Terrapin: A Mystery

by T.M. Doran

Dennis Cole and his three best buddies from childhood gather for a weekend reunion. On the first night, one of the men is murdered-or is he?

A professor of engineering by day and a writer of detective fiction by night, Cole and the other survivors try to piece together the mysterious fate of their friend. The suspenseful story moves back and forth between the unfolding reunion gone bad and childhood events that involved these friends who grew up on the same street.

Looming largest in the memory of Dennis is the striking character of his widowed father, T. A.-Marine veteran of the Korean War and blue-collar philosopher. In his interactions with T. A, Dennis tries to make sense out of life; but instead of simple answers, puzzling questions of evil, human freedom, and the possibility of transformation are all T. A. seems to provide. These questions follow Dennis through young adulthood and beyond; they finally catch up to him in the surprising and thrilling climax of this novel.

A murder mystery and a coming of age story, both with many twists and turns, Terrapin is about man's potential for doing either good or evil, his tendency to do the latter, and his response to the consequences of his actions.

Genres: Fiction

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Born in Long Beach, California, T.M. Doran has lived the majority of his life in Michigan, surrounded by sweet water.

www.facebook.com/AuthorTMDoran/

The Lucifer Ego (2018) depicts the theft of the ancient Toward the Gleam manuscript, and the trials and tribulations of the Oxford archaeologist recruited to recover it. Prehistoric archaeology, psychology, mythology (including Middle-Earth and Narnia), and First Things.

Toward the Gleam (2011) tells the story of the discovery of an unimaginably ancient manuscript, the man who discovers, translates, and protects it, and the person who would do anything to acquire it.

Terrapin (2012) is a mystery-thriller about how choices affect lives many years after these choices are made. Dennis Cole, and his childhood friends embark on a idyllic weekend reunion, until all hell breaks loose.

Iota (2014) tells the story of Jan Skala and others detained by the Russians immediately after WWII in a former German abattoir. Why have they been rounded up, and will any of them survive?

T. M. Doran has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times, Detroit Free Press, and Catholic World Report

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what I love more than almost anything?

A good story.

When that story is packaged between two covers and called a book, even better. (Yeah, it's okay on my Kindle too. I'll give you that. The covers can be metaphorical.)

So, given the chance to review T.M. Doran's latest, I pretty much replied right away. And I pretty much read it right away.

If his first book was great writing (and I thought it was), his second is no less.

And yet, just as your children can be related but very, very different, this book is something different than Toward the Gleam. It's more mystery, less (if any) sci-fi-ish tinge.

Doran's characters are complicated, and that makes them real. The mystery is maddening, and that makes it fun. I want to reread it, and that sets it apart on my bookshelf.

I don't want to compare Doran's writing with other big name writers, because he really stands alone, at least with the fiction that I end up picking up and reading for review. The words "impeccable," "clean," and "delightful" come to mind as I think of ways to describe it.

All in all, highly recommended.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just average until about halfway through, then it picked up steam. I will be interested to see what Tommy's AP English class does with this book. It was his summer reading.

[Bethany Konopelski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very well written and interesting mystery novel. Doran interweaves philosophy into his mystery, or rather shows the philosophy through the answer to the mystery.

[Mary Catherine Moore]

A murder mystery that weaves through the past and present, and is a reminder that humanity is intertwined and all our actions, for good or for evil, affect our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. No man is an island.
It took me 3 or 4 months but I'm glad I persevered.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

978-1-58617-721-8

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't care about these middle-aged nobodies, even if one of them was murdered or who knows what, and I care even less about them as youths. I am giving no more time to this.

[Katelyn O'brien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not find Terrapin to be satisfying in any way that other literature has to me before. There was basically no plot for a good three fourths of the chapters, just TM Doran babbling on about Dennis, George, Ben, and Tony's childhood escapades. The bit that did have a plot was simple and stayed in the same way up until the end. I gave this book a one star rating because the characters have little to no development beyond their childhood attitudes and basic situations. I also only gave it one star because the main problem of the book, George's mystery death, is left with so many holes for so much of the story that it gets plain boring, not suspenseful as I am assuming Doran meant it to be. I would recommend this book to anyone who can stick with a story. I, though, am not one of those people. If it does not draw me in within the first chapter or so, I am not into reading the rest. Sadly, I'd have to say that Terrapin was just a waste of time to read.

[Chris Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply one of the best novels I've ever read, on several levels: an intriguing murder mystery, an engrossing coming of age story, and indeed, as the blurb says: "Terrapin is about man's potential for doing either good or evil, his tendency to do the latter, and his response to the consequences of his actions."

I can't recommend this book enough (and now I simply must read T.M. Doran's other novels "Toward the Gleam", "Iota" and "Circling the Turtle").

A wonderfully deep, and rich piece of literature, both entertaining and thought-provoking - and definitely one for the "To be RE-read" pile!

(Oh, and you get a nice little murder mystery short story "The Deadly Dart Mystery", thrown in as a bonus at the end! :-)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I expected, and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it until the end when it all started to come together. It gave me a little something to chew on right at the end. I love that. I light fluffy mystery with a little meat at the end.

[Kathrzn Bahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characterisation, the nostalgia, the pace and the sense of pace. Please can you write more?

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it.

[Chase Manson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mystery is okay, built with good suspense but the dialogue and situations/plot is choppy and unrealistic. This books wants to be an epic but holds back it punches on too many levels.