Shared Disbelief
J. David Core
File Size: 416 KB
Print Length: 178 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00TU7CRG4
BOOK BLURB: Pittsburgh PI Lupa Schwartz is out of his element, coerced into helping local police flush out a serial killer that is re-enacting the history of human sacrifice and martyrdom. Lacking the right skills to handle the case alone, he has been forced to give his chronicler a much larger and more dangerous role than her normal one as his Watson.
Gamut Magazine reporter Cattleya Hoskin has covered Lupa’s work on many occasions, but his dependence on her in this case is unsettling. Asked to help subvert the FBI’s interference with the case, and further taunt the killer by using her media contacts, her professional ethics are stretched to the limit.
With a killer bent on attacking religion by literally attacking the religious, Lupa and Cattleya face their hardest and most draining case yet. Relying on their individual strengths as much as each other, they’re determined to put an end to the murders for good – even if it means crossing lines that should never be crossed.
REVIEW: There is a little bit of a Sherlock and Watson feel to the relationship between Lupa and Cattleya, especially as those characters are played on the television show, Elementary. Lupa is very smart, well-read, and sometimes acts superior to those around him. Carrleya is equally smart and well-read, and often puts Lupa in his place. Half of the fun of watching the TV show is waiting for Watson to stand up to Sherlock.
The mysteries in the Lupa Schwartz books are always fascinating, and I love the interplay between Lupa and all the supporting players, Bev, Trevor, Mia, and all. Their dialogue is often witty and sometimes snarky, and that is fun to read.
While doing her part to bait the killer in Shared Disbelief , Cattleya has a crisis of faith, and while some of the focus on that was fascinating – J.D. does a tremendous amount of research – I started wishing that we could get on with the investigation and the story. If you have an interest in the history of religions, you will probably appreciate getting to know some details that come out, and all that focus did connect to the main story. The editor in me just wanted to highlight a few places where some of it could have been cut.
The copy I received was an uncorrected proof, and the book is available for pre-order at Amazon, so perhaps some of that was taken care of in the final edition. I do love the covers of the Lupa Schwartz mysteries, and the two central characters are very engaging. That is what keeps me reading.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J. David Core has worked in the newspaper industry as a photographer, in the online publishing industry as a weekly contributor to Streetmail.com, and was a contributing writer to the Buzz On series of informational books and to the Western online anthology, Elbow Creek. His science fiction novel is: Synthetic Blood and Mixed Emotions In addition to writing books, J.D. also does a terrific podcast at The ThrillsandMystery.com . Each week short stories or book excerpts are read, and there is quite a nice array of stories.
J.D. currently resides in his childhood home in Toronto, OH with his beautiful girlfriend and his teenage daughter. He enjoys participating in local community events and visiting with his two adult children and his grandson.