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Sean O'Brien #2
The 24th Letter
When Father John Callahan hears the confession of a frightened prison inmate, he learns that a man facing lethal injection is innocent. The lead investigator on the case, his friend Sean O’Brien, is still haunted by the case. The 24th letter in the Greek alphabet—Omega—may provide the key to uncovering the killer’s identity.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2010
468 people are currently reading
941 people want to read
About the author
Tom Lowe
27 books241 followersTom Lowe's latest novel is THE ALIBI. It's the 18th book in the Sean O'Brien series. The mystery-thriller novels are published in the following order: A FALSE DAWN, THE 24th LETTER, THE BUTTERFLY FOREST, THE BLACK BULLET, BLOOD OF CAIN, BLACK RIVER, CEMETERY ROAD, A MURDER OF CROWS, DRAGONFLY, THE ORCHID KEEPER, MERMAID, FLASH OF GOLD, INVISIBLE, THE WHITE DRAGON, THE FOUNTAIN, JUSTICE, GYPSY TEARS, and THE ALIBI. The Sean O'Brien books can be read in any order.
The Elizabeth Monroe novels are psychological thrillers. There are three books, including WRATH, THE CONFESSION. and ALTERED STATE.
The Paul Marcus books are international thrillers. There are three novels in the series. They are: DESTINY, THE JEFFERSON PROPHECY, and THE POPPY SCORE.
Tom has written two novels about love lost and found. They are: MIDNIGHT'S WHISPERER and THE PAINTER. MIDNIGHT'S WHISPERER won the coveted 2021 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America.
Tom is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker. As he writes his books, Tom draws from his travels around the world and his background as a print and broadcast journalist. Tom is a sailor and SCUBA diver. He lives with his wife, Keri, in Florida.
To subscribe to Tom Lowe's newsletter for new release information, updates and more, please visit Tom's website, tomlowebooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
June 5, 2012
The 24th Letter
was a nail biting thriller/mystery! This is the first book I have read by this author. After I began to read it I realized that it was the 2nd book in the series. I usually like to read series in order, however I continued to read this one. I don't feel the 2nd book lacks anything that would make the reader feel like if they hadn't read the first one that they would be lost. Lowe does an excellent job in describing the characters and meshing them together. There is a lot of action from the very beginning.
The storyline was excellent and had a lot of suspense and thrill to it! I really enjoyed reading this book! I liked O'Brian a lot. He was a very likable character. The ending was perfect too! I enjoyed reading the setting in the end of the book. It was kinda creepy especially when you mix that crazy weather in that location too! I don't know if I would have gone to the extreme that O'Brian did to save Charlie!
I will be picking up the 1st and 3rd book in this series!
**& by the way I loved Max! I always enjoy stories that involve dogs!**
was a nail biting thriller/mystery! This is the first book I have read by this author. After I began to read it I realized that it was the 2nd book in the series. I usually like to read series in order, however I continued to read this one. I don't feel the 2nd book lacks anything that would make the reader feel like if they hadn't read the first one that they would be lost. Lowe does an excellent job in describing the characters and meshing them together. There is a lot of action from the very beginning.
The storyline was excellent and had a lot of suspense and thrill to it! I really enjoyed reading this book! I liked O'Brian a lot. He was a very likable character. The ending was perfect too! I enjoyed reading the setting in the end of the book. It was kinda creepy especially when you mix that crazy weather in that location too! I don't know if I would have gone to the extreme that O'Brian did to save Charlie!
I will be picking up the 1st and 3rd book in this series!
**& by the way I loved Max! I always enjoy stories that involve dogs!**
May 17, 2012
I enjoyed this book as much if not more than Tome Lowe's debut thriller A false Dawn. Once again Sean O'Brien takes on a powerful adversary who has abused his position and must unravel the cryptic clues left by a dying priest whilst also seeking to right a terrible wrong by persuading the Justice system that he has made a grave error which could cost an innocent man his life. Superbly crafted and with enough tension that forces you to keep turning the pages until the dramatic climax. This guy is good and getting better.
