Robert J. Shoop

Suspense novel highlights serious danger students may face in school

Robert Shoop discusses teacher-to-student sexual abuse cases in one detective's efforts to track down a serial abuser in "Compulsion"

MANHATTAN, Kan. August 1, 2011 - - As a forensic expert, Robert Shoop has worked in more than 120 school-related sexual exploitation cases. His novel, "Compulsion" (ISBN 1461047560), follows a retired Special Victims Unit detective on a case that links back to his very own childhood.

Detective Adam Faulkner got involved with the Special Victims Unit after the abduction and murder of his childhood love, Julie Romano. Blaming himself for her death, he has spent years of his life tracking down child molesters everywhere. Adam leaves retirement behind when Sarah Abbott contacts him to help her find Tony Shepherd, a teacher who molested her in middle school. As they work to unravel the case, facts emerge that link Tony to Julie's death. Tony appears to still be teaching and Adam and Sarah must race to find him before another child becomes his victim.

At a local middle school in Tupico Flats, Tony is quickly becoming one of the most beloved teachers. He has perfected his act, moving from state to state every few years and changing his name along the way. Having a lovely wife and daughter, no one would ever suspect he is capable of something so awful. He attends every school function, charms his students' parents and volunteers for any responsibility that will give him better access to the children. Tony has his eyes set on 13-year-old Lizzie Sutton, unless Adam and Sarah can stop him first.

"I tried to give a realistic portrayal of this current problem in my novel," Shoop says. "We trust teachers to protect and nurture children, not sexually exploit them."

Shoop believes that his fictional portrayal of sexual abuse of students by teachers is accurate due to his years of experience on these cases. He hopes that his suspense novel will not only entertain readers, but shed light on a serious problem in the school systems today.

"Compulsion" is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author:

Robert Shoop is a professor, educational law expert and nationally-recognized forensic expert in the area of school law, with a focus on sexual harassment, abuse prevention and risk management. He has appeared as a guest on CNN, "The Today Show," ABC's "20/20," ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and Fox News with Greg Kelly. He is the president of Quality Work Environments Inc., where he serves as a consultant to school districts, universities and corporations on the standards of care and harassment and abuse prevention. Shoop has written 19 books and more than 100 journal articles, monographs and book chapters.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Robert Shoop

Email: rjshoop@gmail.com

Phone: (785) 341-7223

Website: http://tinyurl.com/8futpt