Past Life
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- Create Date：2021-05-20 11:54:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Dominic Nolan
- ISBN：147225466X
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Reviews
Tracey Aldridge
，
Excellent book
Mary Lou
，
Ex detective Abigail Boone has not regained her memory， lost in the wake of terrible injuries sustained during her last investigation。 As she tries to take up the threads of where the unsolved case left off， she hopes it will serve the dual purpose of bringing the perpetrators to justice and help her regain her memory。I found Past Life a difficult read， the style is individualistic and the plot twists and turns every which way。 Boone is a hard ass。 You can see why， but it’s difficult to sympathi Ex detective Abigail Boone has not regained her memory， lost in the wake of terrible injuries sustained during her last investigation。 As she tries to take up the threads of where the unsolved case left off， she hopes it will serve the dual purpose of bringing the perpetrators to justice and help her regain her memory。I found Past Life a difficult read， the style is individualistic and the plot twists and turns every which way。 Boone is a hard ass。 You can see why， but it’s difficult to sympathise with her rash and reckless activities at times。 That said， it is a gripping if violent read for much of the time。 I will definitely read the next one。 。。。more
Chris-Cuddy
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An action packed debut thriller。 After a savage beating， DS Abigail Boone wakes up in a strange room next to a dead body， with absolutely no memory。 In a daring escape her captors throw her off a balcony。 This is just the first chapter。 Jump forward a year， still suffering full amnesia and recovering from extensive physical injuries， Boone decides to re-investigate the missing person case in order to find out what happened to her。 A brilliant fast-paced story with great characters， a real page-t An action packed debut thriller。 After a savage beating， DS Abigail Boone wakes up in a strange room next to a dead body， with absolutely no memory。 In a daring escape her captors throw her off a balcony。 This is just the first chapter。 Jump forward a year， still suffering full amnesia and recovering from extensive physical injuries， Boone decides to re-investigate the missing person case in order to find out what happened to her。 A brilliant fast-paced story with great characters， a real page-turner。 。。。more
Simona
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A great character - very gritty - Looking forward to book 2
Jo Furniss
，
Past Life is pacy， brutal， witty， heart-felt and intricately crafted。 Boone isn't your stereo-typical kick-ass female investigator （although she does kick and get kicked） but rather a character with complexities and contradictions and hard as well as soft edges。 By the end of the story， I felt like she was a "messed-up friend" who I desperate wanted to save from herself。 A storyline about the trafficking of women and children into the sex trade details its barbarity， but is presented with great Past Life is pacy， brutal， witty， heart-felt and intricately crafted。 Boone isn't your stereo-typical kick-ass female investigator （although she does kick and get kicked） but rather a character with complexities and contradictions and hard as well as soft edges。 By the end of the story， I felt like she was a "messed-up friend" who I desperate wanted to save from herself。 A storyline about the trafficking of women and children into the sex trade details its barbarity， but is presented with great empathy and， to my relief， no hint of the usual voyeurism。 The second instalment of Boone's story calls， but I may need to steel myself。。。 。。。more
Lauren （Northern Plunder）
，
My review was first posted on Northern Plunder， you can read more of my reviews there too。Butting in here to change format a little bit because I picked up Past Life and In Our Mad and Furious City from the same publishing event（s – one was the year later） and had similar issues with them。The atmosphere and having lovely chats with the authors and publicists is great。 It makes me want to try new things。 Unfortunately these both fell short on being books I enjoyed。In Our Mad and Furious City I fo My review was first posted on Northern Plunder， you can read more of my reviews there too。Butting in here to change format a little bit because I picked up Past Life and In Our Mad and Furious City from the same publishing event（s – one was the year later） and had similar issues with them。The atmosphere and having lovely chats with the authors and publicists is great。 It makes me want to try new things。 Unfortunately these both fell short on being books I enjoyed。In Our Mad and Furious City I found myself not enjoying the writing style。Whereas with Past Life I wasn’t a fan of reading about women in really shitty situations。 I’m sure it probably gets better but I gotta prioritise my time y’know。Okay， I can now move onto the 3 books you’re actually here for。 。。。more
