The Dead Detective

Dead Detective #1

by William Heffernan

Harry Doyle was murdered as a ten-year-old child and brought back to life by two Tampa cops. Twenty years later he has dedicated his life to putting killers behind bars as a homicide detective who has the unwanted ability to hear the postmortem whispers of murder victims. Dubbed 'The Dead Detective' by his fellow cops, Doyle now faces his most difficult case - a beautiful murder victim who was a notorious child molester. It is a case that will shake Harry to his very core.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

340 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2010

About the author

William Heffernan, a three-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, is the author of eighteen novels, including such bestsellers as The Corsincan, The Dinosaur Club (a New York Times bestseller), The Dead Detective, and Tarnished Blue (winner of an Edgar Award). Heffernan lives outside of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Reviews

[pdbkwm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The synopsis, the beautiful cover, the main character, the mystery. It all sounded amazing!

Then I read it and I don't know what happened. I did like the story, but the book had three major flaws.

The characters:

Very one dimensional and very cliched. It's almost like every stereotypical cop had to be in this novel.

The dialogue:

Never felt real. I would never hear cops speak like this. Ever. Thanks to CSI, more people are aware of the forensics team, but most cops don't call them CSI. So why do they do it here?

The main female character:

She's lucky enough to have her own category. Like the rest of the characters, she's a typical female cop. Strong, brash, and ends up falling for the wrong guy. Despite her many years on the force, she brings personal matters into the case for no reason. The sad thing is that if she wasn't in the book, the book would still go on fine. She was horrible.

....Okay, I lied. There are four things.

The synopsis mentions a potentially cool power for the main character, but nothing really happens with it. I was a bit disappointed in this, but that might just be me. When I heard about the power, I remembered Through Violet Eyes and got my hopes up for a novel in the same vein as that. That was my fault though, so I can't really complain about that.

If there is a sequel, I'll read it to see what happens next.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging police mystery - lotsa twists. A few bits of profanity but they stop after a chapter. Not religion-friendly (at least In first two novels by this author). An excellent narrator.

[Marina Pavlichenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Гарри Дойлу было 10, а его брату 6 лет, когда их мама, двинувшись кукушечкой, напоила братьев снотворным, унесла их в гараж, положила на пол возле выхлопной трубы, завела машину, закрыла гараж и отправилась в церковь на воскресную службу. Соседи услышали звук работающего двигателя, вызвали полицию, и прибывшие патрульные успели откачать Гарри, а его брату помогать уже было поздно. Маме дали пожизненное, а Гарри усыновил спасший его полицейский. Мальчик вырос и тоже стал детективом, и т.к его практически вернули с того света, все называют его "мертвый детектив" и считается, что убитые делятся с ним секретом своей смерти (на самом деле нет, просто Гарри подмечает все детали).

Но это была присказка, буквально половинка первой страницы и знакомство с главным героем)))
Основное действие начинается, когда Гарри поручают новое дело - убийство скандально известной в городе очень красивой растлительницы несовершеннолетних мальчиков. В тот же день Гарри получает нового напарника (точнее, напарницу) и вместе они довольно бодренько начинают искать преступника.

Задумка была - просто конфетка. Я прям потирала руки от нетерпения, и меня даже не смущали те фразы, которыми разговаривают герои, как я почти сразу споткнулась о свой личный пунктик: в сюжете фигурирует церковь, а это практически всегда значит, что возмущенный пастор будет повышенным тоном говорить "да как вы посмели даже подумать такое, а потом еще заявится со своими грязными мыслями в дом Господа нашего Иисуса Христа!!!", а потом всячески мешать расследованию. (спойлер -всё так и было:))) Но я бы и с этим смирилась, не угадай я убийцу примерно в первой трети книги. Автор над этим героем только что указательную стрелочку не прикрепил. Еще там была психолог с ооочень странными выводами типа "у него в юности было три привода за хранение травки, ну конечно же это признаки социопата", сексуальная соседка главного героя, грязный коп, стриптизерши, болота Флориды и крокодилы. Замес чуть ли не как в сериале "Настоящий детектив", и атмосфера такая жарко-тягучая, но блин.... хочется выругаться и с хрустом закрыть телефон, как периодически делал Гарри (книга написана в 2010 году, тогда телефоны еще умели так делать:))))

