TOO MUCH ROMANCE FOR ME! This author did a wonderful job with the writing and the plot except for the romance factor, if that was taken away this book would of been fantastic and most likely a 4-star for me.

Kellen Adams is former military who did multiple tours in Afghanistan. After being honorably discharged, she finds a job as assistant manager at the Yearning Sands resort in the State of Washington. Taking advantage of the winter season and the few guests, the owners of the resort, Annie and Leo Di Luca, go on vacation and leave Kellen in charge. But things don't go as smoothly as expected, as a body turns up, the hotel is involved in the smuggling of artefacts, and Kellen's past is finally catching up with her. And in all of this, Kellen doesn't know who she can't trust.
I liked the character of Kellen, she is smart, determined, and keeps a file in her head of everyone she meets. Although I liked the main character, I couldn't completely get into the story. I think that a few things were revealed too quickly and some questions were left unanswered. Despite this, the plot is dark and still intriguing and there are a few twists that keep you on edge.

I know I have mentioned before I love a good mystery.  This was a good mystery.  The story is set in a remote resort in Washington state which included a variety of both staff and guests to populate the mystery.  Further keeping the mystery interesting was a complicated main character, Kellen, who had a complicated past.  The reader knows early on what happened in her past but there is an added element of mystery because you're left in suspense as to if her past will catch up to her. 

Kellen's past is not the main mystery.  Smuggling and murder are the main mystery.  It has been a while since I enjoyed a book quite so much.  I think it is because in ways it reminded me of a Nancy Drew mystery which were my favorites as a girl.  The only thing I thought was a little odd was the ending seemed a little off kilter but then I quickly realized there will be a sequel and that explained the off kilter feeling I felt at the very end.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this mystery and I look forward to reading the next installment.

While this book is clearly well written, I found myself overwhelmed with all of the stoylines that were taking place. As the book is about 330 pages long, there were some points that felt a bit rushed.

That being said, at times this felt like a closed room thriller, which is awesome. I would have preferred to have more time to piece together the reveal and less time focused on the side-stories that were also included.

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

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

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

* * * * *

I like Kellen. She's tough and rebuilt her life after being abused. I can really appreciate that as I had to do the same. She learned how to protect herself and others so that she would never find herself back in that position. And now that she has found a place that she can call home, she is going to do her best to protect it also.

Great book! It has more than a few mysteries that need to be solved along with danger, friendships that are questioned and even the possibility of love. There is even more then one villain that needs to be discovered. It's a wild and enjoyable ride that will keep you turning pages far past your bedtime all the way to the satisfying conclusion.

I do recommend DEAD GIRL RUNNING to any of my readers who enjoy thrillers and/or romantic suspense. There is a lot of violence in this book but no explicit sex as no emphasis was placed on romance. I definitely plan on keeping up on this series because I like Kellen.

***I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by the publisher or author.

Christina Dodd is a new author for me, but I was sufficiently intrigued by the blurb of her latest novel – particularly its protagonist’s three confessions – that I set aside my customary distrust of any book labelled as romantic suspense to find out what lay behind them. And for once, the heroine of this story lived up to my expectations.

Fresh out of the military, former captain Kellen Adams takes a job as assistant manager at a remote resort during the off-season and secures employment for her ragtag band of former comrades as well. When first the managing owners and then the head of security announce they plan on taking a break for part of the winter, Kellen worries at her ability to cope with covering both roles, barely two months into her job, even though the hotel is low on both guests and staff at that time of the year. Her self-doubt intensifies when a body turns up, especially when longer-serving members of the team reveal their strong suspicions that the remains are those of Kellen’s predecessor.

Kellen really can’t afford to get involved in a murder enquiry: the real Kellen Adams died some years earlier, victim of an apparent murder-suicide gone wrong, and her cousin, the real intended victim, took on Kellen’s identity in an effort to escape her husband’s abusive family. While on the run, the replacement Kellen sustained a gunshot wound to the head in circumstances she is unable to remember, and awoke in hospital knowing she needed to make a more permanent identity for herself. Hence the military, which turned Kellen into the strong character her cousin had been before her and helped her to make the best of the abilities she’d not been aware of previously.