Stuart Haining
，
6/10 15%。 Don’t you just hate it when a book with opening promise turns into a damp squib， or as my daughter thinks， squid。 Dominic Nolan has obvious writing talent and has penned some characters here with real depth and feeling， I particularly liked Bulgarian Hooker Roo who would merit a ongoing role in a series， but sadly the story was a bit lack lustre and the ending no great surprise。 Will look out for more from him but won’t read Past Life again。。。。。on the subject of past lives - I DO stron 6/10 15%。 Don’t you just hate it when a book with opening promise turns into a damp squib， or as my daughter thinks， squid。 Dominic Nolan has obvious writing talent and has penned some characters here with real depth and feeling， I particularly liked Bulgarian Hooker Roo who would merit a ongoing role in a series， but sadly the story was a bit lack lustre and the ending no great surprise。 Will look out for more from him but won’t read Past Life again。。。。。on the subject of past lives - I DO strongly recommend watching the seemingly bleak but hugely enjoyable film Still Life。 Bears no relation to the plot of this book， but it’s my review so why not！ 。。。more
Yassemin
，
Bad book #2 in a row。This book is all over the place。 Not got time for books like thisPage 84 and DNF at that point。Another author to write off though。 At least I'm learning！ Bad book #2 in a row。This book is all over the place。 Not got time for books like thisPage 84 and DNF at that point。Another author to write off though。 At least I'm learning！ 。。。more
Nick Davies
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Impressive and impactful， this had a really involving set-up， in the prologue our police detective heroine Abigail Boone being flung from a first floor balcony， resulting in amnesia and being very much invalided out of the police and separated from her former life about which she is struggling to recall anything。 The writing is excellent， and how the author explores how Boone struggles to adjust （especially to a husband and teenage son for whom she feels disconnected） works very well indeed。 Nat Impressive and impactful， this had a really involving set-up， in the prologue our police detective heroine Abigail Boone being flung from a first floor balcony， resulting in amnesia and being very much invalided out of the police and separated from her former life about which she is struggling to recall anything。 The writing is excellent， and how the author explores how Boone struggles to adjust （especially to a husband and teenage son for whom she feels disconnected） works very well indeed。 Naturally， she wants to find out what happened to her， and is driven to piece together this， and the unsolved case which she was investigating prior to her accident。At times in the second half， however， when the book moved away from this and towards a conventional crime/action thriller。。 I felt less connected to the characters。 Call me cynical， I wasn't completely convinced anyone would be that determined， survive all the extremes of violence and deeply unpleasant twists， and the main character felt slightly unreal at times。 Nevertheless， this is an impressive debut by Nolan which shows his talent as a writer。 。。。more
Jonkers Jonkers
，
Very readable but maybe not fully my kind of book。 The main character was a bit over-the-top and seemed foolish rather than tough。 That said， I'm sure it would appeal to a lot of people more than it did to me。 Very readable but maybe not fully my kind of book。 The main character was a bit over-the-top and seemed foolish rather than tough。 That said， I'm sure it would appeal to a lot of people more than it did to me。 。。。more
Michaeldgunn
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Readers digest vibes。 Or ITV crime thriller。
Katrin
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Abgebrochen。Der Schreibstil ist nicht schlecht， allerdings finde ich Boone nicht sehr sympathisch und die Story leider bis jetzt （Seize 220） nicht wirklich spannend， so dass es sich für mich nicht lohnt， noch weitere 200 Seiten des Buches zu lesen。 Schade， hatte sich so gut angehört。
Caroline Templer
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Boone the main person in this book， awake to find herself on a mattress on the floor in a strange room。 Boone [ though at this time she does not know who she is] tries to escape from room / flat where she being held and finds herself thrown off the landing/ balcony on to the ground below by 2 unknown men。This the start of an interesting story and back story behind Abigail Boone's previous life。maybe a little long， I got a little bored around page 240， had a good finish in the end。 Boone the main person in this book， awake to find herself on a mattress on the floor in a strange room。 Boone [ though at this time she does not know who she is] tries to escape from room / flat where she being held and finds herself thrown off the landing/ balcony on to the ground below by 2 unknown men。This the start of an interesting story and back story behind Abigail Boone's previous life。maybe a little long， I got a little bored around page 240， had a good finish in the end。 。。。more
