What do you think?
Rate this book
Sean O'Brien #1
A False Dawn
Sean O’Brien couldn’t remember the last time he made a promise and then broke it. He has every intention of keeping the promise he makes to his wife, Sherri, right before her death. O’Brien quits his career as a homicide investigator with the Miami PD and relocates to a remote section of Florida wilderness on the banks of the St. Johns River. He’s restoring an old home and trying to rebuild his life when he discovers a young woman badly beaten and left for dead near the alligator-infested river.
“A darkly suspenseful, atmospheric thriller. Absolutely relentless. I refuse to believe that this is a first novel. It’s just too damned good.”
- Steve Hamilton, Award-Winning Author of the Lock Artist
The injured woman whispers a cryptic message in O’Brien’s ear, and he makes a promise to her. But when authorities drag their feet during the investigation, O’Brien finds the vow he made to his dead wife is about to conflict with the guarantee he made to the woman who was savagely attacked. Soon O’Brien is plunging deep into the dark world of human trafficking and sexual slavery. He is tossed into a deadly cat-and-mouse game where the only pledge he can make now is to stop an evil antagonist with a twisted, Godlike complex that’s hellbent on sacrificing O’Brien to a greater cause.
“A False Dawn makes good reading for anyone longing to stumble upon an unpublished John D. MacDonald Florida mystery.”
.
- Steve Glassman (Booklist)
“A darkly suspenseful, atmospheric thriller. Absolutely relentless. I refuse to believe that this is a first novel. It’s just too damned good.”
- Steve Hamilton, Award-Winning Author of the Lock Artist
The injured woman whispers a cryptic message in O’Brien’s ear, and he makes a promise to her. But when authorities drag their feet during the investigation, O’Brien finds the vow he made to his dead wife is about to conflict with the guarantee he made to the woman who was savagely attacked. Soon O’Brien is plunging deep into the dark world of human trafficking and sexual slavery. He is tossed into a deadly cat-and-mouse game where the only pledge he can make now is to stop an evil antagonist with a twisted, Godlike complex that’s hellbent on sacrificing O’Brien to a greater cause.
“A False Dawn makes good reading for anyone longing to stumble upon an unpublished John D. MacDonald Florida mystery.”
.
- Steve Glassman (Booklist)
308 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2009
481 people are currently reading
1530 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
July 2, 2012
I got a note from Tom Lowe, a goodreads author, who, based on my reading list, thought I might enjoy this so I downloaded it for my kindle.
I have long had a passion for Florida writers, even made friends with a few over the years. It stems partially from my love of Florida, having lived for 15 years in the central part of the state near the St. Johns River and now living on the west coast for the past 15 years. I also spend a lot of time in South Florida working with clients. As a serious amateur photographer, I pay attention to details of the environment and tend to judge Florida novels with how well descriptions resonate with my perceptions. My background as a Scuba diver and sailor also come into play.
Well, this story certainly earns the highest rating for being able to recreate the Florida milieu - not only the physical environment but the "invisible" part of the economy, the migrant worker camps. After discovering a dying girl, retired detective O'Brien begins the search for her killer. (He is a grieving widower, a character type I am reading too much of lately - Burke's "Feast Day of Fools", Evan's "The Road to Grace", etc.). The search gets O'Brien involved with the usual worthies - friends in the marina, good cops, bad cops, locals, FBI, an eccentric Indian chief and the usual "good dog" Max. The plot is interesting and moves right along. All in all, a worthy story by an excellent writer!
So, why not 5 stars? As noted in other reviews, the editing is atrocious. Things sneak through that spell checkers can't catch - "shear vs. sheer", for example. Some sentence structure and grammar issues and some where the logic does not hold - wondering what the suspect looks like, for example, after an agent indicates they have followed him in the past. Mechanically, the kindle edition has occasional large gaps of white space that have nothing to do with chapter or page breaks. These type of issues detract from the professionalism of the novel and tend to be distracting and annoying. I hope those issues are addressed in his later works.
