Terence Faherty books

Anthologies

Owen Keane Mystery Reading Order

Scott Elliott Mystery Reading Order

Short Stories/Novellas

Short Story Collections

Standalone Novels

Worldwide Library Mystery Reading Order

Terence Faherty is an American mystery writer from Trenton, New Jersey, known for two long-running detective series and his short fiction in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. He studied at Boston College and Rider College before settling in Indianapolis, where he worked as a technical writer. Through the Indiana Writers Center, he met visiting British mystery writers who encouraged his fiction, leading to the publication of his first novel, Deadstick, in 1991.

Faherty’s Owen Keane series follows a failed seminarian turned amateur detective whose investigations into small human mysteries reflect a deeper search for spiritual and existential answers. The New York Times called Keane a “metaphysical detective.” His second series features Scott Elliott, a former Hollywood contract player who became a private investigator after World War II, solving crimes against the backdrop of the declining studio system. Come Back Dead, the second Scott Elliott novel, won the Shamus Award for Best Private Eye Novel.

Beyond his novels, Faherty is a prolific short story writer. His work has appeared regularly in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, earning multiple award nominations including Edgars, Anthonys, and Macavitys. His collection The Confessions of Owen Keane gathers stories featuring his signature detective, while Tales of the Star Republic follows a reporter investigating paranormal phenomena for a Midwestern newspaper. He is also a member of the Baker Street Irregulars.