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Deadly Departed: An Afterlife Whodunit
DEADLY DEPARTED is an unconventional mystery that unfolds in an even more unconventional setting: the hereafter.
Constable Philo has a new murder case on his hands, one that bears a striking resemblance to the only other murder he has ever investigated, an unsolved homicide that occurred 50 years ago. Despite the passage of time, it appears that the territory’s only practicing serial killer has struck once more on Philo’s watch. What complicates both cases for the veteran constable, however, is not that the murders were committed a half century apart, but rather that both victims were already dead; then again, so is Philo.
Welcome to Rue, an extraordinary next world inhabited by ordinary people who have kicked the bucket before their appointed time, people like Constable Philo and the pair of dead-again victims for whom he seeks justice. When the unseen killer fixates on some newcomers to Rue, Philo exploits that fixation in an attempt to lure the fiend out into the open. And while the constable makes every effort to safeguard those newcomers, his quest to ferret out the DEADLY DEPARTED unearths a toxic mystery that is rooted in Rue’s enigmatic past. As a direct result, Philo’s new murder case burgeons into an über whodunit, one that, if left unsolved, imperils every being in Rue, a place where no one ever dies—normally.
Constable Philo has a new murder case on his hands, one that bears a striking resemblance to the only other murder he has ever investigated, an unsolved homicide that occurred 50 years ago. Despite the passage of time, it appears that the territory’s only practicing serial killer has struck once more on Philo’s watch. What complicates both cases for the veteran constable, however, is not that the murders were committed a half century apart, but rather that both victims were already dead; then again, so is Philo.
Welcome to Rue, an extraordinary next world inhabited by ordinary people who have kicked the bucket before their appointed time, people like Constable Philo and the pair of dead-again victims for whom he seeks justice. When the unseen killer fixates on some newcomers to Rue, Philo exploits that fixation in an attempt to lure the fiend out into the open. And while the constable makes every effort to safeguard those newcomers, his quest to ferret out the DEADLY DEPARTED unearths a toxic mystery that is rooted in Rue’s enigmatic past. As a direct result, Philo’s new murder case burgeons into an über whodunit, one that, if left unsolved, imperils every being in Rue, a place where no one ever dies—normally.
509 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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July 15, 2011
Deadly Departed – Sometimes Life after Death can be a Killer!
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Author: Tom Ryan
Format: Kindle
The newly appointed constable of Port Isle was understandably anxious as he approached the lumber mill. After all, this was his first death investigation. As he and the mill supervisor walked into the expansive and dangerous lumber yard, the supervisor explained his shock and dismay at the gruesome accidental death of a young female office worker crushed under a stacked log pile that had given way. In an attempt to uncover and positively identify the body, the constable finds evidence clearly showing that the log pile did not give way by accident and that the tragic death was in fact murder. While the mystery of who committed such a crime plagued the constable, and even more and perhaps greater mystery filled his mind –how was it that one could be murdered in the land of those already dead?
Tom Ryan’s “Deadly Departed” is definitely not your run of the mill (pun intended!) murder mystery and that is its strength. If you can imagine a cross between David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” then you might be somewhere in the ballpark of what “Deadly Departed” is like. “Departed” is an imaginative and clever romp into a unique “purgatory-esque” afterlife. Ryan creates such a unique and at times bizarre world that it is almost impossible to guess how the plot will resolve and unfold. None-the-less, it all works resulting in a very entertaining read.
Ryan’s writing is spot on – good pace, great descriptions, impressive world building, engaging characters and fun turns of phrase. I have no idea if Ryan intends this to be a series, but with a world so unique one could see how this could really blossom into a multi-novel offering. If you like standard fare and mainstream reads, this may not be for you. If however, you enjoy something very different that will likely be something you remember for quite some time to come, you won’t be disappointed in “Deadly Departed.”
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Author: Tom Ryan
Format: Kindle
The newly appointed constable of Port Isle was understandably anxious as he approached the lumber mill. After all, this was his first death investigation. As he and the mill supervisor walked into the expansive and dangerous lumber yard, the supervisor explained his shock and dismay at the gruesome accidental death of a young female office worker crushed under a stacked log pile that had given way. In an attempt to uncover and positively identify the body, the constable finds evidence clearly showing that the log pile did not give way by accident and that the tragic death was in fact murder. While the mystery of who committed such a crime plagued the constable, and even more and perhaps greater mystery filled his mind –how was it that one could be murdered in the land of those already dead?
Tom Ryan’s “Deadly Departed” is definitely not your run of the mill (pun intended!) murder mystery and that is its strength. If you can imagine a cross between David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” then you might be somewhere in the ballpark of what “Deadly Departed” is like. “Departed” is an imaginative and clever romp into a unique “purgatory-esque” afterlife. Ryan creates such a unique and at times bizarre world that it is almost impossible to guess how the plot will resolve and unfold. None-the-less, it all works resulting in a very entertaining read.
Ryan’s writing is spot on – good pace, great descriptions, impressive world building, engaging characters and fun turns of phrase. I have no idea if Ryan intends this to be a series, but with a world so unique one could see how this could really blossom into a multi-novel offering. If you like standard fare and mainstream reads, this may not be for you. If however, you enjoy something very different that will likely be something you remember for quite some time to come, you won’t be disappointed in “Deadly Departed.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review