I just downloaded the third in the O Brien series, "The Butterfly Forest" which promises to be even better.
I have long had a passion for Florida writers, even made friends with a few over the years. It stems partially from my love of Florida, having lived for 15 years in the central part of the state near the St. Johns River and now living on the west coast for the past 15 years. I also spend a lot of time in South Florida working with clients. As a serious amateur photographer, I pay attention to details of the environment and tend to judge Florida novels with how well descriptions resonate with my perceptions. My background as a Scuba diver and sailor also come into play.
Well, this story certainly earns the highest rating for being able to recreate the Florida milieu - not only the physical environment but the "invisible" part of the economy, the migrant worker camps. After discovering a dying girl, retired detective O'Brien begins the search for her killer. (He is a grieving widower, a character type I am reading too much of lately - Burke's "Feast Day of Fools", Evan's "The Road to Grace", etc.). The search gets O'Brien involved with the usual worthies - friends in the marina, good cops, bad cops, locals, FBI, an eccentric Indian chief and the usual "good dog" Max. The plot is interesting and moves right along. All in all, a worthy story by an excellent writer!
So, why not 5 stars? As noted in other reviews, the editing is atrocious. Things sneak through that spell checkers can't catch - "shear vs. sheer", for example. Some sentence structure and grammar issues and some where the logic does not hold - wondering what the suspect looks like, for example, after an agent indicates they have followed him in the past. Mechanically, the kindle edition has occasional large gaps of white space that have nothing to do with chapter or page breaks. These type of issues detract from the professionalism of the novel and tend to be distracting and annoying. I hope those issues are addressed in his later works.
I just downloaded the third in the O Brien series, "The Butterfly Forest" which promises to be even better.
December 2, 2015
My biggest gripe about this book is more technicality than anything else. Overall, the book needs another editing scrub. I was constantly finding misspelled words, grammatical errors, and tons of missing punctuation. This stuff doesn't stick out when it's done correctly, but when it's incorrect, it is annoyingly glaring.
As far as the plot line and characters, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author did a wonderful job of weaving together the characters without getting too overwhelming. I appreciate that all the dots were connected - sometimes with complex plots and characters, I end up asking myself, "Wait...what? What happened to Jane Doe?"
I was *THISCLOSE* to not even starting this book because I thought it might be a cheesy crime novel, but the plot itself sucked me in almost immediately, and never let go. I actually found myself rooting for O'Brien when he found a piece of the puzzle, yearning for him to be okay when something happened, and smiling when he spent quality time with Max.
If you're interested in crime novels that aren't your average story, I highly recommend this book. Just be aware you'll be faced with some annoying grammar and spelling issues along the way.
As far as the plot line and characters, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author did a wonderful job of weaving together the characters without getting too overwhelming. I appreciate that all the dots were connected - sometimes with complex plots and characters, I end up asking myself, "Wait...what? What happened to Jane Doe?"
I was *THISCLOSE* to not even starting this book because I thought it might be a cheesy crime novel, but the plot itself sucked me in almost immediately, and never let go. I actually found myself rooting for O'Brien when he found a piece of the puzzle, yearning for him to be okay when something happened, and smiling when he spent quality time with Max.
If you're interested in crime novels that aren't your average story, I highly recommend this book. Just be aware you'll be faced with some annoying grammar and spelling issues along the way.
April 23, 2012
A pretty good murder/thriller set in Florida, in and around the Daytona Beach area. It's a pleasant change from the usual Miami or Florida Keys settings for novels.
While the character, Sean O'Brien, an ex Miami cop, is not unique, the author handles him very well and makes him appealing to the reader. The story moves along rather easily and doesn't bog down with useless 'chatter'.
I downloaded this from Amazon and it really was the download from hell. I don't know if it was a unique problem or if it was an editing for ebook format problem, but there were empty pages, pages with one or two words on them and generally just messed up. The dialogue was hard to follow in some places early on. What a mess. This certainly was not the fault of the author, and I just mention it to warn someone that it might happen to their download of the book.