The head injury also changed Kellen, in ways she doesn’t fully understand, but is able to turn to her advantage. At first I found her thought processes irritating, but the authorial conceit grew on me as the book progressed. It was also a clever way to show us just how diverse the set of characters around the resort truly was, without long paragraphs of description to hammer that point home. The book had a large cast, but all of the staff and guests had their own distinctive traits and flaws, and the identity of the bad guys took me truly by surprise.

Following Kellen’s attempts to reclaim her missing memories was almost as fun an investigation as the main murder and smuggling plot, although I felt there were a couple too many unexplained coincidences that I’d like to see resolved in subsequent books. I definitely plan to follow the series and possibly catch up on the author’s other works too, especially given one unexpected twist that happened after most of the plot-lines had been tied up. One small gripe: I could have done without the secondary antagonist in this one – their story felt a little too cliched compared to the main mysteries.

Summary from Goodreads:

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

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

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

My Thoughts:

I picked this book up because I loved the sound of that summary and decided it needed to be my next read. It was a pretty great choice and I'm excited because it is the beginning to a series which I didn't realize until I finished. There was so much going on in this book that I almost don't know where to begin. Kellen has had a bad run of things which is why she is now working at a vacation resort far away from the life she once led. As you begin to read this book, there are chapters that explain her past and help to make more sense of why she is the way she is now. I liked the back and forth and felt that it helped flesh out Kellen as the main character. There was a really solid layer of tension to this book thanks to everything that was happening. And because Kellen is missing memories from a year of her life there is also a slightly unreliable narrator feel going on with Kellen. She doesn't know the full truth of what happened so I as the reader couldn't fully trust her memories in relation to everything that was going on. I'm trying to not give too many details as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone that hasn't yet had the chance to read this book. Fair warning though - I'm going to get a little more detailed now so if you want to skip ahead to the next paragraph and avoid spoilers feel free. My one and only complaint with this book was that it lacked believability at times. Letting Kellen be involved in the investigation of the woman's body for one. I found early on that for me to really enjoy this one to let those details go and just enjoy the ride the author was taking me on. I only mention it because it did bother me at first and may also bother other readers in the same way. On a different note, I loved the ending of this book! I realized that I was getting towards the end and didn't yet have all of the answers so it wasn't a surprise to me that the book ended in a cliff hanger. But what did surprise me was how that all played out - boy do I sure wish I already had that next book waiting in my hands! I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Overall I really enjoyed my time with this book and am left wanting more! This is my first book by Dodd but it won't be my last. A couple of times this book mentioned a place called Virtue Falls and I believe that I have the first book in that series on my own shelves. Maybe I'll go and try that series while I wait for the next book in this series to release. It wasn't a perfect read but it was a book that sucked me in so I couldn't stop reading. I would rate this one a solid four stars which is pretty darn good. It wasn't perfect but I enjoyed my time with it which is all I can really ask. I'm excited to go and check out Dodd's backlist now to see what else I've been missing out on. Recommended!

Bottom Line: A suspenseful read that left me wishing for the next book!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. Thoughts are my own.

Dead Girl Running was definitely confusing at first since there was two main plots in place. But the main draw is the female lead Kelsey who happens to have no recollection of one year in her life. The year she got shot. There was a lot of flashbacks which sometimes became distracting however you compulsively continue reading since you just want to find out if all your hunches are correct and how badly did you get it wrong. This is purely suspense action with hints if romance but the real draw is what happened to Kelsey during the year she couldn’t remember. Looking forward to the next book!

What a great book...engaging characters, twists and turns kept me in suspense until the very end...which was quite a shocker. If you like resourceful female characters, this one is for you. I truly hope it's the first one of the series.

Grade: C

The latest romance suspense series from Christina Dodd is an odd story that offers readers two interesting mysteries as readers find themselves trapped at an exclusive resort where everyone seems to have a secret. The tagline instantly captivates;

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

and hooks you up as the story reveals a mixture of suspense, intrigue, action, and murder. Told from the heroine’s POV, Kellon, we see how she came to the resort and why as she flashes between the past and the present. While Dodd reveals the motives of the various mysteries almost from the beginning; it becomes apparent that there is so much we and the heroine do not know. Multiple plot lines give readers a plethora of suspects and clues to unravel while the obviously unreliable narrative and odd dialogue create an interesting abet confusing paradox of information. The anti-climatic and cliffhanger ending wasn’t expected and left me feeling manipulated and skeptical of Dodd’s intentions. Enjoyable up to a certain point, I think I will pass up the sequel.

