Book Review and Tour Giveaway: A Killer Past by Maris Soule

This thriller has a twisted, fairly unique plotline.

A Killer Past
by Maris Soule

• File Size: 656 KB
• Print Length: 224 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale; Alabama edition (June 1, 2015)
• Publication Date: March 1, 2015
• ASIN: B00ZO3LQE2
• Genre: Crime Thriller
• My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

When two gang members choose Mary Harrington as their target, the quiet widow has a secret to share of her own
Most people in the town of Rivershore, Michigan view Mary Harrington as a quiet widow whose only oddity is that she spends a lot of time at the gym. Her son thinks it’s time for her to move into a retirement home. Two gang members think she’ll be an easy target. No one in Rivershore knows what Mary did in her younger years—really did—but the two gang members discover they’ve underestimated their victim . . . and Mary fears reverting to old habits may have jeopardized her future.

Review:
Mary Harrington appears to be just a quiet widow in her 70s. But looks can be deceiving. She works out a lot at the gym to stay in shape mostly because it makes her feel better. There are other, long seated reasons that few people, not even her family, know about.

Mary’s quiet suburban neighborhood is slowly being encroached upon by drug dealing, violent gangs. Her car breaks down a block from home where two teenagers are hanging out. They think she will be an easy target but, again, looks can be deceiving. They didn't expect her to fight back. A local Sergeant, Jack Rossini, ends up investigating the mugging. Jack has been around the crime force a long time and senses there are facts that Mary is hiding. He warns her to expect retaliation by the gang but she thinks she can handle it.

Sure enough it is not long before the danger heats up with an attack on her house. The day of the attack a friend from 40 years in her past shows up on her doorstep. Mary has to explain to Jack and her own family that David is a friend from her youthful days exploring Europe - a time before she settled in this community, met and married her sweet husband. Jack thinks the man looks very dangerous and Mary’s family suspect he may be trying to con her out of money. David brings news of another danger to Mary so now she has to cope with two lines of threats.

Ms. Soule does a lovely job building tension and giving the story some good twists. The primary characters are well developed, showing their sharp minds, strengths, determination and a few flaws. The description of the deterioration of the once nice suburban community and how that impacts the residents, especially the aging members, was insightful. The story was just a tad slow in the beginning but it did pick up. There were also some back history details that seemed repeated unnecessarily. Still, the twists made this an engaging story and I appreciated that the story had a different character history - which I can’t reveal or it would be a spoiler.

I would be interested to try other stories by this author. I recommend this to readers who enjoy their mystery/crime thriller with some good twists.

I picked this up last minute from Novel Book Tour for an honest review on tour.

A Killer Past Buy Links:
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | Books-A-Million

About Award-Winning Author Maris Soule
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter | Amazon Author Page

Writer, teacher, artist, wife, mother, dog trainer, horse rider, boater. Maris Soule can list an array of occupations and avocations. Even as a writer her 29 published books span a variety of genres and subgenres, ranging from short stories to romances, romantic suspense, and mystery. A two-time RITA finalist, Soule has placed in and won several writing contests. Born and raised in California, Soule and her husband now spend their summers in Michigan and their winters in Florida.

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Visit other Tour Stops for Excerpts, Author Interviews and more:

Monday, July 20, 2015
A Blue Million Books – Author Interview
Christine’s Words – Author Interview
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight
Fundinmental – Book Review

Tuesday, July 21, 2015
The Book Diva’s Reads – Guest Post
Sexy Between the Covers-Melissa Keir – Spotlight
Tales of a Book Addict – Spotlight

Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Cathie Dunn writes… – Guest Post
Authors’ Cafe – Book Review
Lora Lee – Spotlight

Thursday, July 23, 2015
Christa Reads and Writes – Spotlight
Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf – Book Review

Friday, July 24, 2015
What Readers Want – Spotlight
Finding Fantastical Books – Spotlight
Margo Hoornstra – Writing Inside & Out – Spotlight

Saturday, July 25, 2015
Diane Burton – Adventure and Romance…in this world and beyond – Guest Post & Book Review