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Lee Callaway #1

The Dead Daughter

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Can a father murder his only child?

Kyla Gardener’s dead body is found in her bed one early morning. She had been stabbed multiple times. Her father, Paul, has blood stains on his shirt and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Paul has no memory of what happened.

Kyla’s mother, Sharon, was not at home when the murder occurred. She was having an affair with her yoga instructor. Private Investigator Lee Callaway was also at the Gardener residence on the night of the murder. He had been following Sharon at the behest of his client, Paul.

When all evidence points to Paul as the murderer, Callaway takes on the case to prove his innocence. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a web of lies, secrets, and deceit. 

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2017

6405 people are currently reading
1300 people want to read

About the author

Thomas Fincham

77 books152 followers
pen name for Mobashar Qureshi

THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married with two kids, and he lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of LEE CALLAWAY series, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.

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5 stars
3,199 (48%)
4 stars
2,160 (32%)
3 stars
944 (14%)
2 stars
234 (3%)
1 star
116 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
Profile Image for CD {Boulder Blvd}.
963 reviews95 followers
February 28, 2019
I had a lot of problems with this plot throughout the book. The writing was simplistic, the characters were a bit cardboard and the forensic work nonexistent. The PI shouldn't have had to save the day for Paul if the cops were written with some IQ level. It was obvious from the very beginning there was a setup and the police forensic work would have suggested this. A high priced attorney with a PI also should have been able to figure this out.

I won't be reading anymore of this series.
Profile Image for Angela.
233 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2019
Um, not sure how this book got some of the reviews it got to be honest. First of all, if this is the first book in the Lee Callaway series, I won't be reading the others. Lee barely had anything to do with the actual dead daughter in this book until over halfway through. And I found myself wondering why a series would be based on a character that was described as a man that left his family, is restless, bad with money, a scammer, etc. But I digress.

So in this book a daughter is found dead in her bed by her mother and the father is accused of killing her. I don't even need to get into the weeds with this plot. The detectives were horrible. Holt decided that Paul killed his daughter and refused to look at other options. His partner (Rivers? I can't remember her name and that should say something) was not convinced Paul was the killer but every time she brought that up, she was shot down by Holt and she meekly followed his lead. Lee stepped in at nearly the last minute and solved the case in one day.

The evidence pointing at Paul was all weak and his lawyer - described as one of the best defense attorneys in the country should have been able to poke holes in all the evidence yet he was telling Paul to take a plea deal. Any amount of actual detective work would have lead the police to the actual killer but no - it took a PI stepping in and figuring it out in one day.

The timeline was horrible. Activities would happen day and night yet it seemed as only 2 days had passed. Lee figured out that Paul had been drugged (and I'm skipping over the fact that the drugs in his system would have been long gone after 2 days) but he kept thinking that he didn't have any evidence to present to get Paul off. Hello? Drugs that made him pass out would lead to a not guilty verdict alone but no, he felt like he had nothing until he uncovered video of the daughter on her last day alive.

And the worst part in my opinion? The fact that Kyla (the daughter) was pregnant with her UNCLE'S BABY AND WANTED TO MARRY HIM and no one thought that was wrong? In fact, it wasn't even mentioned that the uncle was the baby's father. I had to go back and say "it is her uncle right?" And no, I'm not putting that behind a spoiler because save yourself and don't read this book. The writing was simple. I thought I was reading fanfiction at some points - no offense to fanfic writers because I'm sure several of those could have written this book better. It was not good. Not good at all.
Profile Image for Sarah.
91 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2019
I don’t know how this got so many great reviews. The plot was completely unbelievable, the characters were not like-able, and the forensic “evidence” was appalling. The author, and editor, should have done a google search to find out Rohypnol can’t be detected more than 2 days after ingestion. And the timeline was a mess. The amount of time between the discovery of the 2 bodies can’t have been 2 days based on the detectives actions.
Profile Image for Lexy.
1,093 reviews35 followers
May 16, 2021
I thought that this book was good
Profile Image for Jamie❤Books.
58 reviews2 followers
January 5, 2018
***** 5 "A Family Destroyed" Stars *****

WOWZA....this was one hell of a book. I can't even go into detail because there are so many people involved and side plots to keep you turning each page to find out who killed a 20 year old girl.

