The Collector of Dying Breaths: A Novel of Suspense

The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose is a spectacular novel which is a mishmash of historical fiction, mystery, suspense, gothic and mystical tale. It is the sixth installment in the Reincarnationist series following The Reincarnationist, The Memorist, The Hypnotist, The Book of Lost Fragrances and Seduction.

Sharp and brilliant, international best-selling author M.J. Rose crafted a fascinating story that alternates between the mid-1500s tale of Italian orphan Rene le Florentin with the modern day story of Jac L'Etoile. Rene le Florentin is an orphan who serves as the apprentice of a highly-revered monk, Dom Serapino. But when he died, Rene is imprisoned and was saved from the clutches of death by Catherine de Medici to become her personal perfumer. It is Rene de Florentin who theorizes that the dying breaths of a person can be captured and released again in someone else. Catherine, destined to become Queen, has nefarious designs for Rene's knowledge of potions and poisons.

Jac L'Etoile is a single woman and by profession a mythologist. Her brother Robbie was working on an ancient art that was started by Dom Serapino when he dies of an unknown illness, leaving her the sole owner of the prestigious L'Etoile perfumery. She is immediately drawn into the world of a strange and compulsive woman named Melinoe, who is determined to discover the secret of immortality, the dying breaths of an individual. This supposedly will enable a person to live another life. Through skillful indulgence and ingenuity, the author brings the past with all its rich history and mysteries to the present, painting a picture that is awesome and astounding.

How the lives of two people who live centuries apart intertwined is what The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose is all about. It is a delightful read that packs absolutely almost everything inside its pages. It is a wonderful story with romance, history, mystery, magic, political intrigue, crime, reincarnation and suspense. The interesting mix of characters populating the story is truly amazing. The writing is an out-and-out winner and the stupendous climax leaves one clamoring for more.