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic old-school detective work: I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until I read this new novel from Akashic Press. I’d heard Heffernan was good, and I’m sorry I waited so long to read one of his titles. Everything about this crime novel speaks to the traditional style of ‘whodunit’ mysteries: it has an ensemble cast of police characters (the high-level brass is a bit stereotypical), an intelligent criminal, and a string of intersecting events that complicate the search for the killer. Best of it all, it has a badass detective who isn’t simply a genius, but rather a team-player with a special sensitivity for victims and with insight on human nature.

Harry Doyle is The Dead Detective, a nickname he acquired when his past caught up with his career as a policeman. As a child, his mother attempted to murder him and his brother, and only Harry was able to be resuscitated. Adopted by a policeman, he grew up with understandable hatred for his mother and a desire to help other victims. He appears to sense details that others overlook. He also has a somewhat unique ability, for an accomplished detective, to keep both superiors and underlings happy.

The case in this novel, which I hope is the beginning of a series, is about an infamous female schoolteacher, a pedophile who preyed on a teenage student. Her murder early on is mysterious, as she was supposed to be under house arrest. The location of the crime scene, as well as further murders that may be related all create a twisted web for the detectives to unravel. Harry guides a team to the solution, all the while dealing with the impending parole of his mother (who happens to be intent on finishing her work of killing Harry). This is a smart and, at times, snarky novel that makes you hope Harry Doyle reappears with another case to solve.

That said, I had a few technical difficulties with the book. Small things really, but they did distract me a bit from the narrative in a few places. One was early on when a significant witness is being questioned about her friendship with the victim. Despite the detective's focus, she never asks what or if anything happened to her friend, which didn’t ring true. It seems that at that moment, her response would have been to ask what was going on. Her lack of curiosity struck me as 'off'. The other problem I had was an element of foreshadowing that became too obvious-the author repeats, quite often, that the murderer could be right amongst them. Too much information, and I’m not sure why the novel needed that not-so-subtle clue. In any case, these distractions are not significant enough to ruin a really great crime story.

[kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I borrowed this audiobook on Hoopla is that I first saw The Scientology Murders: A Dead Detective Novel, which is the second book in the series. I have had some bad luck elsewhere with reading books that come later in a series and this was less than 10 hours long, so it seemed like a small price to pay to get to the main event: murderous Scientologists!
Anyway, this first book is pretty mediocre. The backstory to the Dead Detective is vaguely interesting, but the communication that Harry Doyle supposedly receives from the bodies of murder victims seems like it could just stem from empathy and intuition. Which is a good thing in a detective, but the blurb for the book makes it seem like this is going to be more of a Pushing Daisies-type situation. Instead we get told over and over that Harry is in tune with the dead because HE WAS DEAD HIMSELF. His intuition puts him at odds with his partner, a tough woman who has transferred to murder from sex crimes, who is a useful but not terribly original foil.
I guessed who the killer was pretty quickly (all those years of reading Agatha Christie have made me deeply suspicious of least likely characters), and I'm hoping that Heffernan wanted to give the impression that he was nowhere near as smart as he thought he was, because for all his maneuvering to point the investigation elsewhere, he left glaring mistakes which wouldn't require supernatural communication with the dead to investigate. His motivation was also pretty thin. He's supposedly a serial killer who targets SINNERS, but most of his victims are just a result of him trying to cover his ass because he wasn't very bright in the first place.
This review has gotten a bit out of hand, so I'll wrap it up with one final observation regarding the post-case developments in Harry's personal life. I get that Harry's mother is a crazy person who believes that her sons should be in heaven so they can be with Jesus. But would a parole board really be so desperate to open up space in prison that they would let this "reformed" child killer go? And Harry's big dramatic gesture at the end of throwing her letters in front of the parole board and storming out without any further explanation was beyond idiotic. This woman has told him multiple times that she wishes he was also dead, and he just expects the board to find that out for themselves from the letters? For someone who supposedly promised his dead brother that he would do everything he could to keep their mother in jail, he did a shitty job.
In spite of my complaints, though, I am still planning on listening to The Scientology Murders: A Dead Detective Novel. I'm a sucker for Scientologists.

