Customer Reviews

Looking for Carroll Beckwith: The True Stories of a Detective's Search for His Past

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With the credentials of Indianapolis homicide Commander Snow's, it will be interesting to see how the anti-reincarnation ostriches can dismiss both his research and his findings...although the reaction of his wife indicates that a need to disbelieve can survive the most stunning facts. This book is more gripping than the best mystery story because its implications are true for both the reader and the author. It would have been interesting to know how the writer's philosophy of life might have been altered by his remarkable discoveries but Snow does effectively communicate his initial shock of discovery at this dimension of life previously unknown to him. He says he leaves its deeper meaning "to the philosophers and the theologians." Readers will share the chilling effect of his standing on his own grave and holding the handwritten journal of a previous self long gone. An unusual and convincing addition to the more than 500 titles Amazon says it offers on reincarnation.

Because of the nature of the proof offered, and because of the credibility of the author, there are only two rational possibilities--either the author is making it up, or he has proven both reincarnation and the validity of hypnotic regression as a viable tool for affirming the existence of past lives. That he got the previous personality's wife's name incorrect, tends to support the researcher's credibility and thus, to my mind, strengthens the case. It is not unusual, in cases of verifying past-life regression, to get details like names wrong (see "Mission to Millboro" by Marge Rieder, for example)--nor for the basic facts to be accurate. So Capt. Snow's results are consistent with other verified cases in this regard. This book is a wake-up call for people who want to lightly dismiss both reincarnation and hypnotic regression as being entirely fanciful.

The length to which Police Captain Snow goes to prove himself wrong and then has to accept the truth is amazing. The book is not lacking in the detailed research. The style, is no nonsense and matter of fact. Highly recommended to all those interested in past lives. For those who are not, read it like a master detective story. I agree with a previous researcher that the author could have shared more about his relationship with the past and present wives. I wonder why his wife rejects her husband's evidence and research. Or maybe she's just trying to see if there is an alternate explanantion to all of the evidence gathered ? I read the book almost in one sitting. I too, do not think that the fact that the author did not get his first wife's name correct is important enough to doubt the author's story. In fact, it probably lends more credibility. The best thing I liked about the book is that Captain Snow does not readily accept any of the evidence but validates it thoroughly with police like reliable research methods. He has actually gone about trying to dismiss the results of regression therapy as not relating to past life but semms to have failed miserably in the end.

As this is claimed to be a true story, there will be people who will dismiss that as fiction. But, I do not think that any police officer will risk his reputation by coming out with a story like this, unless it were really true. Why would a police officer go through monumental amount of data about a not so famous painter and then use the information to write a book about his past life using the regression therapy as a starting point? Unfortunately, laboratory proof of reincarnation is not possible. This is as close as one can get. For further reading, I encourage those interested to read " 20 suggestive cases of reincarnation" and -"where Reincarnation and Biology intersect" by Dr Ian Stevenson.

I was amazed at the length Captian Snow went to prove he, himself, had lived a past life as portrait painter Carroll Beckwith. Being a dective gave the author added diligence and preseverance in researching every detail of his regression to discover who this painter was.

Unlike the book Search for Grace: A True Story of Reincarnation by Bruce Goldberg which I found lacking in research Captain Snow leaves no detail untouched. Author Goldberg's book was interesting but in cannot compare to this indepth look at reincarnation.

Because of the author's painstaking research I found this book fascinating and hard to put down. The author also includes many pictures of Carroll Beckwith's paintings which added to the powerful image of this man having actually lived and died years before Captain Snow was born.

I was not, in any way, concerned with the fact that the author did not get the wife's name correct. Having read many other accounts of reincarnation this happens often. Names do not seem as important once a soul has left this realm of existence.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in past life regression or for those who may want more proof of its existence.

The important thing in this story is the element of credibility. As a police detective, Captain Robert Snow is what I perceive to be a credible, honest, relayer of information. I want to believe this is not a "Snow" job!(Sorry, I couldn't help myself!) The book itself relays a message of reincarnation that is 99 percent believable. There is only one element of doubt in my mind and that is the fact that if Snow really is the reincarnate Carroll Beckwith, why does he get the name of his wife Bertha confused with the name Amanda. Perhaps this is only a necessary condition to produce an element of doubt within the mind of the reader. Otherwise, the story would be 100 percent believable.I tend to believe in reincarnation and for the most part, i believe, through hypnosis, that an individual can "go Back" to another time but there is always that scintilla of doubt. I believe Captain Snow understands this but the book would have been so much better if the names were right.

