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Virtue Falls #1
Virtue Falls
Blockbuster bestselling author Christina Dodd delivers a novel that will leave readers breathlessly turning the pages in this "stunning work of mystery, danger, and romance."
Twenty-three years ago, in the isolated coastal town of Virtue Falls, Washington, four year old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother's brutal murder. Elizabeth's father was convicted of killing Misty and sentenced to prison. Elizabeth grew from a solitary child to a beautiful woman with a cool scientific mind and an instinctive distrust of love. Now Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik Jacobsen, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by the guilt of his past deeds. Nor can it help her deal with her father, now stricken with Alzheimer's and haunted by Misty's ghost. When a massive earthquake reveals long-concealed secrets, Elizabeth soon discovers her father is innocent. Is the killer still at large, stalking ever closer to the one witness to Misty's murder? To Elizabeth herself? Elizabeth and Garik investigate, stirring old dark and deadly resentments that could provoke another bloody murder-- Elizabeth's own.
VIRTUE FALLS is the winner of the coveted RT Book Reviews Award.
Twenty-three years ago, in the isolated coastal town of Virtue Falls, Washington, four year old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother's brutal murder. Elizabeth's father was convicted of killing Misty and sentenced to prison. Elizabeth grew from a solitary child to a beautiful woman with a cool scientific mind and an instinctive distrust of love. Now Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik Jacobsen, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by the guilt of his past deeds. Nor can it help her deal with her father, now stricken with Alzheimer's and haunted by Misty's ghost. When a massive earthquake reveals long-concealed secrets, Elizabeth soon discovers her father is innocent. Is the killer still at large, stalking ever closer to the one witness to Misty's murder? To Elizabeth herself? Elizabeth and Garik investigate, stirring old dark and deadly resentments that could provoke another bloody murder-- Elizabeth's own.
VIRTUE FALLS is the winner of the coveted RT Book Reviews Award.
437 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2014
About the author
Christina Dodd
139 books5,692 followersUpcoming in 2025:
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
— April 29: WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— June 24 THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— March 11: GIRL ANONYMOUS “The Godfather” meets “West Side Story” in this darkly romantic thriller…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— Out now! A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.
(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
— April 29: WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— June 24 THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— March 11: GIRL ANONYMOUS “The Godfather” meets “West Side Story” in this darkly romantic thriller…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— Out now! A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.
(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )
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June 11, 2017
Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd is a 2014 St. Martin’s Press publication.
Suspenseful, fast paced with a unique premise.
Elizabeth Banner, an expert geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls, Washington to continue with her father’s work.
But, her return has sent shockwaves into the community, because when Elizabeth was four years old, her father, Charles, killed her mother, Misty, after he discovered she had been unfaithful. Riddled with Alzheimer’s and housed in a special facility now, Elizabeth has reconnected with Charles, for the first time since her mother’s death.
But, when an earthquake rocks Virtue Falls, a ghastly discovery raises new questions about Misty’s death. Could Charles be innocent?
Hearing about the deadly earthquake, former FBI agent, Garik Jacobsen, races to Virtue Falls in search of his ex-wife. Once he arrives, he realizes Elizabeth could be in danger and begins to take a closer look at Misty’s murder.
When I caught sight of this book while browsing through the Overdrive library, it occurred to me that I had not read a novel by Christina Dodd in ages. I enjoyed her historical romances years back, and read a few of her paranormal romances as well, but somewhere along the way, I lost track of her.
This book is the first in a romantic suspense series centered around Virtue Falls. After finishing this book, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed Christina Dodd’s books and I missed her!!
This book has a nice combination of suspense, mystery, action, and romance. For some reason, Elizabeth reminded me of ‘Brennan’ on the TV show, ‘Bones’. She wasn’t quite that dry, but he did have that genius quality, and was socially tone deaf, and occasionally spoke without a filter, but she was also capable of deep, heartfelt emotions. I cheered her on right from the start and was happy she found closure and of course, a happily ever after.
The mystery was very well done, with the suspense building at a nice pace, which kept me interested and engaged. This book is a traditional romantic suspense novel, but it has a very fresh approach. I enjoyed the location, the natural disasters, that created a different type of intensity, as well the occasional humor and sexy time moments that offset the darker tones.
All in all, this is a solid beginning to the series and I’m really looking forward to getting caught up with it.
4 stars
Suspenseful, fast paced with a unique premise.
Elizabeth Banner, an expert geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls, Washington to continue with her father’s work.
But, her return has sent shockwaves into the community, because when Elizabeth was four years old, her father, Charles, killed her mother, Misty, after he discovered she had been unfaithful. Riddled with Alzheimer’s and housed in a special facility now, Elizabeth has reconnected with Charles, for the first time since her mother’s death.
But, when an earthquake rocks Virtue Falls, a ghastly discovery raises new questions about Misty’s death. Could Charles be innocent?
Hearing about the deadly earthquake, former FBI agent, Garik Jacobsen, races to Virtue Falls in search of his ex-wife. Once he arrives, he realizes Elizabeth could be in danger and begins to take a closer look at Misty’s murder.
When I caught sight of this book while browsing through the Overdrive library, it occurred to me that I had not read a novel by Christina Dodd in ages. I enjoyed her historical romances years back, and read a few of her paranormal romances as well, but somewhere along the way, I lost track of her.
This book is the first in a romantic suspense series centered around Virtue Falls. After finishing this book, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed Christina Dodd’s books and I missed her!!
This book has a nice combination of suspense, mystery, action, and romance. For some reason, Elizabeth reminded me of ‘Brennan’ on the TV show, ‘Bones’. She wasn’t quite that dry, but he did have that genius quality, and was socially tone deaf, and occasionally spoke without a filter, but she was also capable of deep, heartfelt emotions. I cheered her on right from the start and was happy she found closure and of course, a happily ever after.
The mystery was very well done, with the suspense building at a nice pace, which kept me interested and engaged. This book is a traditional romantic suspense novel, but it has a very fresh approach. I enjoyed the location, the natural disasters, that created a different type of intensity, as well the occasional humor and sexy time moments that offset the darker tones.
All in all, this is a solid beginning to the series and I’m really looking forward to getting caught up with it.
4 stars
August 24, 2014
4.5 stars!!
I’m a big fan of this author’s historical romances so I thought to try out one of her contemporary works, especially since this one was a romantic suspense/mystery and I’m a huge sucker for those. Aside from her writing style, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book in particular, but let me just say that you won’t be worrying about your expectations once you start reading – the story will grab your attention from the start and though there may be a few times where there are too many details, the engaging plot quickly grabs your attention again. Overall, I liked the suspenseful storyline, the heartwarming second chance romance, and how fast-paced the book was – it kept things interesting.
*********************
Twenty three years ago, a 4 year old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother’s brutal murder and her father was convicted of the crime. Fast forward two decades and Elizabeth has become one of the most accomplished geologists of her time and an expert in studying rocks and natural disasters. Returning home to Virtue Falls to study earthquakes and tsunamis, Elizabeth encounters a series of events that eventually lead to buried secrets, secrets that expose a hole in her mother’s murder case and leave her in danger. With no one but an ex-husband and mother-in-law who actually cares about her, Elizabeth experiences de-ja-vu all over again as she struggles to reconcile her horrid past with her uncertain future.
Dedicated FBI agent and ex-husband to Elizabeth, Garik Jacobsen finds out that she’s in danger and hurries to Virtue Falls to protect her. Though consenting to their divorce, Garik still harbors strong feelings for Elizabeth and would sacrifice anything just to make sure she’s safe. He’s deeply tortured and troubled by his past and the fact that he doesn’t let Elizabeth in to that part of his life creates a wedge between them, leading to their divorce. All grudges and complaints, however, are pushed aside as this couple work to uncover the mystery and truth behind the murder case and find the real killer.
*********************
I honestly expected to loathe Elizabeth’s character. She was unfeeling, only passionate about her profession and it was hard in the beginning to see her brush aside Garik so easily and effortlessly. As I read, however, I think I started to understand and connect to her character on a much deeper level. You see, I LOVE smart heroines. Heroines that don’t think with their libido and aren’t simpering ninnies around the hero. I actually think it was the author’s purpose to introduce this aloof, unfeeling woman and through her experiences in the book and her deep love for her husband (though she tries to hide it), show how an emotionally scarred Elizabeth could trust and have a second chance at her marriage. Her family was shattered since her mother’s murder and her father’s conviction and she had no one left. No one except Garik, who knew and loved her for the way she was and accepted her, flaws and all. Speaking of Garik, I adore this man! He scores a 10 out of 10 for my hero rating – sexy, attentive, protective, witty. I could use so many adjectives to describe him. My heart broke when I read about the guilt he harbored because of his past actions. Together, he and Elizabeth make such a great couple. They complement each other perfectly: fire and ice, passionate and logical. They had many issues to work through, but when they tackled their fears and fully opened up to one another, I was mentally cheering them on, ecstatic that they’d be able to work out all their problems and hopeful about a more permanent future for them.
I do have to stress that the romance part is secondary to the mystery and suspense. I would estimate a good 30% of the book is solely dedicated to their relationship development: that’s pretty decent considering this plot was elaborate and detailed. There’s not a whole lot of steam but then again, emotional intensity will always trump steam for me ;) The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars was Kateri’s character. I simply just didn’t see the point of having her take up a couple of chapters. Elizabeth knew her but other than that she didn’t have a substantial part in the plot so I skimmed the parts with her in it.
Aside from that one complaint and a few times where there were too many details that tempted me to skim, this book was pretty perfect for me. I finished it in one sitting (about 4 hours) and closed the book feeling pretty satisfied – definitely a great book to pick up if you love the romantic suspense genre!
ARC provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m a big fan of this author’s historical romances so I thought to try out one of her contemporary works, especially since this one was a romantic suspense/mystery and I’m a huge sucker for those. Aside from her writing style, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book in particular, but let me just say that you won’t be worrying about your expectations once you start reading – the story will grab your attention from the start and though there may be a few times where there are too many details, the engaging plot quickly grabs your attention again. Overall, I liked the suspenseful storyline, the heartwarming second chance romance, and how fast-paced the book was – it kept things interesting.
