Kirkus Reviews are respected and authoritative pre-publicationreviews of books in the U.S. market, and are watched closely bylibraries, publishers, film producers and booksellers.Consequently, they are among the most influential in the UnitedStates. Here is an edited extract of  the Kirkus review of TheThird Man Factor:

Geiger, John
THE THIRD MAN FACTOR: Surviving the Impossible
 
    An award-winning author uncovers spiritual guardians whoaid those in states of crisis...(presenting) dozens of examples ofpeople who have encountered an unseen presence, or, as T.S. Eliotwrote in The Wasteland, "the third who walks always beside you."Typically, the "Third Man" is either sensed or manifests in ashadowy formation appearing amid hopeless circumstances profferingwords of encouragement and direction. Ron DiFrancesco, one of thelast survivors to escape the South Tower on 9/11, chronicles anunseen "benevolent helper" who guided him down through a fiery,smoke-choked stairwell and disappeared soon after. Crushed by anavalanche, a mountain climber received inspiration from an"invisible being" who led him to safety. A panicked diver lostsight of her guideline within a maze of undersea caves and wasinexplicably guided to the surface.
Members of a doomed Antarctic expedition describe theirencounter as having "spiritual significance." Geiger also writes ofsailors cast adrift, biblical theologians, lonesome widowers andpostpartum women, all of whom claim that their individual rescueswere caused by angelic interaction. Even famed aviator CharlesLindbergh reported seeing friendly "phantoms," though apsychological evaluation attributed his claim to monotony andboredom. The phenomenon's counterpoint suggests stress,depression-induced hallucinations, malnutrition, social stagnancyand extreme environmental exposure as probable contributors to theappearance of the Third Man. Geiger evenhandedly presents bothsides of this mysterious anomaly in clear, concise language.Ultimately, he labels the Third Man an "instrument of hope...thebelief-the understanding-that we are not alone."
    An intelligent rendering of a chilling phenomenon.