Most times I can start figuring it out myself but Thomas Fincham did a fabulous job keep the reader in suspense and just a little bit lost until the very moment we find out the truth!

All I can say is this family is CRAZY!!
Profile Image for Julie.
43 reviews3 followers
February 11, 2020
Horrible. How this book is rated 4+ stars is beyond me. The writing is awful, the editing lacking. Timelines didn't add up; characters were all unlikable. I speed read the last 70% just to see if it got better -- it did not. No saving graces to this book other than it was free via kindle unlimited.
Profile Image for Pat.
2,310 reviews504 followers
August 21, 2019
A fairly standard PI type of story where the PI solves the case when the real police can't. Its all very good in theory.
Profile Image for Patrick .
457 reviews51 followers
November 19, 2021
First read by novelist Fincham, kinda knew the outcome of the murder (which is rare for me) yet still compelled to finish this one out. Protagonist Callaway is in no way a Reacher or a Gentry, but he is a 'good' guy in his relative deadbeat way.
The family theme is the basis for this book, however deranged it may be. Can't quite put a finger on it, but I will try his next #2 and figure this guy out.

Excellent audio by the way....
Profile Image for Valeri.
108 reviews2 followers
September 30, 2025
This was good! The pacing was on point, I liked the short chapters (always a plus in my book) and I liked the resolution. The who done it wasn’t out of left field which is nice for a change. Part of the reason why they did it was gross and I didn’t understand why no one was upset by it but I’ll look past it.
Profile Image for Colin Rochford.
120 reviews
November 10, 2017
The Dead Daughter by Thomas Fincham

Lee Calloway #1. In The Rose Water (Echo Rose #4) Mr Fincham introduced Lee Callaway with the intention that one day he would get his own series.  I’m excited to say, The Dead Daughter (Lee Callaway #1), is now available. (My review of Rose Water is available on Amazon and Goodreads.)

This one starts out with a somewhat different premise. Kyla Gardener’s dead body is found in her bed one early morning. She had been stabbed multiple times.  Her father, Paul, has blood stains on his shirt and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Paul has no memory of what happened. Sounds cool. Right?

The plot is full of interesting twists and turns, and quite a few puzzles along the way, for us and the characters to come to grips with. Some of these in the last few pages. It really is a cliff-hanger, right to the end.

Not overly happy that the editor let a few too many errors (grammatical and structural) get through to the final edition. Such things as:
'He tried to buy the photographs off Callaway' Hmmmm. Was he wearing them?
However, if the author's intention had been to make the comment in the voice of the character, I understand, but it seemed to me, to be the author telling us something, and that grated on me.

'Stan never got a formal education, something he regretted in his life.' A better version of this might be, "Stan missed out on a formal education, something he wished had been different, later in his life."
Again, if the author's intention had been to make the comment in the voice of the character, I understand. My suggestion doesn't work here, but it seemed to me to be the author telling us something about the character, and that didn't work for me.

But these are minor criticisms of the first in a new series from an author of whom you will be hearing a lot more.
Plot is very important and keeps you guessing, but the development of the actors in the play (as most novels are) is not forgotten.

While the very early pointers to Callaway's character were established in the Echo Rose #4 novel; enough development occurred in this book to make me want to spend some more time with Mr Callaway. Is Echo Rose also featured in this book? You'll have to read it to find out.
921 reviews11 followers
March 18, 2019
How is he a best seller?!

I don't know whether any other book this writer has written is any better than this, but this was just plain and so simple it felt more like reading a book written for junior high kids. The characters were boring, the plotline unimaginative, and the wording and descriptions are simple! An asinine cop with blinders on to the point he looked for no other suspects in a double murder was bad enough, and yes, that can be true life as well, but Paul had no motive for either murder! Galloway a former deputy sheriff turned PI is able to prove the who done it because he had an open mind, but again, no senator is just going to say I DID IT! CUFF ME! This book just wasn't good.
16 reviews
May 13, 2018
Not bad not good

This is not a bad book but it is far from a very good book. I am surprised that the author has so much writing experience, because some of the writing is pretty amateurish. Interesting police procedure if somewhat inaccurate. Research maybe done reading mysteries or watching TV? No character development. Decent plot. Readers guess guilty parties fairly early. The Who not the why or how.

