Dead Red

Raymond Donne Mystery #3

by Tim O'Mara

New York City school teacher Raymond Donne has no idea how bad his night is going to get when he picks up the phone. Ricky Torres, his old friend from his days as a cop, needs Ray's help, and he needs it right now---in the middle of the night. Ricky picks Ray up in the taxi he's been driving since returning from serving as a marine in Iraq, but before Ricky can tell Ray what's going on, the windows of the taxi explode under a hail of bullets killing Ricky and knocking Ray unconscious as he dives to pull his friend out of harm's way.

Ray would've done anything to help Ricky out while he was alive. Now that he's dead, he'll go to the same lengths to find out who did it and why. All he has to go on is that Ricky was working with Jack Knight, Ray's old nemesis, another ex-cop turned PI. They were investigating the disappearance of a PR giant's daughter who had ties to the same Brooklyn streets that all three of them used to work. Is that what got Ricky killed or was he into something even more dangerous? Was there anything that Ray could've done for him while he was alive? Is there anything he can do for him now?

Filled with the kinds of unexpected twists that make for the best crime fiction, and with secrets that run far deeper than loyalties, Dead Red is the most thrilling mystery yet in Tim O'Mara's widely acclaimed series.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2015

About the author

Tim O’Mara has been teaching math and special education in the New York City public schools since 1987, 12 of them in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Sacrifice Fly, his first novel, introduces schoolteacher/ex-cop Raymond Donne and was nominated for the 2013 Best First Novel Barry Award. Other Donne mysteries: Crooked Numbers, Dead Red, Nasty Cutter, slated for release in the U.S. January 1, 2017. His short story, "The Tip," is published in Unloaded: Crime Writers Writing Without Guns and his novella, "Smoked" is available in Triple Shot: 3 Authors, 3 Novellas. Tim O'Mara lives and teaches in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raymond Donne, an ex-Brooklyn cop and now a school teacher, is in the last two weeks of the summer break when his vacation comes to an abrupt halt. In the middle of the night, a friend asks him to take a drive with him since he has made a mistake and wants Ray’s help. Before he can reveal anything he is shot dead and Ray ends up with a concussion.

Thus begins an eventful week during which Ray again plays detective. Along the way, he teams up with Jack Knight, another ex-cop now a PI, who has been retained by a top PR executive to find and return, unharmed, his missing 16-year-old daughter. It makes for an exciting plot.

“Dead Red” is the third novel in the series. And if it is any example, having not read the first two, this reader will go back and read them and, more importantly, look forward to the next installment. The book is well-written, the plot tightly constructed, and it is recommended.

[Peacejanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mystery! Schoolteacher Ray Dunne is with his buddy, recently back from Iraq when gun shots kill the buddy. Dunne is hardly aware of what is happening. Various friends of the dead man and of Dunne show up with various proposals. One of them is to help find a young teenager, the child of a VERY rich and powerful man. This book has many mysteries and they cling together by threads. It is fast paced, well-written, and will delight the mystery lover.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Raymond Donne series is outstanding. Donne is a teacher, but with the right connections in NYC paticularly Brooklyn. That's faily unique and can't be as easy to write as your typical PI series. Tim O'Mara finds the balance between suspense action and whodunit. There's enough humor and wit to keep the story lively and fresh.

In his third offering Raymond Donne, finds himself in the middle of a series of murders and assaults mostly due to his being a really good guy. The supporting characters stand out and are generally well developed. The major problem with this novel is that the ending seems a little hard to belief and is just not totally realistic, but riveting. This should appeal strongly to most mystery-thriller fans.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer is winding down and school teacher Raymond Dunne is two weeks away from returning to the classroom when an old friend calls him in the middle of the night and says he needs to talk.

The two former policemen are sitting in the friend's taxi when gunfire erupts. The friend is killed and Dunne is injured.

Sitting next to a friend when he is shot to death is traumatizing. But Dunne, as we know from his previous adventures, still wants to find out who shot his friend.

The usual cast of characters (Uncle Raymond, Edgar and the reporter girlfriend) are all here in a very good mean streets of Brooklyn yarn.

[S.j. Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover art and the book jacket blurb sold this book for me. It was a fairly mild and predictable whodunit, but has a surprise twist ending. The characters were a bit flat and stereotypical, the plot moved along pretty fast, and there wasn't a lot of unnecessary subplot action. Think of a Hallmark movie, but with a more male oriented audience. The sexy time scenes are VERY tame, and they talk about baseball a lot. If you're into mysteries but don't want all the excess gore, this is a pretty good read. Stands alone, even though it's part of a series.

[Bekke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good; characters for the most part are well-developed, plot is intriguing and the story moves rapidly through various settings and events to a surprising conclusion. I've enjoyed his two previous books featuring Raymond Donne, and hope for more.

[Margaret Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit predictable

Very engaging and entertaining. Held my attention right up to the very end. Maybe it was supposed to be predictable?

