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January 8, 2008 11:09 AM

BOOK REVIEW: The Reincarnationist by MJ Rose

Reviewed by Angela Richardson

The Reincarnationist is about the tenth book by M. J. Rose and is a thriller set in the present and the past thanks to numerous past life flash backs.

After nearly dying in a terrorist bomb, Josh Ryder is haunted by memories of a past life in Rome. The medical profession cannot explain or solve his new memories and flashbacks and so he turns to the Phoenix Foundation who specialise in past life regression.

A trail of present-day murders seem to link up to his past life memories of being a pagan priest whose dangerous congress with Sabina, one of the Vestal Virgins, poses a transgression so serious that the lovers would face certain death if exposed. Scents of jasmine and sandalwood and images of furtive liaisons and violence descend on Josh at will and become more frequent when the Phoenix Foundation leads him to an archaeological dig at an ancient yet strangely familiar Roman burial site.

The discovery of the existence of a collection of ancient gems called memory stones whose origins trace back to ancient Egypt and India put everyone in danger. The stones’ promise to ‘assist the wearer in reaching his next incarnation’ set the ancient and modern worlds on a collision course and tempts someone so badly that they would murder to get their hands on them.

Although this book is long, it’s very well written and kept me interested throughout. It’s a thriller that’s been thoroughly researched and I felt as though as I was learning about the ancient Roman religion while enjoying the story. She even includes an author’s note at the back to tell you what parts of the story she invented and what parts were from her research.

The whole idea of the existence of memory stones was very original and the mixture of tension of the present day murders and ancient memories of a love long lost kept me turning the pages. I know I shouldn’t mention the end, but it was one of those books that have an arty finish that may satisfy the author, but leaves all us poor readers wondering what the hell happened to everyone. For all I know they all died a second after the book finished as they were still in the middle of the drama.

Overall this was an original thriller mixing modern day with historical plot threads that kept you reading and there was just a dash of the supernatural to add a twist. Just don’t expect a satisfying ending.

Rating: 4/5

Like this? Try The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

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Posted by Keris on January 8, 2008 in American Authors, Crime / Mystery, Rating: 4/5, Recent Release | Permalink

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