Heaven's Witness [Hardcover]

Allen Estrin (Author), Joseph Telushkin (Author), Allen Estrin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

In a dilemma that would have stumped Freud, budding psychoanalyst Dr. Jordan Geller is forced to confront the question: Can the same person be murdered twice?

Once, Geller, a rationalist to his core, would have found the question absurd. But then Robin Norris, a beautiful actress desperate to overcome a problem with her singing voice, steps into his office, and his life. Geller hypnotizes her, and Robin quickly assumes the identity of Beverly Casper, a talented teenager who, thirty-two years earlier, had vanished into thin air, never to be seen or heard from again - until today, in Jordan Geller's office. The details Robin reveals under hypnosis eerily parallel a current murder spree, currently taking place in the Los Angeles area.

Should Geller go to the police with vivid, unknown details of the crime? Or should he go to his mentor, the renowned Dr. Elinor Fisher, who has made no secret of her contempt for hypnosis and reincarnation?

Heaven's Witness will not only keep you turning pages, it might well compel you to reconsider your most basic views about this world - and the next.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The serial killer known as the "Messenger" in Telushkin and Estrin's solid paranormal thriller has a particularly evil trademark: after abducting a young woman, he calls her parents to give them a message, a painful notification that their daughter is dead. But it's a message from beyond the grave that transforms the brilliant young psychiatrist Dr. Jordan Geller into an amateur sleuth. When Geller hypnotizes Robin Norris, a young actress struggling with her voice, he encounters the spirit of one of the Messenger's victims, Beverly Casper, who died in 1970, years before Norris was born. As an analyst-in-training at Los Angeles's elite Dittmyer Institute, Geller is no New Age flake; after some research reveals that Casper was real (and really murdered), he starts to believe in Norris and reincarnation. The psychiatrist proves to be seriously naïve as a detective, and when he goes to the police with the story, Geller himself becomes a suspect, one of a series of events that turns his monkish life upside down. Detailed backstories, plus numerous psychoanalytical and New Age tidbits, slow the plot in places, but the past-life angle sustains interest.
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About the Author

JOSEPH TELUSHKIN is the author of a trilogy featuring the rabbinic sleuth, Daniel Winter, which was the basis for episodes of the Emmy-Award winning television program, The Practice. Telushkin is also the author of Jewish Literacy. He resides in New York City.

ALLEN ESTRIN works in both television and film writing. He is a senior lecturer in screenwriting at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and the producer of The Dennis Prager Show.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 467 pages
• Publisher: Toby Press; 2nd edition (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592640915
• ISBN-13: 978-1592640911
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,444,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, spiritual leader and scholar, is the acclaimed author of nine other nonfiction books, including The Book of Jewish Values, The Golden Land: The Story of Jewish Immigration to America, and Jewish Literacy, the most widely read book on Judaism of the past two decades. He is a senior associate of CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, serves on the board of the Jewish Book Council, and is the rabbi of the Los Angeles-based Synagogue for the Performing Arts. He lives with his family in New York City and lectures regularly throughout the United States.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for people who like books!, September 26, 2004

By 

Jeff Guenther (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven's Witness (Hardcover)

This book was simply awesome. From the moment I picked it up I was not able to put it down. Right when I thought I figured out the mystery the author's would just keep throwing me for a loop. I am an unofficial expert on past life therapy and to my surprise this novel had absolutely no holes in it what so ever when it came to past life regression. This is a must read for past life fans. It is about time reincarnation was presented in such an entertaining and cool way. The book pulls you in so tight that it makes it hard for you to separate the novel from reality. I think this book was secretly based on a true story. Or at least a true story from one of my past lives. Happy reading!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really fabululous book, September 30, 2004

By 

Allison Karnoff "rsddsmom" (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heaven's Witness (Hardcover)

I heard the authors of this book interviewed on a radio show. I was so taken with them that I immediately ordered the book. It was an amazing book. Unfortunately, I started reading the book at 10 pm on a Sunday night! After the first 3 pages of the prologue which sets the story for the whole book I was completely hooked. I didn't end up going to bed until 2 am, and only then it was because my eyes literally were closing on their own! The next day I finished reading the book in one sitting. It was riveting, beautiful, fun, exciting, and just an overall great read. I immediately recommended it to everyone I knew. My mother read the book in 2 days as well and loved it too! One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book was the fact that each chapter was like a different scene in a movie. It took you from one character and one scene to another. There was no way to get bored reading this book. The dialogue was wonderful. I tend to "skim" over long diatribes and chapters that seem extremely wordy and never get to the point. I didn't skim a word of this book. It was all succinct and to the point. I think this would make a *great* movie. Mr. Estrin, Rabbi Teluskin, perhaps you should start shopping it around as a screenplay. I would definitely go see the movie! And.....if there is a next book I can't wait!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definite page turner, September 4, 2004

By 

Fiction Lover (Thousand Oaks CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heaven's Witness (Hardcover)

I was immediately drawn to the characters and the "set-up". Although the plot wasn't unduly convoluted, it took many unexpected - and fascinating - turns. I particularly appreciated that the characters' actions "fit", and that they developed in believable AND interesting ways. The authors presented the psychological aspects of the story, but didn't preach or try to lead the reader down a particular path. It was a pleasure to realize I could think for myself and
come to my own conclusions. The denouement was clear-cut, but there was still plenty of room for wondering about the characters' futures. I'd certainly be interested in reading the follow-up book.