The Books

FICTION:

All of these books can be purchased at Amazon 

The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series:  Book 1 Angel of Death

 

Angel of Death has been the recipient of three literary awards - The IDB Award in 2014 and The new Apple Award, 2014, for Excellence in Independent Publishing, and the Bronze Medal from Readers Favourite Awards, 2015, in the Murder Mystery category.

Prominent figures in Belfast are being murdered. The bodies are left naked and posed in grotesquely distorted shapes. No clues are left at the forensically immaculate crime scenes except odd theatrical props and some random numbers and letters concealed at each scene by the killer. How are the victims linked? What is the connection between these killings, the bible, and a famous mediaeval painting of The Last Judgement?

Novelist and screenwriter (Film and TV) Eugene Fournier has this to say about Angel of Death:

A disturbingly deep and satisfying Irish novel that pretends to be just an intriguing murder mystery set in Belfast. Despite its dark topic and the gruesome series of almost medieval killings that form its backbone, The Doom Murders surprises the reader with its wonderfully warm yet constricted microcosm of police and crime scenes, victims and suspects. Everything is drawn with an acerbic pen - whether it's the city, its institutions, or the gaggle of fascinating characters that populate the novel - all are at once engaging and, at the same time, flawed….but everything is authentic and thoroughly Irish… The serial crimes are thought-provoking, the clues make sense and the motivations ring true and all is resolved in a very satisfying manner.

Buy Angel of Death on Amazon  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Death-Inspector-Sheehan-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CN3GPCFC/

Book 2:    Die This Hour

Three people are murdered on separate Tuesday evenings at precisely 11.05. Random clues point to random suspects, but too many questions remain unanswered. Why 11.05pm for each killing? 

Is there any connection between these deaths and a rape that occurred at Queen’s University twelve years before? What is the connection between the killings and Sergeant Stewart’s mystery informant? Who is the violent stalker who twice nearly kills Detective Allen? What is his connection, if any, to the murders?

 When one of his team is kidnapped, Inspector Sheehan has literally only minutes to make sense of these questions if he is to save his colleague’s life.  

Brian O'Hare is an intelligent storyteller who takes his chosen genre a decent literary distance beyond your average 'Whodunnit'. Murder investigations must be like this in real life: the discovery of layers of complications and interwoven situations which tell the reader things worth knowing about the human condition, regardless of the mysteries being unravelled. You will have your suspicions throughout but patience and perspicacity are needed to tease through all the possible patterns and arrive at a final point where all the pieces fit. And, of course, you can confidently expect a few surprises before the end! One for the connoisseurs of this genre. Congratulations brian O'Hare on a well-crafted piece of work.
                                              [Robin Chambers, Author of the Myrddin’s Heir Series]

 Buy Die This Hour on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Death-Inspector-Sheehan-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CN3GPCFC/


Book 3:  Killer of Souls

 

Killer of Souls opens with a horrifying account of a ritual Black Mass and a human sacrifice in an abandoned church. Twenty-one years later, near an old ruined church in an area of outstanding natural beauty, Chief Inspector Sheehan and his team discover the skeleton of a young woman. 

But what seems initially to be a straightforward case, brings the team into conflict with a powerful Satanist who has plans to offer up to Satan another human sacrifice on the evening of the great Illuminati feast of Lughnasa. 

Several murders occur, baffling the Inspector until he makes a connection between the modern murders and the twenty-one year old skeleton. The team’s pursuit of the murderer and their determination to protect a young woman who is targeted by the coven, leads to a horrific climax in a hellish underground crypt where Sheehan and his team, supported by an exorcist and a bishop, attempt to do battle with the coven and a powerful demon, Baphomet, jeopardising not only their lives, but risking the wrath of Satan upon their immortal souls.

Wow, what a ride that was!  It was scary. [C. Todd, Beta Reader]

Next time you hear anyone say that murder mysteries are never well-written or literary, shove this book in their face. [Willcape, blogger]

The end took me completely by surprise. I’m willing to bet there are few out there who will guess this one.  Denna Holm, Para-normal and Sci-fi novelist.

