Book Review
Basic Details:
Book Title: Haunted By The
Past
Subtitle: (Friends In Crisis
#1)
Author:
Lucy Appadoo
Genre: Crime/Thriller/Suspense
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 1
Best read after earlier
books in series?
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49185612-haunted-by-the-past
Overall
score:
I
scored this book 5/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short
Summary of the book:
I read this series out of the usual order as
I read the third book first. Fortunately, this series allows you to do so as
the books are stand-alone within the series. The earlier books are, however,
referenced within the next ones.
In this book, we meet Bella, a young woman
and counsellor. During her youth she was bullied by peers and parents alike and
she still struggles with this in her current life. Then the past returns to
haunt her as a previous classmate is murdered. Bella receives strange and
threatening messages. Can the police and her friends keep her safe?
What
I liked about the book:
The book was action-packed and I couldn’t put
it down.
What
I didn’t like about the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
My
favourite bits in the book:
The unexpected twists and turns.
My
least favourite bits in the book:
I enjoyed the entire book.
Any
further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
This is the first book in the Friends in Crisis
series.
What
books could this be compared to and why?
This is a great thriller with romance mixed
in. It’s not quite in the same league as the Karen Rose books, but it isn’t far
off.
Recommendation:
In
summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:
|
Children |
No |
|
Young
Adult |
Possibly |
|
Adult |
Yes |
If
you like suspense, crime and romance, this book
may be the book for you.
I’m
certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.
Book
Description by Author:
It begins with a message.
Twenty-seven year-old Bella Carismo is only
looking to help people. Working as a psychologist in her hometown of
Williamstown, she wants to expand her private counselling practice.
But those plans come to a screeching halt
when she receives the first message. It comes from a person Bella doesn’t know,
but who is extremely interested in her. Soon she’s bombarded with more emails
and text messages that quickly escalate to vandalism and a physical attack on
her life.
With the harassment steadily increasing,
Bella crosses paths with Marco Petrazini, a senior detective who might be able
to help her stop the stalker.
But Bella isn’t the only one facing attacks.
When a girl from Bella’s past is murdered, Bella and Marco work together to
solve the crimes, while trying to navigate their growing attraction to each
other. As they fall deeper into uncovering the truth, they realise it could be
more than either of them is willing to face.
Despite how they feel about each other, with
Marco on Bella’s case, their budding romance is strictly forbidden. And every
day that passes is one where the stakes are higher and the stalker grows
bolder, resulting in a tragedy that shatters Bella’s world.
With more people turning up dead, her closest
friends becoming targets, and the suspects piling up, Bella and Marco soon find
that their lives, and the lives of those around them, are in serious danger.
About
the Author:
Lucy is an
author of romantic suspense, historical fiction/coming of age, short story
thrillers, and non-fiction books. She is also a Registered Counsellor/Wellness
Coach, and works as a Rehabilitation Counsellor for the Australian Government.
Lucy enjoys
reading romantic suspense, romance, thrillers, crime novels, family/historical
drama, and sagas. She has enjoyed travelling to exotic places such as Madrid,
Mauritius, and Italy, and draws on these experiences in her creative writing.
Lucy’s
favourite authors include Kendra Elliot, Christiane Heggan, Theresa Ragan, Tara
Moss, Nicholas Sparks, Adriana Trigiani, Erica Spindler, and James Patterson
(to name a few).
Lucy’s
interests include meditation, exercising, journal writing, reading fiction and
nonfiction texts about writing, coaching, and counselling, ongoing professional
development, spending time with her husband and two daughters, and socialising
with friends and family.
Check out
more about Lucy at her website: www.lucyappadooauthor.com.au
If interested
in her holistic health and well-being blog, coaching services, and non-fiction
books, check out her website: www.holisticallylucy.com
