Book Review: Past Suspicion

Reviewed By: Carol - SLC - RAM

Past Suspicion     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Therese Heckenkamp
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Romance   Woman Main Character   Thriller   Young Adult
PublishAmerica, 2003, 241 pages, $19.95

Robin Finley, though just 17 years old, is a tragic figure. Her father died in an automobile accident years before, and the only other family she has in the whole world, her mother Tiffany, has just lost her battle with cancer. It’s at this painful time that Robin learns an astonishing fact – she isn’t alone after all. She has an uncle living in Wisconsin, and as per her mother’s wishes Robin is forced to leave her home in California to live with an uncle she’s not only never met, but never even knew existed! But finding out she has an uncle is only the beginning. Robin soon discovers that her mother has been running from her past, and she sets out to discover the reasons why.

The book reads much like a gothic romance novel and is a bit heavy in the romance department for my personal taste, but it is well written and spins a nice tale of greed and deception. The characters are full bodied, and the teen-age angst is palpable. I feel the author has been done a disservice by her age being listed on the book jacket. I’m sure there are those who won’t give her a chance because of it, and yet I’ve read many books by more ‘mature’ authors that I didn’t enjoy nearly as much. I expect to see more titles by Ms. Heckenkamp in the young-adult section of the bookstore in the not-too-distant future.

Carol - SLC - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carol - SLC - RAM