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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Five-Star LA Noir,
By Dan Mitchell (Ventura, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dark Side (Paperback)
I heard David Sherman speak as a member of the Mystery Writers of America's panel at the prestigious Santa Barbara Festival of Books. I'd planned to see Ray Bradbury receive a lifetime achievement award, but Mr. Bradbury arrived late. I settled for the mystery panel, and I wasn't disappointed.David Sherman spoke extensively about his on-the-spot and in-the-field research for his debut mystery, THE DARK SIDE. His research shines through in the novel. It marks the debut of Jack Murphy, an LA detective of today. The plotline involves Murphy being hired to find a missing teenager. Complications arise, and Murphy struggles both to find the girl and himself. The book features believable villians and fascinating secondary characters. This work represents the best of noir fiction being written today.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE DARK SIDE,
By
This review is from: The Dark Side (Paperback)
Carrie Sanders was supposed to spend the night with one of her girlfriends on Halloween night. But the fifteen year old never made it to her friend's house, which was only about a mile down the road from where she lived in Lake Point, Wisconsin. No one saw her after she went out of the door of her home that night, except a Greyhound bus employee, who said he sold her a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. After a long search by the police, the neighbors, and her parents revealed no trace of her, her father, Raymond Sanders, hired a local private detective to try and trace Carrie down. But all Philip Jenkins found was a bullet to the back of his head, thus ending his search. This wasn't going to stop Raymond as he knew his daughter was out there somewhere, and he was going to find her, and so three weeks after Carrie became missing, he hired Jack Murphy, private detective, to continue the search for her. Jack had never handled a missing person's case before. After going through a particularly heart wrenching divorce he had left his home in Lake Point, and relocated to Los Angeles. There he opened Mid-City Confidential Investigations, and mainly took on dead-beat dads, insurance claims, and cheating spouse cases. But due to a referral from a friend of Jacks, Mr. Sanders wanted Jack to investigate and find his little girl. Before he could start his search for Carrie, he had to repay a debt that he owed. Arturo, while robbing a liquor store, had saved Jack's life when he got caught innocently in the middle of it. In doing so, Arturo had been captured and sent to prison. Jack wanted to pay back the debt by helping Arturo reenter society. And so after picking Arturo up at the prison, when he was released, Jack took him back to his apartment and gave him a job with the agency. What follows is a ride onto itself. THE DARK SIDE takes you on the trail of the rich, the not so rich, the famous, and the not so famous, and into the dark and seamy side of child porn. The story is full of the dark and dangerous side of Los Angeles, but even when you are in gang territory and feeling very uncomfortable as to what could happen, you are also laughing at some of the comments and antics of Jack and his sidekick Arturo. I loved THE DARK SIDE. It was full of tears, terror, laughs, comedy, and above all it kept me glued to the pages. Mr. Sherman is a natural. THE DARK SIDE reads like a Raymond Chandler mystery, but with it's own special flavor. THE DARK SIDE is the first in Mr. Sherman's Jack Murphy books, and what a first it is. I just cannot wait for the next one to come out. Mr. Sherman has introduced some of the most intriguing and complex, characters to come along in a long time. And I want to get to know each and everyone of them better. There is of course Jack Murphy himself. A man who has had a bad experience with women, and is fighting his own demons to over come the result. Then there is Arturo, a hard core ex con, gangbanger who has a heart of gold, and with whom you cannot help but love. But don't let him know that, and don't cross him. Then there is Nadia. In love with Jack, but can she overcome the old wounds that he has, in order to capture his heart? There are many, many more exciting and wonderful characters in THE DARK SIDE who will have you laughing, screaming, and crying through out the book. You will absolutely be disgusted by some, feel badly for others, and hate even more of them, but you won't be sorry you met them. Mr. Sherman has brought to life the city of Los Angeles in a very, true to life way, and uncovered some of the parts of it that most people would never know about because they wouldn't dare venture into it. I recommend that if you like the private eye versus the bad guy type of novel, you have to get a copy of THE DARK SIDE immediately. This book is going to sell fast, so hurry before they are all gone, otherwise you will miss one of the best books you will read in a very long time. Mr. Sherman is on his way to the top of the charts, and believe me you will want to follow right along with him.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well-conceived and well-executed story,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dark Side (Paperback)
One never knows where great writers will pop up. David J. Sherman has dabbled at a variety of vocations, from truck driver to record store owner. He turned to writing full time in 1998, starting with short stories, and joined all the writing organizations. The Dark Side is his first published mystery. Originally hailing from Racine, Wisconsin, David is now a Southern California resident with his wife, daughter, and black Lab named Emily.Jack Murphy is a private investigator, having gone through one of the most painful experiences in his former life as a cop...accidently shooting a kid. His wife has left him for greener pastures, but still enjoys needling him. His secretary and he have a sexually charged relationship, and anyone on the outside can see they are mad for each other. Raymond Sanders hires Jack to find his missing daughter. This is Jack's first missing persons case, but it doesn't take him long to figure out that Carrie Sanders has become a sex slave to a high profile scumbag. His investigation leads from a child pornography video operation to the exportation of young girls to parts unknown: "His eyes seemed to puff out and get redder than they already were. 'Look, I graduated from the New York Film Institute. I'm a real producer.' 'Why not get a decent job, then?' Mike dropped his stare to the desktop. 'DiMarco runs some card games around town and I got into him deep. He told me I had a choice. I could either pay off my debt, or work it off.'" Told from the traditional first person, private dick with Arturo "the muscle"as his sidekick, the plot of The Dark Side is old hat. However, David J. Sherman manages to infuse new life into the L.A. Confidential type of plot. Jack Murphy comes across as a guy with a lot of heart who needs taking care of by his tatoo decorated side kick, Arturo, who provides muscle and also a lot of heart. The twist is, in this case, the prominent businessmen are the true vultures and the struggling private eyes are the true heroes. Sherman's characters sparkle with emotion, as his plot draws the reader in for a ride that establishes a higher notch for right and wrong, justice and injustice. Sherman has produced a well-conceived and well-executed story that breathes new life into the concept of what has gone wrong in the world. An exciting and satisfying read. Shelley Glodowski
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