Kellan Adams is a retired Army Captain who served in Afghanistan and is now the assistant manager at Yearning Sands resort. When the resort owners decide to take a vacation on the off season she is left in charge. Then they discover human remains, that turn out to be the last assistant manager. Around that same time the head of security decides to take a vacation and leaves Kellan not only in charge of the resort but also of security. Then one of the few guests at the resort lets her know he is part of the revived Monuments Men and there because of a smuggling operation led by the sinister Librarian. So who is the Librarian: a guest? one of the staff? Kellan doesn’t know and doesn’t trust anyone. Then new security chief Max arrives and things get interesting for another reason.

See Kellan isn’t actually Kellan. She is Cecilia who was Kellan’s cousin. Cecilia was an abused wife who watched her crazy husband kill Kellan and then himself. She fled and assumed Kellan’s identity. Then there is a scar on her head that indicates she was shot, but she doesn’t remember a year of her life. She woke up in a hospital and fled to the nearest Army recruiting station. Max triggers some memories of that lost year. How does she know him? Why does she feel like she loves him? Will Kellan ever remember her past? Will Kellan ever escape her past?

So romantic thrillers are not really my genre of choice, but this one sounded intriguing and I thought I would give it a try. This had the potential to be a pretty interesting read, but there was just too much going on. There is the smuggling, the strange resort characters, the abusive husband, the lost year, the army career and so much more. Things seemed to jump around a lot and sometimes I felt like the plot got a bit lost. I think a couple of things could have been cut and this would have been a stronger story. I would have cut the surprise at the end and the crazy abusive family. Neither of those really added to the plot and they were both way over the top.

I received this book from Netgalley.

Dead Girl Running (Cape Charade #1) by Christina Dodd is my second book by this author I have also read Because I’m Watching back in 2016 which I loved. I have to say that it was nice to read a book that was the first of a series, since my first book was a third in the series. I have come to enjoy this author more than I thought I would considering I am a very picky person when it comes to my books. Unique, inventive, captivating - this plot is all that and part Gothic, part assumed identity, part amnesia victim, part who done it and totally fascinating. I really don’t know what I expected but I loved what I got. Kellen Adams has been the assistant manager of Yearning Sands, a high end destination resort on the Washington coast for a few months. She has been many things in her life and lived many places and all she wants now is a place to call home.  Kellen becomes a jack of all trades when the owners of the resort go on vacation. Everything is fine until a body washes up on shore and the peaceful place because full of buzzing energy and smuggling art that has everyone on their toes. Everyone is a suspect in my eyes and Kellen’s past comes forward in flashes making the reader want to keep going just to see what’s going on and who done it. Fantastic read from start to finish. The only question I have is what is next?

When I read the books description I just couldn't wait to start reading it. I've been in a mystery thriller kick so I was pretty excited to start reading this book. I loved the back and forth between then and now giving the readers Kellens story where she started and how her life was going up until the very ending of the book. It was tough getting to hear her story of what she was going through in the past. Then there was what she was dealing with now with the killing and who was behind it and if the killer was still around. Just know that this book packs a punch with so much going on that the readers will be hooked until the very end trust me I'm one of those people I spent most of my morning and afternoon reading this book straight through because I didn't want to wait or miss a thing. Highly Recommend!

3.5 stars (posted on my blog May 5, 2018)

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

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

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

I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

Y'all, I don't give five stars easily, but this one deserves it.

I got introduced to all new characters I can care about. Kateri Kwinault had a cameo. The mystery about Kellen's past was equally as compelling to me as the whodunit threaded throughout the book. I wanted to know, and I was not disappointed!

There was a subtle and low-key romantic undercurrent, which I cannot describe any better for fear of spoiling you.

Best of all, the book was chock full of women being awesome!

Go. Read. I think you'll be glad you did.

