prominence in most of the Owen Keane stories, namely Attorney Harry Ohlman, his sometime employer, and the love of his life the late Mary Fitzgerald (Ohlman). This novel provides readers more onsight into Keane's earlier relationship with these two friends who would help to shape the life of the failed seminarian, Owen Keane. The past and the present weave a spell-binding tale in "Orion Rising". Author Faherty is well known for his attention to detail, crafty observances and, of course, a well placed sense of humor in his stories. The Owen Keane novels have been Edgar-nominated and Faherty's Scott Elliott series have won the Shamus Award. Terence Faherty has the style and talent that is well suited for other literary efforts as well as his delightful mystery series. "Orion Rising" will please all existing (and new) devotees to the Keane and Elliott series. It is always a pleasure to read the stories of Terence Faherty.

In 1969, the police believe that one of three Boston College freshmen (Owen Keene, James Murray, or Harry Ohlman) raped Francine Knaff. Over a quarter of a century later, an unknown assailant murders Murray, leaving an aging newspaper article from the rape case with the corpse. A DNA test proves that hair entangled on Francine's ring match that of Murray. Owen feels guilty because he knew a lot about the rape crime, but kept his mouth shut. Wondering if it is the thrill or just part of his DNA, Owen always enjoys investigating a mystery even if it places his life in danger. An obsessive Owen decides to prove his friend was innocent of the `69 crime and uncovers the identity of his killer. Any reader who prefers gore needs to pass on the Owen Keane novels. However, if a fan enjoys a cerebral, character driven tale, they will absolutely devour this series. The latest entry, ORION RISING, is a superb story that interestingly counterpoints the hero's past with his present, which adds much depth to Owen. As always in a Terence Faherty book, the motives and reasons for a crime propel the story line to an intriguing conclusion. This series and Mr. Faherty's Scott Elliott tales are entertainment without a free flowing aorta.Harriet Klausner