*********************
Twenty three years ago, a 4 year old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother’s brutal murder and her father was convicted of the crime. Fast forward two decades and Elizabeth has become one of the most accomplished geologists of her time and an expert in studying rocks and natural disasters. Returning home to Virtue Falls to study earthquakes and tsunamis, Elizabeth encounters a series of events that eventually lead to buried secrets, secrets that expose a hole in her mother’s murder case and leave her in danger. With no one but an ex-husband and mother-in-law who actually cares about her, Elizabeth experiences de-ja-vu all over again as she struggles to reconcile her horrid past with her uncertain future.
Dedicated FBI agent and ex-husband to Elizabeth, Garik Jacobsen finds out that she’s in danger and hurries to Virtue Falls to protect her. Though consenting to their divorce, Garik still harbors strong feelings for Elizabeth and would sacrifice anything just to make sure she’s safe. He’s deeply tortured and troubled by his past and the fact that he doesn’t let Elizabeth in to that part of his life creates a wedge between them, leading to their divorce. All grudges and complaints, however, are pushed aside as this couple work to uncover the mystery and truth behind the murder case and find the real killer.
*********************
I honestly expected to loathe Elizabeth’s character. She was unfeeling, only passionate about her profession and it was hard in the beginning to see her brush aside Garik so easily and effortlessly. As I read, however, I think I started to understand and connect to her character on a much deeper level. You see, I LOVE smart heroines. Heroines that don’t think with their libido and aren’t simpering ninnies around the hero. I actually think it was the author’s purpose to introduce this aloof, unfeeling woman and through her experiences in the book and her deep love for her husband (though she tries to hide it), show how an emotionally scarred Elizabeth could trust and have a second chance at her marriage. Her family was shattered since her mother’s murder and her father’s conviction and she had no one left. No one except Garik, who knew and loved her for the way she was and accepted her, flaws and all. Speaking of Garik, I adore this man! He scores a 10 out of 10 for my hero rating – sexy, attentive, protective, witty. I could use so many adjectives to describe him. My heart broke when I read about the guilt he harbored because of his past actions. Together, he and Elizabeth make such a great couple. They complement each other perfectly: fire and ice, passionate and logical. They had many issues to work through, but when they tackled their fears and fully opened up to one another, I was mentally cheering them on, ecstatic that they’d be able to work out all their problems and hopeful about a more permanent future for them.
I do have to stress that the romance part is secondary to the mystery and suspense. I would estimate a good 30% of the book is solely dedicated to their relationship development: that’s pretty decent considering this plot was elaborate and detailed. There’s not a whole lot of steam but then again, emotional intensity will always trump steam for me ;) The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars was Kateri’s character. I simply just didn’t see the point of having her take up a couple of chapters. Elizabeth knew her but other than that she didn’t have a substantial part in the plot so I skimmed the parts with her in it.
Aside from that one complaint and a few times where there were too many details that tempted me to skim, this book was pretty perfect for me. I finished it in one sitting (about 4 hours) and closed the book feeling pretty satisfied – definitely a great book to pick up if you love the romantic suspense genre!
ARC provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 5, 2015
The start of Christina Dodd’s new romantic suspense series, Virtue Falls was enjoyable but not exactly a winner.
Geologist Elizabeth Banner returns to her hometown of Virtue Falls, Wash, a place she hasn’t been to for 23 years after the terrible murder of her mother that she had witnessed when she was a small child. Her father had been convicted for the crime and has been paroled and returned home as well.
When an earthquake hits the area, she finds herself isolated and she begins to spend time with her father and also reconnects with her ex husband, Garik, a FBI agent.
Discovering that a serial killer is murdering his victims in the same manner as her mother, the questions begin mounting up….is her father innocent? Was her mother killed by the serial killer?
This is a fast-paced but somewhat predictable story. It has the usual blending of romance, suspense, mystery and some twists and turns.
An interesting read.
Geologist Elizabeth Banner returns to her hometown of Virtue Falls, Wash, a place she hasn’t been to for 23 years after the terrible murder of her mother that she had witnessed when she was a small child. Her father had been convicted for the crime and has been paroled and returned home as well.
When an earthquake hits the area, she finds herself isolated and she begins to spend time with her father and also reconnects with her ex husband, Garik, a FBI agent.
Discovering that a serial killer is murdering his victims in the same manner as her mother, the questions begin mounting up….is her father innocent? Was her mother killed by the serial killer?
This is a fast-paced but somewhat predictable story. It has the usual blending of romance, suspense, mystery and some twists and turns.
An interesting read.
February 1, 2015
Whew. I'm not sure how this book ended up in my pile from the library, but I read it to the end, mainly from a growing sense of "is this book really this bad? surely this is just a bad section!". I like mysteries and somehow missed the fact that this is a mercifully hitherto unknown to me genre of "romance mystery". Painfully awful book. The lead female character alternates between speaking like Spock (to show that she's a "logical scientist") and a sex kitten (if her *man* is around/she's ready to get laid). The overall plot line is interesting enough but undeveloped and poorly paced. None of the somewhat interesting characters actually get any page time; the leads are both unlikeable and flat. Reading some other reviews, I see lots of moaning that this book is "too long" and "too wordy" and the bit of interesting oddness that pops up early and then again at the end of the book (the "Frog God") seems to freak most of the readers out and leave 'em baffled. The author can obviously write--the bones of the plot show that--but it's as if this book was deliberately dumbed down and simplified for folks who really don't like reading. I appear to have stumbled over some genre of fiction I was blessedly ignorant of before this book: a mystery vehicle for very bland sex scenes. Heavens. I'll read the dust jackets more carefully at the library from now on.
May 24, 2018
I started reading this and thought O crap, I'm bored all ready. I hate dnfin a book so I trudged onward. I am so glad I stuck with it. I questioned myself over and over again whether I knew who the murderer was. I went back and forth between the characters until the very end. This book was so much more than I expected. Kudos to me for sticking to it or I would have missed out on a great story!
August 5, 2020
An author whose work I have wanting to read for a very long time. I love the romantic suspense genre and this rightly fills the bill. Elizabeth is a geologist who is socially inept and brutally honest to a fault. Garik is her ex husband who has been suspended from FBI. By adding a serial killer to the murder mystery of Elizabeth's mother, the whole plot took an unexpected turn. Of course there are quite a lot of clues to keep the reader entertained and have to say I was thoroughly engrossed even though one can fairly guess the killer.
The effects of earthquake on a community and the resilience of people to continue fighting in spite of the hardships was inspiring to read. Also the part of Charles and his suffering was deeply moving. Looking forward to read more from this author.
The effects of earthquake on a community and the resilience of people to continue fighting in spite of the hardships was inspiring to read. Also the part of Charles and his suffering was deeply moving. Looking forward to read more from this author.
July 26, 2016
Link to full review below! Really enjoyable! Lots of red herrings to keep you guessing and a second chance romance between 2 really complex characters! This review was originally posted on The Book Disciple
October 8, 2014
My first Christina Dodd novel and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! It was a little bit slow getting started but picked up quickly! Good mystery that really kept you guessing until the very end! Looking forward to the next in the series!
September 8, 2015
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Christina Dodd’s VIRTUE FALLS (Virtue Falls #1), is a powerful new series which will blow you away! WOW factor, with a capital W! If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, crime thrillers, and romance – all rolled into one, you will be guaranteed an engaging and satisfying ride!
Prior to reading the ARC, I read the novella, THE LISTENER (0.5 Falls Series) July, 2014, a prequel to VIRTUE FALLS, which sets the stage for this mysterious town founded in 1902, a Vacation Destination on the Washington Coast and Home of the World Famous Virtue Falls Canyon, population 2487.
An intriguing town with quirky and witty characters which gather at the Oceanview Café, where the novella ends with the entrance of beautiful Elizabeth Banner, a respected geologist at age twenty-seven, the girl who watched her father kill her mother, Misty with scissors at age four; however, she has no memory of the event. The body was never found. Her dad was the first on the scene and was charged with the murder. However, he may be innocent and the real killer begins to strike again.
Her father Charles, a gifted scientist who pioneered the study, is now in the Honor Mountain Memory Care Facility after serving his time in prison, poor health, and in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, so Elizabeth needs to find answers before he loses all memory.
Natural disasters, earthquakes, and tsunami, plus more occur at the beginning of the book which sends the town into total disarray; however, Elizabeth has waited a lifetime for this event as she lives for her digs, rocks, earthquakes, and tsunamis! After the aftermath, some body parts are discovered which may be her mom.
In addition to the serial killer and murders, there is creepy small town sheriff, Dennis Foster which was on the case years ago, and may be a suspect, or possibly a lover– male or female, one of the other archaeologists, a waitress, someone at the care facility, or a famous artist—a long line of suspects.
As the suspense builds, the fun begins with characters, Irish powerhouse, matriarch Margaret, age ninety-one. She owns and manages the large boutique hotel resort in town. She is quite the character (we all want to be her). She is full of wit and humor and runs the town, Virtue Falls.
She also is the foster mother of former FBI agent, sexy Garik (who also happens to be Elizabeth’s ex-husband). He suffered from an abusive childhood and has been temporarily suspended from FBI due to his temper and outburst, which is not uncovered until towards the end of the book. He is on his way back to check on his ex-wife and foster mother, when he learns of the disaster. Little does he know, he will be leading a murder investigation.
I fell in love with the characters, as Dodd keeps you guessing throughout the book, as to the identity of the real killer. In the meantime the highlight of the novel, is the hot and steamy tension between the sizzling sexy couple, Garik and Elizabeth! Readers will fall in love with Garik, rooting for him and his relationship with Elizabeth, a flawed and much loved couple!
A riveting novel, fast-paced, and action packed suspense thriller will keep you turning well into the wee hours of the morning.
Dodd, a talented author of over fifty books, I am scratching my head, as a reader of 300-500 books a year--where have I been, as THE LISTENER AND VIRTUE FALLS— my first by this author?
So excited I have discovered this newfound author (she has been added to my favorite author list), and cannot wait for the next book in the series. Hopefully we will catch up with this colorful cast of lovable characters, and coastguard commander, Kateri, which leaves us hanging (literally, a cliffhanger)!
Highly recommend both THE LISTENER and VIRTUE FALLS –A "Must Read" series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Christina Dodd’s VIRTUE FALLS (Virtue Falls #1), is a powerful new series which will blow you away! WOW factor, with a capital W! If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, crime thrillers, and romance – all rolled into one, you will be guaranteed an engaging and satisfying ride!
