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Lucy Appadoo
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Haunted By The Past: A Romantic Suspense Thriller (Friends In Crisis Series - Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Lucy Appadoo (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

A serial killer waiting to take everything. It’s time for Bella to pay—with her life.

Bella Carismo, a 27-year-old psychologist aims to grow her private practice. But her plans take a sudden turn when she crosses paths with Marco Petrazini, a detective, who brings shocking news of the horrific death of an old acquaintance.

Now entangled in the investigation of not only a stalker, but several murders and a growing threat to the community, Bella enters in league with her love interest, Marco in his attempt to unravel the truth behind a force truly evil.

As the messages, threats, and bodies begin to stack up, Bella finds herself cornered into a violent endgame as the shadows of Bella’s past intend to do far more than haunt her.

Lucy Appadoo delivers a blend of romance, suspense, action, and twists. If you like adrenaline-pumping stories with strong women overcoming adversity and finding love, you’ll enjoy Haunted By the Past, the thrilling first book in the Friends In Crisis Series.

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Friends In Crisis
  2. Print length
    265 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    December 6, 2019
  6. File size
    3.5 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

A serial killer waiting to take everything. It's time for Bella to pay - with her life.
Friends In Crisis Series - Books 1 to Book 5
Lucy Appadoo and Author Biography

Editorial Reviews

Review

  1. "Congratulations on another great story. I have just binge read Haunted by the Past and have been eagerly turning the pages to follow the race against time to find who was stalking Bella seeking revenge and harming her friends. We are there with them as events unravel and the stalker gets closer and closer. The ending surprised as I had not picked that person and am glad that there will be a following story."


  1. "Great book thoroughly enjoyed reading Haunted by the past, loved all the suspense and twists. Very hard to put the book down. The more I read the more I wanted to know. Very interesting read. The ending threw me, and I liked how Lucy Appadoo threw in details that kept me engaged in the story. I have no doubt that readers will enjoy this mystery/thriller/suspense story. Looking forward to reading her next book Twisted Obsession."


  1. This story will have you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out who is behind all the harassment poor Bella Carismo is facing. Bella just wants to leave the past in the past and get on with her future, the future of her business and her life. But someone is not letting her find the peace and happiness she craves.


There are many twists and turns along the read that will keep you interested and enjoying every word. I did find the ending a little different but as the author is planning another book in this series I am guessing some of the questions I have will be looked at in this next book.


Marco Petrazini is a senior detective on a murder case when he meets a woman that takes his interested. With his busy job, he never gets too involved with the woman in his life but when Bella looks like she is in need of help, he has to ignore the attraction and do his job. But the more involved he becomes, in this case, the more he knows one thing. He must protect Bella at all cost.


When the danger becomes not just about her Bella becomes concerned about her friend's safety as well. But when Marco is around she always feels safe.


This is a great read that will develop at a good pace and will have you trying to guess who the stalker is. I did not get it right so the ending was a complete surprise to me. I love that in a suspense read. I received an ARC copy of this book it which I have written my honest and voluntary review. This is my second read by Lucy Appadoo in the last few weeks and I look forward to reading more in the future."


About the Author

Lucy Appadoo is a prolific reader and author of the Friends In Crisis and Women Of Strength Series. After a childhood spent reading and imagining escapist worlds, Lucy has put her imagination into stories. Her work as a rehabilitation counsellor, and former work as a counsellor in private practice, have led to an interest in writing inspirational stories about authentic, driven women who manage adversity with strength and heart. She writes in the genres of romantic suspense/thrillers with significant life themes and contemporary romance.Lucy's interests include researching crime stories and news to inspire her work, watching crime thrillers and suspenseful movies, travel, exercising, reading for entertainment or knowledge, meditation, and spending time with friends and family. She also appreciates her Italian background and culture, which has inspired her to write imaginative stories about her parents' childhoods, leading to The Italian Family Series novels.Check out Lucy's website and sign up for a FREE suspenseful novel here: www.lucyappadooauthor.com.au

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082G8WXJQ
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.5 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Friends In Crisis
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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Lucy Appadoo

Lucy Appadoo

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lucy Appadoo is a prolific author who writes contemporary romance novels and romantic suspense novels about strong women who manage adversity with strength and heart. She is the author of the contemporary billionaire romance series alongside the Friends in Crisis and Women of Strength Series in the romantic suspense genre.

