Saturday, October 20, 2007

Mystery Book Review: The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose

Mysterious ReviewsMysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, has written a review of The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose

The Reincarnationist by
Non-series

Mira (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-7783-2420-6 (0778324206)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-2420-1 (9780778324201)
Publication Date: September 2007
List Price: $24.95

Synopsis (from the publisher): A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white light, and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. From that instant nothing would ever be the same.

As Josh recovers, his mind is increasingly invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But they are not his memories. They are ancient . . . and violent. A battery of medical and psychological tests can't explain Josh's baffling symptoms. And the memories have an urgency he can't ignore—pulling him to save a woman named Sabina . . . and the treasures she is protecting.

But who is Sabina?

Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation—a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb—a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.

Review: From the first page to last, The Reincarnationist by M. J. Rose is one of those compelling mysteries with such an original concept that it is hard to put down.

Today’s madness, with a fear of terrorists and the deaths and injuries caused by suicide bombers, is an interesting parallel to an ancient time with madness of a different kind, when a mandate came down that every Roman must be a Christian. Anyone who does not obey will be killed. And so the slaughter by Roman soldiers begins. One man, Josh Ryder, a photographer for the Associated Press in Rome to photograph the Pope, experiences both. While waiting for the Pope, he is badly injured by a suicide bomber. Unconscious, his mind returns to a previous life in 391 AD as a Roman named Julius with a brother, Drago, and in love with a Vestal nun, Sabina, who is pregnant in defiance of the laws of Rome. As he and his brother run to avoid the Roman soldiers, Drago is stabbed. Josh awakens knowing he must help his brother, yet he is in a present day hospital.

Over the next few months, Josh repeatedly returns to the past but is unable to control how and when it happens. He lives in fear of his own mind, constantly disturbed by the thoughts of a troubled young man in ancient Rome and of a woman he knows he loved and knows she is waiting for him.

Josh works with the Phoenix Foundation, specialists in regression therapy, to help him understand what is taking place in his life. He meets an archaeologist who's working on an ancient tomb in which Josh ultimately comes to believe is the love of his life, Sabina. But someone else thinks the tomb contains a priceless treasure worth killing for.

The Reincarnationist is at its best a captivating and intriguing story of love and mystery. The fascinating characters, descriptive narrative, and unforgettable ending make for a truly remarkable book.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of for contributing her review of The Reincarnationist and to Authors on the Web for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2007 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.

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