What's Past is Prologue - A Review

 Review

WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE by Susan Lynn Solomon
The First Past is Prologue Mystery 

Unhappy with her career in Manhattan, Jessica Menotti moves to Western New York to join the Niagara Falls District Attorney's office as a junior prosecutor. The change of scenery hasn't stopped her recurring nightmare, however, and things start to get more unsettling. In addition to dreams that leave her in a panic, sneaky co-workers, and a missing supervisor, Jessica soon finds herself experiencing déjà vu. She panics at a building she's never seen, has random memories that aren't hers, and feels connections she shouldn't. How does this relate to the crime scene she was called out to oversee? And the bones she saw? As Jessica becomes embroiled in a major case she'll have to be careful who she trusts, including herself. 

WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE introduces us to Jessica Menotti, a woman plagued with a recurring nightmare that she can't escape, even by moving to Niagara Falls. The characters here are fully developed and nuanced. I like Jessica. She's smart, and although she doesn't always make the best choices, she's resilient and good at what she does. Even the secondary characters stood out. One character I couldn't stand, however, was Jessica's mother! What an annoying, overbearing woman who somehow doesn't believe that her almost 30 year old daughter is a capable adult with a good brain. She treats Jessica like a child, and a somewhat dim-witted one at that! Sadly, at some points, Jessica even allows her mother to speak for her. I enjoy a bit of romance in my mysteries and don't mind sex scenes, but I found the sex scene in the first Past is Prologue Mystery to be a bit too clinical, at least in word choice.

The book is full of surprises, including the touch of the paranormal. The concept of past lives is intriguing and when you add soul connection and whole families being involved, it adds a fascinating dimension to the mystery.

WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE is a fast paced, action packed, thrill fest. With dead bodies, soul mate connections, and no one to trust, buckle up and enjoy the surprising world junior prosecutor Jessica Menotti finds herself in.