Mohamed’s debut, a crisply told paranormal thriller with science-fiction elements, revolves around Mark, the general manager at a tech company whose life, despite his occasional demonic nightmare, is progressing pretty much on track until the death of his wife, Rachel, and Mark’s jolting discovery that he’s a healer. Soon he’s caught up in a battle between dark forces who have larger purposes that are a complete mystery to Mark. Among those forces: a shadowy group called The Establishment, who isn’t above murder to get what it wants; the opposing group the Alliance; and mysterious figures like The Professor and Apollo, the latter of whom instructs Mark in healing and suggests that people with psychic powers control the economy and other aspects of our lives.

What Mark does know is everyone’s trying to manipulate him for their own purposes, and he has to figure out a way to hold his own before it’s too late. Aptly titled, the twisty novel hinges on Mark’s absolutely rare ability to heal people using his own newly discovered psychic powers. Mohamed is fascinated with the mechanics of how he does this, spinning elaborate accounts of energy, imagination, and dreamscapes, which seethe with mystery and tension. There’s also psychokinesis, mind control, astral projection and divination. Despite its attention to how these powers work, the novel is fast paced, hurtling forward from one psychokinetic scene or revelation to another.

At times, the plot can become convoluted, and some readers may feel there are too many parallel intrigues to keep up with. The material is thoughtful, but for all the flashbacks and explanations, Mohamed also doesn’t skimp on action, with surprise gunplay and even a dreamscape robot battle. The kitchen-sink approach makes sense within the narrative, as Mohamed does justice to the heady ideas and paranormal thriller genre. All in all, lovers of this genre will enjoy this book, which moves fast and boasts big revelations.

Takeaway: This paranormal thriller boasts psychic powers, big revelations, and a spiritual heart.

Great for fans of: Dan Simmons’s Carrion Comfort, Stephen King’s The Institute.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: C