I can’t stop thinking about Souls Speak. This proved to be a uniquely compelling read that I just couldn’t put down! John Wingate’s loyalty to his childhood friends, Joel, Billy, and Craig, who disappeared in Hannibal, Missouri on May 10, 1967, is pretty straight forward and admirable. The most common belief has been that they had disappeared into the cave system and that’s probably where they still were, which is detailed in Wingate’s first book, The Lost Boys of Hannibal.
Then, along came these three psychics, who totally rocked his world with the news that John Wayne Gacy abducted and murdered the boys. That’s where the author’s faith struggle begins. As he journeys through the investigation unraveling the psychic mysteries behind the Hoag and Dowell boys’ disappearances, the author runs a parallel exploration of Christian principles in his personal search for a faith comfort zone in handling this new information. As with his first book, Wingate’s research is impeccable.
I adore Wingate’s writing style. He takes you with him as he travels through Hannibal separately with each of the three psychics. His descriptions bring pictures to mind, the sentences flow and are written conversationally, with intelligence — the vocabulary choices are masterful! He conveys tender compassion for the boys and their families, respect for the psychics, and disdain for Gacy and his evil. It’s such a pleasurable read — albeit a shocking addendum to his first book!
This excerpt from Chapter 10 really strikes a chord:
“Eternity it seems does not start at death; we have been in eternity for our entire lives, this continuum of earthly life to death to eternal life into which we are born. The Bible speaks of us as merely a vapor. Indeed, life on Earth, for those blessed with the gift of many decades, is but a nano second compared to the eternity of life beyond.”
This an amazing true story written by an extremely talented writer who brings every page to life for the reader. I highly recommend Souls Speak!
