The Reincarnation of Peter Proud

The mark of a good book is that it is memorable and leads you to ask questions. I initially read this book when I was about 10 years old and recall that I found it highly disturbing. I decided to order it and read it again now as an adult to see if I felt the same, and I did. The writing is simple and straightforward, but the process of discovery during the book was anything but. If you're up for an exciting read, I'd recommend it!

This is a page-turner. I'm hard-pressed to classify what genre this book should fall into, which (to my mind) is a quality of greatness. To say that this book 'transcends,' would not only be apt, it would be a-propos. The only criticism I have of the book is that it doesn't explore the metaphysical aspect of reincarnation more deeply. And (it appeared to me) that the author tried to do this in several places, but each successive attempt was merely repetitive. But the book's greatest quality was that it kept me enthralled. At times my eyes almost skimmed because I wanted to get to the next story or for the plot to unravel further. At times, I had to keep my eyes from inadvertantly glancing down one paragraph to find out what the dramatic ending would be. Stephen King does this to us all the time, by the way -- makes us wait, makes us wait, and then dares us not to look at the answer 'accidentally.' And when I saw the ending coming, I saw it pretty much as Peter Proud did. Just as he did, just as he did. Okay, maybe I saw it coming a few pages before. But I still read to the end, and re-read the last paragraphs. I wanted more. Great work.

This novel, beyond a doubt, is the best I have ever read! It incorporates elements of the supernatural, justice, romance, suspense and mystery tightly, while providing provacative food for thought. I had the good fortune to meet the author, Max Ehrlich while I was still in high school. He was lecturing at UCLA. He was quite gracious and generous with his time.

Whenever I visit my friends' home on a lake, I am drawn to underwater scenes from the book that have haunted me since I read it. The story is altogether gripping, puzzling, and frightening, leaving the reader with very unsettling visions and certainly with questions about reincarnation and love--or lust--whichever the reader chooses. Do we leave this world only to come back and relive our lives a bit differently, or do we go on to other things in other worlds?

I have read this book more than once, and will read it again and again. The book is a modern story about reincarnation and is a thoroughly believable account of one man's search for his 'past identity'. A must-read for anyone interested in reincarnation and murder mysteries.