Three muffled thuds ring from the partially filled grave of the newly wed girl. Only the verger hears them and he dismisses the noise as his imagination. But over the next few days others also hear faint sounds.
From Kirkus Reviews
If James already hadn't published three novels (Sweet Heart, 1991; Dreamer, 1990; Possession, 1988), you might think that Robin Cook was the pseudonymous author of this feverish mix of medical terror and occult thrills. Like Cook, James pits a feisty young heroine--journalist Kate Hemingway--against a diabolical medical plot: An attempt by British anesthesiologist Harvey Swire to confirm the existence of life after death by plunging patients into a state of clinical death, then reviving them and questioning them about their out-of-body experiences during ``death.'' As in Cook, much of this consistently antic action takes place in a hospital: At one point, Kate lies helpless on an operating table as Swire gets to work. And earlier on, she spends time nestled next to a frozen corpse, another favorite Cook ploy. But there's much otherworldly weirdness here as well, beginning in the opening flashbacks, which find budding psychopath Swire being hit by a car, dying and returning to life, then developing the ability to separate from his body at will--a power he uses to spy on and rape his cheating girlfriend. Years later, Kate stumbles onto Swire's trail while digging into the case of a woman (a Swire victim) buried alive--as evidenced in a ghastly exhumation scene. Swire and his funeral-parlor henchmen cover up the error by switching bodies, but Kate sees through the ruse (by breaking into the funeral parlor, where she endures her tryst with the frozen corpse), and she pursues the mad doctor--despite being warned off by her dead brother during a sance--right into Swire's underground lair, where he rushes at her, hypodermic in hand.... As silly as they come, with an especially cartoonish villain, but James meshes scalpels and spiritualism nicely, and offers some good scares along the way. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Reporter Kate Hemingway sneaks into an exhumation and sees gruesome evidence that the victim died struggling to get out of the coffin. Doctors, hospital, and undertakers deny that anything was wrong; her newspaper refuses to support her story. As Kate continues to investigate--at her peril--James ( Dreamer , LJ 6/1/90) intertwines the parallel story of an anesthesiologist whose own near-death experience has left him obsessed with finding out whether there is life beyond the grave. His descent into madness is relentless, logical, and absolutely believable. A compelling novel of suspense, despite the occasionally gross stupidity of the heroine. Recommended.- Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Ia.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
British author James returns to the mysteries of life after death with better success than he achieved in Possession. When a Sussex newspaper assigns Kate Hemingway to report on the noises that seem to be coming from the grave of a newly buried woman, she finagles access to a private exhumation--where it emerges that the woman had been buried alive. Meanwhile, James unfolds another story, set 20 years earlier: Harvey Swire, a pudgy, unpleasant schoolboy, has a near-death experience following a cycling accident; subsequently he undergoes frequent out-of-body episodes and develops an unhealthy fascination with the afterlife. The two plots are paced expertly, so that Kate's investigation into a hasty cover-up lands her afoul of the sinister Swire, now a prominent anesthesiologist. The two collide in a gripping climax, with a highly satisfying twist at the end. Characters are boldly drawn, and Kate proves an exceptionally likable heroine. James's attention to detail lends substance to what might seem a far-fetched plot--his research into near-death experiences and modern medical practices make this a convincing, sophisticated thriller with a suitably spine-tingling supernatural twist. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
About the Author
Peter James was educated at Charterhouse and then at film school. He lived in North America for a number of years, working as a screen writer and film producer before returning to England. His novels, including several number one bestsellers, have been translated into thirty-six languages. He has produced several films, including the BAFTA-nominated Merchant Of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. Peter James lives in Sussex. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
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