I’m always a little suspicious of books about reincarnation — not because I don’t believe in it, but because people always glamorize it so — and accordingly, I was desperate to review this one because I wanted to see if it might break out of the modern mold. (Sadly, I didn’t get picked as a reviewer: I didn’t get my name on the list fast enough.) The Reincarnationist sounds a wee bit like the DaVinci code: if it captures the imagination of the public, it’ll do fine. And it sounds like it has enough sex in it to do that pretty well.

If I ever got to see my past reincarnations, I’ll bet I’d have been something like a claims adjuster in the thirties, a farmer in the late 19th century — or maybe a road leveler or one of those guys who drains septic tanks. Funny how those aren’t popular career choices for reincarnated souls.