The Body Departed

James Blakely was murdered two years ago and ever since he has been a troubled spirit "haunting" the apartment building that he lived in. He gets to visit with his daughter at night while she is sleeping and he spirit is open to his. He is great friends with Pauline, the medium in the building who drinks a little too much, but who wouldn't dealing with the dead all day! James is convinced he is going to hell but maybe there is a way for him to change things around. Gotta read the book to find out how and if it works.I fell in love with James from page one. He is a sweet guy who is confused in death. Watching him on his adventures is very heartwarming as are the scenes with his daughter. I think the author did a fantastic job in making show more you feel like you are right there. The characters are like your family and you find yourself routing for James throughout the book. There are surprises that all get tied together as the book goes on and the end will surely bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.This was my first book by J.R. Rain but I am going in search of more. I would recommend The Body Departed to anyone who likes a nice ghost story along the lines of Ghost. It's a nice, easy read. show less

James Blakely was murdered two years ago and ever since he has been a troubled spirit "haunting" the apartment building that he lived in. He gets to visit with his daughter at night while she is sleeping and he spirit is open to his. He is great friends with Pauline, the medium in the building who drinks a little too much, but who wouldn't dealing with the dead all day! James is convinced he is going to hell but maybe there is a way for him to change things around. Gotta read the book to find out how and if it works.

I fell in love with James from page one. He is a sweet guy who is confused in death. Watching him on his adventures is very heartwarming as are the scenes with his daughter. I think the author did a fantastic job in making show more you feel like you are right there. The characters are like your family and you find yourself routing for James throughout the book. There are surprises that all get tied together as the book goes on and the end will surely bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face.

This was my first book by J.R. Rain but I am going in search of more. I would recommend The Body Departed to anyone who likes a nice ghost story along the lines of Ghost. It's a nice, easy read. show less

I've had this book sitting in my TBR list for quite a while and finally got around to reading it. First of all, I am a big J.R. Rain fan. I haven't read all of his books but I have read a lot of them and I love the way he writes. The books flow easily and before you know it, you're at the last page, wanting more- I always want more of his stories. (Part of the reason the books fly by is that they are on the shorter side compared to others, I will admit that.) One reason I love Rain's books is that I have almost identical theological beliefs as he does. Everything comes together and just feels right to me. That is one of the things that others have commented on in their reviews here- they have problems with there being such a large part show more of the book being devoted to the afterlife/Christianity, whatever you want to call it. But how can it not be? It is part of the plot. A ghost/spirit is avoiding moving on into the afterlife because he is afraid he will end up in hell for some reason, while he watches others go towards "the light." Here is where people need to put their feelings aside and realize this is a fictional book. Take it the way you want to take it. Or don't read it if this kind of thing bothers you. You have ultimate control on what you do with your time.

I did find this book to be fast moving, the main character, James, multifaceted. You learn about his life, the way he loved his daughter, tried to be a good husband, a good man, but realized he was flawed. Now in death he is trying to be a better person so he might have an opportunity at a second chance at Heaven. He has help from a psychic friend and ends up befriending the spirit of a lost little boy. Yes, the ending is truly touching.

If you enjoyed this book, please try Silent Echo. It's also a stand alone book. I think it may even be a little better than this one, probably because his writing has matured in the years since writing The Body Departed. show less

James Blakely has been murdered but he doesn't remember why. Assigned to Hell for a crime he doesn't remember, he is given a choice, go straight to hell or go back to haunt earth, find his killer and learn the sins that have led him here..
Forgiveness is possible.. Will he achieve it before his memories and ghostly body dissolve?

I thought this would be a ghost story where the ghost catches the murderer. But, it is more. An excellent read of murder, mystery, suspense you will not want to put it down.

James Blakely has been dead for two years, murdered in his sleep. His ghost is confined to the apartment building where he lived and died, but he is losing his memories. Lucky for him, his daughter still lives in the apartment building, as well as a medium that connects with him.

James isn't ready to cross over; he feels there is something he needs to do before moving on. He doesn't quite know why, but he is afraid that he'll be relegated to hell unless he takes care of.... something.

An intriguing book. And yes, there's some Christianity in there, but more spiritual than secular. Mostly, it's a ghost story told from the ghost's point of view.

If I had to just sum this book up with one sentence then I'd say this book was beautiful. It's extremely thought provoking and imaginitave and will make you think. Every action has a consequence and sometimes those consequences last with us even long after death. I think that even if only one person could learn something from reading this book then the Earth will be a much better place. The storyline was fantastic and I don't really want to give anything away so if you enjoy a good ghost story along with the power of compassion and forgiveness then do yourself a favor and read The Body Departed.

I couldn’t quite get to grips with this one.

James Blakely has died violently, but his “spirit” has remained floating around on earth and he is on a mission to find out who has killed him. Also there is a secret which I’m afraid I didn’t discover as I abandoned the book on page 96.

I was promised “a dark and haunting mystery” but I found only a rather gimmicky and banal story which never gripped me…and I really did try.

The blurb says that fans of the movie “Ghost” would love this. I hated the film so maybe this wasn’t for me.