April 7, 2013
This was a good story and I did enjoy the mystery of it. I actually rated it lower because it was poorly edited. Wrong words, repeated words etc that broke up the flow for the reader. A better editor & less repeated description would have made it better and for someone working on a time line he took a lot of time to explain things over & over again.
October 27, 2019
Note:
This would be better as a TV show. Fun but hard to take seriously.
This would be better as a TV show. Fun but hard to take seriously.
May 2, 2020
This is the second book in the Sean O’Brien series and it doesn’t disappoint. Sean is facing a race against time to try and discover if a man he sent to death row many years ago and who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection in 84 hours is in fact innocent.
The book is action packed and full of mystery, thrills and impending danger. A great page turner.
The book is action packed and full of mystery, thrills and impending danger. A great page turner.
May 23, 2011
“U.S. Marshal Deputy Bill Fisher had never done it before, and after that morning he swore to God he’d never do it again. Never had he let a prisoner have a cigarette before entering a courthouse to testify…. The rifle’s crosshairs swept up Sam Spelling’s back as he reached the top step. The sniper looked through the scope and waited for the right second….He didn’t anticipate Spelling turning around at the rear entrance to the courthouse….He lowered the crosshairs to Spelling’s chest and pulled the trigger. Sam Spelling fell like a disjointed string puppet.”
When Father John Callahan, an Episcopal priest enters the emergency room, Sam Spelling calls out to him, desperate for the priest to hear his confession. Sam Spelling didn’t die at the courthouse but he died in the ER and the view of hell that faced him scared him into making a confession so that he could receive absolution. There are a lot of things Spelling needs to confess but the most important of these is that he never came forward when the wrong man was sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend, Alexandria Cole. Sam saw the killer running away but he decided it wouldn’t be to his benefit to tell the truth. Father Callahan tells Sam that he must put his admission into writing so that it can be witnessed and brought to the attention of the governor or the judges on the Florida Supreme Court. As Spelling tells Father Callahan, “Time’s runnin’ out….I’m talking about Charlie Williams, the fella on death row. He’s next in line for the needle. If it’s six, by my calculations, he’s got eighty-four hours to live and he’s gonna need more than prayers to save his soul.”
Father Callahan contacts Sean O’Brien, the lead detective on the team that arrested Charlie Williams and provided the evidence that led to his conviction and sentencing. Father Callahan is an old friend of Sean’s and when he tells the former detective that he has information that he needs to hear, Sean agrees to meet him at his church. When he arrives, Sean discovers the body of Father Callahan. Next to his hand, the priest has left a clue written in his blood. “He wrote six-six-six, a circle drawing, the Greek letter omega, and the letters P-A-T.”
O’Brien understands 666 but the circle and the letters mean nothing to him. And how does the omega, the twenty-fourth letter of the Greek alphabet fit in? As Sean tries to save the life of Charlie Williams, he is determined to avenge the death of Father Callahan.
Like FALSE DAWN, the first book in the Sean O’Brien series, THE 24TH LETTER is a book that once started begs to be finished without interruption. Sean, his friends, and his dog are worth meeting. Generally, I am an advocate of reading a series in order but each of these books can stand on its own. Lowe writes tight novels; the story moves quickly and Sean is a likable lead character. Both books are worth reading.
May 22, 2012
The second in the series of Sean O'Brian that I've read, I liked the first one much better. Perhaps because of the scenery and the story, in my opinion was better told in the first book.
Don't think I like the character all that much. He seems a little arrogant and pushy to me. While he retired (not forced) from the Miami PD, he orders present law enforcement officers around like he's their boss. "here, send this to FBI."
He even uses his friends as his backup, calling on them to 'do this' and 'do that.' I'm sure they would anyway, that's what friends do, but he seems to demand it.
