Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadstick | 1991 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 2 | Live To Regret | 1992 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 3 | The Lost Keats | 1993 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 4 | Die Dreaming | 1994 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 5 | Prove the Nameless | 1996 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 6 | The Ordained | 1997 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 7 | Orion Rising | 1999 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
| 8 | Eastward in Eden | 2013 | Terence Faherty | Buy |
The Owen Keane Mystery series by Terence Faherty follows Owen Keane, a man who dropped out of the seminary and never quite found his footing in ordinary life. His compulsion to investigate mysteries, both criminal and existential, made him one of the more distinctive amateur detectives in crime fiction. The New York Times called him a “metaphysical detective,” while the Philadelphia Inquirer named him one of the “freshest, most appealing figures in crime fiction.”
The series began with Deadstick (1991), which was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Over eight novels spanning more than two decades, Keane investigates disappearances, deaths, and secrets while grappling with questions about faith, meaning, and his own restless nature. His cases often take him to small towns and forgotten corners of the American landscape.
The books should be read in publication order, as Keane’s character develops across the series. The Owen Keane short stories, collected in The Confessions of Owen Keane (2005), expand on the world of the novels and are best read after the first few books.