For nine years, Helen Brassard dutifully (and silently) fulfilled her role as trophy wife to aging French billionaire Nauplius Brassard only to disappear, along with significant funds, after Nauplius unexpectedly dies on a luxury cruise. When Merida Falcon suddenly arrives in Virtue Falls, few people would ever connect her to Helen Brassard, which is exactly how Merida wants things because she is out for revenge. With the fourth wildly original addition to her Virtue Falls series, Dodd takes more than a few creative risks and then brilliantly succeeds in this sexy, compulsively readable tale of romantic suspense.--Charles, John Copyright 2017 Booklist

Mute-but-not-deaf Merida Falcon takes center stage in bestseller Dodd's lively fourth novel set in Virtue Falls, Wash. (after 2016's Because I'm Watching). At the beginning of tourist season in Virtue Falls, the newly opened Good Knight Manor Bed and Breakfast thrums with a diverse and curious guest list, including, besides Merida (who communicates via computer tablet), billionaire Benedict Howard; Dawkins Cipre, an Oxford and WSU literature professor, and his wife, Elsa; and Lilith Palmer, the stepsister of Sheriff Kateri Kwinault. None of whom has descended upon the tiny town (pop. 2,487) for its bucolic serenity or its picturesque canyon views. They all bring weighty personal baggage, ranging from the mildly malicious to pure evil. Merida, who has her own agenda, soon learns that her life is in danger but why and from whom remains unknown. Meanwhile, tension builds and suspicion shifts with breakneck speed, as it's anybody's guess who's behind a sudden rash of grisly murders. Suspense fans will find a lot to like. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Endeavor. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Beautiful, mute Merida Falcon arrives in Virtue Falls with revenge in mind, but she may find redemption yet.As the young widow of a controlling, narcissistic billionaire, Merida Falcon has changed her name and her look, downplaying the gorgeous face her husband paid to create through plastic surgery. Both the designed features and her mutism are aftereffects of a traumatic explosion she believes was an attempt on her life. Free from Brassard's oppressive control, she plans to bring down the man she believes tried to kill her, whom she once loved. She hopes for anonymity and reinvention in Virtue Falls, but things go awry when she is confronted with people she knew not only as Helen Brassard, but also as Merry Byrd, the joyful, socially conscious girl she was before the explosion. Meeting up with her childhood friend Kateri Kwinault, who is now sheriff of the town, makes her aware that there's a serial killer on the loose, but it's hard to tell if it's the local vengeful outlaw doing the most damage or some other shadowy figures, especially when Benedict Howard, the target of her own revenge plot, shows up. Certainly all is not what it appears to be in seemingly idyllic Virtue Falls. Meanwhile Kateri, a series favorite, is navigating emotional turmoilguilt, romance, and uncertaintywhile finding her footing as sheriff. Both Kateri and Merida must learn to trust and forgive, putting complicated pasts and enemies behind them in order to find peace and love. Dodd's (Because I'm Watching, 2017, etc.) new title delivers complex storytelling, a rollicking pace, and surprising twists and turns, plus sly humor, a touch of the supernatural, and a full cast of interesting and diverse characters.Readers will be thrilled to get back to Virtue Falls. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

With her future destroyed by an explosion aboard an airplane and her fiancé supposedly dead, Merida Falcon (aka Helen Brassard, Merry Bird) reluctantly agrees to a trophy-wife marriage in exchange for the reconstructive surgery that will turn her into a beauty. Nine years later, her cruel, controlling husband is dead, and Merida heads for the solitude and anonymity of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, intent on bringing down those who caused the accident that left her disfigured and unable to speak. Yet the tiny town of Virtue Falls is not the haven for which she'd hoped. When people from her past, including her former fiancé Benedict Howard, show up and the whispered phone calls begin, -Merida knows she's no longer safe-and then the gruesome killings start. Intriguing characters (including an especially horrifying villain), twin romances (-Kateri and Stag's prickly sparring as well as Merida and Benedict's trust-challenged bond), and a complex plot that reveals itself with chilling precision keep the pages turning. VERDICT Tense, taut, and beautifully paced, this latest addition to Dodd's series is another stunner; it will appeal to romance and suspense fans alike. Dodd (Because I'm Watching) lives in Washington State. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17.] © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.