Point Last Seen is my first book by prolific author Christina Dodd. This is a thriller with a romantic interest rather than the straightforward romance novels that make up the body of her work and is the first in a new series set in the town of Gothic, California. “On stormy nights, Gothic is said to disappear and on its return, it brings lost souls back from the dead.”
Adam Ramsdell is on the beach after a storm, searching for debris that has washed up in the tumultuous waves and that will form the basis of his new artworks. When he pulls a body from the water it is the last thing that he was expecting. There is no sign of life and the poor woman is freezing cold. As he hoists her up to drag her up the beach so that he can report it to the authorities the corpse suddenly starts coughing. She is alive!
Covered in bruises and unable to remember what has happened to her, all the stranger can remember is that her name is Elle and that a large, strong man was trying to kill her. She is very frightened and reluctant to go to the authorities in case her current location is discovered so Adam and Elle start working together to try and piece together her past and to work out why someone wants to kill her. And of course as they start to get to know each other, things begin to heat up.
For me, Gothic is the star of this story. The town itself and the wider cast of supporting characters are the real strength of the book and you could definitely see this as a Netflix type mini series going forward. The story is engaging and really well thought out but it did feel a little overlong in places as it takes a while for the complicated back story to feed its way through. I had guessed the big twist in the story about halfway but it doesn’t deter from the reading experience at all. Overall its an exciting and engaging read and I’m really looking forward to some more Gothic adventures.
Supplied by Net Galley and HQN Books in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication Date: Jul 26 2022. 412 pages.
Categories: 3.5 Stars Book Review
angelnet69
Prolific reader, enthusiastic theatre and movie-goer and ex-Olivier Awards judge who spent twenty years working in the music industry in London. Sharing my house with a gorgeous cockapoo called Harry who has taken over completely.
I love sharing my favourite books with friends - nearly always spoiler-free as I hate reading a synopsis of the whole book in other reviews.
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