The 24th Letter

Tom Lowe

Language: English

Publisher: Kingsbridge

Published: Apr 2, 2012

Description:

A priest hears the confession of a frightened prison inmate, and he learns that a man facing lethal injection in 84 hours is innocent. The lead investigator on the high-profile case was his old friend Sean O’Brien. And now O'Brien has a chance to right a horrible wrong. But he has less than 84 hours to uncover clues to a crime that sent an innocent man to death row.

Appeals have expired and the man will be executed in unless O’Brien can find evidence that points to the real killer. The 24th letter in the Greek alphabet—Omega—may provide the key to uncovering the killer’s identity.

Evidence may not lie, but evil does, and when the original killer comes out of his lair, O'Brien is in a race to save two lives - the man on death row and his own.

From Publishers Weekly

Lowe's heated follow-up to 2009's A False Dawn catapults former Miami homicide detective Sean O'Brien into a desperate race to save the life of a man he helped send to death row. The near-death confession of prison inmate Sam Spelling comes just 84 hours before Charlie Williams is scheduled to die for the murder of his girlfriend, Alexandria Cole. Spelling names the killer and the location of the murder weapon in a written confession that never reaches O'Brien. Meanwhile, Cole's killer tries to cover his tracks with fresh murders. O'Brien enlists the help of an FBI friend, a couple of former police colleagues, and a renowned defense attorney, but basically is on his own against a wily opponent. As the clock ticks, O'Brien must break a few heads and many laws as well as try to decipher a mysterious if contrived clue, an omega (the 24th letter of the Greek alphabet), to the killer's identity. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

  • *"The 24th Letter is very well written with a dark tone.  It's a cross between James Lee Burke, James MacDonald and Lee Child."*
  • Sons of Spade Mystery Review

"The  24th Letter is so good it ought to be required reading on every adrenaline-addicted, mystery-thriller reader's must-read list."
 - Book Loons Review*

*"If you like Michael Connelly and his character Harry Bosch, you have to read The 24th Letter."
-Vero Beach Book Center

*"The fast pace and physical smack-downs in The 24th Letter will be perfect for fans of TV's 24."
-Kirkus Review

"If you like Michael Connelly and his character Harry Bosch you have to read The 24th Letter. I found myself just totally getting involved with the book and the characters...I could not WAIT to get to the end. TERRIFIC storytelling, and a page turner that you will remember!"

  • David English, David's Booktalk Radio Show

"Warning: don't start reading Tom Lowe's new novel, The 24th Letter during a half-hour lunch break unless you have a very understanding boss.   Lowe's straight-forward, fast-paced writing style is addictive."
- Sue Merrel, Grand Rapids Press