I enjoy a good mystery or romantic suspense novel and have been lucky enough to find some fantastically good authors in the genre who are now on my ‘must read’ list. I’m always on the look-out for the next addition, so I eagerly picked up Christina Dodd’s Dead Girl Running, the first book in her new Cape Charade series, hoping for an intense, exciting and complex read – aaaaaand, well, let’s just say I don’t think I’ll be adding Ms. Dodd to that list of ‘must read’ authors on the strength of it. The book turned out to contain a myriad of hackneyed tropes and plot points (and plot holes) that made it seem as though the author had too many ideas and, instead of undertaking some judicious pruning and concentrating on the one or two strongest ones, decided to throw everything at the wall and see what stuck. What we end up with is a classic ‘base-under-siege’ type plot, a too-good-to-be-true, dull heroine, a lot (dare I say – too many) of barely two-dimensional, stereotypical secondary characters, and writing so clichéd in places that it made me wince – or laugh, which I’m sure wasn’t Ms. Dodd’s intention.

Kellen Adams was a captain in the army and served in Afghanistan before returning to the US. She has recently taken up a position as assistant manager at the Cape Charade resort in coastal Washington state and is determined to make it her home. When the resort owners – the elderly Leo and Annie di Luca – decide to take a holiday for the first time in ages, they leave Kellen in charge, confident in her ability to keep things running smoothly. It’s a quiet time of year, there are not many guests booked in, so it’s just a case of keeping things ticking over until the di Lucas return. That is, until some decomposing human remains are discovered on the grounds, which are identified as belonging to the previous assistant manager, Priscilla Carter, who disappeared without explanation less than six months earlier. It’s impossible to keep something like that a secret from the staff and guests, and the atmosphere at the resort becomes one of fear and suspicion; everyone is a suspect and Kellen isn’t sure who she can trust.

We learn early on that Kellen isn’t actually who she says she is; she’s an abused wife whose husband tried to murder her (and died in the attempt), and who is still looking over her shoulder for any sign that her his family might be catching up with her. She’s also the survivor of a gunshot to the head – something I found hard to credit – which caused her to lose a year of her life; she was in a coma for all that time, and after waking up confused and fearful, ran from the hospital and to an army recruiting office. We’re asked to believe the shot to the head is the reason she now has a unique mental ability to acquire, store, process and recall information, but I’m still wondering how it didn’t simply blow her brains out… Whatever the case, having both incredibly traumatic and dramatic events happen to the same person seemed to me to be taking things a bit too far. I understand that this is the first book in a series, but in spite of all the things that have happened to her, Kellen is not a well-defined or interesting character, and I couldn’t warm to her or find anything to draw me in.

The same is true of the secondary characters, of whom there are a lot; they’re poorly defined and stereotypical, and there’s no time for the author to flesh any of them out or give them actual personalities. We’ve got a former movie star, an upbeat, preppy personal trainer of the type you want to strangle, a bitchy hostess who is bitter that she was passed over for Kellen’s job, an enigmatic (though hot) guest who says he’s an author (he isn’t) and a handful of Kellen’s army buddies now employed at the resort – and that’s less than half the list. There has to be a fairly large pool of suspects to make the identity of the villain hard to guess, but given that there are no clues pointing to that person, I can’t see there was much of a point. In any case, the reveal comes out of the blue, but not after Kellen jumps to a completely wrong conclusion as to his identity so fast it made me wonder if I’d skipped a few pages.

The mystery plot, concerning the smuggling of valuable artefacts off the coast near the resort is interesting, and when the book concentrates solely on this aspect of the story, it’s a good read and I was eager to keep turning the pages. But that doesn’t really happen until well into the second half of the book, and doesn’t last for long; after that, we’re back in the land of the clichéd and utterly ridiculous, which then culminates in a completely unbelievable plot twist that contradicts something explicitly stated earlier on in the book.

I’m not sure whether to categorise Dead Girl Running as ‘mystery’ or ‘romantic suspense’ because it doesn’t really fit either. If it’s a mystery, it’s very simplistic and quite clumsily done; if romantic suspense, there’s pretty much no romance and not much suspense, so that doesn’t fit either. The writing is generally solid, although there is a LOT of telling rather than showing, and this is especially evident in the way we’re shown Kellen’s supposedly unique mental ability working. Whenever she meets someone, we get a ‘note card’ of what is supposedly going through her head, which lists background data on that person and her feelings about them – which is, I suppose, an easier way of disseminating that information than actually spending time on developing that character and letting the reader get to know them; it smacks of lazy writing.

