A solid thriller with some really enjoyable twists and an ending that I didn't see coming. An engrossing, fast-paced, page turner of a read.

I have to start out by saying that a few pages into this book, I wrote a note to myself that said, confused. It took a while for me to understand the characters, relationships, and to follow the thread of the story. Having said that the other note I wrote to myself was Agatha Christie, this storyline reminded me of one her stories. It was a very intricate plot line and not a book that you can skim. I re read some passages a few times to make sure that I was clear. I have to say that the ending was a curve ball and did not see it coming at all. However, the whole scene in the plane was not at all realistic.

WOW. Still recovering from holding my breath while reading this book, without realizing it.....Its packed with suspense, great location and character descriptions. It pulls you in as a reader so completely that you'll find yourself yelling trying to warn the characters of impending danger. Christina Dodd has been one of my favorite authors for awhile and I was super pleased to be given the opportunity to read/review this book. I wasn't let down, although I did lose a fair amount of sleep because I couldn't put the book away.....

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Christina Dodd, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

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?

Apparently, this book is a spin-off of the author's previous series. Sadly, I didn't know that before reading. Even more sadly, you don't *need* to read the other books in order to enjoy this one. I say "sadly" because the writer accommodates you by relying a bit too much on telling and info dumps. With that being said, once I was acclimated to the previous stories, I enjoyed the story. I found it to be exciting and suspenseful. Memory loss seems to be a common theme in this genre, and it's becoming a bit overdone, really. However, I didn't find myself losing interest while reading, and I credit that to the writer's craft. If you enjoy memory loss thrillers, you'll love this one.

While I usually love Christina Dodd's work, this one just didn't sit as well as most of hers.

It seemed to have a lot of information dumped at you and it felt jumpy to the point I felt a little lost in places and had trouble keeping interested in what was happening.

I do look forward to reading more of this series and seeing where it goes knowing her other works are ones I really enjoy.

Christina Dodd writes a wonderful mystery. I love her settings and her characters. This one did not have much about Virtue Falls but I really enjoyed this book. I just wanted more to the ending. It left you hanging on the end of the story but I guess that will be addressed in the sequel

I have mixed feelings about this read. The mystery itself was very good and did keep me guessing until the reveal, but the characters were one dementional. They just seemed like names on a page, no feelings until the last chapter when the characters seemed to warm up and became real

I am a long-time fan of Christina Dodd, having first discovered her when she was writing historical romance novels. I definitely enjoyed this novel, though I think characterizing it as a romance is a bit of a stretch. The plot was gripping, and I had no idea who the "villain" was until that person was revealed toward the end. I wasn't really thrilled with the ending - it left too many questions. However, since this book is the first in a series, I hope that some of those questions are answered in the future.

Dead Girl Running is a strange amalgam of intriguing premise and plot holes. Another one with a backstory inserted bit by bit into the main plot, Dead Girl Running had me alternating between suspenseful sections and confusion because not everything quite fit together.

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.

After a prologue that didn't appeal to me, I became involved with the characters and plot, only to pull up sharp several times with a "huh?" Nevertheless, the suspense kept me intrigued until the last 20% of the book that just got too weird.


NetGalley/Harlequin

Mystery. April 24, 2018. Print length: 368 pages.

Maybe one needs to have read this author's earlier books to appreciate this one. There was a lot of telling, backstory and character info dumps up front to the point that the narrative seemed muddied. The premise itself was intriguing, and perhaps I'm simply not the target market for this novel. Did not finish.

Thank you, netgalley, for the e-review edition of this book.

Kellen Adams works at a resort in the rugged Pacific Northwest, and while she’s resilient and tough, finding a woman murdered and mutilated, threatens to destroy the careful facade she’s built. Because Kellen is on the run from a past she can barely remember, from a husband who may or may not be dead. A husband who, she believes will finish the job that he started, the one that left the gunshot scar on her forehead. While Kellen tries to keep her past a secret, she begins to suspect everyone around her might have something to do with the murder. Would she even recognize the killer, or her own attacker if they confronted her? Dodd’s story is complex and tightly woven, readers will feel Kellen’s confusion and terror as well as her determination to protect herself and the people she has grown to love