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Nowhere-Land
A Stephan Raszer Investigation #3

by A.W. Hill

     

A. W. Hill's third Stephan Raszer Investigation, Nowhere-Land, finds this scholar / shaman private investigator in a funk because he was unable to locate a missing teenager, named Scotty Darrell, who had somehow gotten inside a new role-playing game which had left him stranded somewhere in the real world. Feeling the monetary effects of a lawsuit by the boy's parents and the spiritual ennui after a job not well done, in his opinion, Raszer accepts a new assignment, the rescue of a missing young woman, a Jehovah's Witness, who had been lured from the flock by her wayward sister Ruthie and Ruthie's new friends. This quest takes Raszer halfway across the world in a showdown with an ancient evil who puts his own soul's redemption at risk.

The Stephan Raszer novels are always complex with ultimately two levels of readership and understanding, and Nowhere-Land is an exemplar of that style. This book is part thriller with foreign locales, international intrigue, narrow escapes, and exotic sexuality. It also is a deeply scholarly examination of many different religious paths, including Native American/Christian penitentes, the roots of Islam, and pagan religions in the Middle East. It also looks at the psychology of role-playing gamers, religious zealots of all stripes, and End Times cults. Needless to say, all of this makes for thoughtful and careful reading.

I have always enjoyed A.W. Hill's Stephan Raszer novels, mainly because of the esoteric education that I received as I read an otherwise heart-pounding thriller. But some readers may find all of the scholarly details laborious and in the way of a good page-turner. Because Hill's plots are quite involved, the reader does need a road map and that happens to come in the form of the research Stephan Raszer does into arcane knowledge. That esoteric insight is what motivates Hill's characters and not just Stephan Raszer. I took my time reading Nowhere-Land, savoring Hill's exquisite vocabulary and intricate details, and I would recommend readers to do just that.

Nowhere-Land is a book I know I'll return to again, delving deeper into the roots of evil and human motivation. Nowhere-Land is an outstanding work.

The Book

Counterpoint
June 1, 2009
Hardcover
1582434980 / 978-1582434988
Mystery
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!and co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book.
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