Profile Image for chris.
471 reviews
August 10, 2020
DNF 30%.
didn't like: "Holt had investigated many murders, and he knew enough by now to know who was suffering and who was faking it." ??? seriously???
so much narration instead of dialogue.
example: "Paul was read the charges against him. He pleaded not guilty to all counts..." like that should be dialogue! all the narration makes it incredibly boring.
Profile Image for Hannah Rongione.
110 reviews
May 15, 2024
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The premise of the story was interesting, a murder mystery where the dad was accused of killing his daughter. I like mysteries like this but it was the writing in some of the chapters that I did not enjoy. The author seemed to write very simplistically and just went on and on with the shortest of sentences with details that didn’t always seem relevant. If that makes sense. At first I was very hesitant with continuing the book because of this writing style. I didn’t want to just read someone laying out details in short sentences with no depth or intrigue. But as the book went on, I think it got better and I enjoyed it a little more. I found myself reading to find out what happened next.

The story was good but it was lacking details and passion. There wasn’t much revealed to us of the characters, so it was hard to like or dislike them. The book was short and so it seemed also that it was rushed at the end. I didn’t see the plot twists coming at the end, which I was glad about because I like when I’m left shocked. So that aspect was good, it was just kind of thrown at us though. I feel like it could’ve been better but it was good. Just good, not great.

I also didn’t like how Lee Calloway’s story, the private investigator, was like this whole other novel at first. He had nothing really to do with the rest of the book so I just felt like the details of his story in the beginning were irrelevant. This book left me with a lot to think about in terms of “did I like it? Or not?” It was just a different style of writing I’m not a fan of. I’m not sure if I will read another one of his books.
Profile Image for ReBecca.
820 reviews11 followers
October 7, 2022
I didn't hate The Dead Daughter by Thomas Fincham, but I didn't like it either. The book was very bland, extremely dry, and superficial. There was no real suspense throughout the story or any shock value. It was obvious to me early on who the true killer was and that Paul was being set up. I never really connected with the characters and felt that everything surrounding Lee Callaway was very surface-level. I will give Thomas Fincham another shot, but if the next one is bad, I'm out.

****

Kyla Gardener is found dead early one morning by her mom, Sharon. Kyla was strangled to death before being stabbed multiple times. Sharon wasn't home the night before and Paul, Kyla's father, is found passed out in the guest house after a night of drinking. Quickly Paul becomes the prime suspect when a blood stain is found on his shirt, a knife with Kyla's blood on it is found in his car, and his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.

Private Investigator Lee Callaway knows in his gut that Paul is not the killer. In fact the evening Kyla was killed, Lee was at the Gardener's house, working on a job for Paul. Now with all of the evidence pointing at Paul as the murderer, Lee decides to take on the case to prove Paul's innocence. Will he find the real killer or did Paul really kill his daughter?
Profile Image for Mom2triplets04.
704 reviews26 followers
June 25, 2020
I picked this book up from kindle unlimited during covid-19 time. I read it on my kindle which I normally don't read. I prefer physical book. It took me all month to read it. Finally finished. Lots of twists and turns that kept me reading. Will try another one of his books.
Profile Image for Donna Mallery.
958 reviews90 followers
January 24, 2023
This book has an interesting cast of characters! I especially like Lee who is a struggling, down and out private investigator. There are a few mini plots but the main plot focuses on the case of a dad accused of killing his only daughter. This book is well laid out with great characterizations. You may or may not guess who-done-it, but I guarantee you won’t guess all of the twists in this book.
Profile Image for Mandy.
619 reviews8 followers
May 31, 2023
Quick, fast read. The lead detective’s fixation was a bit annoying.