Horalka97
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Uff。。。 Ze začátku jsem byla strašně zmatená。 Vůbec jsem nechápala souvislosti mezi jednotlivými postavami a vlastně jsem ani nevěděla， o co jde。 Hlavní protagonistka Abigail， bývalý detektiv， ztratila paměť a snažila se najít dívku， kterou hledala。 Nechápala jsem， jestli tím chce oživit své ztracené myšlenky， nebo jestli se tomu brání。 Začetla jsem se asi na posledních 50 stranách， které byly hodně akční。 Asi bych si knihu musela přečíst ještě jednou， abych ji pořádně pochopila， ale to se mi váž Uff。。。 Ze začátku jsem byla strašně zmatená。 Vůbec jsem nechápala souvislosti mezi jednotlivými postavami a vlastně jsem ani nevěděla， o co jde。 Hlavní protagonistka Abigail， bývalý detektiv， ztratila paměť a snažila se najít dívku， kterou hledala。 Nechápala jsem， jestli tím chce oživit své ztracené myšlenky， nebo jestli se tomu brání。 Začetla jsem se asi na posledních 50 stranách， které byly hodně akční。 Asi bych si knihu musela přečíst ještě jednou， abych ji pořádně pochopila， ale to se mi vážně nechce。 。。。more
Jeanne
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A haunting story of a police detective who is abducted and brutalized。 She is found and suffers retrograde amnesia and then tries to find her captors。 Along the way she works through relationships old and new。 This book is exciting and sad all at once。 Altogether moving。
Lovinbooksworld
，
Dieses Buch war einfach genial！ Ich kann klassischen Krimis eigentlich nichts abgewinnen， aber dieser hier hörte sich unwahrscheinlich gut an - und war es auch。 Die Spannung wurde die gesamte Zeit über aufrecht erhalten， es kamen immer mehr details zum Vorschein und die Twists waren wirklich unvorhersehbar。 Die charakterlichen Entwicklungen waren sehr realistisch und ich mochte tatsächlich jeden von ihnen。 Selbst der Humor kam im Buch nicht zu kurz （ich liebe schwarzen und sarkastischen Humor）。 Dieses Buch war einfach genial！ Ich kann klassischen Krimis eigentlich nichts abgewinnen， aber dieser hier hörte sich unwahrscheinlich gut an - und war es auch。 Die Spannung wurde die gesamte Zeit über aufrecht erhalten， es kamen immer mehr details zum Vorschein und die Twists waren wirklich unvorhersehbar。 Die charakterlichen Entwicklungen waren sehr realistisch und ich mochte tatsächlich jeden von ihnen。 Selbst der Humor kam im Buch nicht zu kurz （ich liebe schwarzen und sarkastischen Humor）。 Alles in allem perfekt und trotz des Endes， welches wirklich unvorhersehbar war und leider nicht das， was ich mir persönlich gewünscht hätte， wirklich super und empfehlenswert！ 。。。more
Martin
，
The first in the Abigail Boone series and have to say it was a thoroughly engaging read。 Whilst it may be an 'old plot' it was so well executed and the protagonist comes across as truly human insofar she has flaws but her efforts to resolve the past makes me await the next instalment in this series。 The first in the Abigail Boone series and have to say it was a thoroughly engaging read。 Whilst it may be an 'old plot' it was so well executed and the protagonist comes across as truly human insofar she has flaws but her efforts to resolve the past makes me await the next instalment in this series。 。。。more
Sally
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An ex policewoman who's career only ended due to an attack that left her with memory loss tries to discover what led her to her attack。 I really enjoyed this。 I found it refreshing， believable and I will be looking out for more from this author。 An ex policewoman who's career only ended due to an attack that left her with memory loss tries to discover what led her to her attack。 I really enjoyed this。 I found it refreshing， believable and I will be looking out for more from this author。 。。。more
Heidi
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I don’t pick up pure crime novels as much as I used to， and this has made me question why！ This was a great mystery， with the added layer of our protagonist questioning and discovering who she is。 Often the ‘struggling detective’ can become a tired trope， but here it’s done really well and feels realistic rather than forced。Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault （not graphic）， graphic violence
Bridget
，
