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Appraise Her
Catia-or Tia-Drakos, is a former police handwriting analyst, a job that took her to dark demented places inside the minds of the worst people in society. Places she couldn't go anymore and keep her own sanity. Now a real estate appraiser, she spends her days inside elegant, expensive properties all across the sunny Los Angeles area.
If only her private life was going so well. Newly divorced, and freshly engaged to a new man, Tia is trying to move on-maybe too quickly. Though she doesn't want to admit it, Tia knows something about her new relationship isn't all it appears. In addition to those doubts, her ex-husband seems unwilling to let her go, encroaching himself in her life.
Shortly after she appraises a friend's family mansion in Bel Air, her friend disappears. Soon after, Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows about her former occupation. Are the notes meant to scare Tia or are they clues to find her missing friend? To find the answers, Tia will have to use skills from a life she thought she left behind, discovering secrets hidden not only within a wealthy family, but among close friends-the very people Tia thought she could trust.
If only her private life was going so well. Newly divorced, and freshly engaged to a new man, Tia is trying to move on-maybe too quickly. Though she doesn't want to admit it, Tia knows something about her new relationship isn't all it appears. In addition to those doubts, her ex-husband seems unwilling to let her go, encroaching himself in her life.
Shortly after she appraises a friend's family mansion in Bel Air, her friend disappears. Soon after, Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows about her former occupation. Are the notes meant to scare Tia or are they clues to find her missing friend? To find the answers, Tia will have to use skills from a life she thought she left behind, discovering secrets hidden not only within a wealthy family, but among close friends-the very people Tia thought she could trust.
- GenresFiction
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2022
1 person is currently reading
3565 people want to read
About the author
Paula Priamos
5 books31 followersAppraise Her is coming out in April 2022. Kirkus Reviews calls it "A twisty and often riveting thriller."
Inside V is the 2017 Gold Foreword Indie Winner for Best Thriller & Suspense.
Inside V is the 2017 Gold Foreword Indie Winner for Best Thriller & Suspense.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 14, 2022
I think this book was amazing and such a great read!
April 15, 2022
Definitely a book that you can read in one sitting! Very interesting protagonist and a well mix of mystery and modern relationships that keeps the reader wanting to find out more.
May 5, 2022
This book had me guessing at every point. Each character had their flaws, which made the list of possible suspects growing at every turn.
I had every intention of giving this novel 5 stars, until I was about 90% of the way done with this book. To me, the ending felt anti-climactic and rushed.
I still felt, though, for the most part, that it was a good read.
I had every intention of giving this novel 5 stars, until I was about 90% of the way done with this book. To me, the ending felt anti-climactic and rushed.
I still felt, though, for the most part, that it was a good read.
April 11, 2022
4/10/2022 Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
4/11/2022 Tia Drakos is a Los Angeles real estate appraiser who, once upon a time, worked with the police as a handwriting analyst. She's initially surprised when an old friend, Elise Davis, contacts her about appraising the home Elise grew up in. As the daughter of Hollywood royalty Carson Davis, and a fairly successful businesswoman in her own right (if one who shies away from the spotlight herself,) Elise could hire anyone. Tia is flattered that their history together would cause Elise to trust her with this job.
She understands why, tho, the moment she heads up the mansion's stairway and finds a comatose Carson in a hospital bed. The Davis family has cultivated an image of him as a larger than life persona, and the truth about his status as an invalid is something the whole family works hard to keep under wraps. From long experience, they know that Tia can keep a secret. And so she does, until she turns on the news a few days later and finds that Elise has seemingly been kidnapped from her own home.
At first, the cops aren't sure if she's been abducted or simply taken off for a few days, as no ransom demand has appeared. But then Tia starts getting weird notes herself, left under her welcome mat and her windshield wiper. Could these have anything to do with Elise's disappearance? Or is someone trying to use her own history as a handwriting analyst to scare her?
As if all that isn't bad enough, her amicable divorce from her ex-husband Kyle is starting to falter as he drags his feet over selling their last joint property. Meanwhile, her fiance Hugh is keeping secrets from her, as she stresses out over having a baby. Her emotions are already heightened even before it becomes clear that someone does indeed have sinister intentions towards her... and isn't afraid to use violence to get what they want. Will Tia be able to figure out what's going on and escape with her life and sanity intact?