Prior to reading the ARC, I read the novella, THE LISTENER (0.5 Falls Series) July, 2014, a prequel to VIRTUE FALLS, which sets the stage for this mysterious town founded in 1902, a Vacation Destination on the Washington Coast and Home of the World Famous Virtue Falls Canyon, population 2487.
An intriguing town with quirky and witty characters which gather at the Oceanview Café, where the novella ends with the entrance of beautiful Elizabeth Banner, a respected geologist at age twenty-seven, the girl who watched her father kill her mother, Misty with scissors at age four; however, she has no memory of the event. The body was never found. Her dad was the first on the scene and was charged with the murder. However, he may be innocent and the real killer begins to strike again.
Her father Charles, a gifted scientist who pioneered the study, is now in the Honor Mountain Memory Care Facility after serving his time in prison, poor health, and in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, so Elizabeth needs to find answers before he loses all memory.
Natural disasters, earthquakes, and tsunami, plus more occur at the beginning of the book which sends the town into total disarray; however, Elizabeth has waited a lifetime for this event as she lives for her digs, rocks, earthquakes, and tsunamis! After the aftermath, some body parts are discovered which may be her mom.
In addition to the serial killer and murders, there is creepy small town sheriff, Dennis Foster which was on the case years ago, and may be a suspect, or possibly a lover– male or female, one of the other archaeologists, a waitress, someone at the care facility, or a famous artist—a long line of suspects.
As the suspense builds, the fun begins with characters, Irish powerhouse, matriarch Margaret, age ninety-one. She owns and manages the large boutique hotel resort in town. She is quite the character (we all want to be her). She is full of wit and humor and runs the town, Virtue Falls.
She also is the foster mother of former FBI agent, sexy Garik (who also happens to be Elizabeth’s ex-husband). He suffered from an abusive childhood and has been temporarily suspended from FBI due to his temper and outburst, which is not uncovered until towards the end of the book. He is on his way back to check on his ex-wife and foster mother, when he learns of the disaster. Little does he know, he will be leading a murder investigation.
I fell in love with the characters, as Dodd keeps you guessing throughout the book, as to the identity of the real killer. In the meantime the highlight of the novel, is the hot and steamy tension between the sizzling sexy couple, Garik and Elizabeth! Readers will fall in love with Garik, rooting for him and his relationship with Elizabeth, a flawed and much loved couple!
A riveting novel, fast-paced, and action packed suspense thriller will keep you turning well into the wee hours of the morning.
Dodd, a talented author of over fifty books, I am scratching my head, as a reader of 300-500 books a year--where have I been, as THE LISTENER AND VIRTUE FALLS— my first by this author?
So excited I have discovered this newfound author (she has been added to my favorite author list), and cannot wait for the next book in the series. Hopefully we will catch up with this colorful cast of lovable characters, and coastguard commander, Kateri, which leaves us hanging (literally, a cliffhanger)!
Highly recommend both THE LISTENER and VIRTUE FALLS –A "Must Read" series!
JDCMustReadBooks
October 8, 2021
Romantic Suspense / Mystery / Contemporary
Series: The Virtue Falls Series (Book 1)
Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, in the isolated coastal town, where she witnessed her mother's brutal murder 23 years ago. Elizabeth is now a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by guilt of his own past. Nor can it help her deal with her father, now suffering from Alzheimer's and haunted by his dead wife's ghost.
When a massive earthquake reveals long-buried secrets, Elizabeth discovers new hints about her mother's murder. Is the killer still out there? Elizabeth and Garik investigate, stirring up dark and deadly secrets that could end with another bloody murder...
This story has it all – suspense, romance, mystery and its a little bit “spooky”. I love how the story is vivid, solid and richly detailed without being overdone or filled with empty fluff. The characters and their backgrounds are well written. Elizabeth and Garik were damaged by their past but they learn to deal with it and grow as the story progress.
Have to say that this is very good series with strong and sassy heroines. Highly recommend second book in this series, Obsession Falls!
Series: The Virtue Falls Series (Book 1)
Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, in the isolated coastal town, where she witnessed her mother's brutal murder 23 years ago. Elizabeth is now a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by guilt of his own past. Nor can it help her deal with her father, now suffering from Alzheimer's and haunted by his dead wife's ghost.
When a massive earthquake reveals long-buried secrets, Elizabeth discovers new hints about her mother's murder. Is the killer still out there? Elizabeth and Garik investigate, stirring up dark and deadly secrets that could end with another bloody murder...
This story has it all – suspense, romance, mystery and its a little bit “spooky”. I love how the story is vivid, solid and richly detailed without being overdone or filled with empty fluff. The characters and their backgrounds are well written. Elizabeth and Garik were damaged by their past but they learn to deal with it and grow as the story progress.
Have to say that this is very good series with strong and sassy heroines. Highly recommend second book in this series, Obsession Falls!
August 19, 2014
Disclaimer: Christina Dodd and I are in a plot group together, so I knew what was going to happen before I sat down to read VIRTUE FALLS. Nevertheless, she drew me in from page one with a deliciously creepy serial killer and a pair of thrill-ride natural disasters. Great characterization--I want to be Margaret when I grow up--and simply wonderful chemistry between the hero and heroine. As someone who reads across genres, I found the balance between mystery, suspense, and romance just right. In Virtue Falls, Christina Dodd has created a world I want to visit over and over again. Even if I do already know what is going to happen.:)
August 7, 2014
I loved this book for the chemistry and obvious love between Elizabeth and Garik. Garik is eminently lickable. The mystery wasn't quite as well plotted, but it was still good. I liked the small-town atmosphere of Virtue Falls.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com.
December 10, 2015
Notes to Self (in hopes of writing a review):
My 1st Christina Dodd book. 3.5 Star.
I really liked the main plot and story line of this book. Although there were times the story seemed to drag and I could put the book down, though for most of the book I was pulled in.
My favorite character was Margaret, Garik's foster parent. She's extremely well developed and could carry a book on her own. She's 91, spunky but still given some frailties of old age that makes her real. You can see the real affection between her and Garik.
The main characters and fellow citizens of Virtue Falls don't even know about the serial kills outside of the area, they are simply trying to determine who killed Misty, Elizabeth's mother. Was it her father as everyone always believed or was it someone else? But as a reader you know about the serial killing. This makes the theme of serial killing a weird "event/non-event". Our H/h find out on page 379 of 437 pages.
The romance took a back seat to the suspense plot (which I'm actually a fan of), but I know a lot of readers are the opposite. There is still a good development of the relationship between Garik and Elizabeth and as the past is slowly revealed you can see why these two split up in the first place. You can also see why they are such a good fit and should be together.
On the flip side: Even though I liked the main characters in the story and they were a good fit together, I did get a little tired of the constant discussion of Elizabeth's sexy traits of being curvy, and her lips, etc., etc. I also got irritated with her speech when she was supposed to be scientific. She sounded like she was an unsocialized entitiy - which due to her circumstances she was. But then on the flip side when she delivered the voice on the video of the tsunami, everyone was like she was able to present it in layman's terms and she was such a good presenter and speaker. Total contradiction. I also thought that Garik made too much of an instant turn around emotionally. He's ready to commit suicide and then instantly it's in the past as he goes to Virtue Falls. The suicidal/instant turn around part just didn't work for me. Depressed yes, suicidal no. There were points where I was thinking wait, 24 hours ago he was ready to blow his head off?
The town is cut off and yet when convenient for the author, people can fly in and out in helicopters or drive pick-ups/cars on the back roads.
I also had a problem with the case that got Garik suspended from the FBI. Where was child services and how was the child left with the father?
I really didn't get where Tom's boss thinks there is a serial killer in Virtue Falls and doesn't send in a team immediately. He tells a suspended agent to "keep him in the loop". What???
In some of the back stories of the characters, it seemed I was often left with an incomplete picture. I thought Elizabeth's co-workers were drastically undeveloped. This was her life and these were the people she was working with and aside from the cliche boss, the other co-workers were paper cut-outs.
Although Kateri's story and the frog god was sort of interesting, I never felt like it was woven into the rest of the story and was just this additional element thrown in. Maybe it's for a future book, but I'm not a fan of throwing characters in for future books if they aren't really part of the current book.
At the end of the read I was still left with this feeling that what could have been a fantastic story felt slightly disjointed and left me underwhelmed. And yeah at the same time I think there are a lot of readers who will enjoy it...just don't dissect it like I end up doing.
Already have Obsession Falls and plan to start reading it soon.
My 1st Christina Dodd book. 3.5 Star.
I really liked the main plot and story line of this book. Although there were times the story seemed to drag and I could put the book down, though for most of the book I was pulled in.
My favorite character was Margaret, Garik's foster parent. She's extremely well developed and could carry a book on her own. She's 91, spunky but still given some frailties of old age that makes her real. You can see the real affection between her and Garik.
The main characters and fellow citizens of Virtue Falls don't even know about the serial kills outside of the area, they are simply trying to determine who killed Misty, Elizabeth's mother. Was it her father as everyone always believed or was it someone else? But as a reader you know about the serial killing. This makes the theme of serial killing a weird "event/non-event". Our H/h find out on page 379 of 437 pages.
The romance took a back seat to the suspense plot (which I'm actually a fan of), but I know a lot of readers are the opposite. There is still a good development of the relationship between Garik and Elizabeth and as the past is slowly revealed you can see why these two split up in the first place. You can also see why they are such a good fit and should be together.
On the flip side: Even though I liked the main characters in the story and they were a good fit together, I did get a little tired of the constant discussion of Elizabeth's sexy traits of being curvy, and her lips, etc., etc. I also got irritated with her speech when she was supposed to be scientific. She sounded like she was an unsocialized entitiy - which due to her circumstances she was. But then on the flip side when she delivered the voice on the video of the tsunami, everyone was like she was able to present it in layman's terms and she was such a good presenter and speaker. Total contradiction. I also thought that Garik made too much of an instant turn around emotionally. He's ready to commit suicide and then instantly it's in the past as he goes to Virtue Falls. The suicidal/instant turn around part just didn't work for me. Depressed yes, suicidal no. There were points where I was thinking wait, 24 hours ago he was ready to blow his head off?
The town is cut off and yet when convenient for the author, people can fly in and out in helicopters or drive pick-ups/cars on the back roads.
I also had a problem with the case that got Garik suspended from the FBI. Where was child services and how was the child left with the father?
