Saving Jake

by Ophelia Julien

Philip Corts has a special gift that his best friend Jake Holdridge won't let him ignore--he can "track" lost objects, people, and even past lives with his mind. But not all trackings have happy endings and Philip vows to lay his gift to rest until... Jake slips into desperation and comes to Philip with a terrifying Could he track one more time? Philip must Watch Jake die or try to save him and risk both their lives.

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

I grew up in a haunted house on the north side of Chicago. I didn't realize how disturbed it was until I was old enough to do sleepovers at friends' houses and realized their homes felt nothing like mine! Ghosts have influenced everything I've ever written, even as a kid. My first attempt at a full length novel was like Nancy Drew Hits a Haunted Cemetery. I have tried writing without ghosts, but they always find their way into my work, so now I just let them.

I have tried many careers in my lifetime: secretary, sign language interpreter, special ed aide, medical transcriptionist, medical assistant, but through all of it, I never stopped writing. So now I am ready to say "I write" when people ask me what I do. It's the only thing that I have always done.

Collecting ghost stories is important to me, so if we ever meet, feel free to tell me a story or two. Better yet, I'll swap stories with you.

And please feel free to contact me -either here or at my website. I do answer!

Reviews

[Phyllis Handy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I couldn't put it down. I love reading paranormal stories that have good endings. This book is really a book about friendship. Iloved it.

[Fawn Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pace and easy read

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by K. Osborn Sullivan for TeensReadToo.com

Philip Corts would like to be an average teenager, but his special abilities set him apart. He's always been able to find things that his family loses. He hears voices in cemeteries. And, with the help of his best friend, Jake Holdridge, he discovers that he can see the past through objects that have been there. But is he only seeing the past, or is he reliving it? Philip isn't sure he wants to know the truth about himself, so he turns his back on his supernatural talents.

While Phil struggles with his own gift, his friend Jake has a burden of his own: a demanding, wealthy father who expects Jake to follow his footsteps into a successful corporate career. Never mind that Jake is an artist with no interest in the business world. So Jake devises a radical plan to free himself from his father's domineering presence, and he needs Philip's unique talents to help pull it off. The very talents that Philip swore he would never use again.

SAVING JAKE is a paranormal adventure that combines the chills of a ghost story with the heart-wrenching drama of teens at a crossroads in their lives. The relationship between Jake and Philip is fascinating in its closeness and complexity. Also, the struggles engaged in by the main character, Philip, would probably seem extraordinary in most other stories, but compared to the daily misery endured by Jake, Philip's life almost seems like a walk in the park. As the book progresses, the reader can practically see Jake fading away. His eventual solution to his problems, although extreme, seems infinitely superior to having him continue life as he has been.

This is an exciting book for readers who enjoy an eerie, mysterious tale, and it should appeal to those who like a great drama, too. Both of those elements worked together very well here. Overall, it was the paranormal elements that drew me to SAVING JAKE in the first place, but it was the well-written, unique story that kept me hooked.

[Peggy Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake suddenly reappears after a three-year absence with a shocking request that could cost Corts his life.

Ever since he was a kid, Corts (Philip Corts) has had an unusual ability to find lost things – keys, driver’s license, wallets – with his mind. His family thinks that’s all there is to it. But Jake, his best friend since seventh grade, knows better. Corts can hold onto an object, or person, and read its energy, see where it came from. Jake thinks it’s a gift. He calls it tracking. But Corts isn’t so sure. There are also terrifying nightmares and visions that make his ability unbearable at times until he learns to block it. As a first semester college freshman with his whole life and the chance at a journalism scholarship ahead of him, Corts thought he could leave all that peculiarity behind and chalk it up to his reckless childhood. Until Jake showed up.

“Saving Jake” is a spellbinding journey into the mysteries of the human mind. Ophelia Julien expertly weaves an intriguing tale of suspense that will haunt you far beyond the final page.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Peggy Tibbetts

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the Mom of two addicted children (now adults) in recovery, D'Anne's raw and truthful storytelling will strike a chord in anyone who has lived through the fear, anger, frustration, discouragement, and sadness of loving an addicted child. Jake's journey from successful college student to a hopeless shell of the son she once new is beautifully written and truthfully depicted, down to the nitty gritty. It is raw, brutally honest and written so well that putting the book down in order to participate in something else proved difficult for me. All I wanted to do was voraciously devour her story. This is a "must read" for all parents, especially Moms, who are walking the most difficult path in life -- watching an addiction take their child down a road they never envisioned and turn them into someone they no longer recognize.

[Kelli Mitchell-stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

Excellent read!

I wasn't sure what to expect at first since it was different than her other books, but I am so glad to have read this!!