Why isn't Brian O'Hare better known in the crime writing world? This man is extremely talented. [Joseph Sousa, crime Writer]

Head and shoulders above most mystery authors who are published today, Brian O’Hare deserves far wider recognition. [A.C. Amazon ]

Book 4:   Murder on the Dark Web

I am Nemein. I am not a murderer. I am emotionally detached from my killings. I am, therefore, an instrument of Nemesis, a punisher. 

 This is a theme running through a number of blogs on the Dark Web, written by a serial killer. He is highly intelligent and employs philosophical argument to justify a series of gruesome murders. However, he describes the killings in lurid detail, and with such gloating relish, that he utterly negates his delusion of detachment and reveals himself to be a cold-blooded, narcissistic psychopath.

Sheehan and his team rush headlong down a series of blind alleys in pursuit of the psychopath, who continues to murder his victims with impunity. He is fiendishly clever, utterly ruthless, and tests Sheehan's famed intuition to the limit. 

 Indeed, Sheehan only learns the truth during a horrific climax when some members of his team experience a most harrowing ‘laceration of the soul’ that they will never be able to forget. It is unlikely that the reader will either.

This is mystery writing of the highest quality by an author who deserves very wide recognition. Grady Harp, January 20 [Amazon reviewer]

One of the best murder mysteries I have ever read. HoboSez [Amazon reviewer]

Brian excels at exposing the dark side of human beings who lead public lives as high and mighty members of society. [Amazon reviewer.]

Buy Murder on the Dark Web on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Dark-Web-Inspector-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CN657BQ4/

Book 5:   Murder of a Runaway

Alina Balauru departs a poor farm in Romania for well-paid work in Northern Ireland. Lin Hui and Cheung Mingzhu have won scholarships from Shenzhen University in China to study at Queen’s University in Belfast. Three lives harbouring long-cherished dreams. Three lives headed for tragedy.

Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit, discover the body of a beautiful Chinese girl in the garden of an upmarket residence. Confronted with violent Chinese racketeers, brutal people traffickers, and a fiendishly clever killer, they are baffled by a case that seems to lead in two entirely different directions. They learn about the three victimised young women. One has already been murdered. 

Can they find out who The Shadow is in time to save the other two?

This was certainly a dark but brilliantly written book that kept me gripped from beginning to end. [Samantha Wells Amazon Reviewer]

Someday we will speak of Brian O'Hare in the same breath as other great crime novelists, such as Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, and Jo Nesbo. [Laurent Duperval Amazon Reviewer]

The characters' emotions are visceral and real, and as the reader it's impossible not to respond to that. That is amazing writing! [Shannon Matheny (Amazon Reviewer)]

Although it is a work of fiction, it provides us with a powerful reminder of what everyday life is like for some people, even today. One of my favourite police procedural series. [Olga Miret, Ph. D, M.Sc (Criminology) Author and Blogger.]

Buy Murder of a Runaway on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Runaway-Inspector-Sheehan-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0CN9VRQ9L/

Book 6:   Conduit to Murder

An elderly woman is battered to death in her country home.  

Two small keys are discovered in an ornamental antique walking stick. An international art forgery operation might not be what it appears to be.

A brutal psychopath is bludgeoning people to death. He has no fear of the law and violently attacks Sheehan’s car in a bid to retrieve the two small keys. He takes orders from a mysterious personage whose identity is not even known to those who work for him. The murdered lady’s Antiques shop seems to be at the centre of a major criminal enterprise.

But what exactly is the crime?

The investigation leads to the South of France where more violent murders take place. Back home, Sheehan suffers a double blow. The killer has kidnapped his wife, and someone close to the investigation is feeding information to the sinister controller.

Will Sheehan be able to unmask the mole and rescue Margaret before he has to hand over the keys?

Conduit to Murder will be available for purchase from Amazon in the Spring of 2024.

Book 7  THE FOURTH VICTIM

A child buried alive.

Three lawyers battered to death.

