Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and educational as well as exciting
Review: The Authenticator, by William M. Valtos, crosses genres from mystery to romance to fantasy in a tale that delves into the possibility of near death experience (NDE). The Authenticator, the eponymous protagonist, is Theophanes Nikonos, a psychologist with a Ph.D. who is down on his luck and working for short money as a researcher for a Professor interested in NDE's. Theo is investigating a claim of an NDE by a car crash victim, Laura Duquesne, who returned to life after having been declared legally dead for one hour and twenty minutes. What starts out as a routine interview by the skeptical Theo turns into a dangerous, life-threatening pursuit of the truth behind the mysterious circumstances of the death of Laura's husband, Harrison, whom she claims didn't perish in the car accident, knowledge she gained in her visit to the "other side" during her NDE.Laura is convinced her husband is still alive, despite the existence of a corpse matching his medical description and an iron-clad coroner's confirmation, because when she "died" and experienced her NDE, she didn't see her husband amongst all her other dead relatives who greeted her. When Theo meets Laura, she is being held against her will in a rehabilitation clinic and she begs him to help her escape. Theo, convinced of the authenticity of her NDE and having begun to fall in love with her, rescues her from the clutches of her captors, and agrees to help her find her husband, whom she passionately loves and believes is still alive. The mystery deepens when people connected to the case begin turning up dead (one is murdered in Theo's apartment), and when Laura's captors pursue her. On the run with Laura, Theo learns more about the circumstances of the accident and about her husband's character, and becomes suspicious that he may be alive after all. He also wonders about the possible role Laura's NDE played in her captivity. With their own lives now in danger, Theo and Laura retrace the events of the fateful day of the car crash to try to unravel the mystery before they are both killed or Theo is arrested for murder. The Authenticator is an enjoyable and intriguing story, well-plotted and gripping. The book includes plenty of interesting information about NDE's as well as other psychological conditions, but towards the end its tone is excessively didactic. Another weakness, one that does not really harm the overall story but that is disappointing and annoying, is that Laura is portrayed as thoroughly gullible and naive, an empty vessel waiting for some man to fill her up. I prefer stronger female characters. The final chapters are a little heavy-handed and repetitive of information previously mentioned at the beginning of the book in the description of one of the characters' NDE. Finally, the plot suffers somewhat from predictability, but still provides pleasure as the reader awaits the inevitable twists and turns. Overall, the book was a substantive, satisfying read, and I would recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Choicely written, absorbing novel.
Review: Theo Nikonos is a private investigator of near-death experiences. For reasons unknown, Laura has had multiple near- death experience and is being kept in a drug-induced stupor and strapped to a table, hidden away. Theo discovers that her unseen captors not only believe her near-death experiences are real, but seek to use them for their own insidious purposes. Theo has to dodge boulders, bullets and other assorted perils as he races to liberate Laura from her unknown captors, realizing that the forbidden knowledge she holds may result in death for them both. Psychic meets psycho in The Authenticator, a fast-paced novel exploring life, death, and the darkness in between. A choicely written, absorbing novel, the kind so easy to pick up and so hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Super ! How About the Movie Too!?
Review: This is a beautifully written first person story about a 20 plus academic / insurance investigator who meets with a "near dead" young lady, and attempts to explain the mysteries of her "Near Death Experiences". As we travel through Scranton,Pa. and the Pocono area into the Big Apple, we find many who want this duo dead or alive. A nice education into the psychology of dying, and the history of various religious ideas of same, you will definitely read this to the end. I was not surprised by the finale, but still found this to be a one of kind tale, perhaps a cross between King and Grisham, along with some NYC and small town police, hospital adminitration, insurance angles, investments, and a lot more. Go for it, and hope it's made into a major motion picture!
Rating:
Summary: Super ! How About the Movie Too!?
Review: This is a beautifully written first person story about a 20 plus academic / insurance investigator who meets with a "near dead" young lady, and attempts to explain the mysteries of her "Near Death Experiences". As we travel through Scranton,Pa. and the Pocono area into the Big Apple, we find many who want this duo dead or alive. A nice education into the psychology of dying, and the history of various religious ideas of same, you will definitely read this to the end. I was not surprised by the finale, but still found this to be a one of kind tale, perhaps a cross between King and Grisham, along with some NYC and small town police, hospital adminitration, insurance angles, investments, and a lot more. Go for it, and hope it's made into a major motion picture!
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