Runner's Path

Seamus O'Neill Mysteries #1

by Paul Breen

Madison, Wisconsin, 1996. Nineteen women on a university cross-country team embark on a routine eight-mile run. Only eighteen women finish. Days later, the police find the nineteenth, Andie Sheridan, buried in a shallow grave near the route. The police, the university, and the community cannot understand how someone could attack and murder a woman running in a group. The community braces for more attacks, but none occur.

Two years later, a friend of the victim hires the Ryder Detective Agency to investigate the murder. Seamus O’Neill, an out-of-work local rock & roll musician and part-time detective agency employee, takes an interest in the case and in the victim. Seamus bounces between brewpubs, bars, and rock & roll shows, gaining an understanding of the victim and of the crime. He creates a theory that identifies the killer and explains why there were no witnesses. Yet he has no proof.

Can Seamus O’Neill prove who killed Andie Sheridan?

Genres: Mystery

291 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2022

About the author

Paul Breen plays guitar poorly and spends far too much time on genealogy. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Paul grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and worked in public media at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Paul enjoys running, biking, music, sports, history, and visiting brewpubs. He lives with his wife and family in Madison.

Reviews

[Heidi Van keulen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a Kindle copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway. I was a college student in Florida in the late 80s when a student at my university disappeared while on a run. Her case has never been solved. I was intrigued by the premise of Runner's Path because of the similarities. The protagonist is an alcoholic musician who is scraping by with the help of a job with a private investigator in the late 90s. He was a likable character, even though he was a bit of screw up. The plot moves along at a good clip and I enjoyed the characters. The mystery was interesting, and I would read the next installment.

[Dannielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun mystery from beginning to end. Seamus O'Neill is not a lovable character, but he keeps readers engaged as he drinks his way around Madison and finds answers. I didn't see the solution coming at the end, but it didn't feel contrived or forced. Throughout the whole story, the author does an excellent job of making you feel a deep sense of place as you are toured around Madison. I really enjoyed this book and hope it is the first of many more!

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. O'Neill turns out to have a better mind for solving crimes than the professionals. I found it tough reading with so much drinking going on.

[David Lippiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The character dialogue was relatable and laid a foundation for interesting character development throughout. To me, Seamus is a simple but unique character who I found myself wanting more of. I can’t wait to read the follow up, “A Sudden Interest in Shakespeare.” This book was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in some time. A worthwhile mystery with a relatability that made me smile from cheek to cheek.

[Steve Schernecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - it kept me engaged and I had trouble putting it down. I loved all of the Madison references and was able to picture exactly where things were happening. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully Seamus can redeem himself with Jane - she seems like a good addition to his life!

[Dianna Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting debut mystery novel. It features Seamus O’Neil, a starving musician by night and a private detectives assistant by day. He finds out he can solve mysteries. It’s interesting, fun, funny and sometimes sad. I am looking forward to seeing how clever Seamus is while solving his next mystery!

[Ashtyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and Dutch Hollow Press for a copy of Paul Breen’s debut mystery about a fictional 1996 murder. 

Seamus O’Neill is a ‘rough around the edges’ rock and roll guy who thinks better with a drink in his hand. Working with a detective agency in Madison, Wisconsin, O’Neill helps secure a job investigating the murder of a woman who was killed two years previously while running with her college cross-country team. However, throughout the novel, he does not seem to pull himself together as a character. Despite his intelligence, he drinks excessively and spends his last dollar on beer every night. However, he manages to hold on to his job and attempt to solve the murder, which the police have failed to solve.

The book has a lot of potential, and the murder investigation is well-crafted and keeps the reader engaged. Still, it doesn't leave much room for questioning who the culprit is. The dialogues and relationships in the novel are predictable, but they offer some hope for improvement in future additions to the series.

The novel contains a lot of random details and background that do not pertain to character or story development. Along with excessive redundancy of information and conversations, this book could have easily been cut in half while providing the same murder mystery. 

Overall, it was okay. It is a quick mystery read if you are able to stay interested, but it is nothing to rave about. The series has a lot of potential of growth and creativity from the author.

[Sarabeth Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's just something about reading books that are set in places I've lived and experienced that draw me in - this one being no exception. It's set in Madison WI and follows the mystery of a cross country runner's disappearance and murder. The main character is a thirty something high school dropout, a musician trying to scrape by enough to get him to his next drink who makes a living by helping out at a detective agency. His binge drinking throughout the book got on my nerves a bit, but admittedly, this is set in Madison and if there's one place where this kind of culture exists and is thriving, Wisconsin absolutely is it. The dialogue was clunky at times trying to get out all the meticulous research the author put into writing this, but the mystery itself was exciting to try and solve on the sidelines.

[Kayla Julius · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s some major running math that doesn’t workout correctly and that bothered me quite a bit given it’s importance to the story … maybe not noticeable to non-runners, but if you paid close enough attention you could pick up on it regardless. Also, the main character is awful and a bit confusing overall. With that being said, the mystery plot was well thought out and it’s always fun to support a local author, especially when the book references multiple Madison hot-spots.

[Sharon]

I'm not giving stars because this just wasn't my book. I chose it on Freebooksy because I was homesick for Madison. I don't know if the author had a target audience in mind, but I would say more college-aged, possibly more male though I'm not sure gender is the issue. This was a debut novel and I think the author is good enough to figure out what went right, what went wrong, and keep writing stronger and stronger books as he develops the series.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had potential, but...

I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. I mistakenly thought it was set in Ireland, but it's set in the States. The story was pretty well-plotted, but there were so many printing errors, it detracted from the story. I would only recommend it if all the printing errors were resolved.

[Jesica Lother · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seamus is not a very likable character. How he manages to solve an “unsolvable case” while always in a drunken state, I don’t know. Plus one too many conversations that had nothing to do with anything.

[Jason Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and easy read. The story happens in Madison, WI and the victim is from Janesville, WI, which is where I live. Reading this story that happens in places I know and have been is what intrigued me and kept me interested. Now, I wonder what Seamus is up to now?

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I enjoyed this book, it was a bit easy to figure out, but I still really liked the back and forth. Would definitely read more by this author.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, but the main character was so very unlikeable. Not sure why the author felt the need to have him be a drunk. Would have been much more enjoyable without that part of the story.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Andie Sheridan and why??? Thank you, O'Neill, for finishing her run!!! I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery that kept me guessing til the end. Looking forward to next book in series.

[Crystal Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Sienna S'Zell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good writing, good story, but I could have enjoyed it better without the drunk sidekick.

[James Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating tale

The author has created an interesting and unique plot to go with an imaginative group of characters making this hard to put down

[Jackie Tipton · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star. Honestly surprised I even finished this. Saying it was poorly adapted to audio is being generous. The audio was terrible, the writing was average at best, and the plot was lacking.

[Spike Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid but not great

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed this read. The author used great descriptions so that you could paint the scene in your mind. Looking forward to reading more books by this author!!