I really didn't get where Tom's boss thinks there is a serial killer in Virtue Falls and doesn't send in a team immediately. He tells a suspended agent to "keep him in the loop". What???
In some of the back stories of the characters, it seemed I was often left with an incomplete picture. I thought Elizabeth's co-workers were drastically undeveloped. This was her life and these were the people she was working with and aside from the cliche boss, the other co-workers were paper cut-outs.
Although Kateri's story and the frog god was sort of interesting, I never felt like it was woven into the rest of the story and was just this additional element thrown in. Maybe it's for a future book, but I'm not a fan of throwing characters in for future books if they aren't really part of the current book.
At the end of the read I was still left with this feeling that what could have been a fantastic story felt slightly disjointed and left me underwhelmed. And yeah at the same time I think there are a lot of readers who will enjoy it...just don't dissect it like I end up doing.
Already have Obsession Falls and plan to start reading it soon.
August 29, 2015
A good story. I enjoyed it all the way through. Good character development.
It reminded me of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense but with better romance. And the ending was good.
BUT I had a problem with three instances of stupidity. I was willing to go with it, but I was shaking my head. This might have been 5 stars without the stupidity - see Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS - Stupidity:
I received this book at the RT convention.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 437 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: two plus two referred to. Setting: current day mostly Virtue Falls, Washington. Copyright: 2014. Genre: romantic suspense.
It reminded me of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense but with better romance. And the ending was good.
BUT I had a problem with three instances of stupidity. I was willing to go with it, but I was shaking my head. This might have been 5 stars without the stupidity - see Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS - Stupidity:
I received this book at the RT convention.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 437 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: two plus two referred to. Setting: current day mostly Virtue Falls, Washington. Copyright: 2014. Genre: romantic suspense.
June 18, 2019
This was highly rated by one of my Goodreads friends with similar taste and I'm a sucker for lighthouses so I decided to give it a go. (*Note: Sadly, no lighthouses are featured in this book).
Virtue Falls is about Elisabeth Banner, who returns to the Washington town to further her career as a geologist. Virtue Falls is also her birthplace, and the location where her father, Charles, purportedly murdered her mother with a pair of scissors. Charles has since been released from prison and is moldering away in the town's nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's.
Virtue Falls is known for its seismic activity, and after only a few pages a large earthquake erupts, motivating Elisabeth's ex-husband Garik to come running to her rescue. New evidence emerges indicating that Charles may not be responsible for her mother's death after all...
Unfortunately, Virtue Falls was about 200 pages too long in my opinion and while I was just interested enough to keep plodding along, I think it would have benefited from some editing to improve the pacing. I think what was most disappointing was that the opening chapter started out so strong and the rest of the book fell a little flat. I think it does indicate the author's potential.
The best aspect of the book in my opinion is the relationships. Elisabeth's relationship with her ex-husband, former FBI agent Garik and her father, Charles, who she has many mixed feelings about. I wish Dodd had delved into how Elisabeth felt about her mother, Misty and any early memories she might have had.
Overall, I found Virtue Falls to be a little bit sleepy, but I attribute this to the unnecessary length. The character dynamics kept me entertained and I appreciated the ending. I would recommend this to readers who like drama-filled mysteries that take place in small towns and are relationship-centric. If Dodd had amped up the suspense and fear element this would have been a home run for me.
Virtue Falls is about Elisabeth Banner, who returns to the Washington town to further her career as a geologist. Virtue Falls is also her birthplace, and the location where her father, Charles, purportedly murdered her mother with a pair of scissors. Charles has since been released from prison and is moldering away in the town's nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer's.
Virtue Falls is known for its seismic activity, and after only a few pages a large earthquake erupts, motivating Elisabeth's ex-husband Garik to come running to her rescue. New evidence emerges indicating that Charles may not be responsible for her mother's death after all...
Unfortunately, Virtue Falls was about 200 pages too long in my opinion and while I was just interested enough to keep plodding along, I think it would have benefited from some editing to improve the pacing. I think what was most disappointing was that the opening chapter started out so strong and the rest of the book fell a little flat. I think it does indicate the author's potential.
The best aspect of the book in my opinion is the relationships. Elisabeth's relationship with her ex-husband, former FBI agent Garik and her father, Charles, who she has many mixed feelings about. I wish Dodd had delved into how Elisabeth felt about her mother, Misty and any early memories she might have had.
Overall, I found Virtue Falls to be a little bit sleepy, but I attribute this to the unnecessary length. The character dynamics kept me entertained and I appreciated the ending. I would recommend this to readers who like drama-filled mysteries that take place in small towns and are relationship-centric. If Dodd had amped up the suspense and fear element this would have been a home run for me.
November 5, 2014
This is Christina Dodd's fiftieth novel and my first look at her writing.
There is a lot to like in this novel. Geologist Elizabeth Banner is back in Virtue Falls, her hometown and the site of her mother Misty's murder. She was the girl who witnessed her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors, or so the legend goes.
We are introduced to a town full of characters who have known Elizabeth since she was young and all have opinions about the young geologist. One of my problems with this novel was the large number of characters introduced over a few chapters. I struggled to keep them all straight. There is the bisexual Rainbow who waitresses in the local diner, the evil Sheriff who sent Elizabeth's father Charles to prison, her ex husband Garick who has somehow fallen from grace with the FBI, Margaret Smith, owner of the Virtue Falls Resort, a mysterious serial killer...and on and on.
When an earthquake hits the area, Elizabeth uncovers evidence long buried that connects to her mother's murder. The destruction by both the quake and the ensuing tsunami add an interesting level of tension to the story. The townsfolk try to cope with lack of power, cell service and the usual connections to the internet all amateur sleuths rely on when they can't trust the local police.
My biggest issue with this book was that it was about one hundred pages too long. The plot is rehashed and discussed to death. The reader has to patiently wait while the characters catch up with what seems pretty clear to the reader. I assume this book is considered romantic suspense but the endless chit chat makes it more romance and less suspenseful.
Typical thriller ending which was quite satisfying brought the book up from a 3 start good read to 3.5 stars. Some discrepancies with evidence bothered me so I can't give it a 4 star rating.
There is a lot to like in this novel. Geologist Elizabeth Banner is back in Virtue Falls, her hometown and the site of her mother Misty's murder. She was the girl who witnessed her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors, or so the legend goes.
We are introduced to a town full of characters who have known Elizabeth since she was young and all have opinions about the young geologist. One of my problems with this novel was the large number of characters introduced over a few chapters. I struggled to keep them all straight. There is the bisexual Rainbow who waitresses in the local diner, the evil Sheriff who sent Elizabeth's father Charles to prison, her ex husband Garick who has somehow fallen from grace with the FBI, Margaret Smith, owner of the Virtue Falls Resort, a mysterious serial killer...and on and on.
When an earthquake hits the area, Elizabeth uncovers evidence long buried that connects to her mother's murder. The destruction by both the quake and the ensuing tsunami add an interesting level of tension to the story. The townsfolk try to cope with lack of power, cell service and the usual connections to the internet all amateur sleuths rely on when they can't trust the local police.
My biggest issue with this book was that it was about one hundred pages too long. The plot is rehashed and discussed to death. The reader has to patiently wait while the characters catch up with what seems pretty clear to the reader. I assume this book is considered romantic suspense but the endless chit chat makes it more romance and less suspenseful.
Typical thriller ending which was quite satisfying brought the book up from a 3 start good read to 3.5 stars. Some discrepancies with evidence bothered me so I can't give it a 4 star rating.
July 22, 2016
Virtue Falls was a very enjoyable romantic suspense. I loved the main characters, Elizabeth and Garik, who were formerly married to one another. They both carried a great deal of baggage, but were very likable. Elizabeth's career as a geologist was a great aspect to the story, and I loved her intelligence. Garik was a very protective FBI agent who harbored a great deal of guilt over the incident that left his career in tatters.
The story had some great supporting characters, namely Garik's foster mother. The resort that belonged to her family and the earthquake and its aftermath all lent a great deal of interest to the setting and storyline.
The only reason this book was not a five star for me was the inclusion of the parts about Kateri. I found them jarring and distracting, and they didn't fit well with the rest of the story. Maybe Kateri was included because she will play an important role in the series later on, but she did not in any manner benefit this book. Unfortunately, her parts detracted greatly from the compelling suspense and great characters of the rest of the book.
The story had some great supporting characters, namely Garik's foster mother. The resort that belonged to her family and the earthquake and its aftermath all lent a great deal of interest to the setting and storyline.
The only reason this book was not a five star for me was the inclusion of the parts about Kateri. I found them jarring and distracting, and they didn't fit well with the rest of the story. Maybe Kateri was included because she will play an important role in the series later on, but she did not in any manner benefit this book. Unfortunately, her parts detracted greatly from the compelling suspense and great characters of the rest of the book.
September 30, 2014
I loved Christina Dodd's Fortune Hunter series. I'm not a fan of the paranormal stuff. I love Virtue Falls, it is a real good romantic suspense. My kind of book. It is right up there with the best of Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts. Sweet romance and a suspense that keeps you off balance right to the end.
Elizabeth Banner, a very analytical geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls to work on a geology project started by her father 26 years ago. She has also returned to being the object of the town's speculation and gossip. Her mother, Misty, was murdered 23 years ago and her father, Charles, was convicted of the crime. Elizabeth was a witness, but she was only 4 and has blocked any memory of it. Then, the "Big One" strikes the area and the upheaval throws everything into chaos. Both Elizabeth's professional and personal life's are affected. Her ex, Garick Jacobsen a suspended FBI agent, returns and the two finally begin to work on the issues that made Elizabeth leave. As Elizabeth and Garick look into Misty's murder it looks more and more like her father, Charles, was innocent and the murderer may be after Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Banner, a very analytical geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls to work on a geology project started by her father 26 years ago. She has also returned to being the object of the town's speculation and gossip. Her mother, Misty, was murdered 23 years ago and her father, Charles, was convicted of the crime. Elizabeth was a witness, but she was only 4 and has blocked any memory of it. Then, the "Big One" strikes the area and the upheaval throws everything into chaos. Both Elizabeth's professional and personal life's are affected. Her ex, Garick Jacobsen a suspended FBI agent, returns and the two finally begin to work on the issues that made Elizabeth leave. As Elizabeth and Garick look into Misty's murder it looks more and more like her father, Charles, was innocent and the murderer may be after Elizabeth.