After a childhood spent reading and imagining escapist worlds, Lucy has put her imagination into stories. Her work as a rehabilitation counsellor, and former work as a counsellor in private practice, have led to an interest in writing inspirational stories about authentic, driven women who struggle with a new love interest or stalker.

Lucy’s interests include plotting the next love story, travelling for fun and inspiration, researching crime stories and news to inspire her work, watching romance and suspenseful movies, reading, meditating, and spending time with friends and family. She also appreciates her Italian background, which has inspired her to write imaginative stories about her parents’ childhoods that have led to The Italian Family Series novels.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
45 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Doug Williamson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intense mystery story
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    Our heroine is trying to forge a new beginning, but the past won't stay in the past.

    This is a romantic suspense story. The story is well written with a deep and engrossing storyline supported by well developed characters. The story is so real that it is almost a turnoff (for those of us looking for escapism), but it was to intriguing to put down as I had to know what was coming next. The characters were also excellent and I really liked the chemistry between our leads and how they worked together. Overall, it was an excellent read that was sometimes disturbing, but at all times hard to put down.

    Highly recommended.

    I received an ARC from the author for review purposes.
    Helpful
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  • ReadingfortheLoveofBooks
    4.0 out of 5 stars I love it when I can not predict the ending. A complete surprise.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    This story will have you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out who is behind all the harassment poor Bella Carismo is facing. Bella just want to leave the past in the past and get on with her future, the future of her business and her life. But someone is not letting her find the peace and happiness she craves.

    There are many twists and turns along the read that will keep you interested and enjoying every word. I did find the ending a little different but as the author is planning another book in this series I am guessing some of the questions I have will be looked at in this next book.

    Marco Petrazini is a senior detective on a murder case when he meets a woman that takes his interested. With his busy job, he never gets too involved with the woman in his life but when Bella looks like she is in need of help, he has to ignore the attraction and do his job. But the more involved he becomes, in this case, the more he knows one thing. He must protect Bella at all cost.

    When the danger becomes not just about her Bella becomes concerned about her friend's safety as well. But when Marco is around she always feels safe.

    This is a great read that will develop at a good pace and will have you trying to guess who the stalker is. I did not get it right so the ending was a complete surprise to me. I love that in a suspense read. I received an ARC copy of this book it which I have written my honest and voluntary review. This is my second read by Lucy Appadoo in the last few weeks and I look forward to reading more in the future.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Dee S. Knight, Erotic Romance author
    4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 rounded to 4 Entertaining but IMO needs a bit more work
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    Ms. Appadoo writes a psychological thriller that's a good read but not yet quite as psychological or as thrilling as it could be. To me, Bella Carismo needs counseling as much as she wants to develop her practice providing it. She was attacked by a client in the office where she worked before, and in addition, her boss there was pretty unethical—something Bella let slip. Now she is threatened by her former boss and texts and incidents that let her believe she has a stalker. Add to that, a woman who had bullied her in high school has been found dead. The only saving grace in all this? Marco Petrazini, the detective working the murder case. While I didn't find the book to be an edge-of-the-seat compelling read, the bones of the story are pretty good. I would probably give Ms. Appadoo a second try.
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  • Fluffyluggage
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intensely suspenseful, incredibly believable!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    Do not read this alone at night! You might not sleep well, and you might become paranoid!! This was a fantastic book, full of great characters, excellent storytelling, and excellent suspense. Full of twists and turns, unpredictable to the end, and fully believable, which is a great combination for a reader like myself. I'm always saying I could have written that, it's so predictable! Not so with this book, not at all! I didn't see it coming till it happened, and that's rare in a book, and I LOVE it! Keep them coming! I can't wait till the next book.