While the character, Sean O'Brien, an ex Miami cop, is not unique, the author handles him very well and makes him appealing to the reader. The story moves along rather easily and doesn't bog down with useless 'chatter'.
I downloaded this from Amazon and it really was the download from hell. I don't know if it was a unique problem or if it was an editing for ebook format problem, but there were empty pages, pages with one or two words on them and generally just messed up. The dialogue was hard to follow in some places early on. What a mess. This certainly was not the fault of the author, and I just mention it to warn someone that it might happen to their download of the book.
May 25, 2017
REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; FEBRUARY 6, 2017
Narrator: Michael David Axtell
Despite the usual cliches and clunky writing, I managed to finish this and had thought the series has potential. I was desperate (still am) to find a good police procedural I haven't listened to yet so even though Sean O'Brien is yet another burnt-out cop who's left the force, I decided to give it a try as all the audiobooks are only 1.99 each on Kindle Unlimited.
It was a decent-enough murder mystery though I did give weary sigh when the sex-trafficking theme reared its hackneyed head again. There was, thankfully, more to the murders than just human traffickers killing their runaways but what lost points with me was the main character.
I did not care for the author choosing to make his protagonist a burn-out, grieving cop-widower who escapes to the Florida wilderness but end up acting so out of character. That person ought to be someone you'd have to drag kicking and screaming to help with a murder investigation. Instead, O'Brien can't help but get involved even when he's told several times by the cops to butt out. I would have thought that if Lowe wanted his retired cop protagonist to be the star of his series, then make O'Brien's character more consistent with his stated profile. There are many series with (yawn) retired law enforcement officers who return to the action but they are all reluctant and need to be persuaded, by some means or another, to go back into the fray. O'Brien's contradictory behavior bugged me and I saw it as a result of the writer's need to develop his character development skills.
But, as I said earlier, there's potential for the series and characters to grow. I'll likely know when I listen to the next couple of books. On a minor note, since I listened to the book, not read it, I did not have to encounter the spelling errors, and whatever grammatical errors other reviewers mentioned, I did not notice. Maybe they were corrected for the audio version, or the narrator subconsciously corrected them as he spoke. Axtell is an unknown narrator and while I found him rather bland and his voice lacking in personality (compared to Scott Brick or George Guidall, for example) I prefer that to someone like Jonathan Marosz or Patrick Lawlor.
Narrator: Michael David Axtell
Despite the usual cliches and clunky writing, I managed to finish this and had thought the series has potential. I was desperate (still am) to find a good police procedural I haven't listened to yet so even though Sean O'Brien is yet another burnt-out cop who's left the force, I decided to give it a try as all the audiobooks are only 1.99 each on Kindle Unlimited.
It was a decent-enough murder mystery though I did give weary sigh when the sex-trafficking theme reared its hackneyed head again. There was, thankfully, more to the murders than just human traffickers killing their runaways but what lost points with me was the main character.
I did not care for the author choosing to make his protagonist a burn-out, grieving cop-widower who escapes to the Florida wilderness but end up acting so out of character. That person ought to be someone you'd have to drag kicking and screaming to help with a murder investigation. Instead, O'Brien can't help but get involved even when he's told several times by the cops to butt out. I would have thought that if Lowe wanted his retired cop protagonist to be the star of his series, then make O'Brien's character more consistent with his stated profile. There are many series with (yawn) retired law enforcement officers who return to the action but they are all reluctant and need to be persuaded, by some means or another, to go back into the fray. O'Brien's contradictory behavior bugged me and I saw it as a result of the writer's need to develop his character development skills.