April 14, 2016
This book took me FOREVER to finish, it was like a bad Lifetime movie!!
August 14, 2015
The story is well written… with emphasis on character development – most characters are potential murderers though… and the author weaves the elements of character, location, trauma, forgiveness, justice with precision, interest, creativity, word crafting expertise.
Setting:
Virtue Falls, Washington – part of the Pacific Rim of Fire – Ocean View Café, Virtue Falls Resort, Honor Mountain Care Facility, Virtue Falls Canyon, abandoned house on cliff, coroner’s office / evidence room, coast guard station / clipper; earthquake(s) and tsunami; Las Vegas hotel room;
Theme: redemption and forgiveness (or not)
Characters:
Elisabeth Banner: geologist; when 4 years old, found bloody in her father’s bloody arms with father holding bloody scissors; father accused of murdering her mother, she didn’t talk for 2 years, and had no memory of what happened; went to live with angry, overworked, lonely aunt; she is now 27 years old, and accepted a job that continues her father’s work in Virtue Falls – in part to get to know her dad, now in a memory care facility; she is socially awkward – in part because known as that girl whose father killed her mother, very logical, in love with her rocks (who don’t cause her any trouble); though she loves her husband, she divorced him when he did not share himself with her anymore (though their sex was great – the one place she was free to feel); this is her story….
Garik Jacobsen: Elisabeth’s ex-husband; grew up without a mother, and his father was on one hand the best dad possible, which made it worse when he would drink and become the worst dad possible; at 7 years old he was beaten badly, and he was fostered to Margaret Smith – and when his dad got out of jail, he tried to blackmail Margaret – and Garik would steal, trying to appease his dad – until one night when he went to the lodge, and threatened Margaret, and Margaret shot him, and Garik pushed him over the balcony to his death; he is reeling from Elisabeth’s divorcing him; and without her balancing influence, he gets suspended from his job with the FBI as he beat an abusive father – and he feels extreme guilt for losing his temper, and the father, to get back at him, kills his innocent son; when we meet him, he is in a hotel in Vegas, ready to kill himself with his gun – but then he hears on the news about the earthquake in Virtue Falls, and he knows his mother and exwife need him – so he heads over, with supplies, taking 30 hours to navigate the damaged/blocked roads; this is secondly his story…
Charles Banner: 23 years in prison; ohhhh; he shares the highlights of his life with Misty to Elisabeth and what a kind, gentle, loving, bewildered man; a geologist, in his 40s when spent a semester as a professor, and Misty was his student; he was amazed she was attracted to him – and they married when she became pregnant; of course he did not murder his wife (even though he found out she was having an affair) and spent 23 years in prison, railroaded by a system that took the easy way, regularly beaten and raped, unable to defend himself; Virtue Falls doctor was a doctor at the prison, and his only solace; he diagnoses himself with Alzheimer’s when he goes to prison library to read a geology text, and sees notes in his own writing that he doesn’t remember writing… it takes 2 years for his doctor to get him into a memory facility; at first the staff was very wary of him, but within a month they know he is not a murderer, and treat him warmly; he ‘sees’ Misty, who talks to him, tells him the tremors are about to start, tells him her bones will be found, eases him when other patients bully him; but he starts to have seizures, and he doesn’t see Misty anymore.
Misty Banner: ahhhhh… Misty – the catalyst of it all; she is young, and gorgeous, and fun loving… but in many ways reserved; her mother was a harridan of a stage mom, angry, and pushing, and critical and would accept nothing less from Misty than to be an actress (her own dreams of acting ended with the birth of her daughters); she is required to take a science class, and ends up in Charles’ class – approaches him for extra tutoring, and the rest is history… after they get married they go to mom/sister’s for dinner – and Charles eloquently stands up to mom; apparently the one area Charles felt she felt was he lacking was in bed; and then her mother died, and when she returned home, she was closed and slept in another room, and wouldn’t talk with Charles, in spite of his attempts; from the doctor we hear about her affair with an intense man, and when the doctor tells her baldly that she shouldn’t be risking the good she has, or her daughter, she apparently broke it off with the man – and the man killed her (after attacked, she tried to get to the front door, to draw him away from her daughter); and Charles (who had heard of the affair earlier in the day – though not who the man was) returned to the house after going to the canyon to think… and finds blood and the bloody scissors (doesn’t recognize the red liquid right away)… and when does, searches for his daughter (finds her in the closet)… and gets blood all over her… the post man comes, drives away fast… the sheriff comes… and the tear Elisabeth from his arms… he failed to protect his daughter (as he promised) or his wife…
Margaret Smith: 90 + years old; born in Ireland, and fosters her accent still; Mr. Smith (no first name) and his mother had been rich, but losing money in the depression – traveled to Ireland, where he met 15 year old Margaret – they married, returned to Virtue Falls – and she made their already historic resort into a retreat … and she still runs it (though Mr. Smith died 30 years earlier); she fought for 7 year old Garik, and loved and cared for him; she pushed Elisabeth and him together – and they fell in lust, then love, and marry, but their emotional baggage overcame them; and Garik returns home to make sure she is okay…
Dr. Walter Frownfelter: he has been the town doctor for a long time (delivered Elisabeth); he follows Charles to the prison (as the prison doctor), because he feels guilty for taking out his anger on his wife (for leaving him the day before) on Misty when she confessed to him she was having an affair - and without any compassion, he told her to put her daughter and loving husband’s needs above her own;
Yvonne Rudda: nurse at the Care Facility; she holds Charles in high regard; her husband is a trucker, and out of the area when the earthquake cuts him off from her; she is attacked in the parking lot, by a man with a knife (ends up to be scissors) and a ski mask, wanting the keys to the facility; when she screams (after he cuts her face and breaks her arm) someone hears her, and the assailant runs away; with Garik’s gentle, targeted questioning, she tells him of a man with intense, crazed eyes; and unfortunately, when she goes home – she remains in the house alone, anticipating her husband’s return (though Garik encouraged her to stay at the resort) and even though she has a gun and a guard dog, when her assailant knocks on the door, as himself – someone she knows – she lets him in, and her body is found two days later, after a mini tsunami rushes through the canyon, carrying her body back to the seashore;
Andrew Marrero: pompous, self important head of the Virtue Falls geological survey; he and most of the crew are at a conference when the earthquake first hits; when he gets back to Virtue Falls, he tries to undermine Elisabeth, but Garik keeps her propped;
Rainbow: waitress at café; parents hippies to the nth degree; remembers Misty; a bit of a gossip, but seems to have big heart; when Andrew missing for a few days, his phone is finally answered by Misty – they seem to have had an assignation that led to him being tied to her bed for 2 days;
Noah Griffin: reporter who wants to write a book; at the geologist conference when eq hits, interviews Marrero, who mentions Elisabeth and her colorful past… and Noah heads out… though not a malicious guy, his reports do seem to disrupt things – and may lead to the nurses’ death as he reports her description of the eyes, thus worrying the murderer that she knows too much;
Sheriff Dennis Foster: ahhh… poor sheriff… he’s our number one suspect for most of the book – he is in the cities where the ‘edward scissorhands’ murders have been occurring, and he’s hiding stuff; ends up his mother is a critical, bible thumping witch (he hates women), he knows he did a piss poor job of investigating Misty’s murder, but happy with the continued accolades he gets, and the reelections as sheriff; he came down hard on young Garik when he was stealing, and still doesn’t like him; he doesn’t go home for 3 days after the eq (pulls Elisabeth out of the canyon after the tsunami, giving her a hard time about taking him from people who need him, napping at station, trying to keep people safe, and ignoring his mother’s texts (which only read – so this is how you treat me – not a clear statement that she’s hurt and needs help); when he does go home, he finds his mother trapped under the fridge (took 2 deputies to move it) – barely alive – and he hits her in the back of the head with his revolver to make sure she’s dead; when he can see the coroner knows what he did, he puts fire to his house (not knowing he’d left town)… and then when he the scissors used to kill Misty are found to have a print that is a partial match to one of the Edward scissorhand murderer, he kills himself;
Mike Sun: coroner; Garik’s school time friend; shares with Garik the Sheriff’s mother’s head wound from the revolver; he hesitantly uses the sheriff’s key to get into the evidence room to take the evidence in Misty’s case – so that Garik can review it; when he gives it to Garik, and tells him he thinks the sheriff knows he took it, Garik warns him to get out of town (sheriff still a suspect)… and he and his wife do… and the sheriff burns down their house (thinking he’s inside) – but because of what he knows about his mother’s death;
Vivian Hoff: wife and manager of famous, rich ‘Nature���s Artist’ Bradley Hoff; when he insists they return to Virtue Falls, she arranges it with fanfare – a photographer, a helicopter in the middle of town, handing out bags of supplies, etc; but like the wife Bluebeard loved, when she went into the room her husband kept locked, and found his ‘stash’, he kills her;
Bradley Hoff: crazy Bradley; known for beautiful nature paintings, especially of the Pacific NorthWest – but somehow he can’t paint anything else; he was Misty’s lover, and with her as his muse he drew, charcoled beautiful pictures of her and her young daughter; but when she turned him away, he couldn’t bear for his muse to leave him, so he murdered her with scissors – cutting a length of her hair… he continued his murdering ways, finding blonde women with a child, cutting out their eyes (so they can’t see him) – and then painting beautiful paintings of their fear, with the length of hair he cut draped on the picture, all kept in a room at the back of his studio; though he meets adult Elisabeth a few times, he seems to disassociate himself from her (and his feelings about her mother)… until he feels she is a threat; he tries for her once when she’s leaving a dig – but she fights back, and Garik shows up in time to chase him off; then he slips a note, in forged Garik’s handwriting telling her to meet him at her parent’s old house at 3:00; she goes, finds Bradley instead of Garik, and works at buying time – thus we get to hear it all from his point of view; Elisabeth still doesn’t remember, but she does find the truth finally;
Kateri Kwinault: Coast Guard Lieutenant; an interesting, but besides representing the native americans in the area, and being prophetic (and the lead in to the next story) she is superfluous; she knows what to do after the earthquake – to get the boats out of the harbor, to head over the wave and to safety… but one of her men (a senator’s son) freezes up, and she doesn’t get her boat out fast/far enough, and is his by the tsunami… she is pulled under… and the next day, Elisabeth finds her body tossed back on shore… she is barely alive, pulverized bones, cuts, hyperthermia… but she does whisper a fantastic story to Elisabeth, of the Frog King ‘s mouth chewing her, and pulling her down into the depths, and then spitting her out, with the words =tell her the truth will be revealed=. The story touches on her pain, her oblivion… and at the end of the story – 1 year anniversary of the earthquake… she is upright, but deformed of bone and skin – she has lost her job, and she goes to the ocean, and yells at the Frog King, wanting to know why – and what her new purpose is… heartwrenching…
Summary:
Story begins with a bartender, her 2 year old son, babysitter, being murdered by a man (who had been in her bar on and off for 2 years) with snapping scissors, who begins by saying we have to cut off that pretty hair so it doesn’t get bloody…
And Garik is staying by Elisabeth… and they find the level of communication they lacked before… he shares that part of why he withdrew is because even the mention of blood left her shaken, and he didn’t want to hurt her… and she shares her feelings about not being able to remember (etc)… and he finally tells her about why he is under suspension, and she sees his great guilt (he believes he of all should have known better than to meet aggression with aggression)… and she eases him…
In the end, they’ve figured out that it was the artist, and he is with her father… and the father asks to go with him to find her (she’s not answering her cell phone)… they casually walk out of the care facility, pretending to want to sit in the garden, and dad gets ahead, climbs into the car… Garik assures the nurse he’ll just entertain him for a bit… and then drives away like a bat out of hell…
They get to the house just in time… (though Charles had another seizure)… Garik gets knocked unconscious, and just as Robert is about to cut Elisabeth’s eye out, dad comes up behind him with Garik’s knife, and kills him…
And they take him back to the care facility… have a nice quiet talk about freedom… and Robert wakes up, has a bit of pain… and then suddenly he’s with Misty – who reminds him that she promised him eternity�� and 3 days later their bodies are buried together. ahhh
Memorable scenes:
Elisabeth - “I think sometimes I would rather face the truth then be such a coward. Then I push toward the memories and I unravel like an old sweater in the dryer. I think I can’t be whole until I know and then I think I’m fine with a piece taken out of me.”
