Josh Ryder is a photographer for The Associated Press, covering events around the globe, when he is injured in a bombing in Rome. For the next year and a half, he is recovered physically, but mentally, he can’t escape strange and disturbing episodes that make him feel as if he were another person in another time period.

When he finds himself involved in the fascinating finds of an archaeological dig — again, in Rome — that has turned up the tomb of a Vestal Virgin, Josh begins having trouble separating what could be his own reincarnated past with the very dangerous present. But if he can use his “memories” to help solve the mystery of who has stolen a valuable part of the discoveries of the tomb — and killed several people along the way — he may be able to help save more lives and bring closure to old stories.

M.J. Rose has created an entertaining novel that incorporates different cultures’ beliefs in reincarnation into a modern-day suspense thriller. She balances old and new fairly adeptly and keeps the reader’s attention. The result is makes for a fun read — nothing extraordinary, but diverting.

Rated: High for between 15 and 20 uses of strong language and about the same number of uses of mild and moderate language. Sexual references also are more than a little bit frequent and become increasingly detailed as the novel goes on.