Past Life by Dominic Nolan had all of the ingredients for a stunning police procedural and then some！ In this first book of the Detective Sergeant Abigail Boone series， Boone as she likes to be known as， escapes from a violent crime almost losing her life。 She finds that she has lost all memory of events before that awful day。 Boone must revisit the case she was investigating when she was abducted: the baffling disappearance of a young woman， Sarah Still， if she wants to come to terms with what Past Life by Dominic Nolan had all of the ingredients for a stunning police procedural and then some！ In this first book of the Detective Sergeant Abigail Boone series， Boone as she likes to be known as， escapes from a violent crime almost losing her life。 She finds that she has lost all memory of events before that awful day。 Boone must revisit the case she was investigating when she was abducted: the baffling disappearance of a young woman， Sarah Still， if she wants to come to terms with what happened。This marvellously taut and first-rate début included an angry， selfish， flawed but determined and driven former Detective Sergeant， realistic and believable characters and several tense action scenes and revelations in the engrossing， poignant and soul-stirring case。 The close was both melancholic and fulfilling and fitted the story。 I am already looking forward to the next instalment in what， I think， promises to be a exceptional and remarkable series！I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel， at my own request， from Headline via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Trevor
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Beautifully written， great characters， brutal， desperately sad yet undercut with a sly humour throughout。 Will stay with me for a while I think。 One of my favourite books of the year
Lynne
，
Interesting and enjoyable read。 The idea that our existence is measured in mutual recollections is startling， and I very much enjoyed the way Dominic Nolan looked at Boone and her life with no memory of her past life。The thriller plot was rather convoluted， and some of the characters not convincing - Roo， in particular， seemed oddly collected for a girl with such trauma in her life - but overall a good read。
MargCal
，
3☆ Finished reading … Past Life / Dominic Nolan 。。。 19 May 2019ISBN: 9781472254634 … 418 pp。 Mixed feelings about this one。 I've given it only 3☆ but I can understand that others would give it more。 I like the premise of the book， that someone with total amnesia would try to recover her memory by going back to the investigation during which she was attacked so violently that it caused her memory loss in the first place。 Does she succeed？ Read it to find out！The story line is good although within 3☆ Finished reading … Past Life / Dominic Nolan 。。。 19 May 2019ISBN: 9781472254634 … 418 pp。 Mixed feelings about this one。 I've given it only 3☆ but I can understand that others would give it more。 I like the premise of the book， that someone with total amnesia would try to recover her memory by going back to the investigation during which she was attacked so violently that it caused her memory loss in the first place。 Does she succeed？ Read it to find out！The story line is good although within her family situation it isn't fully convincing。 Some characters are better drawn than others。 But for me， the telling factors for my relatively low score are the descriptions of chase and violence – admittedly not a lot but too much for me， and a writing style that simply doesn't do it for me。Recommendation: read other reviews。 There is a spread of opinion that will give you a better idea if this is one for you or not。Borrowed from my local library。 。。。more
Latkins
，
In this debut thriller， Abigail Boone wakes up bruised and battered， locked in a room with dead body and no memory of who she is or how she got there。 After managing to escape with another imprisoned woman， and nearly killing herself in the process， she discovers that she’s a police officer with a psychologist husband and a son， but she can’t remember either of them。 There’s no lead on who the men who imprisoned her are， or how they came to abduct her – only that she was working on a case to fin In this debut thriller， Abigail Boone wakes up bruised and battered， locked in a room with dead body and no memory of who she is or how she got there。 After managing to escape with another imprisoned woman， and nearly killing herself in the process， she discovers that she’s a police officer with a psychologist husband and a son， but she can’t remember either of them。 There’s no lead on who the men who imprisoned her are， or how they came to abduct her – only that she was working on a case to find a missing woman， Sarah Still。 Over the next few months， she starts to rebuild her life， but， finding herself out of place at home， she forges a friendship with an ex-con， Mickey Box， and his daughter Tess。 She also becomes firm friends Roo， the woman from Romania who she helped to escape from the clutches of the people traffickers。 Despite no longer working for the police， Boone （as she insists on being called， dropping her previous moniker Abby） makes it her mission to track down these men who have been exploiting vulnerable women， in a case which leads to people in high places。 The premise of this book was original – although amnesia is a staple of crime fiction， it was done in an unusual and different way， with Boone pretty much rejecting her old life and going off in a new direction。 I do wish the story had focused more on Boone and her predicament than on the crime story， as I quite liked her， despite her unsympathetic character。 Boone’s actions， constantly and rather recklessly chasing up dangerous people on her own， were a little hard to believe， but I daresay this could be explained by her brain injury。 Hopefully they’ll be more Boone in the future， as some of the storylines were unresolved！ 。。。more
