Obsession Falls

July 13, 2015
Bestseller Dodd incorporates a touch of the paranormal into her occasionally uneven second Virtue Falls contemporary romantic thriller (after Virtue Falls). Artist and interior decorator Taylor Summers is sketching in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains when she witnesses two hired killers and their intended victim. Taylor disrupts the boy’s murder and flees into a mountain cave; she emerges to the news she has been declared dead by the local sheriff and is presumed responsible for the boy’s kidnapping. As a “deceased” fugitive, Taylor resourcefully employs skills learned from her father and the Internet to survive until she can contact the boy’s uncle, wealthy but trust-allergic Kennedy McManus, and share her story. Taylor is likewise sought by Kennedy, who’s certain she’s still alive, as well as the mysterious Jimmy, the power behind the hit men. The players’ paths converge in Virtue Falls, Wash., which is still recovering from the events of the first installment, and deadly games play out with occasionally hyperbolic scenes until the explosive conclusion. Despite the hardcover format, this slightly overblown thriller has a fun mass-market vibe.

July 1, 2015
In the Idaho wilderness, a woman comes across a child about to be murdered and distracts the would-be killers, a courageous act that destroys her life and piques the interest of two powerful men determined to find-and have-her. Trying to get back to her artistic roots and reconnect to the land where she spent her childhood, Taylor Summers takes a break from her successful interior design business and travels to Idaho. Hidden by trees while sketching, she's startled when a group of kidnappers parks nearby to discuss the imminent murder of a child they drag from the trunk. Horrified, Taylor throws a bundle of sketches into the wind, hoping to distract them and draw attention away from the child so he can escape, then hides out in a cave until she feels the coast is clear. Once she resurfaces, she sneaks into a nearby home to get in touch with the authorities, only to discover that she's the main suspect in the kidnapping and, since her rental car exploded, she is assumed dead. Shaken, she retreats into the mountains, surviving the winter by first breaking into vacation homes for food and supplies, then creating a new under-the-radar identity that allows her to take odd catering jobs. At a party, she discovers the identity of the mastermind behind the kidnapping, then witnesses him kill a colleague, forcing her to disappear again, to resurface in Virtue Falls, Washington, and become part of the close-knit town. Soon both the killer and his archenemy-the mysterious entrepreneur Kennedy McManus, uncle to the kidnapped boy-track her down, and she becomes an unwilling player in a dangerous game. Bestselling author Dodd returns to Virtue Falls in this twisty, suspenseful novel that is at times improbable-the characters' choices sometimes don't make complete sense-but always compelling and gripping. Taylor's connections to two mesmerizing men ratchet the tension as much as the hard-driving action, and revisiting the fascinating Kateri from Virtue Falls is a highlight. Taut and enthralling, with romantic and supernatural embellishments that intensify the drama.

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Starred review from August 1, 2015

An impulsive trip back to the isolated Idaho valley where she lived as a young girl sends high-profile interior designer Taylor Summers fleeing into the rugged Sawtooth Mountains after thwarting the murder of a young boy by distracting his kidnappers. Taylor knows her life is forfeit, and if she wants to stay alive, she has only one choice--to disappear. Landing by chance in tiny Virtue Falls more dead than alive, Taylor begins to heal and carve out a new life as Summer Leigh. But the villain is relentless, as is the uncle of the little boy she saved. Now it's only a matter of time before danger tracks Summer down and she is caught in a deadly game between a pair of geniuses that she may not survive. VERDICT Stunning description, startling violence, nonstop action, and an inventive plot drive this riveting Native American lore-infused page-turner. With a gritty, resourceful heroine, a whip-smart, determined hero, and an equally dazzling miscreant, this one is impossible to put down. A remarkable, mesmerizing series. Dodd (Virtue Falls) lives in Washington State.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2015
Taylor Summers came home to the Sawtooth Mountains, hoping that the beauty of the Idaho wilderness would inspire her artistic muse. Unfortunately, her muse proves to be more than elusive, but while Taylor is trying to salvage what she can from her drawings, she spies two men dragging a young boy out of the trunk of a car. Before the men can follow through on their threat to kill him, Taylor quickly hatches a risky plan that she hopes will allow the kid to escape. She then flees into the forest with one of the thugs hot on her trail and, through a combination of luck and skill, manages to ditch him, at least for the time being. Having done her best to save the boy, now she must dig deep and find a way to save herself. After wowing both mystery and romance readers with Virtue Falls (2014), Dodd delivers another white-knuckle tale of romantic suspense that moves her even closer to the thriller end of the literary spectrum. The plot's twists and turns are handled with a positively Hitchcockian touch, while the brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor are pure Dodd.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)