[Josée · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with giving this novel 2 or 3 stars.

While I enjoyed reading about Harry's personal story line with his mother, I didn't much like the direction of the actual plot. I figured out the killer a third of the way in, which isn't a deal breaker, but there was no build up, no rising action or tension... I did a lot of speed reading by the end of it.

On top of it all is my dislike for Vicky. She was a throw away character: there only to allow Harry to explain himself or give opposition. Sometimes she was smart enough to do the job, other times she was clueless. So much for being a partner.

And so I give it two stars -for so so characters, a so so plot, and yes, I too was hoping for a cool supernatural power.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of snappy dialogue and strong characters. The story seemed to have been ripped from the newspapers; Darlene Beckett is a child molester who is trolling bars for pickups. She is killed and left with the word 'evil' etched into her forehead. It is up to Harry Doyle, the dead detective, to find out who the murderer is. More bodies will fall before the grand finale.

I thought why Doyle was called 'the dead detective' was original and graphic. I enjoyed the story, even though I figured out the murderer before the end of the story. I look forward to finding the next in this series.

[Robert P. Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am mystified as to how certain books receive rave reviews and are listed as top mystery books. This book starts out promising, the first scene is wonderfully done and interesting characters are introduced.

But quickly things go off the rails. The author has a clear hostility toward fundamentalist Christians and the characters who are church people are portrayed in a one dimensional manner.

We again get the brooding detective who is dealing with so many traumas in life. We get plot developments that at times are surprising but not all that interesting.

And we get an ending that is too neat and wrapped up.

[Trish R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just an ok book. Harry Doyle was likable but there was no talking to dead people. He just looked at a dead person and felt what they might have felt just before they died. The synopsis wasn't very good when describing the story-line, it made it seem like Harry actually talked to the dead and it was far from it. It was very disappointing. However, I will read the second book, just to see what a reviewer was talking about it having an "epic fail" ending. And to see what happens to Harry's insane mother.

No sex and the F-bomb was used 39 times.

As for the narration: John McLain was barely ok. His men's voices were good but the females sounded just like the men.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE DEAD DETECTIVE by William Heffernan is the first title in Heffernan’s series by the same name - the dead detective.
Darlene Beckett is found in the Brooker Creek Preserve - posed in a provocative position with her throat cut and a Mardi Gras mask on her face. Harry Santos Doyle and his brand-new partner, Vicky Stanopolis get the call.
Complex characters and a very layered plot make this book an excellent read. The sense of place was very good; descriptions of the many-layered law enforcement community interesting; and a thinly veiled distaste of, and blatant bashing of sleazy, cultish, evangelical, brainwashing religious groups was very much appreciated.
I had just finished THE SCIENTOLOGY MURDERS and wanted to check out this first dead detective title. I’m glad I did. A great read.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

So predictable. I called the killer almost immediately. Was hoping for some sort of twist. But it didn’t happen. I just waited for confirmation I was right until the end. The writing felt so forced. And there was so much unnecessary descriptions of everything. Why all the fluff? I don’t care what kind of couch is in the office or the 30 plants at a scene. Will I read the next book? Yes. Do I recommend this book? No.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, even though I guessed who the killer was about halfway through. I appreciate the look into the harsh hypocrisy of religious extremism and judgment that foments violence. I like Harry, but Vicky is less likable, and this is probably a failure of the author to write a strong female character without the stereotypical flaws of being hypersensitive and man-hating. I hope he's figured out some of this with his next book with these characters. I'm willing to read it.

