Beyond The Bridge: A Dermot Sparhawk Thriller (2)

by Tom MacDonald

Dermot Sparhawk, a former all-American football star at Boston College, returns in Beyond the Bridge, the sequel to Tom MacDonalds award-winning debut novel, The Charlestown Connection. In Beyond the Bridge, Sparhawk, a struggling alcoholic, agrees to help find the killer of an accused pedophile priest. When two more priests are slain in Bostons Charlestown neighborhood, it becomes evident that it is the work of a sadistic serial killer who crucifies his prey after killing them. Sparhawk blazes an unconventional trail to the killer that puts him at odds with the very people he is trying to help and initiates a turf war with law enforcement. He gathers a cadre of unlikely allies, including a parish priest, a police lab criminalist, the district attorney, and a state police lieutenant who help to rebuff attempts to derail him from the case. Then, with the help of his Micmac Indian cousin and his paraplegic tenant and former Boston College teammate, Sparhawk bulldozes his way to the truth, while putting his own life at risk.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2013

About the author

Tom MacDonald has Boston in his blood. Born in Dorchester and raised in Braintree, Massachusetts, he now works in Charlestown for St. MarySt. Catherine of Siena Parish as Director of Social Ministries.

MacDonald attended Stonehill College, earning a B.A. in Sociology. Fifteen years into a career as a computer programmer, he went back to school and received a Masters in Business Administration from Boston Colleges Carroll School of Management. There he learned that he had the talent to write which he later pursued at the University of Southern Maines Stonecoast MFA program in creative writing, completing a Masters of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in fiction.

Tom's writing has been influenced by his work in the Catholic church, serving the largest federal housing project in New England, Charlestowns Bunker Hill Housing Development. Tom's main goal in storytelling is to depict urban life in a believable yet interesting way, keeping clear of clichs and stereotypes. To accomplish this, he focuses on street dialogue, value systems and norms, reactions to the events of daily life, and the things left unsaid. His hope is that an image of inner city-living, shown through an un-tinted lens, renders a story worth reading.

He currently resides in Braintree, Massachusetts with his wife Maribeth. "

Reviews

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dermot is a former college football star whose days of glory are long behind him. He shares a house with his aunt (they have separate apartments) and he runs a food bank for the Catholic diocese. He is an alcoholic who has blackouts where he occasionally lands in the hospital or jail.

Priests start getting murdered and it's soon evident there is a serial killer on the loose. The brother of one of the priests asks Dermot to prove his brother's innocence (the brother was accused of being a pedophile). The diocese supports this and gets the DA and police's cooperation for Dermot. As Dermot races back and forth across the state following hunches, more people die and Dermot wonders if he will be next.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I thought it was so-so. I wanted to like it more but couldn't.

I thought the story was an interesting one ... I like murder mysteries.

The writing could have been tighter. As a head's up, the language at times is for mature readers.

I found it unbelievable that Dermot is an alcoholic who works runs a food bank with no training or experience in investigation. Yet the diocese puts their faith behind him to solve the murders. In fact, the diocese is powerful enough to force the DA and Boston police force to provide Dermot with all the information they have. Really??!! In reality, this would be confidential. During his blackouts, Dermot blabs the confidential information he knows yet there are no repercussions and he keeps getting more information from the police.

I thought the whodunnit was an interesting twist (I hadn't seen it coming) but I found it amazing that Dermot figured it all out and the police didn't have a clue. I didn't really buy who was killing the priests considering who it was and all the lengths they'd gone to.

I found the obscure references to Nova Scotia interesting (that's where I'm from), though, so I wonder if the author has roots there. Dermot's father was a "Micmac Indian" from a small town called Antigonish (I lived there for a few years) ... I found it odd that he specifically tells us what and where it is. Dermot's cousin recruits a friend of his from there to help for a bit. And he makes mention of Molson Canadian beer a few times.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2013/05...

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting although there seemed to be a lot of dialog that wasn't needed which made parts of the story very boring.

[Mark Giordano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in this series and I liked it. Ex-football player and American Indian helps the church track down a series killer of priests in metropolitan Boston. Interesting characters and story line. I'm not rushing out to get the next book in this series but it was enjoyable.

[Maribeth MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors. He knows Boston and takes the reader on a wild journey. Looking forward to reading more of his books. Should be made into a movie.

[Amy Lignor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true ode to the folks who live in or around the Boston area, writer Tom MacDonald creates a great story using Massachusetts natives, and Bostonian details that add to the fun.

Dermot Sparhawk was an All-American football star in his heyday, but now, sadly, he finds himself working at a food pantry for the local Catholic Church. But the ambience gets a whole lot darker when a Priest is found…crucified. While dealing with this shock, two more men of God are killed in the same manner, and gossip soon spreads that all three were pedophiles.

Sparhawk is visited by the brother of the second victim and is asked to investigate. The brother is sure his sibling was not a child predator, and will do anything he can to clear his name. Sparhawk decides to help out with the investigation, and enlists a true team made up of another parish priest, a criminalist in the police lab, the District Attorney, and a police lieutenant.

Having a tough time in his own life, Dermot goes into the investigation with a very good attitude; he wants to somehow solve the crimes with the help of the above mentioned crew, and a cousin who he never even knew he had.

