Press Kit
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About Kevin Barry O'Connor
Short Bio
Kevin Barry O’Connor has been telling stories for as long as he can remember, from childhood living room performances to decades of professional work as a touring comedian, motivational speaker, and now author.
His writing draws on a lifetime of travel – over 90 countries and counting—and a deep fascination with history, culture, and ancestry. With dual U.S.-Irish citizenship and years spent living in Jamaica, Kevin brings a rich global perspective to his work.
He published his first novel, The Key to Kells, on his 70th birthday, embracing aging as an adventure to be met with fun, creativity, and passion.
He lives in Philadelphia and is at work on the next books in the Key Murphy series.
Long Bio
Kevin Barry O’Connor has spent his life immersed in stories – from childhood performances in his living room to professional tours as a comedian, motivational speaker, and now as a novelist. A natural storyteller, Kevin’s passion for weaving narratives began early and only deepened with his years of travel, performing, and exploring.
His writing draws from an extraordinary life, having traveled to over 90 countries and lived in diverse cultural settings, including Jamaica. Kevin’s curiosity about ancestry, history, and the stories that shape us led to his debut as a novelist at the age of 70, celebrating aging as a vibrant adventure filled with creativity and reinvention.
The Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller series, beginning with The Key to Kells and continuing with Threshold and Shake the Jar, blends global intrigue with historical mystery. Kevin’s work is influenced by his deep fascination with how memory and history intertwine, and he often draws on his own experiences in far-flung places to bring his stories to life. The series’ unique blend of ancestral memory, espionage, and globe-trotting adventure has captured readers who appreciate both thrilling plots and rich, historical depth.
Kevin holds dual U.S.-Irish citizenship, a reflection of his personal heritage, and his storytelling often reflects this duality – melding the past with the present, the real with the imagined. His novels explore themes of redemption, identity, and the powerful legacy of the past.
In addition to his writing, Kevin remains passionate about performance and public speaking. He brings charisma and warmth to his appearances, whether it’s at bookstores, corporate events, or community gatherings. Drawing on his 11 years of professional stage performance and a lifetime of storytelling, Kevin’s talks are as engaging as his novels.
Kevin lives in Philadelphia, where he continues to write, travel, and seek out the next great story.
The Key to Kells: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 1


Basic Book Information
Title: The Key to Kells
Subtitle: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 1
Author: Kevin Barry O’Connor
Publication Date: October 23, 2022
Imprint: W.I.N. Ink.
Paperback ISBN: B0BFV28XBR | $14.99
eBook ISBN: B0BDD6GB52 | $4.99
Genre: Historical Thriller / Adventure / Speculative Fiction
Themes: Ancestral memory, historical intrigue, identity, legacy, adventure
Back Cover
A SECRET BURIED IN TIME. A GIFT HE CAN’T EXPLAIN. A CHASE ACROSS CENTURIES.
Key Murphy never felt normal. As a child, strange abilities would flare to life—only to disappear just as quickly. One moment he could solve impossible problems, sense things others couldn’t. The next, it was gone.
Now a police consultant in Philadelphia, Key has spent years ignoring the flashes of insight that make no sense. Until one day, they become something more.
Not just dreams. Not just instincts. Memories.
Memories of places he’s never been, people he’s never met. They aren’t his. And yet… somehow, they are.
His search for answers leads him to Jamaica, where he crosses paths with Arin Murphy, a brilliant anthropologist who’s chasing lost histories of her own. Arin believes the past holds answers—secrets erased by time, hidden in bloodlines.
Together, they follow a trail that leads back centuries, uncovering a mystery that connects Ireland, Jamaica, and the most famous lost manuscript in history—The Book of Kells.
But some secrets were meant to stay buried…
Threshold: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 2


Basic Book Information
Title: Threshold
Subtitle: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 2
Author: Kevin Barry O’Connor
Publication Date: June 28, 2023
Imprint: W.I.N. Ink.
Paperback ISBN: B0C87BZNH4 | $14.99
eBook ISBN: B0C4FDTDP2 | $4.99
Genre: International Thriller / Historical Fiction
Themes: Ancestral memory, assassination plots, global espionage, identity, legacy
Back Cover
A THREAT IN THE PRESENT. A WARNING FROM THE PAST. A COUNTDOWN TO DISASTER.
The explosion. Iraq.
Marine Captain Cat Fahey thought her life ended that day. She’s haunted by visions she can’t explain—visions that feel more like memories. Night after night, she sees a hand reaching for her, pulling her back from death. But when she wakes, she’s homeless in Philadelphia, carrying only one truth:
Someone powerful is about to be assassinated.
And she’s the only one who can stop it.
She needs help. There’s only one person who might believe her.
She has to find Key Murphy.
Shake the Jar: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 3


Basic Book Information
Title: Shake the Jar
Subtitle: A Key Murphy Ancestral Memory Thriller – Book 3
Author: Kevin Barry O’Connor
Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Imprint: W.I.N. Ink.
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9867131-6-8 | $14.99
eBook ISBN: 9798986713151 | $4.99
Genre: International Thriller / Historical Fiction
Themes: Ancestral memory, global espionage, identity, legacy, history
Back Cover
A savage bayonet charge. A flash of musket fire. The soldier fell dead, his face shattered. Arin Murphy stood frozen—an unwilling witness to an 1814 battlefield, reliving a violent moment from her family’s past. The man who pulled the trigger? Her ancestor. To discover who he is and where her slave descendant family came from, she follows his clues from Jamaica to Chile and the Golden Triangle in Thailand.
As the world teeters on the brink of catastrophe, Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to unleash chaos. China stands poised to invade Taiwan, a geopolitical gambit that would plunge Washington into disarray. But deep in Southeast Asia, an even darker conspiracy unfolds. A covert strike is in motion, orchestrated from the very heart of the Golden Triangle.
Key and Arin Murphy entered the most lawless place in Southeast Asia, the center of drug and human trafficking. With both of their lives on the line, Key faces an impossible choice. To save millions, he may have to risk everything. The countdown to global chaos has begun…