But, as I said earlier, there's potential for the series and characters to grow. I'll likely know when I listen to the next couple of books. On a minor note, since I listened to the book, not read it, I did not have to encounter the spelling errors, and whatever grammatical errors other reviewers mentioned, I did not notice. Maybe they were corrected for the audio version, or the narrator subconsciously corrected them as he spoke. Axtell is an unknown narrator and while I found him rather bland and his voice lacking in personality (compared to Scott Brick or George Guidall, for example) I prefer that to someone like Jonathan Marosz or Patrick Lawlor.
July 7, 2013
After the prolog, the first 90% of this novel is told in first person from main character Sean O’Brian’s point of view. Then Lowe shifts to third person for two chapters in the bad guy’s point of view then returns to Sean’s first person narrative.
Multiple points of view in a novel don’t bother me as long as the author is consistent in their use. Changing point of view for only two chapters nine-tenths of the way through a book does. It causes a glitch in reading the story.
Some of the sub-plots were resolved a little too neatly. One character made an appearance early in the book then disappeared until almost the very end when his talents were needed.
Partway through the novel, one of Sean’s friends is murdered execution style. Sean is sure he knows who did it and vows to get the killer. However, once the killer is identified and arrested (through no action of Sean’s) it’s as if something switched off and Sean’s reaction to the murder and memories of the victim disappear from the book. If you had a friend murdered, could you forget it entirely ever?
Other reviewers commented on the number of typos and other errors in this book. This is the first download I’ve had that wasn’t rife with them.
Still, I liked Sean O’Brien and this novel enough that I will read more of the series.
Multiple points of view in a novel don’t bother me as long as the author is consistent in their use. Changing point of view for only two chapters nine-tenths of the way through a book does. It causes a glitch in reading the story.
Some of the sub-plots were resolved a little too neatly. One character made an appearance early in the book then disappeared until almost the very end when his talents were needed.
Partway through the novel, one of Sean’s friends is murdered execution style. Sean is sure he knows who did it and vows to get the killer. However, once the killer is identified and arrested (through no action of Sean’s) it’s as if something switched off and Sean’s reaction to the murder and memories of the victim disappear from the book. If you had a friend murdered, could you forget it entirely ever?
Other reviewers commented on the number of typos and other errors in this book. This is the first download I’ve had that wasn’t rife with them.
Still, I liked Sean O’Brien and this novel enough that I will read more of the series.
August 2, 2012
Very enjoyable. The main character is unique and responds a little differently from what I would have expected based on the characters of other others of similar novels. Sean O'Brien reminds me a little of Virgil Flowers a character of John Sanford. I live in cebtral FL so it was interesting that some of the action took place in the area where I live. Again this is also something that I enjoy about the Sanford books, because I lived in MN for many cold years. Sinced I lived in Chicago for the first aprt of my life and went to Quigley PS, the Greeley books also make a connection.
I will read other Tom Lowe books. Tom, the only reason I picked one of your books is because you recommended it as a "friend", but the library only had this one. Congratulations on creating an enjoyable novel.
I will read other Tom Lowe books. Tom, the only reason I picked one of your books is because you recommended it as a "friend", but the library only had this one. Congratulations on creating an enjoyable novel.
December 21, 2019
A thriller about a woman found battered and dying in a swamp by former detective Sean O’Brien. He makes her a promise and does his utmost to keep it. Hunting down and investigating the people who did this to her. Putting himself in danger and in the sights of a dangerous criminal.
A thrilling read with plenty of action, danger and mystery. A great page turner and must read for all who enjoy a good crime thriller.
A thrilling read with plenty of action, danger and mystery. A great page turner and must read for all who enjoy a good crime thriller.
