| | |  | Terrorism | Home » » Dark Side of the Moon (Laura Cardinal Series, Book 2) | | | | | | | Description: | | "Dark Side of the Moon takes you on a perilous descent into a shadowy underworld where light cannot reach, trust can be fatal, and the deepest truth is only another lie. Once again J. Carson Black delivers a harrowing nonstop thrill ride that will eclipse every other suspense novel you read this year!"
--New York Times Bestselling Author MICHAEL PRESCOTT
How do you evacuate a whole city?
The world has already seen what happens when you try to evacuate even a small city like New Orleans.
But what if that city was Las Vegas?
Truckloads of low-level nuclear waste traverse the western highways every day, passing through the heart of at least two large American metropolitan areas. What if one of these trucks ended up in the middle of Las Vegas, C-4 explosives strapped to the undercarriage? In J. Carson Black's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, trucker Bobby Burdette has come up with the ultimate extortion plot, but first he must shake the ecoterrorist group which got him this far. Nothing will stand in his way—nothing and no one—except DPS investigator Laura Cardinal.
A detective with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Laura Cardinal troubleshoots homicides in small towns. When a young couple on their honeymoon is found shot to death in a campground in Williams, Arizona, the consequences go far beyond a simple murder investigation. Teamed with a partner who is working her last nerve, and visited by the ghost of her mentor, deceased homicide cop Frank Entwistle, Laura is already walking an emotional tightrope.
As she investigates this double homicide, Laura uncovers a chilling portrait of the dark side of love. And when she learns of one victim’s ties to an underground organization called the Earth Warriors, she is plunged into a high-stakes conspiracy played out against the unforgiving backdrop of the Mojave Desert---where there are no second chances.
Praise for J. Carson Black’s DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, the first book in the Laura Cardinal series:
“A superb debut…Welcome to a strong new voice in American crime fiction.”
--T. JEFFERSON PARKER, Edgar Award-winning author of CALIFORNIA GIRL
“Black can make you believe she is the first person ever to use the material she does.”
--Chicago Tribune
“Stunning!”
–New Mystery Reader
“A first-rate police procedural…A white-knuckled thriller…”
--Romantic Times
“A dark, brilliantly-plotted police procedural.”
–Midwest Book Review
“Black never lets up the pace for an instant.”
--SF Site
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Average Customer Review:
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 terrific police proceduralJan 03, 2006
By Harriet Klausner
Arizona Department of Public Safety criminal investigators Laura Cardinal and her new partner Richie Lockhart investigate the murders of camping newlyweds, college students, Dan Yates and Kellee Taylor by Cataract Lake. Apparently someone fired a shotgun through the tent when the married couple was sleeping killing both. No footprints anywhere near the crime scene or any evidence surfaces as the assailant seems to have gotten away with the homicides.
Laura still recuperating from her last case with a serial rapist-killer (see DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN), struggles not to kill Richie, who gets on her nerves with his unprofessional (at least in her mind) attitude. Still the case comes first; she obtains a copy of the list of wedding guests and begins her inquiries with the male victim's sister, Shana and her boyfriend Bobby Burdette. She soon finds seemingly "coincidental" links including a potential eco-terrorist threat to the nearby Colorado River and her deceased former mentor Frank Entwhisle haunts her without helping her with her investigation, but nothing provides the motive to the double homicide.
Though Laura's life seems a bit more cluttered then in her debut tale, she remains a terrific courageous law enforcement official struggling with a case that has no clues at the crime scene and no motive to who would want both dead. To solve the double homicide, Laura needs to make a paradigm switch on why both were murdered. Fans of police procedurals will appreciate her latest investigation which is handicapped by an albatross of a partner and a ghost who offers nothing except doomsday ramblings.
Harriet Klausner
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Outstanding thriller--add to your reading list nowApr 27, 2006
By George Borgie
Arizona Department of Public Safety detective Laura Cardinal goes to Grand Canyon gateway town Williams, Arizona to investigate the murder of two NAU students shot to death in their tent in a campground near town. J. Carson Black tops her first race out of the gate (Darkness on the Edge of Town) with this superthriller made visceral with a suberb story of love gone bad and a well-integrated subplot of ecoterrorists who hijack a government semi-truck carrying plutonium waste. The twists and turns in this subplot draw the reader into surmising the identity of the young couple's killer, only to find out in a gut wrenching climax how the real killer was propelled to commit the crime. One of Black's strengths is the ability to bring characters into a here and now reality that makes the reader live within the book. J. Carson Black is definitely an author to be watched. Can't wait for the next book!
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
A Psychological ThrillerApr 24, 2006
By Karen Brichoux
In this second book of the Laura Cardinal series, J. Carson Black takes the reader to a small Arizona tourist town that is reeling from a double murder of two locals. In the very first chapter, Black introduces the idea--through the voice of the man who will become a leading suspect--that so much in life is not what it seems; not what it looks like; not what you hoped for. That theme continues throughout DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, where no one is what they appear to be and dreams are based on lies.
While I enjoyed Black's first book in the series, DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN, this second book is even better--a full-on psychological thriller that explores the need for illusion and the lengths people will go to maintain those illusions. The ongoing story of Laura Cardinal also moves front and center as Laura copes with her fear of death and the collapse of her personal life. I'm eagerly waiting for the third book in this series!
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 typo typhoidMay 11, 2011
By Ka
Dark Side of the Moon, the second in the Laura Cardinal Series is a great story but I have never seen so many typos in my sixty years of reading. It's distracting and, at times, infuriating. Is the editing the problem or is the Kindle the problem? It is ridiculous. Could they at least get the names right? I've put the Kindle down several times with the intention of writing this review, only to stop and give it another chance, hoping it will stop. But, no, it does not stop; it gets progressively worse. Did no one proof read this book?! Are you kidding me? There are literally hundreds of typos. Very disappointing as I love the story. Shame on you.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Sunny Side of PsychosisJan 29, 2006
By Park Man
This one was a real twist when the perpetrator was revealed. But the crimes weren't the only story here. Background for the story was the multiple indiscretions and seemier side of life of a rural town that really has a lot to hide. This story really kept me wondering who was doing what to whom, and with a large cast of characters it keeps you guessing the motivation behind the crimes. Laura really gets cast as the sympathetic character here and goes through the emotional and psychological meat grinder during the investigation. Looking forward to see what she does next!
See all 32 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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