In short, Dead Girl Running is deader than a dead duck dead in the water. Give it a miss and pick up something by Rachel Grant or Loreth Anne White instead.

Grade: D+ / 2.5 stars

Christina Dodd has given her readers a spectacular thrilling. It grabs your attention from the very beginning with an opening scene of domestic abuse, murder & an explosion. Kellen (Cecilia) has been moving around constantly, hiding in plain sight but isn't sure which threat she's hiding from. She remembers the opening scene, being in New York & Philadelphia, enlisting in the service but lost over a year of her life. Now she's managing a remote hotel and strange things are happening. She has no idea who is behind it or who she can trust.

The plot twists & turns in so many directions it made this book a treasure to read. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something would happen & id change my mind. I loved the character of Kellen(Cecilia). She came across as a weak coward in the opening scene but you knew she was stronger than that to be able to survive everything that was happening. Everyone else underestimated her. When the character of Max was introduced, you knew they'd been close in the past from the chemistry & familiarity that came across. I enjoyed the quick glimpses of previous characters from Ms. Dodd's other books. If you are into mesmerizing thrillers with some romance thrown in on the side, you can't miss this book!!

First Thoughts:

So I didn't know anything about the author going into this book. What got my attention was the premise. I'm always down for a murder mystery. Other than a few issues, the authors writing was intriguing and left you wanting for more. If you're wanting a mystery that leaves you guessing until the very end and even then leaves you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you. Apparently this book is a spin-off series from her series Virtual Falls. And after reading this book, I just might go and check it out myself; I call myself intrigued.

Goodreads Summary:

I have three confessions to make:

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

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

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

Plot:

Like I mentioned above, this book pretty much had a lot of mystery to it and I didn't even guess the correct killer until right before he/she was revealed. There was one part of the book I didn't particularly like or enjoy. Ms.Dobb had put descriptions of the people the main character Kellen met. Like, she would put what the person looked like and then, Kellen's perception of them. It was all put in a separate paragraph and in different font (I think?). It was like a military perception of what she thought, which makes sense for her character but all it did for me as a reader was irritate me. It distracted me from the story and I can understand the need for it (it is a mystery after all) but I would've preferred the story without it. Let me make my own assumptions please! Other than that the story moved quickly, there was always something happening; someone need saving. I read this in a couple of sittings but that was only because of my life. This is definitely a book in my opinion that can be read in one sitting (it's that good).

Romance:

Here we are again at the dreaded love triangle. I'm really not liking a woman/man being in love with more than one person. Though I wouldn't go as deep as love for both men in this story, the possibility was there none the less The romance also didn't really come into play until halfway through the book. Yes we were introduced to Kellen's husband in the beginning but he let's just say wasn't lovable (he doesn't count in my opinion.). By the end of the book I'm still not sure about the romance, it's still kind of iffy. But I guess that's why it's a series. We get to explore it further in future books.

Characters:

Kellen is a likable character. She appears one way and by the end of the book she's someone else. I liked that she was a strong character who wouldn't take crap from anyone. I got to see an insight of her from before but most of the book it's her in the present dealing with both a murder mystery and a past. Birdie was one of my favorite characters, she has a bit of mystery to her but she's spunky too. Max was a character introduced later on in the story and though I learned a little bit about him but I wish I knew more. Mara was an interesting character and played a big role in this book too but I won't go into too much detail. As for the other characters they were good too but those characters I didn't get too attached to them.

Transformation of Character:

Kellen definitely transformed in this book. She was this weak and fragile character and by the end she was someone else entirely. Someone worth supporting and rooting for. I can't wait to see how much more she'll change as the series progresses. Nil another important character in the book transformed too, he became some less mysterious and more intriguing by the end of the book. Of course there were others transformed but I don't want to get into too much detail in fear of spoiling the book for you.

