Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd

 

Author: Christina Dodd 
ISBN: 9781335080820
Publication Date: December 29, 2020
Publisher: HQN Books
 
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd delivers an all-new thriller, featuring a bold and brash female protagonist.

WRONG JOB
Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Jones lands a job in small-town Alaska, working for a man in his isolated mountain home. But her bright hopes for the future are shattered when Donald White disappears, leaving her to face charges of theft, embezzlement—and a brutal double murder. Her protestations of innocence count for nothing. Convicted, she faces life in prison…until fate sends her on the run.

WRONG NAME
Evie's escape leaves her scarred and in hiding, isolated from her family, working under an alias at a wilderness camp. Bent on justice, intent on recovering her life, she searches for the killer who slaughters without remorse.

WRONG ALIBI
At last, the day comes. Donald White has returned. Evie emerges from hiding; the fugitive becomes the hunter. But in her mind, she hears the whisper of other forces at work. Now Evelyn must untangle the threads of evidence before she’s once again found with blood on her hands: the blood of her own family.

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 My thoughts:

It's been a while since I have read a mystery by this author.  I was really excited to read Wrong Alibi.  I am happy to say that it lived up to my expectations.  The story  follows Petey (Evie) who has been working at a far away hunting resort in Alaska.  She finally finds the man who set her up and sets off to exact revenge.  

I rarely listen to audiobooks at home on the weekends.  I usually keep it to work and my hour long commute during the week.  I needed to unplug this weekend, so I started the audiobook and finished it in one day.  I couldn't stop listening.  It's kind of a hard book to talk about because there are a couple of twists.  The mystery is solid and the characters are compelling.  This is the type of book that you are better off going into it without too much information.  I highly recommend this one.

Here is a sneak peek:

Chapter 1 

 

ALASKA

 Midnight Sun Fishing Camp 

Katchabiggie Lodge

 Eight years ago

 

JANUARY. 

Five and a half hours a day when the sun rose above the horizon. 

Storm clouds so thick, daylight never penetrated, and night reigned eternal. 

Thirty below zero Fahrenheit. 

The hurricane-force wind wrapped frigid temperatures around the lodge, driving through the log cabin construction and the steel roof, ignoring the insulation, creeping inch by inch into the Great Room where twenty-year-old Petie huddled on a love seat, dressed in a former guest’s flannel pajamas and bundled in a Pendleton Northern Lights wool blanket. A wind like this pushed snow through the roof vents, and she knew as soon as the storm stopped, she’d be up in the attic shoveling it out.

 Or not. Maybe first the ceiling would fall in on top of her.

 Who would know? Who would care? 

The storm of the century, online news called it, before the internet disappeared in a blast that blew out the cable like a candle. 

For a second long, dark winter, she was the only living being tending the Midnight Sun cabins and the lodge, making sure the dark, relentless Alaska winter didn’t do too much damage and in the spring the camp could open to enthusiastic fishermen, corporate team builders and rugged individualists. 

Alone for eight months of the year. No Christmas. No New Year’s. No Valentine’s Day. No any day, nothing interesting, just dark dark dark isolation and fear that she would die out here.

 With the internet gone, she waited for the next inevitable event. 

The lights went out.

 On each of the four walls, a small, battery-charged nightlight came on to battle feebly against the darkness. Outside, the storm roared. Inside, cold swallowed the heat with greedy appetite.

 Petie sat and stared into a dark so black it hurt her eyes. And remembered…

 There, against the far back wall of the basement, in the darkest corner, white plastic covered…something. Slowly, Petie approached, driven by a terrible fear. She stopped about three feet away, leaned forward and reached out, far out, to grasp the corner of the plastic, pull it back, and see— 

With a gasp, Petie leaped to her feet. 

No. Just no. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—replay those memories again. 

She tossed the blanket onto the floor and groped for the flashlights on the table beside her: the big metal one with a hefty weight and the smaller plastic headlamp she could strap to her forehead. She clicked on the big one and shone it around the lodge, reassuring herself no one and nothing was here. No ghosts, no zombies, no cruel people making ruthless judgments about the gullible young woman she had been. 

Armed with both lights, she moved purposefully out of the Great Room, through the massive kitchen and toward the utility room. 

