#ATBR2021 Review: Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd
Wrong Alibi
by Christina Dodd
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: December 29, 2020
Paperback
384 Pages
Series: Murder in Alaska #1
Genre: Thriller
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WRONG JOB
Eighteen-year-old Evelyn Jones lands a job in small-town Alaska, working for a man in his isolated mountain home. But her bright hopes for the future are shattered when Donald White disappears, leaving her to face charges of theft, embezzlement—and a brutal double murder. Her protestations of innocence count for nothing. Convicted, she faces life in prison…until fate sends her on the run.
WRONG NAME
Evelyn’s escape leaves her scarred and in hiding, isolated from her family, working under an alias at a wilderness camp. Bent on vengeance, intent on recovering her life, she bides her time, patiently searching for the man who took everything from her.
WRONG ALIBI
At last, the day comes. Donald White has returned. Evelyn emerges from hiding; the fugitive becomes the hunter. But in her mind, she hears the whisper of other forces at work. Now Evelyn must untangle the threads of evidence before she’s once again found with blood on her hands: the blood of her own family…
My Review:
Hmmmm... I rarely read a book as soon as I get it. I've read the synopsis (maybe) and then set it aside while I continually struggle (i.e.fail) to keep up with my TBR. So when I finally get to a read, I rarely reread the synopsis. If I have it, I clearly wanted to read it so.... I go in without knowing what I'm gonna find and I LOVE it. SURPRISE! For SOME reason, after the first few chapters, I decided to flip the script and read the synopsis. I really wish I hadn't because it basically tells you the entire story and you're pretty sure you know how it's going to end. LE SIGH.
Now, it's true that sometimes it's about the journey but I wish the synopsis had been a bit more vague. I think it would've made my reading experience that more enjoyable. HOWEVER, I really was addicted from the get go and was fully invested in Evie. There's a lot going on in this read. I appreciate the more plot-driven aspect of this... especially as a first-in-a-series. And we get a bit of a fast forwarded look of Evie's past up to where the first chapter brings us... ish. I know I'm not making much sense here but I hope you're picking up what I'm laying down.
Even when things seemed a bit wonky, I didn't care because I appreciated all the action and was rooting for Evie the entire way. She has been through the ringer and I applaud her coming out the other end. Maybe now that I know Evie, I can relax into the storyline at whatever pace it is for book two... because yes, I'm going to need to see what happens. And I'm especially curious because this doesn't leave a cliffhanger (thankfully) so there's curiosity about which direction Dodd will take us with these characters. I liked meeting Zone but if I'm honest, my favorite character is Jeen Lee. ❤
★★★☆
Jessica's Review:
The first in a new series from Christina Dodd! I've enjoyed her other books and was excited to see that I would actually be starting in the correct place for a series - you'd be amazed how often I just don't look ahead and then find myself in the middle of a series. Typically I luck out and end up reading one where they could be standalone books, but thankfully this is book one. WRONG ALIBI is the start of the Murder in Alaska series and I loved the setting. There's just something about thrillers set in these more rural and unforgiving landscapes that up the suspense for me.
I liked the pacing, the characters were well-developed and I look forward to seeing where the author takes them throughout the series, but there was just something that didn't completely hook me in. I did finish it pretty quickly, but there was just something about it that dropped it down a little in my rating. I will definitely continue with the series and more of Dodd's other releases! I would highly recommend avoiding the synopsis if you can, or at least not refreshing yourself before starting because it gives us a little too much information, but I don't think it will completely ruin the reading experience.
3 stars
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