[Marcia Whoolery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down

Harry maybe one of my favorite detectives with this rare and disturbing backstory. His present is dictated by that past. I look forward to seeing how he will rise above trauma to make a life.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever have one of those books that begin so good you don't want to put it down, but then soon loses you? That was this one for me. The story was interesting enough, I just didn't care who killed a woman who needed to be killed years earlier.

[Peter Fiske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. Not bad, just okay.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good audio. loved the characters and plot.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent hard-boiled detective story. The characters were bland and the story a bit long for the eventual outcome... but overall a decent read.

[Anie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable. But an ok summer read

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

figured it out way too quickly but I think I like the detective.

[John Raspanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable but predictable plot...writing was crisp.

[Kingsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

111110

5/10

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Harry Boyle, homicide detective
SETTING: Florida
SERIES: First in a new series?
RATING: 3.5

Harry Doyle and his younger brother, Jimmy, were murdered by their religious zealot mother when he was ten years old. She drugged their juice and put them in the garage, turned on the car and closed the door. By sheer chance, a neighbor notices something suspicious; the rescue workers are able to resuscitate Harry, but Jimmy dies. Since that time, their mother has been in prison and Harry is determined that she will never be released. She is clearly mentally ill. Each year on the anniversary of the murder, she sends him a letter reinforcing her desire for Harry to be united with Jesus. And each time that she is up for parole, Harry fights to keep her incarcerated.

Fortunately, Harry was raised by a solid set of parents in a foster home. He is now a homicide detective in Florida. His colleagues have nicknamed him “the dead detective”; they believe that what happened in Harry’s youth has enabled him to hear the dead speak. Although he denies that is the case, it is true that he seems to be able to intuit what the victims felt before they died.

Doyle has just been assigned a new partner, Vicky Stanopolis, who had been working in the sex crimes unit. Her experience comes in handy on their latest case, which involves a murder victim who was a child molester. Darlene Beckett was a beautiful woman; the fact that she initiated a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy ultimately led to her arrest. Heffernan provides some excellent insights on child abuse, with some very thoughtful writing. Darlene obviously had some psychological problems; after her release from prison, she preys upon weak men, one of whom may be her killer.

Although Harry was an intriguing character, the portrayal of Vicky didn’t ring true. When she became Harry’s partner, there was no breaking-in period. She acted as if she had been in homicide for years instead of days and had a lot of attitude. She was openly skeptical about Harry’s way of doing things, when she hadn’t earned the right to criticize. Some of the secondary characters lack depth, including the prime suspect.

THE DEAD DETECTIVE is a solid police procedural with an unusual protagonist. It’s refreshing to find a homicide detective who isn’t a lone wolf; Harry is very much a team player who has a special affinity with the victims of the crimes that he investigates. The added touch of the deranged mother threatening Harry’s well-ordered life adds another dimension to the narrative.

It has been seven years since Heffernan’s last book. Based on the conclusion of the tale, the door is open for Harry Doyle to become a series character. That is welcome news for hardboiled crime fiction fans.

[Leslie Zampetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heffernan's got a winner in Harry Doyle, the laconic detective who was murdered by his mother as a child. Yep, dead. But Harry's no ghost; he was brought back to life by the police officers who responded to a neighbor's call for help.

In Harry's debut, he has to solve the murder of a child-molesting teacher who's free on parole. While the murderer is fairly obvious, Heffernan keeps things lively with several potential suspects, a good noir tone, and likable characters interacting realistically. The lovingly detailed Pinellas and Hillsborough County, Florida settings are a big attraction, too - especially for readers familiar with the area.