Description:

I liked the description of the hotel that most of the book took place at. It was like I could visualize where everything was and tell when something wasn't right. Also the description of the deaths was minimal. Though the first murder remains was a little too descriptive for my taste but I understand we had to get the killers MO right before we could understand the later murders. The author described Kellen's emotions very well. I could really understand what she was going through and how she felt, it was that descriptive. I could also sense the fear coming from the other characters as this mystery unfolded.

Style:

This was written in third person and in multiple POV's (Point of views). Though this was written mostly in Kellen's POV. I can see the need with other point's of views so I really didn't have a problem with that. The third person usuage was good and allowed the reader to get a different view but I kind of wonder if the author would've used first person that it would've been better. Maybe if it was in first person, I could've even got a better grasp on Kellen because yes she herself was mystery. But we were still able to connect with Kellen so maybe third person was the best? Also there was flashbacks that was written in italics and allowed the reader to better understand Kellen. The first scene which was in Priscilla's POV was the only scene I seemed to be confused on at first...I would definitely consider re-writing it? Though not sure how to make it better. I did like the author's writing itself, it is distinctive and fun and flowed smoothly.

Quote of the Book:

"He lifted his greasy hands and wiggled them. "Admit it. You want me. You love me."

"I do love you," Kellen said. "Like a disgusting, loud, gross younger brother who deserves to have his head stuck in a toilet and flushed.""

Last Thoughts:

Though there were a few things I didn't particularly care for in this book I really did enjoy it. I definitely want to read the rest of the series. And the ending?! Definitely a twist I didn't see coming which makes me like this book even more. It took me on a ride of twists and turns and by the time the rollercoaster ended I was left stunned and speechless. So go out and discover this book for yourself! I would love to hear your own opinions of it, so drop on by and tell me yourself! I would love to hear from you!

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

Everyone has secrets and no one knows that better than Kellen Adams. To say that her life has been turned upside down more than once would be an understatement. But Kellen is a survivor. And for the first time in longer than she can remember, she has a shot at finding home when she takes the job of assistant manager at the Yearning Sands resort. Only on the very day that her bosses leave on vacation a dead body appears on resort property and it’s clear the victim had been murdered. Now everyone around her is a suspect – from the staff to the guests – and Kellen has to put the pieces of the puzzle together before her new home turns into something from a horror movie. And is it the stress of tracking a killer that’s bringing old nightmares to the forefront of her memory or are there more sinister elements at play? Kellen can’t be sure, especially when a potentially vital year of her life is missing from her memory…

Dead Girl Running is a fantastic thriller that kept me up way too late reading. Christina Dodd is in top form in her first Cape Charade novel. It’s an engrossing, evocative, pulse-pounding page-turner.

Kellen is a stellar heroine. She’s been through absolute hell, almost lost herself in the process, and survived horrors that would break most people. She’s not exactly superhuman, but she is an incredibly strong character. I admired the way she built her life back up from the ashes and fully came into her own over the course of the story. She’s got a spine of steel and the visible scars she carries are no match for the emotional ones, but she’s a kind, fascinating character. I loved uncovering the pieces of her past alongside Kellen and my only real problem with Dead Girl Running is that I have to wait for the second book because holy cow, the information Ms. Dodd reveals about Kellen only makes me want to know more.

Mystery and murder abound at what would otherwise be the idyllic Yearning Sands. I’d be doing a disservice to readers to reveal much of the plot because this is a thriller and the excitement comes from looking for clues and watching events unfold. Suffice it to say that there are a few mysteries and they’re well-crafted and interwoven without the book losing its focus. There are also multiple players in this game and Ms. Dodd does a great job of fleshing them out and bringing the world of Dead Girl Running to life. The story itself starts off with a bang and continues to move at a good pace, building intensity until you absolutely cannot put the book down.

Dead Girl Running is the first book in Ms. Dodd’s Cape Charade series and I absolutely cannot wait for more. While this book easily stands alone, fans of Ms. Dodd’s will enjoy the loose ties it has to her Bella Terra Deception and Virtue Falls series. Whether you’re an old fan of Ms. Dodd’s or are diving into her work for the first time, Dead Girl Running is a captivating suspense novel that will leaving you begging for more Cape Charade stories.