Beyond the Will of God: A Jill Simpson Mystery [Kindle Edition]

David Biddle (Author)

Book Description

If you're looking for something different to read this year, "Beyond the Will of God" is a mystery/thriller that goes completely off the grid. As much as it begins with a murder, the story ultimately points at secrets to many of the unresolved conspiracies people have wondered about for years.

Police detective Jill Simpson is investigating the murder of an Amish teenager outside of Columbia, Missouri. Tabloid reporter Frank Harris has been sent into the heartlands to interview a clairvoyant who claims she is having an affair with Elvis. As these two work first separately and then as a team, the storyline twists and turns to include bigger questions that will change their lives forever.

"Beyond the Will of God" is a cross between a Tony Hillerman mystery, Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" and Carlos Castaneda's Yaqui Sorcerer series. It is serious yet playful, questioning and entertaining. You could call it a YA novel for Boomers. You could call it a paranormal fairy tale for refugees from another time. Or you could just call it weird, a bit sexy, and a good summer read.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I wrote this book as a way of using allegory, myth, and symbolic storytelling to get at what are essentially the unsayable mysteries of the mind and the power of music. As with music, a good story resonates in the head. Music and words are vibrations. One travels through the air into the mind. The other travels by light through the eyes and then into the mind. Music and beat are all about the human soul. They tether us to time and the universe of emotions. Stories connect us to what is possible but still a mystery. Stories are always about the power of mystery.

About the Author

David Biddle has been many things in his life: a laborer on a duck farm in Missouri; a chef's assistant; a solar energy technician; an energy conservation educator; a kitchen manager at a Skid Road shelter and cafeteria; a student at Reed College; a graduate student in energy and public policy; a project manager for an engineering consulting firm; and an environmental planner specializing in recycling issues all over North America. Through all of this he has published articles, commentary, and essays in everything from The Harvard Business Review and RAIN Journal to BioCycle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Kotori Magazine. He was a contributing editor with In Business magazine for over a decade. He has also published fiction in a number of online magazines including WildViolet, ToastedCheese, and Sleep. David currently serves as a contributing editor to Talking Writing, a unique and thought-provoking online magazine for writers and readers (TalkingWriting.com). Beyond the Will of God is his first novel.

Product Details

• File Size: 559 KB
• Print Length: 380 pages
• Publisher: Flat Branch Press; 1st edition (June 11, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008AQ57UY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,666 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wild ride June 22, 2012

By Carolina

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Great summer read, we all know how hearing a song can take us back in time to an exact moment in our lives, take that times a hundred and enjoy this mystical, musical, mysterious trip.It brought back memories and moments I had long forgotten as I am sure it will to so many more readers , Enjoy

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK OF THE SUMMER June 18, 2012

By Johnnie

Format:Kindle Edition

Wow is an understatement of how this book grabbed hold of me. It was so powerful I read it all in one day !
A truly thought provoking story that had me contemplating life in ways I never imagined.
The author may call it fiction but I call it mind expanding magic for the soul.
I think if it were baseball the author has hit a home run out of the park with this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Blowing June 29, 2012

By Paula L. Silici

Format:Kindle Edition

Can music transform and transcend? Is it possible that experiencing the loud thrum of melody, rhythm, and beat can elevate us to a plane of surreal existence between life and death? Beyond the Will of God will make you believe that it can and does. Part paranormal thriller, part sci-fi mystery, part magical realism, and mostly just plain mind-blowing fun, this book will keep you guessing (and turning pages) until there's nothing left but to ponder the bewildering feeling you've just discovered a new path to understanding the great mysteries of life.

David Biddle has done an incredible job of researching every aspect of his novel: law enforcement, journalism and event reporting, mind-altering drugs, the lives of his famous musician characters, the music itself, and especially the complicated scientific elements that permeate the book. It was exhilarating to eavesdrop on a brilliant mind at work.

I loved this book, and cannot recommend it strongly enough.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique, Psychedelic Story August 6, 2012

By Krystle Cole

Format:Kindle Edition

I just finished reading Beyond the Will of God, and I really enjoyed it! The book was interesting and unexpected in a lot of ways. I especially liked how David Biddle integrated music throughout the story; it added something extra to the book. As well, the story kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the psychedelic experience and likes to read mysteries.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating September 22, 2012

By Tahlia Newland

Format:Kindle Edition

Author David Biddle refers to this novel as weird and he's right, but trippy would be a more accurate description. In many ways, it's a baby boomer generation book, for those who, even if they never tried hallucinogenic drugs themselves back in the day, were familiar with the lingo, the raves from those who had taken trips, and the philosophical issues that their experiences raised. He mixes altered states of consciousness, musical sensibilities and beloved icons from the sixties and seventies into what is primarily an intriguing murder mystery story. It's certainly different and, for some, possibly mind-expanding.