The only real drawback is the simple plot and less-than-professional editing. It's a real turnoff to be stopped in one's reading tracks by an inappropriate homonym or typo that should have been caught by the editor. Unfortunately, this is happening more and more in all levels of publishing - even the big houses.

Here's hoping the cliffhanger at the end from harry's personal life leads to a second book - fans of modern noir could use some more beach reads this summer.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book by the title and the premise that Harry shared some bond with the dead through his own death. That angle and Harry’s feelings for his mother are quite well developed. The rest of the story is a pretty straight up and down police procedural focusing on the hunt for an unstable serial killer. The characterisation is quite nicely realised, but the characters are cookie-cut from the genre’s tropes - Harry has a reputation as being a brilliant detective, a tough guy with hang-ups, who is happy to skirt around proper procedure (think Harry Bosch or Rebus); Vicky is the hyper-sensitive female cop with a large chip on her shoulder; the Church minister is mainly concerned with reputation and growing his flock and has a wayward son who has been trouble with the law, etc. Whilst Heffernan lays down a series of red herrings, the plot is fairly mundane and to a seasoned crime fiction reader the identity of the killer is fairly obvious a good distance from the end of the book. That all said, the story is well told and Harry Doyle is worth spending some time with.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is seriously addictive. The plot was fascinating and although I figured out 'whodunnit' it was still a good read. I loved the fullness of the characters and the sheer amount of them. I loved the gruesome bits and the multiple sub-plots and story lines. It was really very good. I loved and hated Vicky in equal measure. I thought Jeanie was so sweet and wished she was in it as a more centeral character. I loved the character of Lucy Santos, Harry's religious fanatic mother. the tensions and plots and supporting characters were well-drawn and felt real. Some of the frustrations and anger they faced, also felt very authentic.
One thing that bugged me, though, it was the overuse of the words like 'cold' and 'hard.' Also the constant repition of the phrase, "I would bet my...." I don't know if Heffernan is making some sort of point or is emulating popular slang, it just got annoying.

[ABC Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heffernan's latest venture is a police procedural set in Tarpon Springs, FL. The new character Harry Doyle is well written, though my fear is that a series character, from Heffernan, might not be my cup of tea. I've only read one of his other works where a series character existed and while it was fine, I felt like books like A Time Gone By and Beulah Hill were stronger stories.

I realize it's not fair to compare The Dead Detective to those other books. It's just a matter of preference for me. Regardless, this new story was worth reading and I'll happily check out some new work in the series as it emerges.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good police procedural, nicely plotted (except I suspected "who done it" in the beginning). The twist here is Harry Doyle is called the "dead detective" because is mother murdered him and his younger brother when they were boys. He was brought back to life by the cops, but his brother died. His mother is still in prison for these crimes, and one of the sub-plots is Harry's determination that she should stay there. He also claims that dead bodies "talk" to him about their killers. Sometimes Heffernan's writing reminded me of Michael Connelly's, but Connelly usually has more twists in his plotting. All in all, a good read.

[Laura Hannaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! This is a classic detective story featuring Harry Santos Doyle a thirty year old police detective who was murdered by his mother twenty years before. That was a hell of a back story to begin with, but then the murders start happening, and child abuse and religion are thrown into the mix and this book had me totally in its grip. I loved it and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. As for the ending....! I really hope this merits at least a sequel because the set up was perfect and Doyle would be a great protagonist in a new series. Highly recommende.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good summer read. I bought into the main detective character enough to care about him and believe in him, but the book loses points with me because I knew who the murderer was before our protangonist did - by at least 150 pages! He should have been checking out this guy way before it slapped him right in the face! Still, good storytelling and goog job of setting up the next book. I'll definately be looking for it soon!

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's the dead detective for two reasons. One, he nearly died as a child when his mother tried to kill both him and his brother. He survived, the brother didn't, and the crazy mom went to jail. Two, he has an intuitive ability to look into the eyes of dead people to determine their last emotions.

I'd have rated this higher, but I was able to figure out waaaay too early whodunit.