Jay Dwight
，
Impressive debut。Detective Abigail Boone was investigating a missing girl case when she is beaten within inches of her life。 She is left with amnesia and no memory of her past life。 Due to her injuries， she is pensioned off by the police department。In an attempt to find out what happened to her， and potentially an attempt to reconnect with that past life， Boone re-commences the investigation that lead to her amnesia。 Engaging read， with a cast of vivid and varied characters。
Courtney Giraldo
，
This read was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review。Abigail Boone has no memories before waking up in a dirty flat in England， beaten and bruised。 After a harrowing escape which left her maimed and broken， Abigail is trying to put her life back together。 It’s been a year， and she still has no memory of her life before that day waking up in that flat。 Her husband and son are patient， if weary， of the process and her former life as a detective is over。 Boone （as she prefers to b This read was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review。Abigail Boone has no memories before waking up in a dirty flat in England， beaten and bruised。 After a harrowing escape which left her maimed and broken， Abigail is trying to put her life back together。 It’s been a year， and she still has no memory of her life before that day waking up in that flat。 Her husband and son are patient， if weary， of the process and her former life as a detective is over。 Boone （as she prefers to be called now）， once she is strong enough， begins to investigate what happened to her。 She pours her days into rereading the old case file of a missing girl which lead her into being kidnapped that fateful day over a year ago。 Following leads and reconnecting with another woman who escaped from that flat with her that night， Boone embarks on a dangerous journey， one in which powerful people will stop at nothing to silence her for good。 This debut novel was a slam dunk！ From the intense and gripping first chapter it was a roller coaster of excitement and tension。 Having the main character suffer from amnesia was a really interesting take on a thriller that really worked well for the plot line。 We were piecing together the story in real time with Boone and it was heart pumping to say the least。 Within the story of figuring out what happened to Boone and finding some sort of closure with the missing persons case she was investigating prior to her kidnap and injury， we have the story of Boone herself， struggling to make sense of her new life and the people in it。 There were layers of drama that were interesting to unpack。 Boone is one bad ass chick; despite all her past trauma she was tough as nails， and almost stubborn to a fault。 Her gang of supporting characters were just as unique and eclectic which made for good reading。 There was no slow build to action with this book。 Boone finds herself in plenty of hairy situations which left me furiously flipping pages to see how in the world she was going to extricate herself in one piece。 There were some adult themes in this one so be cautioned if you are triggered by violence and brutality as the fight scenes are pretty intense。 Overall a great read！ Make sure to crack into it with plenty of time to devote to reading because you absolutely will not be able to put it down when you start！ 。。。more
Kelly Van Damme
，
This is the story of a woman who has lost her memory and therefore also her life。 She can’t remember the simplest things of her past life， the years before what she refers to as her “accident”。 She feels and acts like a totally different person and it wreaks havoc on her life and her relationships， especially the one with her family。 At the beginning of the novel， she’s virtually a recluse， doesn’t leave the house， avoids all contact， including with her husband and son。 I couldn’t help but feel This is the story of a woman who has lost her memory and therefore also her life。 She can’t remember the simplest things of her past life， the years before what she refers to as her “accident”。 She feels and acts like a totally different person and it wreaks havoc on her life and her relationships， especially the one with her family。 At the beginning of the novel， she’s virtually a recluse， doesn’t leave the house， avoids all contact， including with her husband and son。 I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her。 This former detective who must have been decisive and efficient and kick-ass， now reduced to a shadow of herself， some watered-down version。 Yet she still wants， even needs， to fix everything， to help the victims， to put away the bad guys。 