Past Life’s Revenge: A David Harris and Emma Jackson Mystery is the debut novel by Angela van Breemen, and readers who are looking for a suspenseful crime thriller with a twist of spiritualism then this is the novel you’re not going to want to miss.
Past Life’s Revenge intrigues readers with a blue cover that depicts a shadowy form with their hand reaching out, palm up. Is this someone reaching out from the other side? Or is the shadowy figure a deadly assailant reaching out with the intent to grab you and pull you into the darkness? Your guess is as good as ours, but it’s sure to pique your desire to pick up this book to see what it’s about.
Past Life’s Revenge: A David Harris and Emma Jackson Mystery is a strong debut dripping with intrigue from the very beginning. Immediately, author van Breemen alerts readers that there is something unique about David Harris, one of the main characters of the story. When you meet David he is struggling with a nightmare. Evil eyes full of malice and evil are haunting his dreams.
What do the eyes mean? Why has he been having these dreams since he was a small child? Why won’t they stop? Are they trying to tell him something? If so, what are they trying to tell him? All of these are questions that plague David and will drive you to dig deeper into this story for answers.
While David may be on a quest for answers, he has a close call in chapter one that could have landed him waiting on his next life if it weren’t for Emma Jackson’s quick thinking. The two main characters of this story are on the scene pretty quickly in this book. Author van Breemen puts into play the romance angle pretty quickly between these two characters. More than that though is the fact that we get a glimpse of Emma’s empath abilities.
As Past Life’s Revenge progresses things are moving at a pretty rapid pace. Page-by-page readers get to discover who David Harris is. He’s a lawyer who works with his uncle in the family business. It’s not long before the bad guy makes an appearance. Things seem innocuous enough at first, but when author van Breemen allows readers a glimpse into this man’s mind…it’s apparent he has plans for young David.
Page by page Past Life’s Revenge unfolds. The truth begins to come out that there is more going on than meets the eye. Gradually the truth will be revealed concerning David’s dreams. His dreams aren’t just “troublesome” nightmares, they are the final moments of a past life breaking through.
As this story progresses and the more that David learns about those final moments he soon finds a target on not just his back, but the back of everyone he cares about. The suspense in Past Life’s Revenge really begins to ramp up and readers are going to find themselves devouring this book to find out what happens next.
Past Life’s Revenge is a serious page-turner as the intrigue is built page by page. One truly engaging aspect of this book is the level of drama. Some things go well for the characters, but then author van Breemen makes sure to throw in something that brings heartbreak and sorrow. Some elements of the story will be predictable, but there will be a twist or two thrown in to keep things interesting.
Overall, the majority of the characters come off as realistic. It would be easy to see Past Life’s Revenge playing out in real life. Or even see it play out on the big screen. Author van Breemen immerses readers in a variety of settings ranging from Canada to Costa Rica to the Maldives.
Past Life’s Revenge has just the right amount of detail throughout the story. The chapters are just the right length to keep readers eager to turn the next page to find out what is going to happen next. You get glimpses of the bad guys and little snippets of the past that help to bring the past into the present and connect all the dots.
The only real drawback when it comes to this story is the romance angle. Author van Breemen shoots for a “soulmate” connection between David and Emma. It’s not immediately apparent that this is the angle that author van Breemen is going for. As it is, until the “soulmate” connection is revealed, the romance feels rushed. They have known each other for a week and are already ready to start saying “I love you.”
When readers come to the end of Past Life’s Revenge they are going to get the feeling that this is just the beginning for David and Emma. They have managed to survive their first mystery together, and there has been a “passing of the torch” so to speak as well. So, it will be interesting to see where, if at all, things go from here. If author van Breemen chooses to make this book into a series, we’d be more than happy to read more.
Past Life’s Revenge is an engaging novel that is packed with suspense and is sure to pull readers who enjoy mystery novels to the edge of their seats. This book is a real page-turner and is one debut that you’re not going to want to miss. Be prepared to not want to put this book down until you reach the final page.
Pros:
- Page-turner
- Drama
- Suspenseful
- Thrilling
Cons:
- Romance feels rushed
Scribble's Worth 
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