Setting:
Virtue Falls, Washington – part of the Pacific Rim of Fire – Ocean View Café, Virtue Falls Resort, Honor Mountain Care Facility, Virtue Falls Canyon, abandoned house on cliff, coroner’s office / evidence room, coast guard station / clipper; earthquake(s) and tsunami; Las Vegas hotel room;
Theme: redemption and forgiveness (or not)
Characters:
Elisabeth Banner: geologist; when 4 years old, found bloody in her father’s bloody arms with father holding bloody scissors; father accused of murdering her mother, she didn’t talk for 2 years, and had no memory of what happened; went to live with angry, overworked, lonely aunt; she is now 27 years old, and accepted a job that continues her father’s work in Virtue Falls – in part to get to know her dad, now in a memory care facility; she is socially awkward – in part because known as that girl whose father killed her mother, very logical, in love with her rocks (who don’t cause her any trouble); though she loves her husband, she divorced him when he did not share himself with her anymore (though their sex was great – the one place she was free to feel); this is her story….
Garik Jacobsen: Elisabeth’s ex-husband; grew up without a mother, and his father was on one hand the best dad possible, which made it worse when he would drink and become the worst dad possible; at 7 years old he was beaten badly, and he was fostered to Margaret Smith – and when his dad got out of jail, he tried to blackmail Margaret – and Garik would steal, trying to appease his dad – until one night when he went to the lodge, and threatened Margaret, and Margaret shot him, and Garik pushed him over the balcony to his death; he is reeling from Elisabeth’s divorcing him; and without her balancing influence, he gets suspended from his job with the FBI as he beat an abusive father – and he feels extreme guilt for losing his temper, and the father, to get back at him, kills his innocent son; when we meet him, he is in a hotel in Vegas, ready to kill himself with his gun – but then he hears on the news about the earthquake in Virtue Falls, and he knows his mother and exwife need him – so he heads over, with supplies, taking 30 hours to navigate the damaged/blocked roads; this is secondly his story…
Charles Banner: 23 years in prison; ohhhh; he shares the highlights of his life with Misty to Elisabeth and what a kind, gentle, loving, bewildered man; a geologist, in his 40s when spent a semester as a professor, and Misty was his student; he was amazed she was attracted to him – and they married when she became pregnant; of course he did not murder his wife (even though he found out she was having an affair) and spent 23 years in prison, railroaded by a system that took the easy way, regularly beaten and raped, unable to defend himself; Virtue Falls doctor was a doctor at the prison, and his only solace; he diagnoses himself with Alzheimer’s when he goes to prison library to read a geology text, and sees notes in his own writing that he doesn’t remember writing… it takes 2 years for his doctor to get him into a memory facility; at first the staff was very wary of him, but within a month they know he is not a murderer, and treat him warmly; he ‘sees’ Misty, who talks to him, tells him the tremors are about to start, tells him her bones will be found, eases him when other patients bully him; but he starts to have seizures, and he doesn’t see Misty anymore.
Misty Banner: ahhhhh… Misty – the catalyst of it all; she is young, and gorgeous, and fun loving… but in many ways reserved; her mother was a harridan of a stage mom, angry, and pushing, and critical and would accept nothing less from Misty than to be an actress (her own dreams of acting ended with the birth of her daughters); she is required to take a science class, and ends up in Charles’ class – approaches him for extra tutoring, and the rest is history… after they get married they go to mom/sister’s for dinner – and Charles eloquently stands up to mom; apparently the one area Charles felt she felt was he lacking was in bed; and then her mother died, and when she returned home, she was closed and slept in another room, and wouldn’t talk with Charles, in spite of his attempts; from the doctor we hear about her affair with an intense man, and when the doctor tells her baldly that she shouldn’t be risking the good she has, or her daughter, she apparently broke it off with the man – and the man killed her (after attacked, she tried to get to the front door, to draw him away from her daughter); and Charles (who had heard of the affair earlier in the day – though not who the man was) returned to the house after going to the canyon to think… and finds blood and the bloody scissors (doesn’t recognize the red liquid right away)… and when does, searches for his daughter (finds her in the closet)… and gets blood all over her… the post man comes, drives away fast… the sheriff comes… and the tear Elisabeth from his arms… he failed to protect his daughter (as he promised) or his wife…
Margaret Smith: 90 + years old; born in Ireland, and fosters her accent still; Mr. Smith (no first name) and his mother had been rich, but losing money in the depression – traveled to Ireland, where he met 15 year old Margaret – they married, returned to Virtue Falls – and she made their already historic resort into a retreat … and she still runs it (though Mr. Smith died 30 years earlier); she fought for 7 year old Garik, and loved and cared for him; she pushed Elisabeth and him together – and they fell in lust, then love, and marry, but their emotional baggage overcame them; and Garik returns home to make sure she is okay…
Dr. Walter Frownfelter: he has been the town doctor for a long time (delivered Elisabeth); he follows Charles to the prison (as the prison doctor), because he feels guilty for taking out his anger on his wife (for leaving him the day before) on Misty when she confessed to him she was having an affair - and without any compassion, he told her to put her daughter and loving husband’s needs above her own;
Yvonne Rudda: nurse at the Care Facility; she holds Charles in high regard; her husband is a trucker, and out of the area when the earthquake cuts him off from her; she is attacked in the parking lot, by a man with a knife (ends up to be scissors) and a ski mask, wanting the keys to the facility; when she screams (after he cuts her face and breaks her arm) someone hears her, and the assailant runs away; with Garik’s gentle, targeted questioning, she tells him of a man with intense, crazed eyes; and unfortunately, when she goes home – she remains in the house alone, anticipating her husband’s return (though Garik encouraged her to stay at the resort) and even though she has a gun and a guard dog, when her assailant knocks on the door, as himself – someone she knows – she lets him in, and her body is found two days later, after a mini tsunami rushes through the canyon, carrying her body back to the seashore;
Andrew Marrero: pompous, self important head of the Virtue Falls geological survey; he and most of the crew are at a conference when the earthquake first hits; when he gets back to Virtue Falls, he tries to undermine Elisabeth, but Garik keeps her propped;
Rainbow: waitress at café; parents hippies to the nth degree; remembers Misty; a bit of a gossip, but seems to have big heart; when Andrew missing for a few days, his phone is finally answered by Misty – they seem to have had an assignation that led to him being tied to her bed for 2 days;
Noah Griffin: reporter who wants to write a book; at the geologist conference when eq hits, interviews Marrero, who mentions Elisabeth and her colorful past… and Noah heads out… though not a malicious guy, his reports do seem to disrupt things – and may lead to the nurses’ death as he reports her description of the eyes, thus worrying the murderer that she knows too much;
Sheriff Dennis Foster: ahhh… poor sheriff… he’s our number one suspect for most of the book – he is in the cities where the ‘edward scissorhands’ murders have been occurring, and he’s hiding stuff; ends up his mother is a critical, bible thumping witch (he hates women), he knows he did a piss poor job of investigating Misty’s murder, but happy with the continued accolades he gets, and the reelections as sheriff; he came down hard on young Garik when he was stealing, and still doesn’t like him; he doesn’t go home for 3 days after the eq (pulls Elisabeth out of the canyon after the tsunami, giving her a hard time about taking him from people who need him, napping at station, trying to keep people safe, and ignoring his mother’s texts (which only read – so this is how you treat me – not a clear statement that she’s hurt and needs help); when he does go home, he finds his mother trapped under the fridge (took 2 deputies to move it) – barely alive – and he hits her in the back of the head with his revolver to make sure she’s dead; when he can see the coroner knows what he did, he puts fire to his house (not knowing he’d left town)… and then when he the scissors used to kill Misty are found to have a print that is a partial match to one of the Edward scissorhand murderer, he kills himself;
Mike Sun: coroner; Garik’s school time friend; shares with Garik the Sheriff’s mother’s head wound from the revolver; he hesitantly uses the sheriff’s key to get into the evidence room to take the evidence in Misty’s case – so that Garik can review it; when he gives it to Garik, and tells him he thinks the sheriff knows he took it, Garik warns him to get out of town (sheriff still a suspect)… and he and his wife do… and the sheriff burns down their house (thinking he’s inside) – but because of what he knows about his mother’s death;
Vivian Hoff: wife and manager of famous, rich ‘Nature���s Artist’ Bradley Hoff; when he insists they return to Virtue Falls, she arranges it with fanfare – a photographer, a helicopter in the middle of town, handing out bags of supplies, etc; but like the wife Bluebeard loved, when she went into the room her husband kept locked, and found his ‘stash’, he kills her;
Bradley Hoff: crazy Bradley; known for beautiful nature paintings, especially of the Pacific NorthWest – but somehow he can’t paint anything else; he was Misty’s lover, and with her as his muse he drew, charcoled beautiful pictures of her and her young daughter; but when she turned him away, he couldn’t bear for his muse to leave him, so he murdered her with scissors – cutting a length of her hair… he continued his murdering ways, finding blonde women with a child, cutting out their eyes (so they can’t see him) – and then painting beautiful paintings of their fear, with the length of hair he cut draped on the picture, all kept in a room at the back of his studio; though he meets adult Elisabeth a few times, he seems to disassociate himself from her (and his feelings about her mother)… until he feels she is a threat; he tries for her once when she’s leaving a dig – but she fights back, and Garik shows up in time to chase him off; then he slips a note, in forged Garik’s handwriting telling her to meet him at her parent’s old house at 3:00; she goes, finds Bradley instead of Garik, and works at buying time – thus we get to hear it all from his point of view; Elisabeth still doesn’t remember, but she does find the truth finally;