So she picks herself up， becomes invested in her investigation， becomes extremely driven by it， no matter the cost， no matter the consequences， and with very little thought of her family， which I couldn’t exactly admire， but did understand in a way。 Together with her memories， she has lost whatever it was that made her feel like a mother， a wife。 She’s become a lone wolf， and a rather blood-thirsty one at that。 In this way， Past Life becomes more of a police procedural， despite the fact that Boone is no longer working for the police and her investigation is not an official one。 It becomes the story of a victim refusing to remain victimised， of a woman out for revenge。 That’s all I’ll tell you about that， read it and find out for yourself！The memory loss premise is certainly an interesting one， and especially the way Boon evolves as a character is well-described and simply fascinating。 Often characters suffering from memory loss know nothing about themselves， they’re often alone or don’t know who to trust and their story is about that struggle。 Boone， on the other hand， learns many things about herself， she has a loving family， she KNOWS who to trust， she KNOWS who she used to be， she just doesn’t feel it。 She no longer feels like an Abby， she feels like a Boone。 It makes you wonder as a reader about memories， about how much of a person’s character is habit and memories。 With regard to this， Dominic Nolan slips a few one-liners in there that are just spot-on。However much I felt for Boone， my favourite character in this book is Roo。 Circumstances have brought Boone and Roo together and they’re a match made in heaven （in a very unromantic way）。 Roo is an absolute delight， a model example of the adage “when life gives you lemons， make lemonade”， lemonade spiked with sarcasm that is， a truly wicked sense of humour， but exactly what Boone needs， and exactly what the story needs to prevent it from becoming too grim。A debut you’d never guess is a debut， quite impressive。Recommended if you like your stories raw and gritty and with a few broken teeth （don’t ask， just read 😉）Massive thanks to Becky Hunter from Headline Books for gifting me this beautiful proof！ All opinions are my own and I was not paid to give them。 。。。more
Anne
，
This book was different and a good read。Detective Abigail Boone suffers a traumatic event in the line of duty which results in her losing her memory before that day。 Not recognising her husband or son， the struggle begins to piece together her previous life， while getting on with her present life。 While doing this she again gets involved with the dangerous people responsible for her life changing event with disastrous consequences。This novel was fast moving and action packed but was dark and vio This book was different and a good read。Detective Abigail Boone suffers a traumatic event in the line of duty which results in her losing her memory before that day。 Not recognising her husband or son， the struggle begins to piece together her previous life， while getting on with her present life。 While doing this she again gets involved with the dangerous people responsible for her life changing event with disastrous consequences。This novel was fast moving and action packed but was dark and violent in places centering around people trafficking and the horrors of that subject。 I would recommend this book。 。。。more
Gayle Noble
，
Detective Abigail Boone is abducted and seriously injured whilst following up a lead on a missing persons case off the books。 Whilst physically recovering to a great extent， her memory of her life before is totally gone， including memories of her husband and son。 After leaving her job， Boone （as she now likes to be called） decides to finish what she started with her investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Still。I'll admit that when I first started reading this one， I disliked the main char Detective Abigail Boone is abducted and seriously injured whilst following up a lead on a missing persons case off the books。 Whilst physically recovering to a great extent， her memory of her life before is totally gone， including memories of her husband and son。 After leaving her job， Boone （as she now likes to be called） decides to finish what she started with her investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Still。I'll admit that when I first started reading this one， I disliked the main character， Boone。 Yes， she had a traumatic experience， but I felt that she made absolutely no effort with her husband and son。 As the book went on， however， the character began to grow on me and I was glad I persevered。 The end result is a taut thriller with graphic violence at times but this fits with the story line。 TW: graphic violence in partsThanks to NetGalley and publishers， Headline， for the opportunity to review an ARC。 。。。more
Jill's Book Cafe
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Review pending
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Past Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Past Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Past Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0