Paperback, 343 Pages
ISBN: 978-1449023140
Adult (18+)
Ordering Information:
Amazon.com
Randall Lender established himself as a well known spiritual leader. However, his ideals posed a growing threat to the government, Clergy of the Major Organized Religion, and the New World Order. A secret society known as The Guilders enlist the help of The Warlock out of self-preservation to be rid of Lender once and for all.
During an astral projection session, Lender's soul left his body, and was pulled against it's will in to the body of a mob hitman who recently committed murder. Before he had time to assess the situation, Johnnie McKenzie a.k.a. Randall Lender was arrested for murder. He realizes that he must die to live in order to return to his former body. Will he be able to fight the battle of his before it's too late?
The synopsis for this novel is what perked my interest. Who wouldn't want to read a story about astral projection, warlocks, conspiracy, the mob and organized religion? However, Spirit fell short of my expectations. The general concept is intriguing and creative but it's full of plot holes, junk scenes, unrealistic characters and a bit preachy at times. This book is not for anyone under the age of 18. It contains a ton of profanity and some sexual content. Both tend to take away from the storyline. The author, however, is a huge fan of italics, words in caps, and triple periods.
The majority of the novel came off like it was trying to be something it's not. The mob was written very stereotypical as well as The Warlock. He appears in the opening scene and you don't hear about him again until much later in the book. The reader doesn't even get clues to his true identity. There are WAY too many point of view changes. It's hard to keep up at times. The characters tend to repeat themselves too much. Descriptions are quite repetitive as well. You want to like Lender. He's the good guy, but it's hard to be on his side when he's acquiring feelings for his defense attorney Sandy one minute and having sex with a prison nurse the next.
Essential scenes are totally missing. We get to read about Sandy's best friend Salley dying in a plane crash. We get to read about the defense's psychiatrist's "session" with a dominatrix. However, we don't get to experience Sandy's conflict in whether or not to believe a hitman could really be someone else entirely. We don't get to read about how Lender knew who was behind his body switch. He knew the whole time but we didn't until the very end. The pacing slows between the trial and when the execution takes place. He's preparing for his spiritual battle. It was almost like waiting for the stove to heat up. You're reading the same information over and over but worded differently.
I could go on and on as to why this book wasn't what I hoped it would be. The creative plot is pretty much the only thing going for it.