Only he finds evidence at different crime scenes. CSI and other enforcement officers apparently are blind to everything he easily sees. And while the plot was supposed to offer suspense by way of a countdown of when an innocent man was to be put to death, I just didn't feel it. The suspense factor, the 'who dun it' factor didn't click in for me.
This second book seemed more elementary and even poorly written than his first book. Missing the local touch of familarity in Daytona Beach, Deland and the St. Johns River didn't help my overall opinion of the book either.
On a deserted island with one book to read, yeah, I would pick it up. But given Tom Lowe or Robert B. Parker, Parker hands down. Or Shames, or Corcoran or anybody else I've read and can think of off the top of my head. Connelly or Burke, they have nothing to worry about with this new writer who I admire for at least putting his hand to paper (or computer.)
Don't think I like the character all that much. He seems a little arrogant and pushy to me. While he retired (not forced) from the Miami PD, he orders present law enforcement officers around like he's their boss. "here, send this to FBI."
He even uses his friends as his backup, calling on them to 'do this' and 'do that.' I'm sure they would anyway, that's what friends do, but he seems to demand it.
Only he finds evidence at different crime scenes. CSI and other enforcement officers apparently are blind to everything he easily sees. And while the plot was supposed to offer suspense by way of a countdown of when an innocent man was to be put to death, I just didn't feel it. The suspense factor, the 'who dun it' factor didn't click in for me.
This second book seemed more elementary and even poorly written than his first book. Missing the local touch of familarity in Daytona Beach, Deland and the St. Johns River didn't help my overall opinion of the book either.
On a deserted island with one book to read, yeah, I would pick it up. But given Tom Lowe or Robert B. Parker, Parker hands down. Or Shames, or Corcoran or anybody else I've read and can think of off the top of my head. Connelly or Burke, they have nothing to worry about with this new writer who I admire for at least putting his hand to paper (or computer.)
September 18, 2013
This book was even better than Lowe’s first book, A False Dawn. It drew me in from the first page and held me captive right to the end. There were some things I should have done yesterday that didn’t get done because I was so caught up in the story. And I don’t often stay up late reading but I couldn’t put this book down until I reached the end.
The 24th Letter employs a standard of the mystery/thriller/suspense genres – the ticking clock. In this case, it is the countdown to the execution of a man on death row for murdering his supermodel girlfriend. That ticking clock keeps the tension high throughout the book, as Sean O’Brien, the main character, scrambles to prove the man innocent. There's only one small section where the action bogs a little when Sean and his friends discuss symbols drawn in blood by a priest as he lay dying. But that bog was a welcome respite after the steady pressure of the hours ticking down to the man’s execution.
I narrowed the real guilty party down to one or two possible suspects about halfway through then pegged the real murderer not long after.
Lowe shifts point of view gears in this book, telling the story entirely from the third person point of view of several characters. The first book was told almost entirely from the main character’s first person point of view, and I see from the teaser for the third book in the series that he has returned to that point of view.
Now I just have to bide my time until I can get that next book.
The 24th Letter employs a standard of the mystery/thriller/suspense genres – the ticking clock. In this case, it is the countdown to the execution of a man on death row for murdering his supermodel girlfriend. That ticking clock keeps the tension high throughout the book, as Sean O’Brien, the main character, scrambles to prove the man innocent. There's only one small section where the action bogs a little when Sean and his friends discuss symbols drawn in blood by a priest as he lay dying. But that bog was a welcome respite after the steady pressure of the hours ticking down to the man’s execution.
I narrowed the real guilty party down to one or two possible suspects about halfway through then pegged the real murderer not long after.
Lowe shifts point of view gears in this book, telling the story entirely from the third person point of view of several characters. The first book was told almost entirely from the main character’s first person point of view, and I see from the teaser for the third book in the series that he has returned to that point of view.
Now I just have to bide my time until I can get that next book.
