Bless Me Father is a classic “who done it?”

It’s a story of love lost and love found amid contemporary social issues of homelessness, addiction, and bringing the untouchable to justice. Cloistered conversations in the confessional are sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous. It is a modern-day crime mystery with character depth, a forbidden love, and a resurrected cold case.

Early readers have described the debut novel of Tom Walsh as thrilling and entertaining. Parts of the story echoes themes such as: the forbidden love of “The Thorn Birds;” the scandal of “Spotlight;” and the mystery of crimes long past of “Mystic River.”

It’s a definite page-flipper and a worthwhile read.

Tom’s earliest education began in parochial schools in San Francisco. At 19 he took a summer job in the motor pool two floors underground at a large public utility. He finished his Management degree at night at St. Mary’s College of California and by the time he left the utility company 20 years later, he had ascended the management ranks, regularly meeting with company officers on the top floor. During that time, he honed his skills in writing business proposals while contributing articles to trade publications and company newsletters.

Outside of work and school he wrote and performed music with a rock band in clubs around Marin and Sonoma counties. Continually seeking new challenges, he took management positions in Bay Area startups that developed innovative consumer electronics. He saw the start-up environment wane and was asked to return to the utility now during bankruptcy. Then as a self-employed consultant he assisted utilities, consumer electronic start-ups, and companies in the food industry. Somewhere along the way he was also the owner-operator of a popular restaurant. All the while, Tom’s artistic endeavors continue to be freelance journalism and music.


Tom is married with two children and lives in Sonoma County.