Struggling with being an alcoholic, Dermot tries to manage his addiction through AA.. He is determined to do some good in the world and in his beloved home of Boston. The church even throws their formidable weight behind him, as Dermot asks questions and finds connections between the cases that no one knew were there. Roadblocks happen, as many people attempt to stop him from getting to the truth, including some police officers. But Dermot is determined to not only change his own life, but soldier on through the case, until the surprise ending comes to light.

An excellent plot of murder and mayhem, the author offers surprises and does a great job of including the wealth of history that the city of Boston and its citizens retain.

[MartyAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

TITLE: BEYOND THE BRIDGE
SERIES: Dermot Sparhawk PREQUEL (#1: The Charlestown Connection)
AUTHOR: Tom MacDonald
GENRE/AUDIENCE: Adult Fiction Mystery

REVIEW: I truly enjoyed reading this book. The intricate deatails of living in Boston area added a lot of social context and truthful feel (verisimilitude.)The main character, Dermot Sparhawk is working in a food pantry for the Catholic Church when one priest is found crucified and then another. And then Another. Dragged into looking into the murders by a brother of one of the priests, Sparhawk finds something coming alive in him. Indeed, the Church even puts their weight behind him, desperate to make more progress in finding the serial killer. Sparhawk gets nothing but abuse from the police, but doggedly asking questions keeps him finding more connections... his life is in danger by mysterious people trying to stop him, including the killer!
END: Satisfyingly twisted
TAGS: Serial Killer, Murder, mystery,
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
PERMALINK: http://martysreads.blogspot.com/2013/...

READ-ALIKES: I suggest Devil In a Blue Dress, Easy Rawlins mystery #1 by Walter Mosley.

ABOUT THIS REVIEWER:
(Note: July had 250 page views of my Blogger Blog!) I am a book lover and aspiring librarian. Blogger is where I rate books just released or Advanced Reader Copies, (ARC) shared with me via NetGalley. Other reviews of mine are found on GoodReads.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

BEYOND THE BRIDGE is a murder mystery involving the Catholic church. The main character is Dermot, a star football player until he was injured and unable to play. Since then he has become an alcoholic living with his aunt and working in the churches' food pantry. Upon starting to investigate the murders Dermot finds that he has an interest and for the first time in a long while, he wants to do something.
Although the main character, Dermot, has his drawbacks, he is likable enough and at times you find yourself rooting for him to pass the liquor store by and just go home to bed. Even though he has alcoholic blackouts and ends up in the hospital at one point, he still manages to solve the mystery by visiting places such as Marthas Vineyard, going to AA meetings and helping old friends out along the way. The story is well written and with believable characters and scenes. When you finally reach the ending and learn the killers identity, there's one little twist taking you by surprise. If you like a good murder mystery you'll enjoy this one.

[Jake Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was lucky to receive an ARC of Beyond the Bridge and could not put the book down. I heard great things about the author Tom MacDonald and was impressed with his writing. The book is funny, fast, interesting and the characters are quirky. I have added Boston on my places to visit. I just finished the author's first book, The Charlestown Connection and that was great too. There are many twists and turns in both books and the plots were realistic and smart. I look forward to reading more of Tom MacDonald's books and I hope to see them on the big screen someday soon. I strongly recommend this read.

[Patricia Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a brother of a slain priest and the Archbishop of
Boston asked Sparhawk to investigate the death of
priests, the church food pantry worker found that he
liked to undercover facts in the homicides. He was
ahead of the police in the investigation and in
uncovering conspiracies. Very unusual characters
and plot. Continuous action and guessing until the end
of the book. It will be interesting how these new
characters will develop in his next book. Mystery
readers should add this author to their must reads.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review & Giveaway: Beyond the Bridge is the prequel to Tom MacDonald’s award-winning debut novel, The Charlestown Connection. I spent a summer doing some consulting work in Boston and have loved that city ever since, so I always look forward to reading novels about it. I don’t quite know what I expected when I picked up Beyond the Bridge but I got much more. This is an excellent detective mystery/thriller featuring a great anti-hero, and I’m excited that the publisher has provided us with two ARCs (advance readers copies) for our giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?p=6423.

[Chelsea Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free in a goodreads giveaway. I thought this was a great story. The only problem I had with it is that the writing style made it hard to read. Some of the chapters seemed repetitive.

[David Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely excellent thriller mystery as our hero gets on to the trail of a serial killer.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/0...

[Debbie]

I've got a great interview with Tom MacDonald plus a fabulous giveaway sponsored by his publisher Oceanview-
http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/...

[Joanie Vez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! This prequel to The Charlestown Connection continues to showcase Dermot Sparhawk as a realistic and likable protagonist that you can't help but root for! Another great story!

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book via the Goodreads First Reads program.

This book was definitely a good book. It took a somewhat touchy subject, and it handled it well. It's definitely worth a read.

[Dianna Shimizu · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good story that moves along and keeps you interested, but I found most of the dialogue stilted and old fashioned, which took away from the story.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! A great prequel to 2011's The Charlestown Connection!

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The fun Boston references could not make up for the weak story and poor writing.