Review: Dead Girl Running by Christina Dodd

About the Book

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

Purchase Link

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Dead-Girl-Running-Christina-Dodd/dp/1335144366/

Review This is the first book that I have read by Christina Dodd as well as the first in her new Cape Charade series. It can be categorized as a romantic suspense novel, but the romantic part of the story doesn't really come into play until around 75-80% in. Overall it was an interesting enough read; mysterious and not overly predictable. Kellen is the main character and early on you find out that even she isn't who she claims to be, but she was still a trustworthy narrator and heroine. There were many side characters you could suspect were guilty of the crimes taking place within the story, but none that truly seemed obvious. I found that most of the novel moved at a quick pace, with a little bit of drag through the middle. There was the central plot surrounding the smuggling ring and murders, but there was also a side plot dealing with the puzzle of Kellen's past. There were a couple things that happened in the end where I really had to suspend my belief as well as a few things I felt that could have been expanded on, but perhaps that will be touched on in the next installment. The romance as I mentioned, took a while to come into play and then I felt like I was left hanging when there was no resolution regarding Kellen's relationship. Again, this may be expanded on in the next book- I hope, because I needed more development there to invest in the romance! The story concludes with a slight cliffhanger. The main investigation has been resolved but more mystery presents itself on the last page. It intrigued me, igniting my desire to know more of the story surrounding Kellen's past and her missing year. I do look forward to reading the follow-up book in the series and hopefully having some of the questions I've been left with, answered.