Dominic Nolan

This book starts off racing at 100mph and doesn't let up for a second, so you'd better buckle up for this high-octane thrill ride. Walk away now if you're squeamish, as the level of detail is often chilling and skin crawling but it just adds to the gritty atmosphere of the whole book.

I struggled with whether I liked Abigail Boone or not at first but she definitely grew on me. When she wakes up with amnesia, surrounded by a family she doesn't know, she seems very indifferent to them and doesn't even care to get to know them. I get that they are strangers to her but I couldn't understand how she doesn't even try. Reading on, Abigail's character evolved at such a pace that I could clearly see her one track mind and dogged determination to solve the case of missing person, Sarah Still. For Abigail, past and present, this is the one that got away and she won't rest until she finds out what happened to Sarah.

There are some very colourful characters in Past Life; I loved Boone's well named prickly colleague Barb, her friend Tess, who she knows from arresting her father and, last but definitely not least, her fellow captive Roo. Such an array of strong female characters, who each made a lasting impression on me in their own right, just shows what a multi-layered story Dominic Nolan has written.

The whole Sarah Still investigation really intrigued me and I loved how this thread linked Boone's past and present lives. Boone reminded me a bit of Jack Bauer in her single-mindedness and lack of fear for her own safety. I had every confidence that she would get to the bottom of Sarah Still's disappearance, even if it killed her. It certainly made my heart race and my palms sweat as I hitched a ride on Boone's highly dangerous rollercoaster of a journey.

Past Life is gripping and completely intense; once it grabs a hold of you, it refuses to let go. I suspect (and hope) that this isn't the last we've heard of Abigail Boone.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (mais)

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!… (mais)