Blurb: Police detective Jill Simpson is investigating the murder of an Amish teenager outside of Columbia, Missouri. Tabloid reporter Frank Harris has been sent into the heartlands to interview a clairvoyant who claims she is having an affair with Elvis. As these two work first separately and then as a team, the storyline twists and turns to include bigger questions that will change their lives forever.

Biddle has done a massive amount of research into the effect of hallucinogenic drugs, government research into using them for remote viewing spy missions and their place in shamanistic societies. What has emerged is a thought-provoking book that primarily presents the idea that if we achieve a state of consciousness free of the body, then death isn't a problem; in fact it's irrelevant--sounds right to me. The question is, how to achieve it? These characters use hallucinogenic drugs in more than mind blowing ways. Corruption in the police force, media and church is another theme woven into the story, as is how easily people can be lead into illogical behaviour by charismatic characters.... The characters' experiences also raise questions on the nature of perception--always a favourite theme of mine.

Biddle knows how to write prose, that isn't in any doubt. He's obviously a skilful word-smith, but the book is very disjointed at the beginning. We have a lot of different points of view (POV) and though we know they must come together at some point, it takes a while to get there. The problem with many POV's is that it takes a while to get to know one of the characters and in this one, you weren't sure who the main players were until at least half way through. I thought that we could have done without the POV of the boys in the first scene and Francher's daughter, as they are extremely minor players and their POV is used only once.

Nevertheless, the mystery is always there behind everything and the tension builds as the story progresses. Once Jill and Frank join forces, the momentum had built sufficiently to carry me the rest of the way, and the end leaves one surprisingly satisfied. We have worked out the mystery, we know how it all fits together and that our intrepid explorers of the worlds of consciousness will somehow be okay--or will they?

I particularly enjoyed the parallels between the descriptions of music and the effects of the drugs. This reinforced the idea that music takes us into an altered state when it comes together in the right way. I also enjoyed rolling my eyes and giggling at the male characters fascination with breasts and penises.

I enjoyed the book despite the fact that I feel it's a little over written. When each character enters, we get more back story than is necessary, in some cases almost a summary of their life to date. Also the descriptions of the psychedelic experiences sometimes went on too long. I found myself skimming paragraphs, but perhaps that's because I've heard plenty of spaced out trippers raving about their experiences, and once you've heard one acid-head rave, the rest sound pretty much the same. If you haven't then, you should read this because Biddle does a terrific job or giving you the experience without the drugs.

In summary, it's an enjoyable and fascinating novel that raises deep philosophical questions that, like flashbacks, return to haunt you long after the book has ended. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the themes. I give it 4 stars and recommend it for the Awesome Indies listing. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Chaos August 2, 2012

By mwulff

Format:Kindle Edition

Great read! Somehow manages to bridge the divide between reality and fantasy, leaving us in a peaceful place where community and possibility are closer to our understanding and reach. This could be the start of a unique series of Jill Simpson Mysteries!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings you back, takes you forward July 12, 2012

By louis black

Format:Paperback

David Biddle has created a piece that will both send us into the wild western hemisphere of our pasts, and urge us to think beyond the present--to a state of consciousness where expression is a form of communication.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Weird and intriguing August 14, 2012

By Lu

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good read in the start but gets a little monotonuos. I read and read as soon as I got it but now can not seem to be able to pick it up and finish

More About the Author

I'm the author of BEYOND THE WILL OF GOD and two collections of stories, TRYING TO CARE and IMPLOSIONS OF AMERICA. I'm also a contributing writer and columnist with TalkingWriting.com. I write a column for Kotori Magazine as well called "These Altered States." As a freelancer I have published with everyone from The Harvard Business Review to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kotori Magazine, and BioCycle. In addition, I was a contributing editor to In Business magazine for over a decade. My fiction has been published in a number of online magazines including WildViolet, ToastedCheese, and Sleep.

BEYOND THE WILL OF GOD is a quirky mystery about altered states of consciousness and the secrets of loud guitar music. If you're tired of the same-old-same-old, this novel may be perfect reading for you and your Kindle or iPad or computer (remember, you can download the Kindle Reading App to your computer to read all Kindle Store books). BEYOND THE WILL OF GOD is also available as a paperback here at Amazon or at CreatSpace.com. Check out my story singles here for just $0.99 as well.

IMPLOSIONS OF AMERICA just came out in November. Read the sample pages. These are nine stories about everything from public nudity, fishing, political protest, love, desire, beautiful girl friends, and sitting around a trailer waiting to eat. Everyone of us is the ghost of a Wendell or Angeline West. Read the book and you'll understand.