The door between the kitchen and the utility room was insulated, the first barrier between the lodge and the bitter, rattling winds. She opened that door, took a breath of the even chillier air, stepped into the utility room and shut herself in. There she donned socks, boots, ski pants, an insulated shirt, a cold-weather blanket cut with arm holes, a knit hat and an ancient, full-length, seal-skin, Aleut-made coat with a hood. She checked the outside temperature. 

Colder now—forty below and with the wind howling, the wind chill would be sixty below, seventy below…who knew? Who cared? Exposed skin froze in extreme cold and add the wind chill… She wrapped a scarf around her face and the back of her neck. Then unwrapped it to secure the headlamp low on her forehead. Then wrapped herself up again, trying to cover as much skin as she could before she faced the punishing weather. 

She pointed her big flashlight at the generator checklist posted on the wall and read:

 

 Hawley’s reasons why the generator will fail to start. The generator is new and well-tested, so the problem is: 

1. LOOSE BATTERY CABLE

 Solution: Tighten. 

2.                   CORRODED BATTERY CONNECTION 

Solution: Use metal terminal battery brush to clean connections and reattach.

3.                   DEAD BATTERY

 Solution: Change battery in the autumn to avoid ever having to change it in the middle of a major fucking winter storm.

 

If she wasn’t standing there alone in the dark in the bitter cold, she would have grinned. The owner of the fishing camp, Hawley Foggo, taught his employees Hawley’s Rules. He had them for every occurrence of the fishing camp, and that last sounded exactly like him. 

The generator used a car battery, and as instructed, in the autumn she had changed it. This was her second year dealing with the battery, and she felt secure about her work. 

So probably this failure was a loose connection or corrosion. Either way, she could fix it and save the lodge from turning into a solid ice cube that wouldn’t thaw until spring. 

That was, after all, her job. 

She shivered. 

So much better than her last job, the one that led to her conviction for a gruesome double murder.

 “Okay, Petie, let’s grab that metal battery cleaner thingy and get the job done.” Which sounded pretty easy, when she talked to herself about it, but when she pulled on the insulated ski gloves, they limited her dexterity. 

Out of the corner of her eye, a light blinked out. 

She looked back into the lodge’s Great Room. The nightlights were failing, and soon she really would be alone in the absolute darkness, facing the memories of that long-ago day in the basement. 

Good incentive to hurry. 

She grabbed the wire battery connection cleaner thingy and moved to the outer door. 

There she paused and pictured the outdoor layout.

 A loosely built lean-to protected the generator from the worst of the weather while allowing the exhaust to escape. That meant she wasn’t stepping out into the full force of the storm; she would be as protected as the generator itself. Which was apparently not well enough since the damned thing wasn’t working.

 She gathered her fortitude and eased the outer door open. 

The wind caught it, yanked it wide and dragged her outside and down the steps. She hung on to the door handle, flailed around on the frozen ground, and when she regained her footing, she used all her strength to shove the door closed again. 

Then she was alone, outside, in a killer storm, in the massive, bleak wilderness that was Alaska.

Excerpted from Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd Copyright © Christina Dodd. Published by HQN Books.

About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd writes “edge-of-the-seat suspense” (Iris Johansen) with “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (ALA Booklist). Her fifty-eight books have been called "scary, sexy, and smartly written" by Booklist and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list at www.christinadodd.com.

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Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd

Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: Harlequin
Date of publication: April 2018

I have three confessions to make:
1. I've got the scar of gunshot on my forehead.
2. I don't remember an entire year of my life.
3. My name is Kellen Adams...and that's half a lie.

Girl running...from a year she can't remember, from a husband she prays is dead, from homelessness and fear. Tough, capable Kellen Adams takes a job as assistant manager of a remote vacation resort on the North Pacific Coast. There amid the towering storms and the lashing waves, she hopes to find sanctuary. But when she discovers a woman's dead and mutilated body, she's soon trying to keep her own secrets while investigating first one murder...then another. 

Now every guest and employee is a suspect. Every friendly face a mask. Every kind word a lie. Kellen's driven to defend her job, her friends and the place she's come to call home. Yet she wonders--with the scar of a gunshot on her forehead and amnesia that leaves her unsure of her own past--could the killer be staring her in the face?

Dead Girl Running is the first in a spin-off series from the Virtue Falls series.  This one takes place on Cape Charade at a resort hotel.  Kellen Adams has recently been made assistant manager of the resort.  It's off-season and she is working with a skeleton crew.  She is former military and also lost a year of her life a few years before.  When the owners of the resort leave for the holidays all hell breaks loose.