July 27, 2016
Two-haiku review:
He finds dying girl
Promises he'll find killer
More people dying
Liked main character
Had depth, clear motivation
Florida setting
3-1/2 stars
He finds dying girl
Promises he'll find killer
More people dying
Liked main character
Had depth, clear motivation
Florida setting
3-1/2 stars
January 15, 2019
Crap. The story is half a star but the Florida background, which is why I downloaded it after reading the 'look inside' on amazon, makes it up to two. I made the mistake (they were on sale, I have no self control) of buying the second one in the series while I was at it, and I suppose I may just about give it a try. Sean O'Brien is exactly the sort of fake genius mystery solver that I loathe, who swans through the plot with barely a pause or hitch because he just happens to have or instantly develop the support network he needs, with occasional pauses for tragic self-serving anguish. And I particularly took ill that the colleague who dies pretty much because Sean pissed off the bad guy, more or less disappears from everyone's memory?? Not that this person was particularly memorable, but when Sean is laying flowers on the grave of the murdered immigrant sex-worker girl who started it all he might have spared a thought for that dead colleague, whose expertise he'd depended on and whom he'd furthermore got close to.
January 1, 2024
2.8/5⭐️
Honestly, I only read this book because my mom loved it and really wanted me to try one of her recommendations. I wouldn’t have chosen this book without her. Since I like some mystery, I had some high hopes with it but I was quite bored. This book was a solid 3⭐️, even with the boredom. It was a definitely too long for the plot and I didn’t believe the killer’s reason for his crime. But then I knocked it down to 2.8⭐️s (being generous) because I felt like the author’s way of describing the characters in the book was nothing more than saying the color of their skin. For example, “that black man” or “a tan girl”. He never gave the random characters’ names so he continually described them by their skin color, and it was kind of alarming. I think he tried to add some depth to the book but I was just not feeling it.
Honestly, I only read this book because my mom loved it and really wanted me to try one of her recommendations. I wouldn’t have chosen this book without her. Since I like some mystery, I had some high hopes with it but I was quite bored. This book was a solid 3⭐️, even with the boredom. It was a definitely too long for the plot and I didn’t believe the killer’s reason for his crime. But then I knocked it down to 2.8⭐️s (being generous) because I felt like the author’s way of describing the characters in the book was nothing more than saying the color of their skin. For example, “that black man” or “a tan girl”. He never gave the random characters’ names so he continually described them by their skin color, and it was kind of alarming. I think he tried to add some depth to the book but I was just not feeling it.
May 18, 2017
Here's what slowly made me decline my rating of this book:
1) The weakest, most incompetent, female detective I've ever read. She basically swoons over the hero and uses him to solve every bit of this mystery.
2) Sometimes became preachy. Even though I agree with the political undertones, they weren't all that necessary.
3) I've never heard someone refer to A1A (a ONE a) as AIA (a I a). Maybe that was the narrator's fault? But since I'm a Florida native I was more sensitive than most might be about getting the geography right.
I wouldn't let the 3 stars block a recommendation, but choose for a lighter mystery.
1) The weakest, most incompetent, female detective I've ever read. She basically swoons over the hero and uses him to solve every bit of this mystery.
2) Sometimes became preachy. Even though I agree with the political undertones, they weren't all that necessary.
3) I've never heard someone refer to A1A (a ONE a) as AIA (a I a). Maybe that was the narrator's fault? But since I'm a Florida native I was more sensitive than most might be about getting the geography right.
I wouldn't let the 3 stars block a recommendation, but choose for a lighter mystery.
November 9, 2019
Great start of a series!
Human abuse and sex slavery are the subject of this first book, and the fact it still goes on in this world is sad. But, in this fictional thriller, Sean O'Brien is an ex-detective from Miami who has taken early retirement since his wife's death. He finds a near dead woman not far from his home and his retirement comes to a halt. The characters are well crafted, and the plotline well written. Though this book is about a horror of human suffering we wish didn't exist, at least we see how a great detective like Sean hunts down the evil responsible for the suffering of others.
Human abuse and sex slavery are the subject of this first book, and the fact it still goes on in this world is sad. But, in this fictional thriller, Sean O'Brien is an ex-detective from Miami who has taken early retirement since his wife's death. He finds a near dead woman not far from his home and his retirement comes to a halt. The characters are well crafted, and the plotline well written. Though this book is about a horror of human suffering we wish didn't exist, at least we see how a great detective like Sean hunts down the evil responsible for the suffering of others.