A judge murdered in his own home.

DCI Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit investigate the murders of three solicitors.  Revelations about the victim’s shady dealings offer Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit a large number of solid suspects.

Yet one suspect stands out above the others. Having suffered abominably at the hands of all three solicitors, it appears that a grieving mother has a powerful motive to kill all of them. Evidence piles up against her during the investigation and for many on the team there is no need to look further for the killer.  

But DCI Sheehan isn’t so sure. When a fourth victim is murdered, he is forced to look at the entire investigation with fresh eyes. Is the evidence against the key suspect as solid as it appears? Is some dark personage in the background pulling strings and manipulating events?

When Sheehan starts to look for the puppeteer, events escalate to an explosive climax.

The Fourth Victim will be available for purchase from Amazon in the Spring of 2024

Book 8:    Marked for Death.

Sir Theodore Hayes was a hard and unpopular businessman. There is no shortage of suspects for his murder. What Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit don’t know, however, is that the New IRA had a hand in Sir Theodore’s killing.

And that is only the first move in a terrorist plan that is set to ‘rock the British Isles.’

A three-time loser offers Sheehan information that the IRA is planning something huge on the day of Sir Theodore’s funeral.

Distracted by two further, seemingly unconnected murders, having no clue about the nature of the threat or its location, Sheehan and his team spend frantic days vainly trying to uncover the plot. 

On the morning of the funeral, and with the hours racing by, Sheehan’s brain is in turmoil. He still has no idea about what the New IRA has planned.

Can he glean enough from the myriad small clues rattling through his head in time to stop the terrorists?

Marked for Death will be available for purchase in the Spring/Summer of 2024.

CONTEMPORARY FICTION

FALLEN MEN

A young priest's life spirals out of control when long-submerged memories of childhood abuse begin to surface. He seeks solace in a friendship with a beautiful seventeen-year-old-choir girl but this leads to a doomed love affair that ends in disaster. 

Fallen Men touches on some dark themes but it is ultimately a novel of redemption. 

It has won the Amazon IDB Award in January, 2013 and has also won Top Medallist Honours in the General Fiction category of the prestigious New Apple 2015 Awards for Excellence in Literature..

Some significant critics have this to say about the book:

"Great story…I could not put it down when I got to the second half. Well written, great characters. The psychological aspects are key.” - Stephen Frankini, Publisher, Tumblar House Books. 

"O’Hare has a pleasant, easy-to-read writing style. I have written five books and edited five others, so I realize the hard work and effort that go into writing a full length novel...There are aspects of this book that I thoroughly appreciated. The topic of sexual abuse is dealt with sensitively. There are no attention-seeking graphic descriptions. The flashbacks of child sex abuse and the depictions of the depression, guilt and breakdown after a rushed abortion are particularly well done. I found the court sequences to be believable and compelling. This is definitely an author with natural storytelling ability."  - Ellen Gable Hrkach, Reviewer, Catholic Fiction

“A story that is both current and gripping. It has distinctive and credible dialogue and beautifully forged characters. It is clear that the writer is a keen observer of human nature. I genuinely enjoyed reading this book.” - John Anthony, Publisher, Pink Cloud

Buy Fallen Men on Amazon.com   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallen-Men-Story-Three-Priests-ebook/dp/B009BPHVDE/

NON-FICTION:

The Miracle Ship

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE READING BUT EVERY WORD IS TRUE!!

Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in demonic possession? Do you believe in exorcism?  John Gillespie has been gifted with a most extraordinary power. This true account of his life and ministry, of the miracles and deliverances that follow his prayers, will amaze you. If you read and liked Miracles Do Happen, you’ll love The Miracle Ship.

The Miracle Ship was awarded Top Medallist Honours in the non-fiction category of the 2015 New Apple Awards for Excellence.

 Like the prophets of old, every so often God raises up a special person to address the needs of their generation. John Gillespie is a man for our times.  [Eilish Cummins, daughter of Larry Cummins]

This is a fascinating story of an incredible man. His journey has been fleshed out in an understandable, yet thought-provoking manner through the able pen of O’Hare  [Luana Erlich, author of One Night in Tehran, When Camels Fly, etc.]

