There’s a new star on the horizon and his name is David J. Sherman. “The Dark Side,” Sherman’s first Jack Murphy novel, is a stunning piece of contemporary noir that I simply could not put down once I started it. I took it to the dinner table with me, I took it to the bathroom with me and I took it to bed with me, finishing it up in the middle of the night because I couldn’t go to sleep until I knew how it ended.

Early reviews had people comparing Sherman to Robert Crais and, cynic that I am, I thought to myself "Yeah, yeah, lots of people are compared to Crais..." But the comparison is well deserved in this case and ex-cop turned private investigator Jack Murphy fascinates me like Elvis Cole did in the beginning. “The Dark Side” begins with Raymond Sanders hiring Jack Murphy to find his missing teenage daughter. Missing persons isn’t Jack’s area of expertise, but against his better judgment, Jack agrees to take the case anyway. Along with his ex-con, ex-gangbanger friend Arturo (who I couldn’t help but love even though he’s not what you’d call lovable) and his secretary Nadia, Jack finds himself plunged into the seedy world of pornography and murder.

It’s not often one gets to be in on the beginning of a great writer’s career, so grab the opportunity while you can with David J. Sherman. I think you’ll agree that “The Dark Side” is well worth every suspenseful minute you spend with your eyes glued to the pages!