I had to take a day or two to think about this book.  While I did like it, I didn't love it.  I did enjoy the twists.  There were a coupe of surprises in the book.  One big one in the end was shocking.  So, I was left guessing throughout most of the book.  I really liked Kellen's character.  I thought it was kind of cool how she cataloged everyone she came in contact with.  It was kind of like one of those cyborg's who pull up an inner eye scan with stats about the person.  This was just how her brain worked and helped her to keep thing in order.

What I didn't love was the amount of stuff that happened in the book.  It was a bit chaotic and almost too much.  I also wasn't sure at times if the story was supposed to be serious or not.  There were times when things got a bit campy and almost keystone cop-like.   There was humor thrown in at odd times. That threw me off.  The book ended in an unsatisfying way, so I was happy to see that there is a second book featuring Kellan Adams.  After that ending, I need better closure.  What Doesn't Kill Me comes out winter 2019.   I do recommend checking this one out. I think fans will enjoy it.

The Woman Who Couldn't Scream by Christina Dodd

Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: September 2017

From the New York Times bestselling author comes the fourth novel of suspense taking place in Virtue Falls, Washington.

Beautiful Merida is married to a wealthy older man who takes her around the world as his trophy. Merida is everything a man could want. But a traumatic accident years before left her without the ability to speak. When her husband dies, she knows it's her chance to exact revenge on those responsible for her accident—and that vengeance begins in Virtue Falls. Reinventing herself, she slips into village life, biding her time. But someone knows exactly who she is and will use this chance to finish what was started years ago. And this time an accident for Merida will mean silencing her forever.

The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is the fourth book in the Virtue Falls series.  It picks up pretty much right after the ending of the third book.  However, it can still be read as a stand alone.  There are a few plot lines going in the book, so you really have to bear with it to see how they all fit together.  I have really enjoyed this series so far and was looking forward to Kateri getting her own story.  While I liked this one, it wasn't my favorite.

My biggest issue with the book was that it wasn't as focused on Kateri and her story as I wanted it to be.  She does feature in the book a lot, but I wanted more of her and Stag.  Just more of her in general.  I also thought there was kind of a bit too much going on at once with the multiple plot lines. The alternating view points made it a bit muddled at times. Not only is there Kateri trying to catch the man who shot her and her friend, she is trying to catch a serial killer and help her mute friend from when she was younger.  A friend who now looks like someone else and has a new name.  The stories all converge in the end, but it took a while to get there.  I was also left a bit unsatisfied with Merida's ending.  I would have liked to see the aftermath of her revenge.

What I did like about the book was Kateri.  She is a great female character that really comes into her own as sheriff in this book.  I have like her from the beginning of the series.  Her native american heritage plays a big part in who she is and in her beliefs.  I was definitely rooting for her with or without Stag.    There was also a twist int he end that was surprising.

Ms. Dodd's next book, Dead Girl Running, is a spin-off from this series.  It comes out in April.  I'm not sure if this is the last book for Virtue Falls or not.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Because I'm Watching by Christina Dodd

Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: September 2016

Veteran Jacob Denisov lives alone in his small, darkened home, sleepless, starving, blaming himself for the horrors of the past and waiting for the moment when he gathers enough courage to kill himself. When neighbor Madeline Hewitson drives her car through the front wall of his house, she breaks his house—and Jacob's life—wide open. She isn't called "Mad Maddie" for nothing. The survivor of a college dorm massacre, a woman accused of her lover's murder, she is haunted by ghosts and tormented by a killer only she can see. Dealing with construction and forced to see the world outside his home, Jacob watches Maddie, recognizes a kindred spirit and wonders—is this truly madness, or has someone caught her in a twisted labyrinth of revenge and compassion, guilt and redemption, murder and madness?

Because I'm Watching is the third book in the Virtue Falls series.   For the most part, I thought this was a good addition to the series. I didn't like it was much as the second book, but it was still entertaining. What I really like about this series is that so far each book can be read as a stand alone.  There are some characters that the books have in common, but you really don't have to read the others to know what is happening.

I found this story to be almost comical at times.  The events and the neighborhood residents' reactions to them have an air of humor around them. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a comedy.  There is a real threat in the neighborhood and  a question of whether or not Maddie is crazy. I just felt like it was less serious than the first two, especially  toward the beginning.. Which brings me to Maddie and Jacob.  Both of them have been through horrible trials in their lives.  Just hearing what Jacob alone endured as a POW was horrific.  So, them finding each other and helping each other made sense.  

