Sunday, June 12, 2022

Point Last Seen

Point Last Seen by Christina Dodd
7/26/22; 416 pages
Harlequin

Point Last Seen by Christina Dodd is a recommended mystery with romance overtones.

Gothic, the city of lost souls, is a town on the Pacific coast where everyone has a past. When Adam Ramsdell, recovering from his own personal issues, finds a body in the surf he is shocked to discover she is still alive. Elle is covered with bruises, weak, and frightened. Certainly the obvious hand prints around her throat indicate someone meant to harm her. She doesn't remember what happened and doesn't remember her full name. She does know she wants to avoid authorities and calling attention to herself. Adam does his best to care for her, but he keeps getting the feeling that he is being watched. The obvious fact is that in the small town of Gothic, a newcomer with bruises can't hide and rumors are bound to spread quickly about the woman who washed ashore half dead.

Once the story sets up the initial plot, introduces the characters, and reveals who Elle is and who is looking for her, things get a bit paradoxical. She can't remember her last name and is seriously injured, but she's able to admire Adam in a less than chaste manner. The plot lost all seriousness for me at that point because I knew what we were going to experience was some trope on a damsel in distress saved by a knight in shining armor. You can proclaim that the damsel is a strong, independent woman all you want, but the plot is still headed down this well-trodden path.

Stick this out for the mystery/action/thriller portion and suspend your disbelief on the rest. The writing is good and the mystery/thriller part of the novel will hold your interest while you flip through the rest. If romance novels are your preference, this will be an appealing novel for you and a good choice for a summer read.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley.

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