June 24, 2014
A man sits on death row hours from a lethal injection. Former Miami homicide detective Sean O'Brien helped put him there. When another prison inmate makes a startling confession to a priest, O'Brien realizes the prisoner he helped send to death row 11 years earlier might actually be innocent. Obtaining a stay of execution becomes Sean O'Brien's top priority, but his success, and condemned man Charlie William's fate, depend on O'Brien unearthing the identity of the real killer.
Following a trail of obscure clues left by a dying priest, O'Brien enters a race against time to save the life of Charlie Williams, while someone else does their best to destroy all the evidence. The wit of his opponent thrusts O'Brien into life-threatening situations, where even his own kind--people in law enforcement--turn against him. O'Brien is on his own.
The 24th Letter is an exciting, action-packed story (deserving 5 stars), but the book is marred by unacceptably poor editing.
Following a trail of obscure clues left by a dying priest, O'Brien enters a race against time to save the life of Charlie Williams, while someone else does their best to destroy all the evidence. The wit of his opponent thrusts O'Brien into life-threatening situations, where even his own kind--people in law enforcement--turn against him. O'Brien is on his own.
The 24th Letter is an exciting, action-packed story (deserving 5 stars), but the book is marred by unacceptably poor editing.
April 25, 2012
I probably would have enjoyed this a little more if I had read the first O'Brien book, A False Dawn, first. It would have helped with the relationships of some of the characters and O'Brien.
Over all this is a pretty good murder mystery set in Florida, but not in the usual Florida settings of Miami or the Keys. This is set in the Daytona Beach area and is a pleasant change from the glitter and glitz of south Florida.
The story moves right along with the protagonist, an ex Miami homicide cop, being pulled into an old case. A man O'Brien arrested for murder is about to be executed and O'Brien now has reason to believe he didn't do the crime.
Not unique as plots go, but it is put together well by the author and an enjoyable ride for the reader.
Over all this is a pretty good murder mystery set in Florida, but not in the usual Florida settings of Miami or the Keys. This is set in the Daytona Beach area and is a pleasant change from the glitter and glitz of south Florida.
The story moves right along with the protagonist, an ex Miami homicide cop, being pulled into an old case. A man O'Brien arrested for murder is about to be executed and O'Brien now has reason to believe he didn't do the crime.
Not unique as plots go, but it is put together well by the author and an enjoyable ride for the reader.
February 9, 2012
Sean O'Brien, former cop, is on the trail of a killer and trying to free an innocent man from jail that only has hours to live before lethal injection. His friend, Father John Callahan, leaves a clue before dying. Not sure that anyone ever would have figured out the clues, especially the 666 clue. Time is ticking and O'Brien has to figure out the clues fast or the innocent man he put in prison will die. Petty good book
February 20, 2012
The author of this book recommended that I read his novels (based on my history of what I veered toward). So I started with The 24th Letter. Parts of the earlier verbage seemed repetitious, as the main character would tell his "story of the events" happening to everyone. But as the book progressed, the mystery grabbed me, and I really liked the main character. Am looking forward to reading the next one (The Butterfly Forest)!
March 14, 2012
First of all, thanks, Tom, for not killing off Barbie!!! There sure are some nasty people in this world and you portray them superbly. It's almost unbelievable how you worked Bosch into this though. It's not quite as "authentic" as your first story - seems like you tried too hard. Still, I like it. You really put the prisoner through hell and it seemed it would not end well. Thanks for resolving it in time.
July 5, 2012
Great book, well written, loved the plot and fast paced.
I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the final out come. And you don't know how it would end till the final pages!
Tho I suspected the villion may be a man lest suspected... You don't figure out who it is till real close to the end and it was a suprise.
Enjoyed this book and I'm starting his next now! This author is well worth the read... Thank you!
I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the final out come. And you don't know how it would end till the final pages!
Tho I suspected the villion may be a man lest suspected... You don't figure out who it is till real close to the end and it was a suprise.