As a counseling psychologist who has been surprised by the number of unexplainable experiences that can occur during a therapy session, I found Captain Snow's book to be astounding. His analysis of a past life, and the time and effort taken to review both the reliability and validity of his research methods will help many skeptics to reform biases against the existence of reincarnation.

I wish the author would have shared more about his relationships with both his wife and Carroll's wife - though we are told that his wife is a skeptic, I find it hard to believe that she could reject her husband's evidence after years of research.

A thoroughly good book and a nice introduction to the area of reincarnation and the field of past life regression therapy.

The author of this book, Robert Snow (aka Carroll Beckwith) should be commended on his courage in putting his thoughts to paper. The aim of him writing this book is clearly not glory or acclaim, but to talk about an experience that frankly, he is clearly uncomfortable talking about. And that is exactly why this book is so credible. Robert Snow, a homicide detective in Indianapolis, with a left-brain mentality, had no background in the "new age" movement, hinduism, or the eastern schools of thought before his experience. He was the biggest skeptic of them all.
Snow reluctantly went to a past-life regressionist to prove to someone that it would be a waste of time. His experience in hypnosis was as vivid as watching a movie. In viewing his life as Beckwith, he came away with 28 vivid details, and a painting, clear as crystal in his mind. He searched everywhere to find this painting, to prove that he had seen it somewhere, that it not been a past-life image. What he ultimately learned was that such a painting did exist, and further, no one had seen it since the early part of the 20th century. Upon learning that the painting was Beckwith's, he conducted an extensive search and ultimately, obtained Beckwith's diaries. He was able to prove all 28 of the details that he had seen in his regression.
The evidence in this book is overwhelming that Robert Snow was in fact Carroll Beckwith. Be prepared to have your worldview altered if in fact, you do not believe in reincarnation.
The only small problem I have is that Snow claims he is the only person in history to have proved a past-life existence. There have, in fact, been numerous cases; some even more well documented than Snow's, if you can believe that.

If you're skeptical about past life regressions, this would be a good book for you. The author started out as more of a skeptic than me, and possibly more so as you as well. He dealt with te information he received in a reading, like any detective in his place would. He went and looked at the data. Admittedly, he was doing so to disprove that what he had seen was a past life. After a point, when he hadn't found anything to disprove what he had seen, and numerous points that in fact confirmed what he had seen, he finally came to believe it had been a past life.

I just finished reading "Looking for Carroll Beckwith", and I must say that the research done by Robert Snow is absolutely exhaustive! How anyone could question his findings is truly beyond me.

Basically, this book is about a police captain who, on a dare, goes to a psychologist for a past-life regression. During that session, he sees quite a few of his past lives - for several of them, he only saw glimpses of that life, but for 1 of these past lives - that of Carroll Beckwith, he received much information.

Not sure what to make of this regression, he sets on a journey where he continually tries to prove that what he saw during the regression was false - that it was just something that his subconcious made up, a fantasy. However, after his exhaustive research into the life of Carroll Beckwith, he is left realizing that, in fact, what he saw during his regression matches completely with the life of this man from the 1800's.

The one thing that bothered me throughout this reading was that his wife was completely unsupportive. It's apparent that she was unable to let go of her current beliefs, even in the face of such unbelievable evidence. I find that to be quite sad! It was also amazing to me the lengths Mr. Snow went to to try to show that regressions bring up false memories, as opposed to real past lives. It made me wonder, how much is enough evidence to prove to you what is staring you right in the face??? But, then again, that's a judgment that is not up to me to make - but, I must say, that this was a bit unnerving to me.

Overall, this is an amazing story that I think proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we all have lived past lives at some point in time. If you are at all interested in this topic, this is a great book to read on the subject.

This book was really fascinating! I'd like to address the reviewer above about the writing ability of the author. It was written beautifully, and from his heart! It had my interest from the minute I read the first page. I find it totally believable and thank the author for writing his story, because alot of people might think him crazy. Well, he's hardly that, and this is an amazing story worth reading. Don't miss out on this one.