Illusion by Frank Peretti

Dane and Mandy Collins are one of the greatest magic acts of all time. They met while they were both young and Dane was just a magician's assistant, but they saw a future together and spent their lives building up their magic act. Dane's world is shattered when they are in a car accident and Mandy is killed. As he tries to move on with his life, he is haunted by her memory. He thinks he is seeing his wife as a much younger version of herself in a young magician whose name is Eloise.
Mandy in 19, in 1970 on the fairgrounds with her friends. She buys lunch and sits under a tree and suddenly everything changes. She is in a hospital gown and the people around her are different. She is picked up by the police and taken to a mental hospital to be evaluated where she finds out that the year is 2010 and there are no records on her identity. She has a vision that changes her environment and she escapes the hospital. She is found by a family who take in troubled girls and tries to make her way using the only gifts she has, magic, going under her middle name, Eloise. When Dane meets Eloise, he takes her on as a protege and together they embark on the greatest journey of their lives.

Although I did really enjoy the book and the story line was good, it just didn't seem to have the gripping quality that other Frank Peretti books seemed to have. There didn't seem to have the spiritual elements that his other books have had. It was a great story and it was gripping towards the end, but it didn't hold my attention like other books. That said, it was a great story. It was a novel against the scientific advancements that deal with manipulating life and death. It really made you think about science and the ethics involved with all the new headway they have been making. It makes you ask the question, how far is too far? Are the scientific advancements we are making worth the risks? The story line did a great job of laying out the problems without forcing them on you. The book had a definite opinion on the subject, but it let you make your own conclusions.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It was another great novel by Frank Peretti.

I received this book free as an advanced copy from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.