Past Life’s Revenge: A David Harris & Emma Jackson Mystery is authored by Angela van Breemen. I just completed the first book in the series. The storyline revolves around young protagonists, David Harris and Emma Jackson. David Harris is a lawyer, while Emma Jackson is in the business of web design. David’s debilitating nightmares that had stopped during his childhood have now returned in his thirties. Emma has had her share of bad judgments in relationships. An ‘accident’ brings them together, and it is love at first sight. It is almost as if destiny brings them together.
David seems to slip into a trance, which Emma, who is a psychic, picks up on. She learns that David and his parents have tried all sorts of doctors and psychiatric help to no avail. She suggests that David consult a psychic, Anna Tungsten. David is reluctant. Nonetheless, he agrees to take a healing session, which leads to his recent past life. The session reveals the mystery around the ‘what’ and ‘why’ related to his nightmares. Pursuing this chapter of his past life would mean risking his life and risking a potential future with Emma. What does David learn about his past life and death? What leads him to choose to seek revenge at the cost of risking his life? Follow the lovebirds and their well-wishers in this mystery.
There are quite a few things that I liked about this book. Firstly, I like the fact that it is an easy and believable read. It does not have the unnecessary tangling of plots and characters that readers must keep track of. The protagonists, the antagonists, the investigating teams, and their motivations are clearly defined. The characters’ backstories allow readers to feel them and predict their next move. For example, Emma’s soft approach was predictable. These very same aspects may be seen as negative aspects by many readers. All I can say, without disclosing too much, is that the suspense was well-kept, and the ending was satisfying. It generates automatic interest in the next book.
The author uses the narrative to familiarize readers with investigative genetic genealogy and pareidolia. I was also scared and angered to learn about how kidnapped youngsters are used by parties in conflict zones. Upon checking online, I was saddened to learn that inherent qualities are identified and trained accordingly. The kids can be used as child soldiers in conflict zones and for other gruesome jobs. I am fascinated with the idea of using unconventional investigative methods in solving challenging cases.
I could not think of anything negative about the layout or any other aspect. The chapters are short and carry proper titles, making it easy to go back to any specific chapter. The paranormal scenes are described well and not overly dramatized. I liked the peek into the next book, Revenge is Not Enough, and look forward to picking it up soon. The errors were a bare minimum, confirming professional editing. I happily rate it 5 out of 5 stars because of all the reasons already mentioned. Considering the violence and sexual scenes, I deem the book suitable for mature readers.
Revenge is Not Enough: A David Harris & Emma Jackson Mystery. Two of my favorite genres blended in a well-crafted book. What more could I have asked for? If you are someone like me who enjoys supernatural thrillers and crime fiction, then you absolutely have to check out Revenge is Not Enough by Angela van Breemen.
This book is the second book in the series called “David Harris and Emma Jackson Mystery Series.” Emma and David are husband and wife, and they run “Jackson, Grant & Harris Investigations” alongside Emma’s mother, Laura, and her stepfather, Bryan. Their focus is on solving cold cases long forgotten in police archives. Emma has psychic powers and can connect with spirits from the spirit world through thoughts and visions. Their cases mostly start with Emma having a vision where the spirit of the victim shows a glimpse of the injustice they went through.
One night, Emma had a vision of a beautiful teen girl running in the forest and a boy a little older than her chasing her. It was all fun and games at first, but then things took a horrifying turn. The vision shook her to the core, and all Emma got from that vision was a name, “Maggie.” After some discussion, Emma and her team decided to investigate Maggie’s case. But the name alone was not enough to dig up Maggie’s case file from the cold case archives. To get more information on Maggie, they decided to hold a séance to talk with Spirit Anna (Emma’s mentor when Anna was alive; now she guides her from the spirit world).
Things didn’t go as planned. The séance took an unexpected turn as, without permission, Maggie’s restless spirit took over Emma’s body. Maggie was so powerful that neither Emma nor Spirit Anna could prevent it. Laura questioned Maggie for her intrusion, but all Maggie said was that they had to help her get justice. Laura, though angry, started asking Maggie about her personal information, her disappearance, and her death. To their surprise, she died ten years after her disappearance, and then Maggie abruptly left Emma’s body, saying something very cryptic about finding “the babies” and saving them. What was she talking about? Who are these babies? Where was she during those ten years? To find out the answers, Emma and her team have to dig deep into a pile of secrets, crimes, and injustices disturbingly linked to one another.
This is a book that not only gave me the thrilling feeling of anticipation upon reading but also left a mark on my heart and mind. The heinous crime and the people committing it outraged me, and the injustice the victims went through broke me. The absurdity of playing with humanity like products disgusted me. At the same time, Emma and her team’s determination to help the victims get justice and give their families closure was truly admirable. Their rough path of solving the case kept me hooked, and Emma’s eerie communications with the outer world added a shivering spookiness. In short, this book can provoke an overwhelming amount of emotions within readers in a very good way that adds to the overall enjoyment. And that is the specialty of this book for me.
Additionally, as this book is the second book of the series, some events and names from the first book are mentioned in it. While I haven’t read the first book, I didn’t feel lost or confused upon coming across them. Because the author very skillfully explained them in a compact manner that didn’t drag the narrative or spoil the first book, but was enough to clear out any possible confusion. The plot of this book is well imagined, and the characters are well-crafted with diverse personalities and traits. Emma and David’s bond was beautiful. The care, understanding, and love they shared added a lighthearted touch to the book. Even the whole family’s tight-knit bond and support for one another was admirable. The ending felt well executed and earned with a deliberate unfolding of events. The danger lurking, the tension building, the unpredictability, and the action-packed climax were perfect to close the book.
There’s one point I would like to mention. The book doesn’t hold suspense for a long time. The mystery of Maggie’s disappearance, death, and the babies came out quite early in the book. Then the story progressed to Emma and her team’s journey of putting the people responsible behind bars, which was equally engaging. But as a reader, I would have appreciated it if the truth had come out with more complexity, holding the suspense a bit longer. I also noticed a few errors. Considering these points, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy thrillers featuring crime, detectives, and supernatural concepts, this book is a worthwhile read for you.
Check out the reviews by OnlineBookClub.org for Past Life’s Revenge: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=695654 and Revenge is Not Enough: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=709418