Interesting twists, but it all seems to wrap up very quickly.
Profile Image for Linda.
95 reviews3 followers
February 2, 2020
It is a psychological thriller with all the twists and turns expected. If you pay close attention you can figure out who did it but for a very unexpected reason! Great reading for pure escapism. I honestly can't wait to read the next Lee Callaway book.
Profile Image for Sally.
89 reviews
October 20, 2022
The premise was a good one, but I just felt that the writing style was too simplistic and too many holes in the plot.
Profile Image for Loyce.
10 reviews
February 23, 2021
Great Book

Great book, I highly recommend it!! I didn’t figure it out until I read it, that is a sign of a good book!!
83 reviews2 followers
December 23, 2017
My First & Last Book By This Author: Story Doesn't Hold Up

I don't know if it's carelessness or arrogance on the part of the author that accounts for his depiction of actions that either logically don't make sense, and/or fail to conform to scientific fact. One particularly egregious example: lab tests which (impossibly) revealed the presence of rohypnol and chloroform in blood taken from the "accused" several days after his alleged ingestion, which were then "ratcheted up" to another level of implausibility when the storyline suggested this evidenced his innocence. Conversely, the motive attributed to the accused was also problematic: having expected to receive some money from the victim (who was his daughter) in a few months as the result of a trust fund she would be getting, he killed her when he learned she had changed her mind. How this was supposed to "work" as a motive was not clear to me since the money was not yet in her estate when she was killed, nor was there any information (other than presumption, I guess) that the father was actually an heir to the estate. Admittedly, the author could have "fixed" this problem - with an explanation - but it the fact that the author failed to "do so" (ie, provide an explanation) in the first place that is my point. He "skated" instead - just as when he "told" the reader to accept "his" medical statements at face value. (P.S.: I did find the Calloway character entertaining .)
Profile Image for Thomas Riddell.
115 reviews5 followers
April 1, 2021
A good murder mystery is always a good go-to when searching for a captivating story to read. This one had a plot that peaked my interest over most other murder mystery scenarios. There are so many complicated layers to think of when considering that a family member would be involved in the murder of a very young woman- especially when it’s the victim’s father who is being fingered as the murderer. This is the kind of situation that would tear a family apart and when writing about these sort of circumstances, one can envision a lot of emotional upheaval and edge of your seat conflict.

The story picks up near the end, as the author managed to keep my eyes on the page, but the first ½ to ¾ of the book was a bit of a disappointment for me. The author had a tendency to over describe what each character was thinking and the dialogue was clipped and uninteresting. I have found that when an author engages his readers with interesting dialogue and has already laid out a good plot, which this one was, it should be left to the readers imagination, which would automatically fill in the thoughts of the characters. The characters had potential but they also fell a bit flat.

All in all, it was still an interesting murder mystery and the question comes to mind: What would push a father to kill his own daughter and did he?
Profile Image for Stacy.
67 reviews1 follower
July 23, 2018
This was a good who-dunnit, but there was a lot of extraneous reading in the book. I think it was because the author was introducing the main character - Lee Callahan - and I hope to read the subsequent books and see where the author takes Callahan. The storyline was intriguing enough for me to keep reading, but there were obvious errors made by the police that were just wrong and if they did it in real life, they would have been DESTROYED in the media. If the detectives had done a little more investigating rather than just jumping to conclusions without looking into ALL THE FACTS, the case might not have been so quickly judged and a poor man's life destroyed. Also, the fact that Paul's attorney was in his father-in-law's attorney's group, that was a COMPLETE CONFLICT OF INTEREST!! So, all in all, a good read, but if you're a seasoned mystery/procedural-reader, just try and overlook the inconsistencies and read the story for what it is - maybe an introduction into a character that we hope will be more in-depth and get better in the future, or maybe just a good passtime. It is NOT the end-all beat-all of police procedures. A good read anyway, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Myprivatebookclub.
805 reviews8 followers
April 7, 2021
I finally managed to start a series from its first book. But, unfortunately, I did not like the book enough to continue with the series.
I found the book very dry and superficial. Even the story was not complicated enough, as the book ended just as I expected. No surprise at all and I cannot even say that I usually manage to foresee the killer in mysteries.
The main character to be, Lee, drove me crazy - the first half of the book he was just wandering about, doing nothing, looking and acting miserable. He was doing thing not related to the main plot at all and was involved with dark and irrelevant issues. His miserable personal life also irritated me - can’t at least one detective have a decent personal life?
I stopped paying attention at some point, because I could not figure out and I do not remember reading who killed Kyla’s mother.
Paul seamed so out of everything, he was not even actively defending himself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews

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