VIRTUE FALLS

When geologist Elizabeth Banner returns to her hometown of Virtue Falls two decades after her father was convicted of murdering her mother, long-buried secrets will put her in the sights of a serial killer after an earthquake hits and uncovers them.

Since the day her mother died, Elizabeth has turned toward science to make sense of the world, and she's returned to Virtue Falls as a renowned geologist to take up the intriguing work her father started before he was convicted of his wife’s murder, studying “Pacific Rim tectonic plates and subduction zones.” Nearly as soon as she gets there, a huge earthquake hits the area and puts her work front and center on a national scale. Unfortunately, it also devastates the community, and Elizabeth is honor-bound to check in on her ex-husband’s unofficial foster mother, Margaret, an elderly resort owner who helped Garik survive an abusive childhood. Emotionally adrift since the end of his marriage, Garik has put his FBI career in jeopardy, but when he hears about the Virtue Falls earthquake, he speeds up the coast from Las Vegas to help Margaret, only to learn that Elizabeth is there, too. And when a gruesome discovery at Elizabeth’s work site ties her mother’s death to a recent series of murders, Garik puts his detective skills to work to solve the case, since it’s becoming clear that Charles Banner is innocent and the killer is after Elizabeth. Romance star Dodd moves firmly into thriller territory, and a fascinating premise combined with a complex, layered plot, insightful characterization and agile storytelling make for a winning read. 

Intense and suspenseful, with touches of romance, humor and mysticism.