The Sacred Disc - Softcover

West, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966452046 ISBN 13: 9780966452044

Publisher: Salvo Pr, 2000

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

Only in California would a New Age cult's holy teachings be contained on a 5 1/4" floppy disk--hence the title of West's droll, fast-paced debut novel set in the San Joaquin Valley. Bob Fisher, a Vietnam vet with a Ph.D. in history and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity, falls into the detecting business when he inherits an agency with an efficient secretary, and he soon earns a reputation for trouble after an on-air fistfight with an unscrupulous televangelist. Now he accepts his first important sleuthing gig: finding the missing floppy for Yogi Ben Barr and Baba Der Ursus, the mysteriously wealthy leaders of the Eternal Truth Temple. The trail leads to Christy Baker, Tom Hammerhill and Angie Fernandes, all lapsed members with a grudge and a mission. After Tom is murdered, Christy turns to Fisher for help. Later, the police pull Angie's body out of a reservoir. In the process of discovering that many of the temple members are reformed drug addicts, Fisher gets to sleep with Christy and her mother. He also takes a beating from three thugs who wear cowboy boots, speak Spanish and are in the employ of a noted dealer. A lame conclusion and a detective in the familiar retro, smart-alecky, morally flexible mold will gain the author few marks for originality, but an assured and easy style should win him converts. 4-city author tour. (Mar.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Someone has stolen the original text--on computer disc--of the Eternal Truth Temple's beliefs, so the California cult's co-founders hire a private detective to find it. The inexperienced Bob Fisher sets off eagerly enough, but soon finds himself involved in the suspicious murder of a man on the Temple's short but detailed list of possible provocateurs. Fisher, a Diet Pepsi addict with a doctorate in history who inherited the agency, and the resourceful single mother who knows how to run it make refreshing protagonists. Multiple murders, drugs, and deception round out the plot. A strong focus, laconic prose, and wry outlook make this first novel, winner of the first annual Salvo Press Mystery Novel Award, a recommended choice for most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Salvo Pr
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0966452046
• ISBN 13: 9780966452044
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192