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!! Read it in one day. I couldn't pass up a hardback for .99.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim's third in this series, and it wound up as well played as the first two. I say "wound up" because it took awhile for it to go INTO its full wind-up, and I found the middle, especially, to be a bit too much in the stretch position. (Yes, the title is again a baseball reference- he explains it somewhere in that middle). Somewhere around Chapter 21, I wondered when things were going to start picking up, in terms of both pace and progress toward the Whodunits.

Answer: somewhere right round Chapter 22. The pace becomes delightfully breakneck for the final chapters, and the Who-Donne-Its (see what I did there?) become clear and are nicely woven together.

If there's one nit to pick- not with this story, but with the series as a whole- it's that Our Hero may be suffering a little from what I call Jessica Fletcher Syndrome. Not as many people die in his wake as with the Bard of Crabapple Cove- at least New York City is big enough to justify a higher body count- but all three of these, now, have had Ray in just the right place at just the right time, and with compelling reasons for him to involve and invest himself in solving the mystery, even though he's given up crimefighting as a career and even though his uncle, who I'd prefer over Bratton as an NYPD Chief any day, is constantly telling his nephew to keep his big nose out of police business. It may be time for Donne's next mystery to come looking for him in a more deliberate way; you have to admit he's good at solving them, and between his uncle in high places and his reporter girlfriend, it's likely that everybody knows it.

All of it's well written (I could barely find a missed comma to complain about), it's frequently funny, and has just enough touches of film noir and local (for Tim and me, "local" is East Meadow and immediate surroundings) to appeal without distracting.

Should you read it? I'd call it a Donne deal;)

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery author Tim O’Mara’s (“Crooked Numbers”) third Raymond Donne adventure “Dead Red” pits the inner city schoolteacher against a fierce group of characters.

New York City retired cop turned schoolteacher Raymond Donne receives a cryptic call late one night from his Marine friend turned NYC taxi driver Ricky Torres, regarding Ricky’s past experience in Iraq. Ricky picks Ray up at his apartment, and as they drive around the city — Ricky prepared to explain to Ray the reason for his call — a torrent of bullets shatters the windows, killing Ricky, and in the commotion, Ray almost loses his life.

What was so important that Ricky had to call Raymond at his home in the middle of the night?

Waking up in a hospital room from a concussion, Ray learns of his near death experience. Losing his best friend, Ray, against his doctor’s orders to stay bedridden, checks out of the hospital and goes to great lengths to help find Ricky’s killer.

Ray, along with the help of his journalist/girlfriend, Allison, combs through scads of evidence and discovers a motive behind Ricky’s murder. Ray learns that Ricky was a former private investigator and used to work with Ray’s old nemesis, a man named Jack Knight, another ex-cop turned private investigator. This alarming news propels Ray down Brooklyn’s rough streets as he learns a much deeper, menacing secret regarding Ricky’s past.

While working the case, Ray puts his life in danger when somebody scares him with gunshots, hitting too close to home.

Despite the pedestrian plot, it is the manner in which O’Mara keeps the pages turning with crackling, spit-fire dialogue and a score of eccentric, nuanced characters that help carry the story to a satisfying close. Recommended for mystery readers.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a New York City public middle school teacher and a fan of detective fiction, I've found reading Tim O'Mara's Raymond Donne series to be a great pleasure. O'Mara's third installment in the series, Dead Red, begins with Donne in the back of a cab amidst explosions of glass as Ricky Torres is shot to death in the front seat. The aftermath of this killing, and the search for the killer, lead to the back alleys and the halls of power of New York City.

O'Mara is a writer with an innate and uncanny ability to capture the human voice, on a par with George Pelecanos or Richard Price, in this reader's opinion. The dialogue (and first person narration) in the Donne books are a highlight, and Dead Red is a tour de force of voice. Teachers, Iraq War vets, policemen, in this book speak with undeniable truth, unforced, and with very little exposition. It's the fact that the reader can trust the integrity of the characters that is the key to O'Mara's success as a fiction writer. His stories spring from the words of characters that the reader can believe in, root for, and even hate, without doubting them for a minute.

This is a series that exists in a very real world, and the narrator, Raymond Donne, pays the price of living in that world in this book in a way that is heartbreaking to behold. He's a real human, as opposed to an Spenser-ian superman, and as a result, he hurts, has emotional problems, he doubts himself, he misspeaks, he lies to himself; in short, he's like we all are. Raymond Donne is a hero to root for, and I eagerly await the 4th book in this series.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for Library Journal here:
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/201...

