Soul Thief
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Night had gone. The early-morning mist would soon give way to the near-black, rain-laden clouds fast approaching from the west. Vickie awoke, trying to remember where she was and why she wasn't home in bed with Doug. She felt lightheaded and lethargic and was surprised that this didn't seem to cause her any concern. She knew there was something she must remember, but whatever it was it stayed just beyond the periphery of her conscious thought. She noticed with calm realization that she was lying in the grass, and the fragrant odors carried on the morning mist were pleasant and pure. She tried to move and found that her strength was insufficient for even the slightest shift in position. She felt neither warm nor cold, as though she would soon float away on a magic blanket, hearing only the sounds of the birds chattering their morning commentary to each other in the treetops and the distant roar of the waves crashing on the beach. She thought how nice it would be to just close her eyes and drift for a while. Then, without knowing how she got there, she was above her body, looking down. She wondered what was holding her in this unique position. What she saw should have alarmed her. She saw herself lying in the dew-speckled grass, clad only in the remains of her tee shirt. Her legs and buttocks were covered with what appeared to be burgundy-colored paint. She was astounded that she could see clearly her own face, her nose obviously broken with splotched and purple bruises along the right side above and below her cheekbone. Her eyes, fixed wide open, appeared to be staring at a single purple wildflower that was nestled in a bed of fir needles and moss nearby. Then a strange sensation came over her, like being in an elevator that smoothly and without sound begins a rapid ascent, and she realized that she was drifting farther away from the scene below. A vivid memory of what had happened to her flashed through her mind. She felt no emotion at the truth, only a deep feeling of peace, free of pain. She knew that for her, life on earth was no more.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Soul Thief
When the urge to kill another human being surfaces, it could be a passing or fleeting moment wrought of anger and quickly forgotten. However, there are those among us that yield to the desire to fulfill the urge to kill and the worst of these is the random serial killer. This story follows the point where this urge gives way to reality for one such person and provides a look inside the absolutely twisted mind of a killer.
He begins his activity as a new Police Chief takes over in the normally quiet town of Port Hudson on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. David Marsh, the new Police Chief, has come to the area to escape the escalating insanity of being a police officer in a large urban city. He’s hoping to find the mundane small town crime problems a relief from his former hectic life. The killings in and around Port Hudson threaten to bring a quick end to his new life if he doesn’t catch the killer . . . fast.
About the Author
Daniel Simon, the author of Soul Thief, gained much of his knowledge through actual experience in criminal investigations while serving as a Deputy Sheriff on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Born in Seattle, he re-located to the Olympic Peninsula in 1970 after serving in the United States Army for three years. The Peninsula offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities and a multitude of unique places to visit and experience the local history, which he did throughout his time spent living in this very scenic area of the Pacific Northwest. It was during his tenure as a Deputy Sheriff that a specific case involving multiple homicides was ongoing in the South Seattle area, which came to be known as the "Green River Killings." Access to information regarding that case, and others, including actual cases he worked through 1983, became the seed idea for the book Soul Thief. He paid particular attention to homicide cases and enjoyed the problem solving process involved through the investigative steps that would lead to the successful completion or closure of a case. He always viewed a criminal case as a puzzle that required solving and took it as a personal challenge to clear as many cases as were assigned to him. Although he was not successful in solving all cases he was assigned, his rate of closure was well above average. He also is an avid reader and always has what he terms "recreational reading material" close at hand. Of course, crime novels based on actual cases are of particular interest as well as fictional mystery works. He also enjoys reading stories by Stephen King, whom he regards as one of the greatest story-tellers of this century. He currently lives in the Tacoma area and continues to write and develop new scenarios for his second novel, a different perspective of a case developed from erroneous assumptions and a tragic twist of facts that evolves into several life changing experiences for the principle characters.