    I received this book as a gift and have offered my honest opinion above. Grateful for the gift, and immensely honored to offer my opinion! :-)
    Helpful
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  • BEACHCOMBER
    5.0 out of 5 stars It will keep you guessing
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    A stalker and killer enter Bella's life. Detective Marco is thankfully in charge. Well written with intense characters. I could have done without the descriptive sex at the end. It was not necessary.
    Helpful
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  • Angela
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great story line!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    This book was a great read. The ending was unexpected and a good twist to the story. At times, the story jumped a bit and I would need to quickly "read between the lines". However, that didn't really detract from the overall story, which was highly entertaining. I look forward to reading future books!
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  • BJ Renczkowski
    4.0 out of 5 stars Believable good thriller
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    This was a good thriller read and one about harassment which is in the news a lot making this even more a believable read. The characters are great with different personalities and you feel the spark between two of them. The story is about a young woman, Bella Carismo, who is a psychologist in her own small practice. She just wants to help people but she begins to receive messages from someone she doesn’t know. Bella begins to get harassed more and more to make so scary so she goes to the police and gets the help of detective Marco Petrazini. Sparks fly between the two of them as more messages, threats and deaths of Bella's friends are happening. The two have to keep their feelings to themselves as Bella is protected and Marco helps find the stalker Good read. Love to know what happens between Bella and Marco.
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  • Eric
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting
    Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2020
    Format: Kindle
    Wow! What a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat and it was hard to put down. Follow Bella as she try’s to leave her past behind and make a life for herself. Very well written and an excellent story line!
    Looking forward to the next book in the series!
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Dianne Boadle
    5.0 out of 5 stars A story with many twists
    Reviewed in Australia on June 26, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Congratulations on another great story. I have just binge read Haunted by the Past and have been eagerly turning the pages to follow the race against time to find who was stalking Bella seeking revenge and harming her friends. We are there with them as events unravel and the stalker gets closer and closer. The ending surprised as I had not picked that person and am glad that there will be a following story
    Report
  • Deborah Adele
    5.0 out of 5 stars A serial killer waiting to take everything!
    Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2024
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Haunted by the Past is an adult romantic suspense thriller and the first book in Lucy Appadoo’s Friends in Crisis series.
    Bella Carismo, a 27-year-old psychologist, is looking to expand her business, but everything changes when she becomes the target of stalking and harassment. As the harassment escalates, Bella meets Marco Petrazini, a senior detective who may be able to help her stop the stalker. Together, they navigate through twists, drama, and danger as they work to uncover the stalker's identity. Despite their growing attraction and chemistry, Bella and Marco's budding romance is strictly forbidden due to Marco being on Bella’s case.
    As the stakes get higher and the stalker becomes bolder, a tragedy shatters Bella’s world.
    The more you read, the more you'll want to know.
    Report
  • Dan Williams
    1.0 out of 5 stars Dull
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book was poorly written overall and failed to offer the mystery or romance hinted at in its blurb.

    There was a lot of descriptive detail to wade through that didn't seem to take the plot anywhere.

    The dialogue seemed unnatural and implausible. It often kind of put me in mind of TV advertising along the lines of, 'Oh goodness, I've got this toothpaste that just doesn't seem to be cleaning my teeth that well. I don't know what to do!' 'Oh really? That's such a coincidence because I've just bought this fantastic new tube called yellow-to-white! It works on two levels to add brightness and fight decay!' 'Gosh that's terrific! I'll give it a try! Thanks for that useful advice!'. I guess it was being used in a similar way, to introduce characters and give information relevant to the plot. The problem was its inelegance and also that much of the information seemed in the end to be irrelevant.

    I felt the narration was unconvincing due to clumsy 'over formal' use of language and poor pacing. The odd passage from the killer's POV was italicized when all other POV passages were not and this added slight confusion. Also, the pronoun game it played gave the punchline away for me as soon as the killer's POV pieces started which more or less killed any suspense.

    Finally, Bella's character and tribulations seemed to me to be a little far fetched and coerced into service of driving the plot. Her apparent stubbornness did little to endear me to her. Although I guess I can see what the author was shooting for.

    Overall, a laborious and un-entertaining read.
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