Raymond Donne survived a serious injury that ended his career as a New York City cop. Now a teacher, he is inexorably tied to the police force, with an uncle who’s chief of detectives and an enduring allegiance to his brothers in blue. When Ray receives a call to meet Ricky T, an old cop buddy who has just returned from Iraq, he is happy to oblige. At the meeting, sniper shots are fired, Ricky is killed, and Ray is lucky to escape with his life. The murder forges an uneasy alliance between Ray and pugnacious ex-cop Jack Knight, as the two are determined to identify Ricky’s killer. Along the way, they unearth family secrets, corruption in high places, and the enduring horrors of war.
Verdict: This is the third in the series (Sacrifice Fly; Crooked Numbers), but it is not necessary to have read the others. O’Mara spends too much energy on quips and superfluous descriptions in the beginning, which stalls the momentum in this otherwise solid crime novel. The character of Edgar, the socially awkward techno nerd who assists Ray, is a welcome reprieve from the usual cast of characters. A definite purchase if you own the series; optional for those who have a strong following of gritty crime novels. [Library marketing.]—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph, MI

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Saint Martin Press and the author, Tim O'Mara for a copy of this book, and to goodreads for providing this opportunity through the First Reads program.

4.5 stars. When you first meet someone, that first impression forms most of your judgment of that person. The first few pages of this book gave me a good impression of what was to come. I really like the writing style used here. Most authors write in very 'correct' English, which makes conversation sound stuffy, and not like everyday people speak. Here, in Dead Red, it's written more in street talk, which I like. It's more natural. The other thing that drew me in quickly was the banter back and forth. It was quick and witty. I really liked Raymond's sister, Rachel, whom I thought was very funny and would like to have seen more of her injected into the book.

The whole book had a nice flow to it, easy to read. All the characters are well developed with each showing their individual characteristics, and not just a character there to fill a void, with no real substance.

I only remember seeing two editing errors (oversights), which is phenomenal in todays publishing world, it seems.

Very well done, and a Good Read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Red is the third installment of the Raymond Donne Mystery series by author Tim O'Mara. This is the first book of O'Mara's that I've read. You do not have to read the first two in the series to get the full enjoyment of Dead Red. O'Mara is a good writer who draws the reader into the story quickly.

Set in New York City, we find school teacher Raymond Donne setting out to help an old friend, Ricky Torres. Ricky, who is now driving a taxi since returning from serving in Iraq, is about to pick up Raymond in his taxi when gun fire hits the taxi. Now Ricky is dead and Ray sets out to find his killer. There are lots of twists and turns in the action. A great thriller that kept me turning the pages long past when I should have been sleeping! Contemporary story line with a focus on the issues of returning soldiers. Great characters with realistic relationships.

I do recommend the book Dead Red and I'm looking forward to reading Mr. O'Mara's other books in the series.

[Lorin Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Red, Tim O’Mara

Raymond Donne is a school teacher, a former cop and nephew of NYC’s chief of police. He has a girl friend, Allison, a reporter, and a host of relatives and friends. When Ricky Torres, a buddy from his days as a cop, calls in the wee hours Ray meets him, and Ricky is murdered. Ray’s concussion doesn’t stop him from gradually being drawn into learning who did it. Not without risks. Someone shoots into his bedroom at night; fortunately he and Allison aren’t in the bed. It’s summer, and Ray picks up some extra cash doing some work for another former cop who is now a private investigator looking for the daughter of a wealthy PR man.

It’s a cleverly plotted story where seemingly disconnected threads come together for a satisfying ending.

This, it turns out, is the third Rayond Donne mystery. It’s always a delight to find a story teller who develops rich characters, laces his novel with telling details and knows how to ramp up the tension.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most solid suspense stories I have read in a while.
Kept me guessing until the end.
This is the first Raymond Donne book I have read, and I didn't find myself left out by not reading the others.
The story ties together many of today's hot topics like returning soldiers and PTSD.
Characters here are quite complete and I found myself comfortable with their actions. I was a little startled by the ending but maybe not having read the others I did miss a tiny bit of backstory. Or perhaps that is just a big setup for the next Raymond Donne story.
As far as plot development, everything is quite linear with no major distractions. The minor plot lines tie in nicely with how the story plays out.
While not chock full of action, there is enough interesting happenings to keep the pages turning.

[Rina · Rating 3 out of 5]

#3 in this series about a cop turned teacher who's uncle is chief of police and who always finds himself tied up in some kind of murder mystery. character is likeable and stories are simplistic but enjoyable to read.

[Kent District Library]

“I read this on the recommendation of a patron, it was very good. Set in NY, cop turned school teacher Raymond Donne gets pulled into another mystery after his friend Ricky is found dead.”

—Shaunna at KDL’s Alpine Township Branch

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so I am going to sound silly and say, Tim hits another one our of the ballpark.... hehehe...had to do it. Seriously, this is book three in the series and each one gets better and better. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend the series

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the Raymond Dunne series and it is the best! A fast paced, thrilling read.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good, easy read. The third in his series with this ex cop.

[Misty Farias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written likable former cop as the main character. Good feel for NY neighborhoods. Really enjoyed this quick thriller!

[Elsie Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read for Tim O'Mara. Not to bad, lots of stuff happening, fairly good story line. Will read a few more of his books.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read the whole book, but what I did read I enjoyed.