  It's clear from the start that someone is messing with Maddie.  It kind of annoyed me that it took the others around her, especially Jacob, to figure it out.  I figured it out very early on and anyone paying attention would be able to see it.  I was only wrong about who was doing it because that really came out of nowhere. 

  The stronger part of the whole story was Sheriff Kateri's story arc and her run for permanent position as sheriff of Virtue Falls..  We get to learn a bit more about her in this one.  I really want  to see that woman find her HEA.  Since the book kind of ends in a cliff hanger, maybe the next book will have her finding some peace and happiness.

Obsession Falls by Christina Dodd

Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: September 2015

When Taylor Summers witnesses the death threat to a young boy, she does the only thing she can do-she sacrifices herself to distract the killers. Her reward is a life in ruins, on the run in the wilderness, barely surviving a bitter winter and the even more bitter knowledge she has lost everything: her career, her reputation, her identity. She finds refuge in Virtue Falls, and there comes face to face with the knowledge that, to live her life again, she must enlist the help of the man who does not trust her to defeat the man who would destroy her.

She's being hunted, but it's time to turn the tables....

Obsession Falls is the second full book in the Virtue Falls series.  There are two novellas nestled in there, but I haven't read those.  I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this book.  I liked it even more than the first book.  Taylor witnesses an attempted murder and ends up on the run from the bad guys as well as the police.  When she witnesses a murder months later, her life is in even more danger.

  What made the book so enjoyable was the whole adventure part of the book.  I thought the author did a fantastic job of helping the reader experience what Taylor went through while on the run in mountains during the winter.  I'm not sure I would be strong enough to survive what she did.  There are also some twists that were pretty surprising.

 I wouldn't really classify this one as a romantic suspense.  There is a bit of romance, but it comes much later in the story and the suspense is a much bigger part of the book.  I loved Kennedy and hated the villain.  I was a bit perplexed at the way Taylor was enchanted by the villain.  He is pure evil so I didn't get the appeal other than he was good looking.

Once the story ends up in Virtue Falls, we get to catch up with characters form the first book.  That is always a treat. I especially loved Kateri and Rainbow.  I'm really hoping that Kateri is going to get a HEA.  She deserves one!  The ending was one of those WTF moments, so I hope it gets cleared up in the next book!  I can't wait!

Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd

Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Date of publication: September 2014

Twenty-three years ago, Misty Banner was brutally slashed to death in her home in Virtue Falls, Washington. Her husband was convicted of the murder. Their four year old daughter Elizabeth witnessed the crime, but has no memory of the killing. Now, two decades later, Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls. She soon discovers her father is innocent. The real killer is still out there. And her investigation has stirred dark and deadly resentments that could provoke in another bloody murder—her own...

 Elizabeth is a geologist who has taken a job at a dig site in her old town of Virtue Falls.  She has returned to be closer to her father who has been stricken with Alzheimer's.  He is out of prison and living in a nursing home.  Her father was accused of murdering her mother.  Elizabeth has no real memory of the night Misty died or who killed her. The town of Virtue Falls is small with a long memory. It also sits on a major fault line.When an earthquake and tsunami uncover new evidence from the past, she decides that things just don't seem right about what transpired that night and she wants to get to the bottom of things. 

I was looking forward to reading Virtue Falls, but sadly it didn't give up to my expectations.  While I did enjoy the overall story,  all I could really say was that it was just OK. The one thing that I did like was the mystery. The final reveal was cleverly done.  There were a number of suspects and I didn't figure it out right away, so bonus points for that one. I also thought some of the peripheral characters added some flavor to the story.

Having said all of that, there were a couple of things that I didn't like about book.  I thought it was a bit long and dragged in places.  I also really didn't care for Elizabeth at first. She kind of felt unrealistically rigid and cold.  I thought she took unnecessary risks that had me rolling my eyes. I did like the relationship between her and Garrick.  Their split up was clearly due to a lack of communication and I was kind of rooting for them to get back together.  Which brings me to my disappointment in the love scenes.  I know that this author can write a good love scene.  There was a lot of  pretty explicit build up and then the scene would cut to the afterglow. That was puzzling to me and I kind of felt a little cheated.

I'm not saying this is a bad read.  I do recommend giving it a try.  I just don't think it's her best effort.  I'll probably give the second book, Obsession Falls a try when it comes out later this year.