Kateri Kwinault: Coast Guard Lieutenant; an interesting, but besides representing the native americans in the area, and being prophetic (and the lead in to the next story) she is superfluous; she knows what to do after the earthquake – to get the boats out of the harbor, to head over the wave and to safety… but one of her men (a senator’s son) freezes up, and she doesn’t get her boat out fast/far enough, and is his by the tsunami… she is pulled under… and the next day, Elisabeth finds her body tossed back on shore… she is barely alive, pulverized bones, cuts, hyperthermia… but she does whisper a fantastic story to Elisabeth, of the Frog King ‘s mouth chewing her, and pulling her down into the depths, and then spitting her out, with the words =tell her the truth will be revealed=. The story touches on her pain, her oblivion… and at the end of the story – 1 year anniversary of the earthquake… she is upright, but deformed of bone and skin – she has lost her job, and she goes to the ocean, and yells at the Frog King, wanting to know why – and what her new purpose is… heartwrenching…
Summary:
Story begins with a bartender, her 2 year old son, babysitter, being murdered by a man (who had been in her bar on and off for 2 years) with snapping scissors, who begins by saying we have to cut off that pretty hair so it doesn’t get bloody…
And Garik is staying by Elisabeth… and they find the level of communication they lacked before… he shares that part of why he withdrew is because even the mention of blood left her shaken, and he didn’t want to hurt her… and she shares her feelings about not being able to remember (etc)… and he finally tells her about why he is under suspension, and she sees his great guilt (he believes he of all should have known better than to meet aggression with aggression)… and she eases him…
In the end, they’ve figured out that it was the artist, and he is with her father… and the father asks to go with him to find her (she’s not answering her cell phone)… they casually walk out of the care facility, pretending to want to sit in the garden, and dad gets ahead, climbs into the car… Garik assures the nurse he’ll just entertain him for a bit… and then drives away like a bat out of hell…
They get to the house just in time… (though Charles had another seizure)… Garik gets knocked unconscious, and just as Robert is about to cut Elisabeth’s eye out, dad comes up behind him with Garik’s knife, and kills him…
And they take him back to the care facility… have a nice quiet talk about freedom… and Robert wakes up, has a bit of pain… and then suddenly he’s with Misty – who reminds him that she promised him eternity�� and 3 days later their bodies are buried together. ahhh
Memorable scenes:
Elisabeth - “I think sometimes I would rather face the truth then be such a coward. Then I push toward the memories and I unravel like an old sweater in the dryer. I think I can’t be whole until I know and then I think I’m fine with a piece taken out of me.”
September 10, 2014
She's the woman who, as a young girl, watched her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors. He's a man who has never come to terms with his tortured childhood. They used to be married, are now divorced and probably still love each other.
Elizabeth Banner, a brilliant geologist, has come back to Virtue Falls for the first time since her mother's murder 23 years earlier to continue her father's study of the geologically rich coastal area of Washington and to confront the man who brutally murdered her mother all those years ago. Her mother's body was never found and the adult Elizabeth wants answers to questions she seems unwilling to ask. Slowly losing his memories to Alzheimer's, her father has been released from prison and now resides in a Virtue Falls care facility yet Elizabeth continues to resist digging into her father's memories. What does she fear?
Nothing is going right for Garik Jacobsen. An FBI agent to his core, he's despondent over being suspended due to his actions on a recent case, bewildered by Elizabeth's departure from their marriage, and fearful of the man he believes he's becoming. He has nothing left to live for. With his favorite meal and his service revolver on the table before him, he's prepared for one final, irrevocable act.
Then an earthquake hits Virtue Falls. A tsunami soon follows. Garik rushes to Elizabeth's side. And when the earth gives up secrets that have been buried for 23 years, it will change them and the course of life in Virtue Falls forever. For as Elizabeth and Garik slowly come to realize after Elizabeth's mother's body is found; if what they and the courts believed to be true was false, if Charles Banner did not kill his wife, then who did? Does a killer walk among them? Will that person strike again? And most important, who will the next victim be?
As this is the first in Dodd's new series, it necessitates the introduction of a rather large cast of characters yet I never felt lost or confused. Rather, it was like moving to a new town and gradually getting to know its residents: the good, the bad, the quirky and the seriously demented. They are not just window dressing. Each person introduced has a role to play, a purpose, as the foundation is carefully constructed then, slowly, truths begin to be revealed, evil insidiously weaves its tentacles throughout the small town of Virtue Falls and, finally, the story races to its breathless, stunning conclusion. It's an incredible ride; one I'd happily take time and time again.
I've been reading Christina Dodd's books for more than 15 years and I have to say, I think this is her best writing yet. While not technically a romance, the story has a strong romantic thread at its core and should appeal to fans of both romantic suspense and straight suspense. It's tightly constructed, expertly plotted and filled with enough twists and turns to keep even the most astute mystery reader guessing until the very end. Dodd draws the reader into her web of suspense one silken strand at a time until you're so entangled in the story and the lives of its characters that you can't walk away. Nor do you want to.
Virtue Falls earns my highest recommendation.
~Posted at The Romance Dish 10 September 2014
Top Dish - 5 star review
Elizabeth Banner, a brilliant geologist, has come back to Virtue Falls for the first time since her mother's murder 23 years earlier to continue her father's study of the geologically rich coastal area of Washington and to confront the man who brutally murdered her mother all those years ago. Her mother's body was never found and the adult Elizabeth wants answers to questions she seems unwilling to ask. Slowly losing his memories to Alzheimer's, her father has been released from prison and now resides in a Virtue Falls care facility yet Elizabeth continues to resist digging into her father's memories. What does she fear?
Nothing is going right for Garik Jacobsen. An FBI agent to his core, he's despondent over being suspended due to his actions on a recent case, bewildered by Elizabeth's departure from their marriage, and fearful of the man he believes he's becoming. He has nothing left to live for. With his favorite meal and his service revolver on the table before him, he's prepared for one final, irrevocable act.
Then an earthquake hits Virtue Falls. A tsunami soon follows. Garik rushes to Elizabeth's side. And when the earth gives up secrets that have been buried for 23 years, it will change them and the course of life in Virtue Falls forever. For as Elizabeth and Garik slowly come to realize after Elizabeth's mother's body is found; if what they and the courts believed to be true was false, if Charles Banner did not kill his wife, then who did? Does a killer walk among them? Will that person strike again? And most important, who will the next victim be?
As this is the first in Dodd's new series, it necessitates the introduction of a rather large cast of characters yet I never felt lost or confused. Rather, it was like moving to a new town and gradually getting to know its residents: the good, the bad, the quirky and the seriously demented. They are not just window dressing. Each person introduced has a role to play, a purpose, as the foundation is carefully constructed then, slowly, truths begin to be revealed, evil insidiously weaves its tentacles throughout the small town of Virtue Falls and, finally, the story races to its breathless, stunning conclusion. It's an incredible ride; one I'd happily take time and time again.
I've been reading Christina Dodd's books for more than 15 years and I have to say, I think this is her best writing yet. While not technically a romance, the story has a strong romantic thread at its core and should appeal to fans of both romantic suspense and straight suspense. It's tightly constructed, expertly plotted and filled with enough twists and turns to keep even the most astute mystery reader guessing until the very end. Dodd draws the reader into her web of suspense one silken strand at a time until you're so entangled in the story and the lives of its characters that you can't walk away. Nor do you want to.
Virtue Falls earns my highest recommendation.
~Posted at The Romance Dish 10 September 2014
Top Dish - 5 star review
July 31, 2015
I did read the Novella, The Listener, prior to reading Virtue Falls and must admit that it was a great little teaser to get you started and interested in Virtue Falls (stay tuned for a review of The Listener). I do have to admit that the length of this book is what kept me from jumping right to it, as I can get pre-book jitters, especially if it's a long title!
I felt that there were great, solid characters in this book, but I did feel like the story was a little more drawn out than it had to be. The premise of the story is wonderful though, a father that supposedly killed his wife, a daughter that was there but can't remember the murder...I mean, you can't go wrong with that! Throw in a little bit of my ex is still madly in love with me and is going to win me back and you've got a winning combination! I just think that winning combination could have been achieved a little quicker!
I must admit that the storyline wasn't that of your usual storyline. You have the quirky/nerdy Elizabeth, that lives for her work, who just isn't your every day, run of the mill, suspense character, and I think that was refreshing. She was studying earthquakes, which is another thing that you really don't read much about in mystery novels, so I think Christina Dodd is on to something in trying to keep with traditional mystery but with refreshing new details!
I hate when it comes down to actually rating a book, because I do feel like 3 stars is too low, however, I do feel like 4 stars was a little too much. I would probably settle for like, 3.75 stars, if that were possible! I liked that this story was different, that these characters were unique and different, I just wish the story weren't so lengthy. I think there were some parts that were overly descriptive, that could have been left out and wouldn't have taken away from the story at all!
With that being said, I will continue on with this series, as I'm interested to see where Dodd is going with it! I see that next in line, The Relative, is another novella, which is absolutely thrilling to me because I can breeze through those, so I look forward to seeing where this goes!
