The Mind of Stefan Dürr: The SHIVA Syndrome Trilogy (Volume 1)

Kirkus Review
A professor and parapsychology researcher discovers a key to mankind’s evolution or destruction in this debut thriller.Beau Walker is a man without a field. Teaching at a backwater university after being dismissed from a government project because of his ethical concerns and bureaucratic maneuvers on the part of a one-time friend, Walker is an academic pariah until two soldiers appear one day. His former friend needs Walker’s expertise, and the professor—who is haunted by both his empathic abilities and the memory of the one time they failed him—has little choice but to cooperate. In the Russian city of Podol’sk, a project partially based on Walker’s work has gone horribly awry, killing thousands and leaving traces of mysteries that threaten humanity’s scientific understanding. Discovering what occurred, and how to prevent it from happening again, falls on Walker and his new friends…But as secrets and revelations accumulate, the team’s combined knowledge and abilities may be inadequate to stop what’s coming…Joshua has crafted an appealing protagonist in Walker. Short-tempered, kind, thoughtful yet impulsive, he is a flawed but ultimately heroic character, and serves as a narrative linchpin throughout this absorbing story.
Deft dialogue, crisp plotting, and a likable central figure make this multidisciplinary scientific adventure an exuberant and involving read.