The Reincarnationist (2007)

M.J. Rose's new, Rome-set thriller opens with a bomb in a baby carriage. Photojournalist Josh Ryder, injured in the explosion, begins experiencing intense episodes wherein he imagines he is a pagan Roman priest madly in love with one of the vestal virgins. Ryder goes in search of the ''memory stones,'' whose history can be traced back to Egypt and India and are said to prove reincarnation. The Da Vinci Code casts a long shadow on The Reincarnationist, and many elements will seem familiar: skulduggery in a European capital, relics inscribed with strange symbols, thievery, murder, and a female sidekick as brilliant as she is comely. Still, it's a load of silly fun. B