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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2022
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Lissa Brewer
lbrewer@dailyastorian.com
New thril er features unlikely pair of friends
By ZOË BUCHLI
For The Astorian
L
ooking to hunker down with a
suspenseful thriller during these
chilly winter months?
Astoria author William
Dean’s second novel, “The
Ghosts We Know,” hit book-
shelves last month. The page-turner
follows a pair of unlikely friends
as they set out on a mission to take
down a predator wreaking havoc on
their small Oregon hometown.
The book closely follows Dean’s
debut novel, “Dangerous Freedom,”
which was released in August. Like
its predecessor, the novel is largely
inspired by people from Dean’s life.
In the debut, Dean focuses on
fi gures encountered throughout his
career as a journalist, but this time
he turns the lens on personal con-
nections. The protagonists in Dean’s
latest work take after his father, Leo,
and one of his father’s close com-
panions and often parallel the rela-
tionship they had.
“It’s a thriller, but it’s also a
story of redemption and friendship,”
Dean said.
The plot follows two aging vet-
erans, Harry and Friedrich, as they
work to put a stop to a child predator
tormenting their small town.
“They decide to rid the town of
this dangerous predator who is tar-
geting children,” Dean said. “The
police are getting nowhere, and
panic spreads throughout the com-
munity. So they decide to take mat-
ters into their own hands and launch
their own investigation.”
Throughout the process, the two
often fi nd themselves in the cross-
hairs of some sinister people.
Dean describes the book as
a more ambitious storytelling
endeavor than “Dangerous Free-
dom” since the story is delivered
from the perspectives of two protag-
onists instead of just one.
Dean’s father enlisted in the U.S.
Army in 1944 during World War II
with hopes of fi ghting the Nazis,
Dean said. The elder Dean fl ew
dozens of missions over the Pacifi c
Ocean in a B-29 bomber. Decades
later, he befriended a Bavarian man
who, while not aligned with the
Nazis, served on Germany’s side in
the war, even while he was sure that
Germany would lose.
“It was amazing for me to see
them become an inseparable pair,”
Dean said of his father and his
friend.
Dean’s father passed away about
a decade ago. He was reluctant to
talk about the war, his son said.
“When we were younger, me and
my brother were always begging
him for stories, but we could never
get him to tell us about it,” Dean
said. “He didn’t want to talk about
it, he just said, ‘I did my duty, and
that was it.’”
Much of what Dean later found
about his dad’s pursuits and accom-
plishments, including Purple Heart
and Distinguished Flying Cross
awards, came from written records
and citations.
“They would really only confi de
in each other,” Dean said, adding
he thinks his father would be proud
of the book but certainly would not
have helped with the writing process.
The book’s lead characters share
this reluctance to tell war stories,
except to one another.
‘The Ghosts We Know’ is by Astoria author William Dean.
When he’s not writing, you can
fi nd Dean becoming more active in
the Astoria community. Since mov-
ing to the North Coast just over a
year ago from New York, he’s bought
a house, joined a local mystery writ-
ers group and started writing a beer
column for Coast Weekend.
On top of that, Dean already is
underway penning a third book.
Although in its infancy, Dean has a
grasp on the plotline, which will fol-
low current events. He hopes it could
hit the press in the next year or so.
Because of a COVID surge,
book tours and signings are now
limited, but Dean plans to get “The
Ghosts We Know” into local retail-
ers. Copies can also be ordered on
Amazon in both print and e-book
formats.
WILLIAM DEAN’S FATHER ENLISTED IN THE U.S. ARMY IN 1944 DURING WORLD WAR II WITH
HOPES OF FIGHTING THE NAZIS, DEAN SAID. THE ELDER DEAN FLEW DOZENS OF MISSIONS OVER
THE PACIFIC OCEAN IN A B-29 BOMBER. DECADES LATER, HE BEFRIENDED A BAVARIAN MAN
WHO, WHILE NOT ALIGNED WITH THE NAZIS, SERVED ON GERMANY’S SIDE IN THE WAR, EVEN
WHILE HE WAS SURE THAT GERMANY WOULD LOSE. ‘IT WAS AMAZING FOR ME TO SEE THEM
BECOME AN INSEPARABLE PAIR,’ DEAN SAID OF HIS FATHER AND HIS FRIEND.