Spoke directly to me and forced me to re-assess myself, my beliefs, my faith, my spirituality, and just about everything I thought I knew   [Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko, author of Mirror of Our Lives, etc.]

 

Buy The Miracle Ship at Amazon   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracle-Ship-Conversations-Gillespie-2016-03-06/dp/B01FJ30N4A/

A Spiritual Odyssey: Diary of an Ordinary Catholic

 

"A Spiritual Odyssey" is the compelling story of a six-year journey on two converging paths - a burgeoning spirituality, and a dramatic physical degeneration that took the author to the doors of death. It is essentially a witness to the miraculous grace of God, and how it reaches into both soul and body. The author describes in detail his medical journey to a liver transplant while, at the same time, struggling with questions of a theological nature. The questions, however, are not academic. They emerge from the practical, often confusing circumstances in which the author finds himself as he copes with dying and tries to understand his growing spirituality.

Significant commentators had this to say about A Spiritual Odyssey:

"Some of the medical descriptions chill the blood but the religious explorations are heart-warming, ranging from reading theologians as different as Sean Fagan and Basil Hume, to a meeting with the sensible and down-to-earth Sister Briege McKenna, and to a pilgrimage through the holy places of France, all of which makes this a fine exposition of the riches of the Catholic tradition." - David McLaurin, The Tablet

"...well written and should appeal to readers who draw inspiration from accounts of others' experiences. Of interest to public libraries." - Denise J. Stankovics, Connecticut Library Association Review, USA  

"Intelligent and sensitive...very moving...gives a graphic account of suffering and anguish...gives us wonderful vignettes of people he met on his journey. His description of Lourdes is truly evocative and marvellous." - Anthony Redmond, The Irish Catholic 

"A courageous book, deeply fascinating. I believe it will do a lot of good." - Sr. Louise Hume, Abbess of The Poor Clares, Australia.

"I read it with enjoyment and, I hope, profit. What distinguishes it from other
spiritual works is the clarity of the prose and the honesty of the author." - Professor Art Cosgrove,Vice-Chancellor, University College, Dublin

"This is just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed, and was impressed by your Spiritual Odyssey. It deserves a very wide readership as it has the potential to do a lot of good for God’s holy people. I have bought extra copies for friends who will be deeply touched by it." - Fr. Sean Fagan, International Theologian, lecturer and writer)

 Buy A Spiritual Odyssey at Amazon.   https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spiritual-Odyssey2-Brian-OHare-ebook/dp/B0CP8C8HD1/

THREE SHORT SHEEHAN STORIES

The new Inspector Sheehan Shorts have now been published by Crimson Cloak and are available on Amazon, Smashwords, Ingrams in both ebook and paperback.

MURDER AT THE ROADSIDE CAFE

It's an ordinary day at Sam's roadside diner, with the usual mix of customers. But when the lights fail a gunshot rings out - and one of them lies dead. Detective Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan must unravel a string of coincidences to determine who is the murderer.

MURDER AT THE CARE HOME

Elderly Wilhelm Huntzinger lies dead beside his wheelchair.

Inspector Jim Sheehan must discover who among the residents of the Woodlands Care Home released the brake to send him plunging to his death: but does the answer lie in the German ex-officer's wartime history, or is it to be found nearer to home?

The latest of the Inspector Sheehan series is a short story that can double as a party mystery game: create teams, read the story aloud, and see who can guess the murderer!

MURDER AT LOFTUS HOUSE

Adrienne Davies visits Loftus House, home of her old friend Margaret and her difficult husband Edward. There's no love lost between him and his other house guests, or indeed his own family. After a tense packed evening, in the middle of the night someone screams ...

A Country House. A Murder. Five suspects. Detective Chief Inspector Sheehan investigates.

This compelling short story can be used as a murder game scenario at parties, or enjoyed as a standalone Jim Sheehan mystery.