January 25, 2020
Really a good read!
I love to read and I love to write. Tom Lowe has an extraordinary ability to use description language in a lively and engaging way. When some authors describe nature, a scene in the story or a person I want to skip through quickly. Tom Lowe researches the environments that he describes. He seems to know each character personally. I want to read each sentence carefully and sink deeply into the world he describes. I never knew so much about the real Florida and its rich history. Tom’s writing should be used by teachers to teach descriptive language and creative writing. Enough of Steinbeck already! Oh..... and the story lines are great too!
I love to read and I love to write. Tom Lowe has an extraordinary ability to use description language in a lively and engaging way. When some authors describe nature, a scene in the story or a person I want to skip through quickly. Tom Lowe researches the environments that he describes. He seems to know each character personally. I want to read each sentence carefully and sink deeply into the world he describes. I never knew so much about the real Florida and its rich history. Tom’s writing should be used by teachers to teach descriptive language and creative writing. Enough of Steinbeck already! Oh..... and the story lines are great too!
July 2, 2017
I enjoyed this book. I was looking forward to it because it takes place in my part of the world. However, when the author mentions places with which I am familiar, it's almost as if he was just looking at an image of the area. It just didn't have the feel of someone who has actually been here. That aside, it was a pretty good book. Sean O'Brien is a retired detective from Miami. He finds a dying young woman near his home on the St. Johns River. And so begins the search for a very clever and sadistic killer.
It's a good book.
It's a good book.
August 22, 2017
I'm always looking for (at least to me) a new author or new character, especially with several books in the series. At this point I've read the first five books and I'm on #6 "Black River". All great stories, each one holds my interest until the end. Probably not a good idea to start one before bedtime if you don't want to stay up all night. Another gift is the narrator, Michael David Axtell. No matter how many characters in the book, Mr Axtell has a unique voice for each one, male or female.
August 23, 2021
A good debut crime thriller. A fast, small book, easy to read in a few hours. Police corruption, sex trafficking, Florida: seems topical and eerily relevant, am I right?
I did like the characters, and although the plot was too predictable, the writing kept it interesting through the end. Somehow I don’t recall how I stumbled across this particular book, but I will definitely read any future* work by this author.
Three stars.
*Edited to note that there are currently TEN primary works by this author! LOL So when I say something is new, it probably really just means it’s new TO ME.
I did like the characters, and although the plot was too predictable, the writing kept it interesting through the end. Somehow I don’t recall how I stumbled across this particular book, but I will definitely read any future* work by this author.
Three stars.
*Edited to note that there are currently TEN primary works by this author! LOL So when I say something is new, it probably really just means it’s new TO ME.
July 1, 2017
A new author and a new character for me. Sean O'Brien is an ex-police investigator who tries to leave the big city behind after his wife dies. The big city doesn't seem to want to leave him behind. He comes upon a woman lying on the river bank who was brutally beaten and left for dead. His independent investigation reveals corruption at all levels as well as a serial killer he was not able to catch while he was a cop. Very interesting read!
April 19, 2018
Sean O'Brien series book 1
I enjoyed this book even though I had read the 3rd book in the series first. Has a plot line that keeps you engaged. However, the only thing that I personally don't feel,is believable is how different LE departments let him take the lead. If not for that part, I would give it 5 stars as it is a fast, high drama read.
I enjoyed this book even though I had read the 3rd book in the series first. Has a plot line that keeps you engaged. However, the only thing that I personally don't feel,is believable is how different LE departments let him take the lead. If not for that part, I would give it 5 stars as it is a fast, high drama read.
September 24, 2018
I found myself skimming pages towards the end because I just wanted it over with already. It’s good but doesn’t hold my interest for long.
O’Brien worked homicide for Miami PD for 13 years before selling everything he had and moving to a cabin on a swamp. It was just his dog Max and him now. Oh, and the woman he found near dead in the water. Coincidence or rotten luck?
