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The 24th Letter  By  cover art

The 24th Letter

By: Tom Lowe
Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
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Publisher's summary

A priest hears the confession of a frightened prison inmate, and he learns that a man facing lethal injection in 84 hours is innocent. The lead investigator on the high-profile case was his old friend, Sean O'Brien. And now O'Brien has a chance to right a horrible wrong. But he has less than 84 hours to uncover clues to a crime that sent an innocent man to death row.

Appeals have expired, and the man will be executed unless O'Brien can find evidence that points to the real killer. The 24th letter in the Greek alphabet - omega - may provide the key to uncovering the killer's identity.

Evidence may not lie, but evil does. And when the original killer comes out of his lair, O'Brien is in a race to save two lives: the man on death row and his own.

©2009 Tom Lowe (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The 24th Letter

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Great suspense thriller!

The 24th Letter, which refers to Ω [Omega] the 24th and final letter in the Greek alphabet, is the second novel in the 8 novel (so far) Sean O'Brien mystery/thriller series by Tom Lowe. I previously reviewed novels 1 and 8 in the series. O'Brien is a retired Miami homicide detective. This novel uses a tried and true method of building suspense: desperately searching for the actual killer when the innocent man convicted of the crime is only hours from execution. O'Brien arrested and testified against the innocent man on death row 11 years ago. Michael David Axtell narrates this entire series perfectly.

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12 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Too many cliches and repetition.

I truly enjoyed reading Tom Lowe's first novel and had high hopes for this one. The storyline and plot were intriguing but it could have been told with two thirds of the words and half of the adjectives and adverbs. Perhaps I noticed it because I was listening instead of reading. Often I thought get to the point, how many times is going to repeat this. There were also too many cliches, both in wording and in plotting. As disappointed as I was I'll probably try one more by this author because of the potential I saw in the first book.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent

What did you love best about The 24th Letter?

I loved searching for the clues and what they meant along with Sean O'Brien. Many clues you solve but then you discover an even deeper layer to that solved clue that adds that "aha" moment. I love the reoccurring characters in the series and Sean's dog.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It does keep your interest and you hate to stop it even when you know you have to go to bed.

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1 person found this helpful

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another great book by Tom lowe

really enjoyed this book .I listen while I sew and really liked it.I am going to download another Tom Lowe book.

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Not bad, just off

I am not quite sure what isn't meshing between me and these stories. They seem illogical at times, similar to the kinds of problems typically found in TV or movies. I like the way the author and narrator handle most of the non Sean O'Brian characters. I have a disconnect with Sean. His quick finds of material other cops have missed and his disregard for all of the laws he is breaking also get under my skin. A lot of the problem may be that I am used to 400 page books with a similar amount of goings on, so those authors had a lot more space for character development.

I already own the next 2 books in the series. I hope the author finds the zone for these stories. The first in the series had some mysticism in it and this one relies more on miss direction and plot twists. They both seem to benefit from the authors knowledge of crime, but sometimes he strays from letting the story cover the issue and has a character, out of character, explain it to the reader.

A decent action romp, if you don't let the little problems get to you, but not the kind of book I tell my friends to check out.

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    4 out of 5 stars

a few minor problems. one big one.

You don't walk out of prison after 11 years with the driver's license. Net picking? Yeah probably.. But a detail that should have been same to.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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INTERESTING SERIES!

I think this is going to be one of my favorite series. The Tom Lowe and Michael David Axtell combo is one of the best in my listening career. It's been a long time since I've found a series that makes me want to move immediately into the next story. I will continue to review each time I complete a book in this series. We'll see if my fascination continues.

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Thrilling to that VERY end

True to past books, Tom Liw weaves a thrilling story line with such intensity as to keep the listener or reader enthralled to the very end!!

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  • Overall
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The Convict and The Priest

A convict, Sam Spelling is shot on the steps of court house where he is about to testify as a witness in a drug trafficking trial. After a rush to the ER, he gets a glimpse of hell as he literally dies while waiting for the doctors to resuscitate him. When Father John Callahan shows up to visit a parishioner, Sam sees him and frantically calls out to him. Sam confesses that an innocent man has been imprisoned for the murder of super model, Alexandria Cole, and will soon be put to death by lethal injection. Telling the priest his part in the deception, Father John tells Sam to write out his confession as soon as he returns from surgery. And he assures Sam that God is merciful. This is the second in the Sean O’Brien mysteries series, and WOW! It is superb! It kept me up listening to the wee hours. After Father John learns of the innocence of Charlie Williams, the man on death row for the murder, he enlists the help of his old friend, Sean O’Brien in apprehending the real killer. Sean was the Miami police detective responsible years earlier for Charlie Williams arrest for the murder. But before Sean could get to the church to meet with Father Callahan, he is brutally murdered, the confession of Sam Spelling lost or stolen, and time is running out for Charlie Williams. Nothing is as it seems, kind of like going through a hall of mirrors in a circus, totally distorted. The countdown until Charlie Williams’ lethal injection coming at you like a freight train, and no one in the legal system listening. Talk about some heart palpitations! GREAT BOOK!

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Loved the Book

I really enjoyed this audible book. I read the book several months ago and enjoyed the characters and character development. But WOW the audible book was terrific and I had to force myself to pause the book when I had to complete other tasks. Michael David Axtell is an outstanding narrator and his portrayal of "Nick" is absolutely masterful. I've just finished "Black River" and while not quite as good a story as "The 24th Letter" the narration was again outstanding. Overall I am really enjoying these Sean O'Brian books!!

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