Official Review: Near Death (A Raney/Daye Investigation B...

[Twylla]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Near Death (A Raney/Daye Investigation Book 1)" by Rich Hosek, Arnold Rudnick, Loyd Auerbach.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Near Death: A Raney/Daye Investigation is the first book in the series by Rich Hosek and co-authors Arnold Rudnick and Loyd Auerbach. Detective Nate Raney was shot in a robbery and suffered critical injuries. On the operating table, he was clinically dead for a short time, but he was then resuscitated. During that time, he saw things and heard snatches of conversations. As a result, he had information that no one else could have known; information that could solve the case. Being a man of facts, he refused to believe that it was anything other than a dream. Dr. Jennifer Daye is a tenured professor of anthropology and a parapsychologist at the state university. She conducts research in paranormal activity, an area on the fringes of her field of study. She saw the story about Detective Raney in the newspaper. It described the critical nature of Nate's injuries and explained that the doctors were able to resuscitate him on the operating table. Dr. Daye strongly suspected that Nate may have had a Near Death Experience (NDE). She and one of her teaching assistants were able to deceptively wrangle their way in to see Detective Raney in his hospital room.

The development of the two main characters, Dr. Jennifer Daye and Detective Nate Raney was phenomenal. The experience of reading this book felt more like I was watching a movie playing in my mind. I was completely absorbed in the story and fully engaged with the characters.

Jennifer is a very attractive, intelligent, free-spirited professor of anthropology. She is frequently in the media and is well-known locally as “The Mysterious Professor.” At one time, she was a stage magician. She knows the difference between real paranormal activity and what is contrived. She orders her teaching assistants around like they are her personal slaves, but she cares about them very deeply, and they have much affection and loyalty for her. But give her an inch, and she will take a mile. When you try to say "no" to her, you end up doing not only what you said you wouldn't do, but also a few more things on top of that. But in a relationship, she gives as much as she takes. Jennifer has more than a professional interest in Nate as a subject of her paranormal study, but a mutual romance has not quite developed yet.

Nate is a young detective with refined tastes in cuisine. He is a snappy dresser, and he prefers intelligent women. Nate has a hero's heart. Out of sheer instinct, not rational thought, he willingly risked his own life in a robbery to save a stranger's life. He is a very good detective, always observant, and very aware of every detail related to his surroundings. He loves the analytical part of the job, reviewing the evidence, and putting it all together like a puzzle. His actions as a detective are realistic and reflect his fact-based, practical, and skeptical personality.

I have read 87 really good books this year, but Near Death is my number one favorite. I am giving this book an enthusiastic rating of 4 out of 4 stars. There is nothing I didn't like about this book. I highly recommend Near Death to anyone who enjoys a thrilling crime mystery with a touch of the supernatural. The ending will take your breath away! This book is well-written and professionally edited. I didn't find a single error. The author, Rich Hosek, is a screenwriter for several popular television shows. Rich Hosek and co-author, Arnold Rudnick, have collaborated on numerous scripts for film and television. And co-author, Loyd Auerbach, is a world-recognized paranormal expert. The next book in the series, After Life, is scheduled to be published on April 1, 2021. I have that day circled on my calendar.

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Near Death (A Raney/Daye Investigation Book 1)
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[NetMassimo]

This is really an intriguing mystery with bits of supernatural, though I also see bits seen in some TV-shows such as The X-Files and Bones in the protagonists. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!

[vasiljevic_aleks]

I am very interested in this book and I would love to read it. I love supernatural things and fantasizing about something that is unreal and in fact maybe still real but completely inexplicable.