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The Book of Illumination: Book summary and reviews of The Book of Illumination by Mary Ann Winkowski

The Book of Illumination

The Book of Illumination
A Novel from the Ghost Files
by Mary Ann Winkowski
Published in USA Oct 2009,
320 pages.

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The Book of Illumination Summary

The criminal underworld meets the spiritual otherworld in this thrilling debut collaboration between the inspiration for television’s The Ghost Whisperer and an award-winning writer/director. Paperback original.

Anza O'Malley is in most ways a typical single mom. She lives a happy, busy life with her five-year-old son in Cambridge, Massachusetts, juggling the joys and challenges of life as a doting parent and a freelance bookbinder. But there is more to Anza than meets the "ungifted" eye: she can see and speak with ghosts.

Although she's been solving cold cases for the police for years, Anza has been hoping to focus her energies on her son and her bookbinding career. But when an exquisite and priceless illuminated manuscript is stolen from the Boston Athenaeum, and when its desecration spurs the appearance of some very unhappy spirits, Anza can neither look nor walk away. With an unlikely trio of ghosts by her side – a charming butler and two medieval monks – Anza leads us on an urgent journey through Boston’s winding, cobbled streets to uncover a trail of deceit, danger, and ghoulish intrigue.

The Book of Illumination Reviews

"An authentic ghost whisperer reveals the workings of her mind and heart in this absorbing novel that sheds light on earthbound spirits in need of guidance home. An illuminating tale." - Cleo Coyle, national bestselling author of The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

"Engaging characters, clever twists ... bright and spirited in every sense of the word. The Book of Illumination will light up your To-Be-Read list. An otherworldly delight." - Kate Collins, author of the Flower Shop Mystery series

The information about The Book of Illumination shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's online-magazine that keeps our members abreast of notable and high-profile books publishing in the coming weeks. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added.

The Book of Illumination Reader Reviews

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Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Donna W. (Hamilton, NJ)
The Book of Illumination
The Book of Illumination: A Novel from the Ghost Files has all the things I like; ghosts, mystery, libraries, archives with precious things, clever art thieves, art history, book binding, unrequited love, Boston Brahmins, and an illuminated manuscript with ghost monks from the 16th century attached. What more could I want? This is a lovely, light Sunday read.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Rosario D. (South El Monte, CA)
I couldn't put it down!
I highly recommend this book to anyone. If you enjoy thrillers and mysteries you have to read this book, throw in the paranormal and you have a very enjoyable read. I just couldn't put it down. It was fun and refreshing. Perfect ghost story.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Mary D. (Claremont, CA)
The Book of Illumination
While I did enjoy reading The Book of Illumination, I was disappointed in two things: 1) there certainly was not the amount of ghostly interaction that I was anticipating; 2) I was hoping for more historical background concerning old books and book restoration. The latter was touched upon, but just enough to get my interest up and then it was over! I would have enjoyed knowing more about the ghosts, their lives, etc.

Although I found Anza's attachment to the father of her son to be a bit immature, I was very appreciative of the fact that everyone, including the stepmom, was pulling together to put the well-being of Declan first, which is unusual in today's world.

This book was an easy read and very enjoyable. But I hope that any future works contain more information and interaction with the ghosts, and more history of whatever historical subject is used.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Barb W. (Mechanicsburg, PA)
an enjoyable read
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to, although the ending seemed a bit hurried and anti-climactic. The main characters were all believable, and the story itself kept me wondering what would happen next. I hope this is the first in a series, as I would love to read more about Anza and Henry!

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by RoseMary W. (Boardman, OH)
The book of Illumination
I found "The Book of Illumination" to be a rather disappointing read. I was anticipating a page-turning novel filled with suspense, but, instead, found one filled with needless detail. It was an easy book to read but also one that I found easy to put down. Unfortunately, this book did not capture my interest.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Crystal F. (CA)
Drawn into the story by the very first sentence
The Book of Illumination is an interesting, clean cut book, and a swift read. Single mother, Speranza (Anza for short) O’Malley, tells the story. I experienced the events as Anza had and liked the way timelines were weaved.

Drawn into the story by the very first sentence, “I should not have answered the phone,” made me immediately wonder why and want to know more.

I instantly fell for Johnny “Woolsie” Graby, the charming old butler. His part involved a second book, a children's book that was misplaced. His story was separate from the main course but his resolution allowed for an easier ending, brought calm to the chaos of the entire story.

My favorite part with the monks was in chapter twenty-two, when they explained the creation of the book…“A spell for the eye weaved we, letters of magic to sanctify the page as the flower sanctifies the meadow and of the bird the air”…

There were ghost but this was not a tale of horror in the slightest. This was a mystery with a supernatural twist, a whodunit kind of mystery/drama. There was no sex or gore/graphic violence, which was extremely nice.

Cop and robber, FBI, and similar stories are usually not my kind. This book kept this at a distance, Anza is not a cop so her involvement in catching the robber’(s) was as a common citizen. An A for me.

The TV show, Ghost Whisper does come into mind when reading. One difference is that Anza can not only see the, “light,” but can summon it to allow earth-bound spirits entrance.

The Book of Illumination was a great read with well-formed characters. I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it as a must read. I look forward to more fiction from, Mary Ann Winkowski and Maureen Foley.

...11 more reader reviews

Mary Ann Winkowski is the author of When Ghosts Speak. She is a paranormal investigator who has collaborated closely with several federal agencies and is the high-profile consultant for the CBS series The Ghost Whisperer. Visit her online. Maureen Foley is the acclaimed writer, producer, and director of the films American Wake and the award-winning Home Before Dark. Visit her online.

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