For a more in depth review, please visit my blog, Chorley Chronicals!!
I felt that there were great, solid characters in this book, but I did feel like the story was a little more drawn out than it had to be. The premise of the story is wonderful though, a father that supposedly killed his wife, a daughter that was there but can't remember the murder...I mean, you can't go wrong with that! Throw in a little bit of my ex is still madly in love with me and is going to win me back and you've got a winning combination! I just think that winning combination could have been achieved a little quicker!
I must admit that the storyline wasn't that of your usual storyline. You have the quirky/nerdy Elizabeth, that lives for her work, who just isn't your every day, run of the mill, suspense character, and I think that was refreshing. She was studying earthquakes, which is another thing that you really don't read much about in mystery novels, so I think Christina Dodd is on to something in trying to keep with traditional mystery but with refreshing new details!
I hate when it comes down to actually rating a book, because I do feel like 3 stars is too low, however, I do feel like 4 stars was a little too much. I would probably settle for like, 3.75 stars, if that were possible! I liked that this story was different, that these characters were unique and different, I just wish the story weren't so lengthy. I think there were some parts that were overly descriptive, that could have been left out and wouldn't have taken away from the story at all!
With that being said, I will continue on with this series, as I'm interested to see where Dodd is going with it! I see that next in line, The Relative, is another novella, which is absolutely thrilling to me because I can breeze through those, so I look forward to seeing where this goes!
For a more in depth review, please visit my blog, Chorley Chronicals!!
November 5, 2016
Infelizmente, o caso policial não me convenceu. Há 23 anos anos, o pai de Elizabeth foi preso pelo assassínio da sua mulher, Misty, mas o corpo desta nunca foi encontrado e as impressões digitais da tesoura com que supostamente foi morta nunca foram analisadas. A única "prova" usado na condenação foi o facto de encontrarem o marido da vítima cheio de sangue e com uma tesoura nas mãos. Atribuindo a incompetência policial, isto poderia servir de enredo. Mas - há um assassino em série, a quem chamam Eduardo Mãos-de-Tesoura, que já matou pelo menos 12 mães, todas louras (como Misty) e os seus filhos, à tesourada. As autoridades policiais conhecem estes casos e todos os elementos das forças policiais, desde agentes a técnicos, conhecem o caso de Misty.
Então, como é que ninguém associou os homicídios de Eduardo Mãos-de-Tesoura ao caso do desaparecimento/suposto homicídio de Misty? E é aqui que está o meu problema com o livro.
Tirando isso, é um livro grande, de mais de 500 páginas, em que os maiores acontecimentos são os tremores de terra que assolam Virtue Falls, seguidos de tsunamis. De resto, tudo acontece de forma vagarosa. Não foi uma leitura difícil, porque não foi mesmo, li-o muito bem e com gosto, só que não senti aquele entusiasmo que um bom policial/mistério causa.
Gostei muito do casal protagonista, Elizabeth e Garik, que já foram casados (um com o outro) e se divorciaram há pouco tempo mas a paixão e o amor ainda ali estão. Gostei de conhecer o passado de Garik e de como isso o moldou. A mãe adotiva dele, Margaret, também foi um espetáculo e aquele jeito de casamenteira para os juntar novamente foi uma delícia!
Então, como é que ninguém associou os homicídios de Eduardo Mãos-de-Tesoura ao caso do desaparecimento/suposto homicídio de Misty? E é aqui que está o meu problema com o livro.
Tirando isso, é um livro grande, de mais de 500 páginas, em que os maiores acontecimentos são os tremores de terra que assolam Virtue Falls, seguidos de tsunamis. De resto, tudo acontece de forma vagarosa. Não foi uma leitura difícil, porque não foi mesmo, li-o muito bem e com gosto, só que não senti aquele entusiasmo que um bom policial/mistério causa.
Gostei muito do casal protagonista, Elizabeth e Garik, que já foram casados (um com o outro) e se divorciaram há pouco tempo mas a paixão e o amor ainda ali estão. Gostei de conhecer o passado de Garik e de como isso o moldou. A mãe adotiva dele, Margaret, também foi um espetáculo e aquele jeito de casamenteira para os juntar novamente foi uma delícia!
October 14, 2023
Originally reviewed on July 31, 2014
I won this Advanced Readers' Edition in a Goodreads giveaway. It was the first novel written by Christina Dodd that I've read, & I absolutely LOVED it & am now a fan. As soon as I picked it up to start reading it I could not put it down. It is definitely THAT good & a MUST READ. I loved everything about this novel, the details about the scenery & what is taking place in that scene of the novel. I loved the romance between Elizabeth & Garik, the characters & their stories, & the mystery... especially the mystery.
In the beginning, I thought I was being introduced to too many characters, at first it was hard to keep track of them all. But as I continued reading I understood why there were so many. Every character that the reader is introduced to has their own story & background, & as you continue to read you realize the characters' lives entwine & they are connected to each other. & as the story goes on, one by one you are able to keep track of who's who & what their story is. I love reading mystery novels... I like to get all the facts & evidence & try to piece together who the suspect might be. There were many suspects, & as I read I was able to narrow down my list of who I thought it might be.
This novel was an excellent mystery, with just a bit of romance & a lot of thrill. As I read, I almost felt as if I was there, like I was seeing it all happen right before my eyes. The writing of this novel is excellent & I will definitely recommend it.
I won this Advanced Readers' Edition in a Goodreads giveaway. It was the first novel written by Christina Dodd that I've read, & I absolutely LOVED it & am now a fan. As soon as I picked it up to start reading it I could not put it down. It is definitely THAT good & a MUST READ. I loved everything about this novel, the details about the scenery & what is taking place in that scene of the novel. I loved the romance between Elizabeth & Garik, the characters & their stories, & the mystery... especially the mystery.
In the beginning, I thought I was being introduced to too many characters, at first it was hard to keep track of them all. But as I continued reading I understood why there were so many. Every character that the reader is introduced to has their own story & background, & as you continue to read you realize the characters' lives entwine & they are connected to each other. & as the story goes on, one by one you are able to keep track of who's who & what their story is. I love reading mystery novels... I like to get all the facts & evidence & try to piece together who the suspect might be. There were many suspects, & as I read I was able to narrow down my list of who I thought it might be.
This novel was an excellent mystery, with just a bit of romance & a lot of thrill. As I read, I almost felt as if I was there, like I was seeing it all happen right before my eyes. The writing of this novel is excellent & I will definitely recommend it.
July 10, 2015
I cannot believe I made to the end of this ridiculous book... but was desperate for reading material before sleep. Scanning huge portions toward the end helped. The ending was forced and again, ridiculous.
There were parts of this fantasy that were interesting, and clear this is a *potentially* good writer, but this type of book is not for me - silly plot with huge leaps of logic, and I did not sympathize with main character or 'connect' to her so that's a bad sign.
I spent more time rolling my eyes than enjoying the book. A few notable passages that were quite deep/eloquent, but the gratiuitous sex scenes and previously mentioned ridiculous plot greatly overshadowed the positives.
There were parts of this fantasy that were interesting, and clear this is a *potentially* good writer, but this type of book is not for me - silly plot with huge leaps of logic, and I did not sympathize with main character or 'connect' to her so that's a bad sign.
I spent more time rolling my eyes than enjoying the book. A few notable passages that were quite deep/eloquent, but the gratiuitous sex scenes and previously mentioned ridiculous plot greatly overshadowed the positives.
December 6, 2014
Ignore the insipid title. This is a good mystery by the ever entertaining Christina Dodd. A little girl witnesses her mother's murder but doesn't remember it and her father is convicted of the grisly murder. Now, 23 years later, the girl is a woman and returns to the town of Virtue Falls an accomplished geologist. When an earthquake shakes the town and a tsunami follows, the town is cut off from the rest of the state. A body is found and there are clues that hint that the woman's father might not be a murderer after all. There's romance, a serial killer and Dodd's trademark sensuality and humor. I loved it.
November 27, 2019
It is not often I find novels depicting a location in my home Washington State. This one, set on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, captures the concern of all us on the west side of the Cascades. Some day the big earthquake will hit. Living on an island in the Salish Sea, the depiction of a tsunami was impressive.
I like Dodd's writing style. The novel flows well, has good character development and an interesting mystery in the plot. The only thing I didn't like about the novel was the token sex scenes. They did fit the plot but were just a bit much for me.
I look forward to reading more in the series.
I like Dodd's writing style. The novel flows well, has good character development and an interesting mystery in the plot. The only thing I didn't like about the novel was the token sex scenes. They did fit the plot but were just a bit much for me.
I look forward to reading more in the series.
April 13, 2015
Won this book as an advance copy. It is a longer than normal book but worth reading. It started out a little slow for me but once I became absorbed in the characters I had a very hard time putting it down. Virtue Falls is one of those places where I think anyone could picture themselves living...it has the same issues as any small town in America. It is a great return to non-paranormal romance with well written dialogue between characters and just enough suspense thrown in. Christina Dodd has me hooked once again; I want to know what happens next!
November 21, 2022
Yes! A new series. It starts with an earthquake on the Washington coast and then a tsunami and Virtue Falls will never be the same. Elizabeth has moved back after her mother was brutally murdered and her father was convicted of that murder. She doesn't remember what happened even though she was there when it happened. Now, she is a renowned geologist following in her father's footsteps and when the earthquake and tsunami hits she is the only one to get to the cove and get video documentation of it. At the same time, her ex-husband, Garrett, is at his lowest and jumps in his vehicle and races back to VF to be with his adopted mother and Elizabeth. His FBI days are virtually over but he is coming home to help where needed and he needs to be near his wife and she needs him. Someone is killing to keep secrets and they are going to figure out who and what is behind them.
August 9, 2024
4 Elizabeth Banner is the closest TV Bones character I’ve read and both her and her ex husbands ugly childhoods mimic Booth and Bones. If you miss Bones you will enjoy this one. Loses a point because to get to the denoument Elizabeth makes a really TSTL decision in order to get all the characters in the same place and I think that choice sacrificed some of Elizabeths character.
>2nd chance romance
>Small Town Dynamics
>Serial Killer
>Natural Disaster
>Redemption Arc
>Women in STEM
TW: nonexplicit child murders
>2nd chance romance
>Small Town Dynamics
>Serial Killer
>Natural Disaster
>Redemption Arc
>Women in STEM
TW: nonexplicit child murders
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