Tia's paranoia makes for several interesting twists and turns in this very modern thriller. Rooting for her can sometimes feel complicated, as she can be a difficult character to like. From her odd faith in the pseudoscience of graphology to her incredibly grating obsession with getting pregnant (and I'm sympathetic to her fears, as a woman who also had my kids in my mid-30s, but that doesn't mean that it's okay for her to treat her romantic partners as primarily baby-providers like some latter day Queen Henry VIII,) she can be an irrational bundle of self-centeredness.
She does, however, have her moments. I absolutely wanted her to succeed in her confrontation with an abusive ex-boyfriend, even if I do think that in the era of Supreme Court justices crying over how much they love beer, it's more likely that her ex would have called her bluff rather than cave to her demands. Still, I'm glad it worked out and the mystery was solved, with a lot of interesting commentary on Los Angeles and the culture of wealth and glamour that is an inherent part of living in the area.
Appraise Her by Paula Priamos was published April 5 2022 by Power Punch Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
4/11/2022 Tia Drakos is a Los Angeles real estate appraiser who, once upon a time, worked with the police as a handwriting analyst. She's initially surprised when an old friend, Elise Davis, contacts her about appraising the home Elise grew up in. As the daughter of Hollywood royalty Carson Davis, and a fairly successful businesswoman in her own right (if one who shies away from the spotlight herself,) Elise could hire anyone. Tia is flattered that their history together would cause Elise to trust her with this job.
She understands why, tho, the moment she heads up the mansion's stairway and finds a comatose Carson in a hospital bed. The Davis family has cultivated an image of him as a larger than life persona, and the truth about his status as an invalid is something the whole family works hard to keep under wraps. From long experience, they know that Tia can keep a secret. And so she does, until she turns on the news a few days later and finds that Elise has seemingly been kidnapped from her own home.
At first, the cops aren't sure if she's been abducted or simply taken off for a few days, as no ransom demand has appeared. But then Tia starts getting weird notes herself, left under her welcome mat and her windshield wiper. Could these have anything to do with Elise's disappearance? Or is someone trying to use her own history as a handwriting analyst to scare her?
As if all that isn't bad enough, her amicable divorce from her ex-husband Kyle is starting to falter as he drags his feet over selling their last joint property. Meanwhile, her fiance Hugh is keeping secrets from her, as she stresses out over having a baby. Her emotions are already heightened even before it becomes clear that someone does indeed have sinister intentions towards her... and isn't afraid to use violence to get what they want. Will Tia be able to figure out what's going on and escape with her life and sanity intact?
Tia's paranoia makes for several interesting twists and turns in this very modern thriller. Rooting for her can sometimes feel complicated, as she can be a difficult character to like. From her odd faith in the pseudoscience of graphology to her incredibly grating obsession with getting pregnant (and I'm sympathetic to her fears, as a woman who also had my kids in my mid-30s, but that doesn't mean that it's okay for her to treat her romantic partners as primarily baby-providers like some latter day Queen Henry VIII,) she can be an irrational bundle of self-centeredness.
She does, however, have her moments. I absolutely wanted her to succeed in her confrontation with an abusive ex-boyfriend, even if I do think that in the era of Supreme Court justices crying over how much they love beer, it's more likely that her ex would have called her bluff rather than cave to her demands. Still, I'm glad it worked out and the mystery was solved, with a lot of interesting commentary on Los Angeles and the culture of wealth and glamour that is an inherent part of living in the area.
Appraise Her by Paula Priamos was published April 5 2022 by Power Punch Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
May 14, 2022
Appraise Her by Paula Priamos
5/5 stars
I know that anything written by Paula Priamos is going to be full of flawed and real characters, suspense, expertly written prose, and hopefully a bit a Greek flair.
This book did not disappoint! It was such a great story that I did not want to put it down, but I forced myself to read slowly to catch subtle clues and really appreciate the prose that Paula meticulously constructed.
The characters all have their own flaws, secrets, and reasons that they could be suspects, while also having reasons they could be innocent. The tension throughout the book kept me turning pages. I absolutely loved getting to solve the mystery while our main character Catia is also.
The ending was a nice twist, with several major things happening to change the lives of the characters that survive forever.
Our main character is Catia, or Tia, and is a strong Greek woman who also feels insecure, jealous, and hesitant. I loved seeing her experience all those emotions, and yet push through them and take control of her life. She felt so real and relatable.
