Tim O’Mara's "Crooked Numbers"

Tim O’Mara has been teaching math and special education in the New York City public schools since 1987. Sacrifice Fly, his top-selling debut mystery introduced the series hero Raymond Donne, a Brooklyn public schoolteacher who was once an up-and-coming police officer until a tragic accident destroyed his knees and the future he envisioned on the force.

In the newly released second book in the series, Crooked Numbers, Donne draws on his past as a cop to find the truth when one of his former students is found stabbed to death under the Williamsburg Bridge.

Here O’Mara dreamcasts an adaptation of the series:

It took me too long to finish Sacrifice Fly to get my dream cast.

I’ve thought mostly of Damian Lewis—Homeland—as an actor I’d love to see play Raymond. Not only is he good, but you could drop him into one of my family get-togethers (Ray looks like me) and no one would bat an eye. Steve Buscemi would make a wonderful Edgar, but now he’s a leading man due to the success of Boardwalk Empire. I recently saw Coppola’s The Conversation again and got chills when I saw the John Cazale character. He would’ve been perfect for Edgar and I can’t help but thinking he was somewhere in the back of my mind when I created the character.

As for Uncle Ray, hands down, Brian Dennehy, but since it took me so long to finish the book, Mr. D’s a bit on the older side now. Currently, I think David Morse—most recently of Treme—would do a fine job in the role. Wendell Pierce—also of Treme and The Wire—would inhabit the role of Detective Royce. As for Rachel, Ray’s sister, I’d go with either one of the Mara girls, Kate or Rooney. Good actors both, easy on the eyes, and I might get some Giants tickets out of them.

Learn more about the book and author at Tim O'Mara's website, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue