Book Review: Desperately Seeking Heaven by Jill Steeples
Alice Fletcher is driving home from work one Friday night – a Friday the 13th – when she comes upon a car accident. She finds the driver on the side of the road, quite shaken and behaving a little strangely. He refuses to call the police or get medical help. Alice feels drawn to the man, who seems familiar to her. As it turns out, he’s none other than Jimmy Mack, a very popular television personality.
An immediately smitten Alice agrees to take him to her place to recuperate. While watching the television together, they learn that Jimmie has been killed in a car accident. What? How can that be? He’s in her apartment! Is she losing her mind? It turns out that Alice is the only one who can see Jimmy. The two come to the conclusion that Jimmy can’t cross to the other side without settling some unfinished business. Jimmy needs Alice’s help, because he’s not certain what that business is.
Jimmy and Alice work together, attending the funeral and visiting his family and friends, to look for clues. Eventually a reality show personality comes out of the woodwork with a story that sullies the reputation of the deceased and it’s up to Alice to set the record straight. Her task becomes all the more crucial when she realizes she’s falling for Jimmy – a ghost.
The storyline is unique and I was both intrigued by the paranormal aspects and curious to see how it would all play out. I did have some issues though. First, the reasons for Jimmie’s inability to cross over were vague and really not momentous enough to keep him in an afterlife limbo. Also, the author’s description of Jimmy’s ghostly presence was at times weak. Only Alice could see him, but she could also feel him, which means that there was physical interaction, hugging and dancing, sometimes in public. It’s not plausible that this didn’t attract the attentions of others. I don’t know about you, but if I saw someone hugging or slow dancing with the air, I’d run the other way! The storyline of Jimmy and Alice falling in love felt a bit rushed. It’s hard to get invested in a couple that you know will never be together. I did like the ending though, which was sweet and appropriately handled. The author has a great voice and she was able to make a situation that should have been maudlin, rather fun to read.
3 stars
