I had never heard of J. R. Rain before reading this book, but the synopsis of The Body Departed intrigued me so much that I downloaded it via the Kindle, and I was not disappointed. It was a very fast, short read that kept me in the deliciously in the dark and turning pages. Since it is written from James' point of view, the main character, we only know and see what he knows and sees. The way in which Rain wrote this book is very effective in keeping the mystery alive and the reader guessing. My only gripe was it was too short; however, I am a believer that if a story is done, it's done and the silly guidelines created by publishing houses these days that require authors to make their stories 100,000+ words or 300 plus pages is simply ridiculous. So, with that said, I commend Rain on not adding anything unnecessary to the story. I never skipped a sentence, a paragraph, or chapter and that is the highest compliment I can give an author. To me, every detail, every sentence, and every word was pertinent to the story and moved it forward. Unlike many other authors who are forced by publishing house requirements to lengthen their plots, or add filler, Rain, does not. Also, I found very few if any typos in Rain's work. I can't say the same of other books. I enjoyed this story so much I bought other e-books by Rain and haven't been disappointed yet. Well worth the read - Rain is a very concise, creative, clean, writer! This started off with James who's passed on but hasn't crossed over. He was murdered and is afraid of crossing. He feels that he must find his murderer and set things right before he is doomed to hell. To be honest the write up on the back didn't even begin to cover what happens to James. I really enjoyed this story. I found that it dealt with death and crossing over very diplomatically. It wasn't completely in your face or pushing you into one belief or another. I found that very refreshing. I think it's very hard to write about death and making it so that a wide range of readers can appreciate the story. I was so pleased with how this turned out. There was even a bit of humor. Some strong visuals and even stronger emotions. I really enjoyed how this unfolded. Although, I wish James had been a little stronger for himself.
What do You think about The Body Departed (2000)?
A ghost story, but so much more. Is there a heaven and hell? It is up to us to decide.
—Banu
Poorly written and easily forgotten (thank God)
—pao47