Enjoyed this book and I'm starting his next now! This author is well worth the read... Thank you!
April 5, 2010
A compelling thriller; I'd actually give a 3.5 rating. Thoroughly enjoyable mystery, good writing, likeable detective. The plot, at times, got a little bogged down and stretched credibliity at others. I'll check out the first book in this series at some point - I hadn't realized this was actually the second in the Sean O'Brien novels.
June 10, 2010
I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful, but not too much that when somebody walks in the room you jump. It was also not too revealing that I didn't figure it out until over half way through the book who did it. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys suspense/murder mystery type books.
March 8, 2012
A good read. Very well written. The clue that was left by a dying man was way too complex for a man dying from gunshots to leave but was an intriguing clue and solution. I wanted to read the first book, A False Dawn, before this one but couldn't get it. Got this one from the library and bought the kindle edition of the next one, The Butterfly Forrest. I'm reading that now.
June 3, 2012
Take a retired Miami police officer, mix in the murders, blackmail and drugs. Shake it up and you have a mystery story that takes twists and turns. My only problem was in trying to figure out the symbolism as I read. Otherwise, I thought it was a great story. You have to like a cop or ex-cop who can kick some ass!
July 7, 2010
good book - would've rated it about 3.5 - would've been about a 4 except it was just a bit too over-the-top...captivating though - only took a few days to read (I accidentally stayed up until 2am reading it one night!!)
July 15, 2019
I thought that I would read something light and quick to read when I d/l this. I won’t bother to say much about it other than I gave up about half way through it. Very poorly edited and just plain ridiculous in places.
May 10, 2012
i only wish he had more books. love his writting
January 7, 2015
Exciting thriller. I really like main character's character. Some F-bombs. Will read author again. TTS-enabled eBook. ©2010 Recommended.
re-reviewed after Re-reading 1/2/15 Christian-based.
re-reviewed after Re-reading 1/2/15 Christian-based.
February 24, 2019
It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great, either. (Also, Tom Lowe needs a better e-book editor. By the halfway mark, serious spelling errors appear--e.g. "site" for "sight"--and throughout the text there are spacing and hyphenation problems. It's inexcusably messy.)
Our hero Sean O'Brien is reminiscent of Perry Mason, and I don't mean that as a compliment. They're both macho guys operating on the fringes of (and, often, outside of) the law. They attract every woman ever for reasons I cannot fathom. Perry Mason breaks the law (or bends it past the point of reason), in front of officers of the law, and gets away with it; Sean O'Brien does the same. In fact, he spends much of the book with a warrant out for his arrest, and nonetheless no one brings him in. (He speaks with multiple cops and meets with FBI agents in the meantime; none of them do anything.) Both Perry and Sean are also possessed of unusual physical strength and talent, and in Sean's case this requires you to suspend your disbelief so far it's outside of this *galaxy*.
That said, if you were looking for an update of Perry Mason, this is probably your guy! And if you weren't--well. Skip this one.
All of this aside--all of it--my biggest problem with this book is the enormous flaw in the plot that occurs right at the beginning. It occurs right at the beginning so I don't consider it a spoiler, but in case you do, I'll hide it behind a tag.
tl;dr Perry Mason returns but needs an editor and someone to sew up that huge plot hole.
Our hero Sean O'Brien is reminiscent of Perry Mason, and I don't mean that as a compliment. They're both macho guys operating on the fringes of (and, often, outside of) the law. They attract every woman ever for reasons I cannot fathom. Perry Mason breaks the law (or bends it past the point of reason), in front of officers of the law, and gets away with it; Sean O'Brien does the same. In fact, he spends much of the book with a warrant out for his arrest, and nonetheless no one brings him in. (He speaks with multiple cops and meets with FBI agents in the meantime; none of them do anything.) Both Perry and Sean are also possessed of unusual physical strength and talent, and in Sean's case this requires you to suspend your disbelief so far it's outside of this *galaxy*.
