The First Phone Call From Heaven: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Albom's latest modern-day fable is less philosophical but more emotionally charged than The Time Keeper. Wrapping this treatise on communication, human relationships, and the nature of heaven inside a nifty mystery, he once again manages to convert his musings on morality and spirituality into a populist page-turner. When embittered pilot Sullivan Harding returns to his small Michigan hometown after a stint in prison for an act of negligence he did not commit, he has to care for his young son while dealing with his feelings of guilt over his wife's death. As Sully attempts to cope with his own demons, various townspeople begin receiving phone calls from deceased loved ones. As word of the Coldwater miracle spreads in a media-fueled frenzy, Sully attempts to get to the bottom of both the mysterious calls and his own paralyzing feelings of guilt and remorse. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Perennial best-seller Albom ponders the nature of miracles in another thought-provoking, discussion-promoting tale.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2010 Booklist

Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) has a nose for "thin places": places where the boundary between secular and sacred is porous, and ultimate meaning is easier to encounter. In his new novel, Coldwater, Mich., is this thin place, a town where people who have lost loved ones begin receiving phone calls from the dead in heaven. Sully Harding's wife died while he was in prison, and their young son, Jules, hopes his mom will call, even while Sully smells a hoax. Albom weaves a thread of satire into a narrative braided from the lives of smalltown residents; Coldwater becomes a media hotspot as well as battleground for religious and antireligious zealots, all awaiting the revelation they expect. A historical thread-popping into the narrative like a change-up in baseball-deals with Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone and how the instrument came to be the premier human connector. This brisk, page-turner of a story climaxes at Christmas. Another winner from Albom; this book just about shouts "Give me for a holiday gift." Agent: David Black, David Black Agency. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A series of tragic circumstances land widower Sully Harding back in his hometown of Coldwater, MI, just months before the mysterious phone calls start occurring. The calls, from deceased family members or acquaintances, are made to a few select members of this small community. Some choose to keep the calls a secret while others decide to tell all. When a small news station picks up the story, it isn't long before it goes viral and the sleepy little town is overrun by extreme believers and vitriolic protesters, all demanding proof. Even Sully's young son, Jules, believes his mother will contact him from heaven. But Sully's skepticism prods him to investigate either to uncover a hoax or believe in a miracle. VERDICT -Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) artfully captures the emotional turbulence caused by the testing of faith. His story clips along at an increasingly frenetic pace, realistically displaying the ugliness wrought when combining the media circus, mass hysteria, and greed of commercialism. This moving tale of loss, recovery, and the power of love will be snatched up by Albom's many fans. [See Prepub Alert, 5/20/13.]-Joy Gunn, Paseo Verde Lib., Henderson, NV (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Albom (The Time Keeper, 2012, etc.) goes divine again in a story about love, forgiveness and the hereafter. Sully Harding's a disgraced ex-military pilot. Sully hadn't expected the assignment to ferry a jet cross-country, and so he'd indulged in a drink the night before. Making a stopover to meet his wife, Sully received incorrect instructions from ground control, resulting in a midair collision. There were no serious injuries, but driving to the airport, Sully's wife was mortally injured in a car crash, hit by the controller attempting to flee his mistake. Flight recording missing and blood alcohol content registered, Sully pled guilty and was sentenced to prison. Depressed after his wife's death, Sully's now home in Coldwater, Mich., selling newspaper ads just as Coldwater's spotlighted in an astounding news story: Residents are receiving phone calls from heaven. Katherine hears from her beloved sister. Tess hears from her mother. Even the police chief hears from his son killed in Afghanistan. The messages are brief and reassuring: "The end is not the end." Angry and bitter, worried about his young son awaiting a call from his dead mother, Sully wants to prove the calls a hoax. The church hierarchy's befuddled by the apparent miracle, but wise old Pastor Warren's skeptical. Amy, ambitious small-time television reporter, is reluctant to join the media circus but grows jealous as Oprah-types bask in the hype's spotlight. Sully himself faces a momentous decision as the phone calls are broadcast worldwide in a television spectacular. Albom's story is simplistic theology about love's eternal nature, forgiveness and the afterlife. There's a hint of romance and some formulaic secondary characters, including the crusty old seen-everything local reporter and the odd, out-of-place funeral director. Framed by short anecdotes relating to Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone, Albom's story unfolds in reportorial-style sketches, right up to a double-twist conclusion. A sentimental meditation on "[w]hat is false about hope?"]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Albom's latest modern-day fable is less philosophical but more emotionally charged than The Time Keeper. Wrapping this treatise on communication, human relationships, and the nature of heaven inside a nifty mystery, he once again manages to convert his musings on morality and spirituality into a populist page-turner. When embittered pilot Sullivan Harding returns to his small Michigan hometown after a stint in prison for an act of negligence he did not commit, he has to care for his young son while dealing with his feelings of guilt over his wife's death. As Sully attempts to cope with his own demons, various townspeople begin receiving phone calls from deceased loved ones. As word of the Coldwater "miracle" spreads in a media-fueled frenzy, Sully attempts to get to the bottom of both the mysterious calls and his own paralyzing feelings of guilt and remorse. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Perennial best-seller Albom ponders the nature of miracles in another thought-provoking, discussion-promoting tale. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Phones are ringing off the hook in little Coldwater, MI, but the callers are all deceased, stirring emotions from joyous relief to uncertain fear as they report being happy in heaven. People worldwide are hailing a miracle, but Sully Harding is determined to show that it's a hoax. Sully's wife died while he was doing time for a crime he may not have committed, and he worries when his young son starts carrying around a cell phone, convinced that he will soon be hearing from his mom. With a 1.5 million-copy first printing.

A series of tragic circumstances land widower Sully Harding back in his hometown of Coldwater, MI, just months before the mysterious phone calls start occurring. The calls, from deceased family members or acquaintances, are made to a few select members of this small community. Some choose to keep the calls a secret while others decide to tell all. When a small news station picks up the story, it isn't long before it goes viral and the sleepy little town is overrun by extreme believers and vitriolic protesters, all demanding proof. Even Sully's young son, Jules, believes his mother will contact him from heaven. But Sully's skepticism prods him to investigate either to uncover a hoax or believe in a miracle. VERDICT Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) artfully captures the emotional turbulence caused by the testing of faith. His story clips along at an increasingly frenetic pace, realistically displaying the ugliness wrought when combining the media circus, mass hysteria, and greed of commercialism. This moving tale of loss, recovery, and the power of love will be snatched up by Albom's many fans. [See Prepub Alert, 5/20/13.]—Joy Gunn, Paseo Verde Lib., Henderson, NV

Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven) has a nose for "thin places": places where the boundary between secular and sacred is porous, and ultimate meaning is easier to encounter. In his new novel, Coldwater, Mich., is this thin place, a town where people who have lost loved ones begin receiving phone calls from the dead in heaven. Sully Harding's wife died while he was in prison, and their young son, Jules, hopes his mom will call, even while Sully smells a hoax. Albom weaves a thread of satire into a narrative braided from the lives of smalltown residents; Coldwater becomes a media hotspot as well as battleground for religious and antireligious zealots, all awaiting the revelation they expect. A historical thread—popping into the narrative like a change-up in baseball—deals with Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone and how the instrument came to be the premier human connector. This brisk, page-turner of a story climaxes at Christmas. Another winner from Albom; this book just about shouts "Give me for a holiday gift." Agent: David Black, David Black Agency. (Nov.)