O’Brien worked homicide for Miami PD for 13 years before selling everything he had and moving to a cabin on a swamp. It was just his dog Max and him now. Oh, and the woman he found near dead in the water. Coincidence or rotten luck?
January 10, 2019
Couldn't put it down!
This man sure knows how to hook a person into a book! So far, I've only read a few of his books, but I certainly intend to re.them all if I can. His books keep me right on the edge of my seat. This book has interesting, believable characters and a sinister, curvy plot. You should read it yourself.
This man sure knows how to hook a person into a book! So far, I've only read a few of his books, but I certainly intend to re.them all if I can. His books keep me right on the edge of my seat. This book has interesting, believable characters and a sinister, curvy plot. You should read it yourself.
September 7, 2018
Great book!
Very well written. Action packed ; hard to put down the book. I lost a little sleep because of i! I purchased the next book in the series as soon as I finished this one.
Very well written. Action packed ; hard to put down the book. I lost a little sleep because of i! I purchased the next book in the series as soon as I finished this one.
October 14, 2018
Kind of a hard read
The writing is very descriptive and strong but moving from scene to scene is not very smooth and sometimes I lost the flow of the story. More character development is needed.
The writing is very descriptive and strong but moving from scene to scene is not very smooth and sometimes I lost the flow of the story. More character development is needed.
November 5, 2018
A False Dawn
This is the first book in this series . Loved it . It had the thrills that I enjoy in a good mystery book. I recommend this book. Can't wait to read the second book in the series
This is the first book in this series . Loved it . It had the thrills that I enjoy in a good mystery book. I recommend this book. Can't wait to read the second book in the series
June 24, 2019
Can’t wait to start book 2
Great discovery! I am always on the lookout for new heroes, and I think I have found one! Maybe two! Sean O’Brien and Max! Well written, great story line and lively backup characters. Can’t wait to start book 2!
Great discovery! I am always on the lookout for new heroes, and I think I have found one! Maybe two! Sean O’Brien and Max! Well written, great story line and lively backup characters. Can’t wait to start book 2!
June 30, 2019
Wow!
What an adventure! Mr. Lowe writes about the authentic Florida, no holds barred. Definitely will keep you awake at night. Serial killings, all the right ingredients. Good stuff!
What an adventure! Mr. Lowe writes about the authentic Florida, no holds barred. Definitely will keep you awake at night. Serial killings, all the right ingredients. Good stuff!
October 27, 2019
Mini-Review:
Since I enjoyed Michael David Axtell's narration on another book, I looked him up and decided to try out this one. I can't take the story seriously but I had fun listening. A solid popcorn read with likable characters and interesting setting.
Since I enjoyed Michael David Axtell's narration on another book, I looked him up and decided to try out this one. I can't take the story seriously but I had fun listening. A solid popcorn read with likable characters and interesting setting.
February 5, 2021
Great story. Mystery and suspense wrapped up all in one. A pretty good roller coaster ride of emotions. I became very invested in Sean O'Brien and look forward to reading more in this series. Could not put it down even though I wanted to go to sleep, what greater compliment.
December 29, 2022
Not quite my writing style
The book was pretty good. The story was good but I had a hard time with all the descriptive writing. I found myself wanting to "skip ahead" because some of it seemed to go on and on about things that didn't really add to the story.
The book was pretty good. The story was good but I had a hard time with all the descriptive writing. I found myself wanting to "skip ahead" because some of it seemed to go on and on about things that didn't really add to the story.
June 20, 2017
Riveting
Enjoyed the book. Did not want to put down. Kept me wanting to know what would happen next. Liked the ending
Enjoyed the book. Did not want to put down. Kept me wanting to know what would happen next. Liked the ending
January 1, 2019
Excellent
Story is good with background on Sean and more twist and turns. Learned a few things reading this book. Excellent can't wait to start reading book two
Story is good with background on Sean and more twist and turns. Learned a few things reading this book. Excellent can't wait to start reading book two
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews