Through "The Woman Who Couldn't Scream," we explore a woman's intense struggle for peace and justice. Christina Dodd's enchanting prose draws us in and holds our interest all the way through as she finds courage in her trials. If you enjoy thrillers that also provoke thought and a sense of empowerment, you should definitely add this one to your library. It dives completely into the resilience of the human spirit. Even though I read this story a while ago, I still found it to be enjoyable. Check it out!

This book was strange… I love a thriller and mystery but the setting of virtue falls and the characters are a bit out of place? Maybe I am missing something by not having read the previous novels.

So much mystery, twists and turns, suspense.......a page turner. So many great characters and so many evil ones. This story is twisted and keeps you guessing. This is the first book I've read in The Virtue Falls series and I think I will definitely need to read others!

Christina Dodd delivers a fast-paced thriller as only she knows how in The Woman Who Couldn't Scream. I can't believe it took me this long to read this story! This is part of a series, but you won't feel lost if you read this first, but I'll warn that after reading this, you will want to pick up the previous books.

I just love Christina Dodd. She just keeps getting better and better as an author. This book was fantastic! It feels like she has freshened her writing by inventing Virtue Falls. I love the characters and the setting. So suspenseful and wonderful romance! A must read!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Merida Falcon is a world-class beauty, a trophy wife who seems to have it all…except she has no voice.
For nine bitter years, Merida lived to serve her wealthy elderly husband, never leaving his side, always doing his bidding…
On his death, Merida vanishes…and reappears in Virtue Falls with a new name, a new look, and a plot to take revenge on the man who loved her, betrayed her and walked away, leaving her silent, abused and bound to an old man's obsession.
But Merida faces challenges. Her school friend Kateri Kwinault is the newly elected sheriff of Virtue Falls. A chance meeting with her former lover intrigues him and brings him on the hunt for her, and meeting him face to face shakes her convictions. Will she have time to discover the truth about the events that occurred nine years ago? For someone in Virtue Falls is stalking women and slashing them…to death.

This is my third book in this series. And it was the worst.

Not going into too much detail. But a main plot that was so predictable it wasn't funny, a bunch of sub-plots that got lost and confused along the way, horrid romance passages and it was finished in a coating of unbelievable.

Not this authors finest work...


Paul
ARH

I liked this book but I didn't love it. It has been years since I have read anything by Christina Dodd but I have really enjoyed her writing in the past so I was excited to get the chance to read this book. This is the fourth book in the Virtue Falls series and I think that I might have gotten a bit more out of it if I had read the previous books before jumping into this one. I didn't have any kind of difficulty following the story but there were times that I just felt like I was missing something. I did like the book and was eager how things would work out.

This book really seemed to be telling more than one story. There is Merida, a mute woman, who has been recently widowed. The other main focus was on Kateri, the newly elected sheriff. Both of these woman had there own issues to deal and relationships to figure out. I honestly think that I might have like the book a bit more if the focus didn't shift back and forth as much as it did. There were quite a few times that I was pulled out of the story a bit as the point of view changed.

There is a whole lot going on in this book. So much. There is a convict on the loose, a string of murders occurring in Virtue Falls, a relative in town causing trouble, romantic issues, a long lost lover, a comatose friend, plus a frog god. It was probably too much in a lot of ways and started to seem unrealistic. I am okay with the frog god not being realistic but I would have liked for a little more believability for the rest of the story.

I really did like Kateri. She seemed to be able to handle just about anything but was willing to take advice from others. I liked Stag as well but he wasn't in the book as much as I would have liked but he seemed to really be what Kateri needed. I also really liked some of the members of the police force and the older bar owner. Merida and Benedict never felt completely real to me. I didn't dislike them but I wasn't sure if I should trust them either.

I think that my biggest issue with the book was that things just seemed too convenient at times. As the excitement of the book peaked, the characters would catch a break that was too good to be true. Problems were solved a little too easily and solutions showed up just when they were needed. I am glad that all of the loose ends were wrapped up but I would have it to feel a bit more real.

I do think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one. I enjoyed this book even though I had some issues with the story. I do hope to read more of Christina Dodd's work very soon.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley.

Welcome back to Virtue Falls!! The Woman Who Couldn't Scream brings us the story of Merida/Helen/Merry. She has had a tragic life and is now seeking revenge against the man who ruined her dreams. Of course, its never quite that simple, is it?

The book also gives us more Kateri, now the sheriff of Virtue Falls. Kateri is having some issues of her own. Some of the townspeople are NOT pleased with her as sheriff. She is a female and a Native American and they are sexist and racist. Also, she can't seem to catch killer John Terrence. And then a serial killer arrives and starts carving up peoples faces!

The plot weaves between Kateri and Merida, who were childhood friends in Baltimore. Their stories don't overlap much except for Kateri being the sheriff and Merida being in trouble. So, the story reads almost like 2 parallel tales that happen to cross paths a few times. It isn't a bad thing, but it was a bit of a let down because I felt both stories could have been better. Neither outcome was surprising and that isn't usually the case for a Christina Dodd book.

My issue aside, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is still a fantastic read. You have so many zany and interesting secondary characters in the people of Virtue Falls and Dodd layers the plot intricately well. If you like mystery with a dash of romance, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is a great pick.
Blog link live on 3/8/18

I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series and felt lost when reading the book.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Woman Who Couldn't Scream. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is book four in the Virtue Falls series. Kateri Kwinault is the new sheriff of Virtue Falls and already has been shot by the now bane of her existence. Her childhood friend, Merida Falcon, arrives in town, with an agenda that includes revenge. At the same time, someone is stalking women in town, leaving Kateri with a huge problem to solve. Between the old foes and new ones, is anyone in the town of Virtue Falls safe?

Having not read the other books in the series, it took me a while to settle into the story. I feel like there were nuances of Kateri's character that I am missing, so I would recommend reading the other books in the series first. Characterization aside, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream suffered from too many side plots. The author may have been trying to misdirect the reader, but it just served to muddy the story. Certain aspects of the main character's personal life were necessary, but too much time was spent on parts of Kateri's life that were not essential. The Woman Who Couldn't Scream was an average read for me and not one that I would strongly recommend.

Won't be posting a review on this book. It was a did-not-finish.

Unexpected plot twists. Character's relationships with partner, and childhood friend felt underdeveloped.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream, is my favorite from the Virtue Falls series. The reader gets some background behind Kateri Kwinault's early childhood, learns of a long lost sister, and an old childhood friend. There's plenty of mystery and a touch of the supernatural.

The story opens with Helen Brassard, who is the beautiful young wife of the billionaire Nauplius Brassard. Helen is mute. She was in a terrible accident. After Helen's husband died, she disappears and starts a new life and reinvents herself. She heads to Virtue Falls with a plan in motion.

Kateri, is now Sheriff of Virtue Falls, and has her hands full of chasing down two drug dealers who escaped jail and put Rainbow in the hospital with a coma, and injured Kateri. Stag Denali keeps popping up when Kateri needs him. Although, she enjoys his company, she is also suspicious of him. Stag served time for murder, with circulating rumors of being in the Mob. While trying to capture the escapees; there is a report of a slashing.

At the cafe, Kateri encounters Merida Falcon, who seems to know her. After closer inspection, Kateri recognizes Merida, as her old childhood friend from twenty years ago. While Kateri is having breakfast, an officer comes in to inform her about a woman at the police station, waiting to speak with Kateri. A woman, that all the officers are avoiding, who turns out to be Kateri's wicked stepsister, delivering news.

Kateri is faced with proving that she can handle being Sheriff, in a town not keen on a woman being in that position. With one escapee left, Kateri needs to figure out if the slashings are tied to him, or if there's more perps targeting the women of Virtue Falls. She'll need to figure out why her sister's visit wasn't just to deliver news, but what her sister so badly wants and why. Then there's the situation with Stag to contend with and the threat Merida was given...a reminder that, she can't scream. Kateri possesses capabilities to save lives; knowing that Rainbow is close to death, Kateri wants to try to save Rainbow, but fears she could send Rainbow towards death. Kateri does the only thing she doesn't want to do, heads to the ocean.

There's no shortage of crazy people or psychotic killers in Virtue Falls and the author delivered a story that kept up the suspense to the end. Too bad we have to wait another year for a new book!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review. Love the characters and how everything came together for everyone who has fight through pain and thought how everything was lost.

The woman who couldn't scream by Christina Dodd.
For nine bitter years, Merida lived to serve her wealthy elderly husband, never leaving his side, always doing his bidding… On his death, Merida vanishes…and reappears in Virtue Falls with a new name, a new look, and a plot to take revenge on the man who loved her, betrayed her and walked away, leaving her silent, abused and bound to an old man's obsession. But Merida faces challenges. Her school friend Kateri Kwinault is the newly elected sheriff of Virtue Falls. A chance meeting with her former lover intrigues him and brings him on the hunt for her, and meeting him face to face shakes her convictions. Will she have time to discover the truth about the events that occurred nine years ago? For someone in Virtue Falls is stalking women and slashing them…to death.
this was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. Couldn't put it down. I didn't expect that. This book really had me thinking. 5*. Must read. Netgalley and St Martins press.

A suspenseful visit back to Virtue Falls, Washington! Old friends are reuniting, while new bonds are being formed in this town that's being suddenly ravaged by crime. A meth-cooking lunatic is on the loose and every time they think they have him cornered, he slips through their hands. As if that isn't enough, women are all of a sudden turning up dead in a horrifying way! The characters are fairly well developed, but there is a lot of them to keep track of, and several back stories being thrown our way as well to try to shift through as we take on this new mystery.

Newly elected Sheriff Kateri Kwinault is finding herself overwhelmed within days of taking office. A manhunt is on, a killer is on the loose, and her own recent injuries and those of a dear friend are holding her mind and body down more than she would like. She has great employees surrounding her, a man or two interested in her and a whole town riding her to solve these crimes. 

New arrivals into town up the ante as more mystery starts to swirl and suspicions fly. Will the killer be caught before more bodies start to pile up?

This is the first book I have ever read by Christina Dodd and she doesn't disappoint! This is another installment of the Virtue Falls series and the first book I have read from the series . Although it is a series I was able to follow along as a stand alone. This book had lots of suspense and Merida is a great character to follow. I am now a fan of this author and plan on watching for her next book. Loved it.

I really like Christina Dodd's Virtue Falls series, mainly because despite each book being a standalone there are several characters that remain constant in all the books. This was one will hold readers captivated mainly because we keep guessing on where the story might go. It is equal plot driven and character driven with an overarching plot that also commands the readers attention. Although there is no need to read the previous books I think it's best to do so for a better grasp of what goes on in Virtue Falls.

Christina Dodd ends her Virtue Falls series with a bang in The Woman Who Couldn't Scream. It's the story Kateri Kwinault fans have been waiting for since Virtue Falls first came out, combined with the suspenseful story of Merida Falcon. Merida and Kateri were friends years ago, before life pulled them in separate ways. Kateri shunned her rich father's family for Virtue Falls, her drunken mother, and life on the rez. She's just been elected the first woman (and first Native American) sheriff in Virtue Falls and its an uphill battle all the way. Fortunately she's got a loyal cocker spaniel named Lacey and a love interest/complication named Stag to keep her grounded. Merida fell in love, nearly died, lost her voice, married an abusive older man, and then disappeared after his death. She's in Virtue Falls with a new name and a plan for revenge. Meeting Kateri after so many years, she begins to wonder if revenge will make her feel better after all. Reconnecting with an old lover (and a man who may have tried to kill her) means her emotions start getting tangled in her plans. Now there are at least two killers running around Virtue Falls. It's Kateri's job to figure out who they are and stop them, it's Merida's job to stay alive long enough to separate the murderers from the friends!

Like the last Virtue Falls book (one of my all time personal favorites) Because I'm Watching, The Woman Who Couldn't Scream is a high-octane, fast-paced psychological thriller. We meet Merida in small pieces, through the eyes of others, before she moves to Virtue Falls. Once there we see things through her eyes, but even Merida doesn't know all the pieces of her past- which means we get to discover along with her the twists and turns of the tragic 'accident' that took her voice and changed the course of her life forever. Dodd does a masterful job giving us hints to the truth while keeping the big surprises for the very end. It was also great to have so much of the story focus on Kateri. If you'e read the rest of the series it's guaranteed you've been waiting to see how she does as sheriff, how she's going to deal with the tragedy that changed her own life, and what the deal is with Stag. Good guy, bad guy? Bit of both? Both women struggle with internal conflicts as well as external preconceptions and prejudices to make (and keep) a life they are happy with and entitled to- you're cheering them on from page one.

For being a small town Virtue Falls has more than its fair share of killers. Kateri is trying to catch a father/son set of killers who shot up a cafe (injuring her and putting her good friend and fan favorite Rainbow into a coma) and now seem to be determined to pay back anyone who ever annoyed them. Then more bodies start turning up, badly mutilated. Serial killer or local crazy? One or multiple killers? You'd think the solution to this wouldn't work or be convincing, but Dodd pulls off another brilliant blending of characters and motives, ending in a chilling battle for survival. There's so much to say about how great Merida and Kateri are portrayed, that there's no doing them justice except to say: these are two strong women who, in the end, aren't afraid to save themselves.

While you don't have to have read any of the other books in this series to thoroughly enjoy The Woman Who Couldn't Scream, many of the characters have appeared in the other books and you'll enjoy following their lives (plus the other books are also awesome) so I recommend if you don't read them first, you'll enjoy going back and reading them after finishing Woman.

A great, fast-paced book that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way. Warning- this may be a book you can't put down once you've started it!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review