That said, if you were looking for an update of Perry Mason, this is probably your guy! And if you weren't--well. Skip this one.
All of this aside--all of it--my biggest problem with this book is the enormous flaw in the plot that occurs right at the beginning. It occurs right at the beginning so I don't consider it a spoiler, but in case you do, I'll hide it behind a tag.
tl;dr Perry Mason returns but needs an editor and someone to sew up that huge plot hole.
September 20, 2017
Decent plot, but so many errors it's getting difficult to read. The text is full typos and poor word choice. It is also obvious that though the Church is central to the story, the author has learned about it only through fiction. For example, though all churches have Bibles, I've never seen one kept on the "podium near the altar," which we call a lectern or an ambo. The vestibule does not lead to the sacristy (opposite ends if building)' and most priests wear what appears to be a wedding band. The story appears predictable. I'm only continuing to read to see if I'm right.
April 23, 2018
This was a great read. The suspense and mystery had you turning the pages as fast as you could to find out who the killer is and save a man nearing execution. Sean O'Brien is an excellent hero in a book but as I have said before, if you are looking for real police procedure, this is not it. But as an ex homicide detective, he is a very likable breaker of rules to help catch the bad guys. Loved it, the characters and my love for Max grows, she is so cute!
November 12, 2019
A cop too good to be true.
So, I liked the first book, but this one was a bit cheesy! Remember Law and Order; Criminal Intent with Vincent D'onofrio? He could smell a vice hand and tell you what they had eaten for dinner, and they were poisoned because he could smell almonds? Yes, Sean O'Brien is this unreal cop that has an incredible sense of the wrongs in any scene. Kind of corny at this point.
So, I liked the first book, but this one was a bit cheesy! Remember Law and Order; Criminal Intent with Vincent D'onofrio? He could smell a vice hand and tell you what they had eaten for dinner, and they were poisoned because he could smell almonds? Yes, Sean O'Brien is this unreal cop that has an incredible sense of the wrongs in any scene. Kind of corny at this point.
November 10, 2025
What a page turner! I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and thought the author did a great job weaving multiple story lines together. I TOTALLY did not anticipate the FBI agent being the killer was the big reveal! I was like, it must be someone we haven't met yet, and yet! Ah!!! So good. Some of the plot was quite unrealistic and there was a lot of repetition, but to be expected in these kinds of books. I would recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2018
The 24th Letter
OMG. This is the best book I have read in a while. The thrills and the suspense keeps you reading till the very end . It is 4:00am in the morning and I just finished this book. I could not put it down. I had to finish it had to know how it ended. I highly recommend this book and series.
OMG. This is the best book I have read in a while. The thrills and the suspense keeps you reading till the very end . It is 4:00am in the morning and I just finished this book. I could not put it down. I had to finish it had to know how it ended. I highly recommend this book and series.
January 12, 2019
READ THIS!
Another Tom Lowe score! This author is quite prolific and so far every one is a hit in my book. His characters are really believable and his story line is right on target. I just have to keep reading his mysteries. Once in a while he skirts the edges of the law, but only when he has to. His hero is a real hero.
Another Tom Lowe score! This author is quite prolific and so far every one is a hit in my book. His characters are really believable and his story line is right on target. I just have to keep reading his mysteries. Once in a while he skirts the edges of the law, but only when he has to. His hero is a real hero.
February 12, 2023
Not Your Average Mystery Novel
What more could one ask for...murder, mystery, mayhem, and great smart analytical minds! This one goes deep and makes your own mind think...and hard! Highly, HIGHLY recommend! I've read a lot of mystery & suspense books in my 58 years and this one goes in my top 10 for sure!!
What more could one ask for...murder, mystery, mayhem, and great smart analytical minds! This one goes deep and makes your own mind think...and hard! Highly, HIGHLY recommend! I've read a lot of mystery & suspense books in my 58 years and this one goes in my top 10 for sure!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews