Library Journal
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Sparrow (a pseudonym for a "distinguished award-winning novelist") has crafted a novel with an intriguing premise that does not quite deliver. The idea, essentially, is what if all murdered children could inhabit an adult's body (one who recently died) for the sole purpose of punishing their killer. Once that deed is done, the child and the adult body perish. In order to achieve this task, the deceased need a Porter, someone who can guide them to the world of the living. The current Porter, Annie, is dying and needs to persuade Willow Millard Wylde to assume the role. An alcoholic upstart detective who lives just outside Detroit, Willow has had visions of dead people his entire life, but he has learned to ignore them. Meanwhile, siblings who were killed 20 years ago take over the bodies of two of Willow's deputies, attempting to solve their own murders. The story then becomes convoluted, as multiple names are used for the same human body and the conversations among characters become circular and repetitive. Verdict Brevity and editing could have improved the reading experience for this psychological thriller with a paranormal twist. [See Prepub Alert, 9/25/17.]-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

It's too bad Sparrow is using a pseudonym; any writer ought to gleefully claim this paranormal mystery's clever concept. The titular guide is a pink, stapled packet handed out to select adults who, because of their near-death experiences, have become landlords to the spirits of murdered children. This roommate situation occurs so that the murdered children can then murder their own murderers! Neat, huh? Not so neat to ex-NYPD detective Willow Wylde, whose new consolation-prize assignment is heading up a cold-case squad. Slowly he realizes his two new recruits are landlords out to solve cold cases for very personal reasons and, furthermore, Willow himself has a big part to play in these possessions. It's enjoyably troubling, often dramatic, occasionally shocking, and periodically funny (as all body-swap stories are). It's not the pacey thriller, however, that it sounds like; Sparrow's winding, shaggy style can frustrate and confound, and unlikely coincidences abound. Still, the gonzo premise and idiosyncratic language (free use of adjectives like barfy) mostly pay off.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2017 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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This highly unusual and, at times, uneven synthesis of whodunit and paranormal suspense from the pseudonymous Sparrow, billed as a "distinguished award-winning novelist," centers on 57-year-old Willow Wylde, an alcoholic former NYPD cop. Fresh out of rehab in Arizona, Willow, whose wreckage of a personal life is one long cautionary tale, accepts a job as the head of a newly formed cold case task force in Macomb County, Mich. One case in particular-the decades-old disappearance of a brother and sister-draws his attention. Further investigation leads Willow to some mind-blowing revelations: the spirits of murdered children are returning and inhabiting adult bodies, seeking a "moment of balance" so they can track down and enact supernatural retribution on their killers. The dense narrative is slow-building, but those readers who have patience to get through the somewhat confusing beginning will be rewarded with a touching, albeit brutal, tale of redemption. Agent: Andrew Wylie, Wylie Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.