Rating: 
Summary: We need more books like these
Review: Father Joe, a wonderful Catholic faith journey unexpectedly written by The-Spinal-Tap-Guy got all the press this spring but The Miracle Detective is another wonderful Catholic faith journey by an unlikely author that was published around the same time and is well worth reading too.
The Miracle Detective is at once a detailed survey of Marian apparitions focusing on Medjugorie, a peak inside the official Vatican process of miracle investigation and authentication and finally a moving faith journey written by a Rolling Stone feature writer. Randall Sullivan, whose previous book investigated the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls at first seems as unlikely a candidate as Tony Hendra to write a passionate exploration of Catholic faith but is just as welcome.
We need more guys like these: Successful popular culture figures willing to break through the limitations of that mold and speak from their hearts about their faith without descending into the new age babble so prevalent in the spiritual-zone of our pop culture. Do these two books mark the start of a trend? I hope so.
Incidentally, these books motivated me to pick up Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, another Catholic faith journey from an unlikely seeker.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Very well written and expertly researched, it was a joy to read. I found it to be a very fair and balanced account of Marain visions. The book is 90% neutral investigative journalism and 10% about the author's own spiritual journey through various phases of doubt and faith, which added a lot to the story. It's mostly centered on Medjugorje, though events in Arizona are also given a fair amount of attention. Beyond that, Lourdes and Fatima get a little time along with a few other events. The accounts of various healings and miracles are fascinating.
What I most appreciated about the book was it's neutrality and easy to read style. The author is not a Bible thumper who is looking to convert the reader, nor is he an atheist attempting to disuade us. He maintains a high degree of journalistic integrity throughout, presenting the results of his in depth research and letting the reader make up his or her own mind. Was Medjugorje real? After reading this, I believe, at least in part, that it was. Though one wonders if over the years, due to basic human limitation, the seers and their Franciscan keepers have lost their way a little bit. Reading about the visions of Medjugorje in context of the past and present history of the region, was extremely educational.
I don't agree with some of the criticism found at Amazon. The book is the result of 8 years of research and travel. It's a big story that covers a lot of ground and I found it to be reasonably well organized. As for the editing, the story reads very well and I didn't find virtually any typos or things of that nature.
I'm not a Catholic, but after reading this book, I'm itchin' to travel to Medjugorje and do a little investigating myself. Bravo Randall Sullivan, keep up the good work!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Read...Great Discussion Starter
Review: If you have faith, are searching for faith, or have ever struggled with your faith this book is for you! I read a lot of spiritual/religious books (everything from Surya Das to Elaine Pagels)and this one has sparked more conversations with my friends than any in a long time. Everyone I know who's read it, loves this book -- mainline Protestants, Catholics, lapsed Catholics and spiritual seekers alike. If you're none of the above but care about spiritual issues, you'll like MIRACLE DETECTIVE, too.Without plot-spoiling, Randall not only examines the nature of miracles and faith, but has direct encounters with good and evil (apparitions?) himself. One was so terrifying spiritually that after reading it my friend lay in bed awake all night with her reading glasses and bedside lamp on. If you like accounts of Marian apparitions this has the goods, but don't be fooled you don't have to be into them at all to love this book. More than anything this book tells of an amazing spiritual journey that makes you think about your own relationship with belief. It's a great read (very interesting and well-written, but not at all academic like a lot of religion books)!
Rating:
Summary: well written and enjoyable to read
Review: Picked this book up on a whim and couldn't put it down till I had it finished. I had heard about many of the visions of Mary but this author goes further in his reporting. He not only tells the essentials, but goes into detail to explain the culture and history of the area and people. His reports regarding the visions in Medjugorie are so much fuller after understanding the history and culture. A must read for anyone curious or interested in the subject of visions.
I also very much appreciated the author's reports of his own struggles with faith and doubt. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: well written and enjoyable to read
Review: Randall Sullivan gets in his own way in this book. He set out a reporter and ended up a what? seeker? I found myself annoyed by sloppy reporting: a Jesuit who gave Sullivan the name of someone to see in Rome--misspelled that Jesuit's name. Mislabeled Condoleeza Rice's job. Misspelled "pilgrimage." "Career" appears where "careen" is intended. Sullivan is great when he's reporting, even in his sloppy mode, but his emoting--well, that's another story best told in another place. Interesting read, but I got it from the library, not the bookstore.
Rating: 
Summary: a careless reporter
Review: Randall Sullivan gets in his own way in this book. He set out a reporter and ended up a what? seeker? I found myself annoyed by sloppy reporting: a Jesuit who gave Sullivan the name of someone to see in Rome--misspelled that Jesuit's name. Mislabeled Condoleeza Rice's job. Misspelled "pilgrimage." "Career" appears where "careen" is intended. Sullivan is great when he's reporting, even in his sloppy mode, but his emoting--well, that's another story best told in another place. Interesting read, but I got it from the library, not the bookstore.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding and balanced look at miraculous apparitions
Review: Randall Sullivan spent eight years researching and examining the miraculous apparitions at Boardman Oregon, Scottsdale Arizona and Medjugorje in Bosnia. The results is one of the best books on the phenomenon of miraculous apparitions ever to be written. Although he starts locally with Boardman, he spends most of his time in Medjugorje and Rome.
Medjugorje is undeniably the most important miraculous appearance of our time and is often compared to those at Lourdes and Fatima. Sullivan provides wonderfully balanced reporting, while at the same time he is open enough to show how his interviews have personally influenced him. He does a wonderful job of presenting the many points of view on these events, yet is always reaching for the objective truth behind the presentations of the seers, the Church, the theologians, the believers, and the scientists.
My favorite chapter comes towards the end of the book when he interviews Father Benedict Groeschel. He quotes Groeschel as saying:
"If you no more than dismiss these things, you're simple an obscurantist. If you mindlessly embrace them, you're just a dope. we have to resist the obsessive-compulsive demand for a clear, definitive answer to these questions. This is a field for people who don't have to have it all figured out, who don't need it cast in black and white. There's a lotta gray mist around this stuff, and you have to be prepared to deal with that. Once in a while a bright, shining lightcomes through, and we should be grateful for it. Because the rest of the time we have to feel our way through the twilight."
If you have an open mind, I recommend this book. However, if you come to it to either prove or disprove a preconceived idea, you will probably feel upset with the author's approach.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting & well-written
Review: This book fills a much-needed niche. So often with apparations, you have get either a complete debunker or a credulous believer. The author is an agnostic on the question but someone open enough to painstakingly research what has been a mystery to many of us. The author's spiritual journey is an added bonus and is fascinating in its own right.
Rating:
Summary: Do I believe or don't I?
Review: This book is a must read for those who doubt - and I count myself among them. Sullivan takes us along on a tour de force of Marian apparitions, and invites us to speculate along with him. It turns out to be a fascinating journey. I got lost along the way a few times, but kept coming back to find where the next twist in the road would lead. He's full of surprises - right down to the last page. It's intelligently written, and raises questions, some of which you'd rather not struggle with, but that's what makes it such a fascinating book.
Rating:
Summary: Separating Fruits from Nuts
Review: This book is a very interesting account of both the value and the dangers surrounding religious experiences. The author himself quite unexpectedly finds himself being challenged by the messages and does an exceptional job communicating his own very personal struggles with issues of faith. The best part of the book is that he does not approach the subject either as a mocker or as a biased believer - he is just a curious guy. Intellegent, revealing and well written. I highly recommend it.
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