I will forever pick up anything written by this author because I know her stories will not disappoint.
Synopsis:
Shortly after Tia appraises a friend's family mansion in Bel Air, her friend disappears. Soon after, Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows about her former occupation as a police handwriting analyst. Are the notes meant to scare Tia or are they clues to find her missing friend? To find the answers, Tia will have to use skills from a life she thought she left behind, discovering secrets hidden not only within a wealthy family, but among close friends-the very people Tia thought she could trust.
5/5 stars
I know that anything written by Paula Priamos is going to be full of flawed and real characters, suspense, expertly written prose, and hopefully a bit a Greek flair.
This book did not disappoint! It was such a great story that I did not want to put it down, but I forced myself to read slowly to catch subtle clues and really appreciate the prose that Paula meticulously constructed.
The characters all have their own flaws, secrets, and reasons that they could be suspects, while also having reasons they could be innocent. The tension throughout the book kept me turning pages. I absolutely loved getting to solve the mystery while our main character Catia is also.
The ending was a nice twist, with several major things happening to change the lives of the characters that survive forever.
Our main character is Catia, or Tia, and is a strong Greek woman who also feels insecure, jealous, and hesitant. I loved seeing her experience all those emotions, and yet push through them and take control of her life. She felt so real and relatable.
I will forever pick up anything written by this author because I know her stories will not disappoint.
Synopsis:
Shortly after Tia appraises a friend's family mansion in Bel Air, her friend disappears. Soon after, Tia starts receiving cryptic notes from someone who clearly knows about her former occupation as a police handwriting analyst. Are the notes meant to scare Tia or are they clues to find her missing friend? To find the answers, Tia will have to use skills from a life she thought she left behind, discovering secrets hidden not only within a wealthy family, but among close friends-the very people Tia thought she could trust.
July 15, 2024
I read and enjoyed the author’s other books. This book I wish the ending had been more surprising. The whole time,Tia the main character suspected one person and it turned out to be that person working with her ex. I wish it had been more of a shock.
I did like the references to real places in La. That made it fun as someone who has grown up in socal.
The main character got on my nerves a lot. She makes a lot of bad choices. And she really wants to have a baby. Her wanting to have a baby is constantly brought up. And she cheats on her fiancé with her ex and he is fine with it. She doesn’t really stand up for her self and has bad choice in men like dating a man she saw her roommate have sex with!? Most women would not do that. No surprise he turned out to be an asshole.
I think the story would have been better if someone else had been the culprit someone the main character did not expect. And if the baby stuff had been toned down a little.
I did like the references to real places in La. That made it fun as someone who has grown up in socal.
The main character got on my nerves a lot. She makes a lot of bad choices. And she really wants to have a baby. Her wanting to have a baby is constantly brought up. And she cheats on her fiancé with her ex and he is fine with it. She doesn’t really stand up for her self and has bad choice in men like dating a man she saw her roommate have sex with!? Most women would not do that. No surprise he turned out to be an asshole.
I think the story would have been better if someone else had been the culprit someone the main character did not expect. And if the baby stuff had been toned down a little.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2022
This book is a must for people who like a great thriller. The story is well-paced and gripping. You won’t believe how quickly you read it. There isn’t an abundance of characters to lose the reader, but enough that the reader evaluates them and is caught up wondering who is terrorizing Tia. The best part are the notes that Tia receives because the reader sees them too. There are copies of the notes, allowing the reader to see exactly what Tia is analyzing. Buy this book and see if you can suss out the bad guy.
May 18, 2022
Not a bad book, but what bothered me most about it was the huge number of errors it contained. Spelling, grammar, typos, misused apostrophes everywhere. It badly needed a good proofreader. The main character, Tia, perhaps wasn't as quite as likeable as she was intended to be. It did keep me reading until the end, though.
May 17, 2022
This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I was immediately intrigued by the plot and the main character Tia. It successfully combined the qualities of suspense and mystery. The psychological suspense truly shocked me. It allows you to visualize the characters and events. It was a riveting read!
April 19, 2022
The book is very interesting in which it establishes credibility and draws vivid attention to the characters and the plot of the story.
May 13, 2022
The story had a really interesting plot and was one of the novels which keeps you in place the whole time trying to guess the mystery. I had fun reading it!!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews