What do a middle-aged divorced loser named Bob Cotton, a nun trying to find herself named Alice Young and an oversized uneducated Latino named Lexington Vargas have in common?  One would think not very much but in Rick Springfield’s debut novel “Magnificent Vibration”, the three come together in a wild adventure that takes them from the highways of Los Angeles to the Highlands of Scotland.

When Bob Cotton steals a copy of the book “Magnificent Vibration” from a bookstore, he is faced with the utmost curiosity when he finds the phone number 1-800-CALL-GOD written in the book.  As any person questioning God’s existence while on the verge of suicide may do, Bob gives it a call and has a few words with The Man Upstairs.

Feeling despondent following his chat with God, Bob visits a bar where God once again contacts him while he’s in the men’s room.  Because of Bob’s disbelief, God not only gives Bob a white streak in his hair a’ la Charlton Heston, he also sets one of the sinks in the men’s room on fire.  Bob then manages to get the attention of Alice, an attractive woman in the bar who also has a copy of “Magnificent Vibration” sans the phone number.  Before Bob can decide whether he wants to bed Alice or not, Alice reveals that she is a nun who is trying to find herself.  Considering the two ironically both have a copy of the same book, and Bob has spoken to God, they decide to visit a coffee shop to discuss the situation.

Upon leaving the coffee shop, they encounter Lexington Vargas, a behemoth of a man with a somewhat simple educated mind but a strong knowledge of life on the streets.  He too owns a copy of “Magnificent Vibration” and his also has a phone number in it.  Also for God.

Following a crazy plane crash, they meet and quickly deject Merikh, whose name they discover means “Angel of Death”.  An unexpected e-mail to Alice from a law firm in Scotland leads the three to Inverness.  There they discover Alice has inherited a house as well as something that will change the course of mankind.

Springfield entertains his readers with this well-written, humorous tale of sexual exploitations and life’s ups and downs.  His portrayal of God (also known as the Omnipotent Supreme Being and Arthur) is comical as well as philosophical.  In the end we are left to wonder:  are we merely chess pieces in this game of life, responsible for what happens to us, or is there a Higher Power who is in charge?