Beyond a Psychopath Series, Book One
Psychological Thriller
Date Published: November 2014
What is the legal definition of human? Is there something beyond a psychopath? Are humans still at the top of the food chain? These questions and their answers play a central role in Apex Predator.
The novel is inspired by true events and utilizes real evolutionary, forensic psychiatry and cognitive science, making it truly frightening and thought-provoking.
The story, however, begins with Steven Loomis, a man, a father looking for answers after his daughter's kidnapping and brutal murder. He wants to understand what drives monsters like the one that kidnapped and killed his daughter. What he discovers is that his daughter’s killer was just the tip of the iceberg; that there are far more sinister and powerful forces at play, forces that Steven was not expecting nor prepared for. He realizes that what he has found is the most significant and real threat that humanity has ever faced.
And while he wants to simply grieve like a father that lost his little girl, he realizes that he must play a role he is neither sure he is ready for nor willing to play. He ultimately understands that only he can warn the world about the threat, only he can do something about it. Steven Loomis finds himself in the fight of his life as he tries to warn the world of the threat, to protect his family and to keep himself out of prison.
Excerpt
“It was a cool night, not quite cold, but just at the point
where people were beginning to think about wearing their scarves. Christmas
season was just around the corner and the streets of New
York
Not that
anyone would be able to tell the difference, New
York Central Park .
He loved picking up the scents that so many people just took for granted. The
dewy grass, the perfume of any one of thousands of women walking by, the
mustard on the hot dog vendor’s cart, so many delights that it could be
overwhelming.
Never
overwhelming enough for the scent he truly craved, the one he actually allowed
his nose to hunt for. Children. Like everything else, children gave off a
distinct smell and Trinity could pick up that scent for miles.
Here at Central
Park , however, he never needed to wait too long to
pick up the scent. The smell of children’s shampoo, candy, ice cream smeared on
a sweater, he could smell each and every one almost immediately. During his
evenings of indulgence he did not like to stay around the park for long, lest
someone get a clear look at his face.
That was
another of New York
“It was a cool night, not quite cold, but just at the point
where people were beginning to think about wearing their scarves. Christmas
season was just around the corner and the streets of New
York
Not that
anyone would be able to tell the difference, New
York
He always
liked to start at Central Park .
He loved picking up the scents that so many people just took for granted. The
dewy grass, the perfume of any one of thousands of women walking by, the
mustard on the hot dog vendor’s cart, so many delights that it could be
overwhelming.
Never
overwhelming enough for the scent he truly craved, the one he actually allowed
his nose to hunt for. Children. Like everything else, children gave off a
distinct smell and Trinity could pick up that scent for miles.
Here at Central
Park , however, he never needed to wait too long to
pick up the scent. The smell of children’s shampoo, candy, ice cream smeared on
a sweater, he could smell each and every one almost immediately. During his
evenings of indulgence he did not like to stay around the park for long, lest
someone get a clear look at his face.
That was
another of New York
Still, he
wouldn’t take the risk when it was so unnecessary. On nights like tonight, it
would not take him long to find what he was looking for. In fact, in the time
it took for him to form that thought, he found exactly what he was looking for.
A mom,
walking along with two children and a stroller, was just rounding a corner. And
as if luck was truly smiling down on him tonight, they were headed for the ice
rink.”
Psychopathy, forensic genomics, parapsychology, personality disorder, if it has something to do with the extreme edges of the human psyche, J.A. Faura is hooked. Trying to figure out why people do the things they do and what shapes someone’s personality has been a passion of his since childhood. As a young man J.A. got in trouble with the law and after spending some time in correctional facilities in California and Tijuana, decided to focus his interest in human behavior on extreme, aberrant and criminal behavior and why people engage in it.
Psychopathy, forensic genomics, parapsychology, personality disorder, if it has something to do with the extreme edges of the human psyche, J.A. Faura is hooked. Trying to figure out why people do the things they do and what shapes someone’s personality has been a passion of his since childhood. As a young man J.A. got in trouble with the law and after spending some time in correctional facilities in California and Tijuana, decided to focus his interest in human behavior on extreme, aberrant and criminal behavior and why people engage in it.
After earning a law degree and clerking for the District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s office, he brought his two passions together: criminal defense law and behavioral science. For over two decades he has been researching and exploring the intersection of science and law. With the emergence of new research and technological tools, the fields of forensic science and genetics are poised to rewrite criminal law and forensic science and J.A. plans on having a front row seat. As an author J.A. Faura seeks to paint frightening scenarios driven by true science, legal theory and the extremes of human behavior.
His series Beyond a Psychopath presents one such scenario as it explores what comes after humans in the evolutionary chain. Apex Predator is the first book in the series. The second book, The Human Element, will be released in the spring of 2015. Juan lives in Dallas with his wife Irais Faura and has three children, Juan 25, Amanda 23 and Sebastian 21. He also has two other babies: Baron, a 130-pound dogue de Bordeaux and a Boxer named Lola.
After earning a law degree and clerking for the District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s office, he brought his two passions together: criminal defense law and behavioral science. For over two decades he has been researching and exploring the intersection of science and law. With the emergence of new research and technological tools, the fields of forensic science and genetics are poised to rewrite criminal law and forensic science and J.A. plans on having a front row seat. As an author J.A. Faura seeks to paint frightening scenarios driven by true science, legal theory and the extremes of human behavior.
His series Beyond a Psychopath presents one such scenario as it explores what comes after humans in the evolutionary chain. Apex Predator is the first book in the series. The second book, The Human Element, will be released in the spring of 2015. Juan lives in Dallas with his wife Irais Faura and has three children, Juan 25, Amanda 23 and Sebastian 21. He also has two other babies: Baron, a 130-pound dogue de Bordeaux and a Boxer named Lola.
