Title: Point Last Seen
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: Last Seen in Gothic #1
Fun and compelling
I would like to thank Christina Dodd, Harlequin, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Sophie James, who invited me on the blog tour.
Dodd’s recent books have made me leery of her: the Virtue Falls series was weird but had its moments, but I really hated how she told the story of the first Cape Charade book, so I didn’t read any of the others. I ignored Wrong Alibi. Then I received the invitation to the blog tour for Point Last Seen, saw it was the start of something new for Dodd, and decided to give her another shot.
And I’m so glad I did! I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow; it could’ve used more action scenes and less talking and meal scenes—but I liked the characters, adored the town of Gothic, and had a great time trying to figure out whodunnit. And the twists! Twist after twist—If I had time, I’d read it again just to find out if I missed clues or if Dodd was that sneaky. Probably a combination.
There were minor inconsistencies that could have been fixed for the final: The timing in chapters 16 and 22 didn’t add up, plus it’s supposed to be February but the story’s told like it’s May/June; Adam insisted he didn’t have friends, then said things like “Dave’s a friend”; it said at the beginning that Elle was wearing a black rain poncho when Adam found her, but the poncho was never mentioned again, referred to only as “black plastic” later; Adam couldn’t find jack squat online on Elle’s mother but DeAnna had no trouble getting info on Elle; Adam claimed the Beards keep close watch, yet no one was around while the vet was checking on the goats. Things like that.
Something else that might bother some readers but that didn’t particularly bother me is that this is an adventure story without doing any of the actual adventuring. Adam’s entire arc and subplot revolves around a trek through the Amazon, and Elle’s entire arc and subplot is about a deep-sea shipwreck treasure hunt. Yet instead of doing either of those fascinating things, we get to watch them deal with their PTSD in a small, quirky town whose big annual event is a psychic festival. Dodd’s lucky her characters are so lovable and compelling, or I’d have said she told the wrong story . . . which I believe I’ve said of her before. Hmm. It’s like Dodd wants to write a big, dramatic adventure story but at the same time wants to write a small, intimate romance in a small, quirky town. I’m not sure it can be done, but I think this was a good solid try.
Tamalyn’s little subplot could have been cut, and I don’t believe we got much closure regarding the Arcturus and the fate of the scientists working onboard. It was also rather disappointing that we and Elle and Adam had so much fun in Gothic and fell in love with the residents—then they ditched ASAP. I expected they’d live in Peru, at least for a while, but it just came off as a rather cold thing for them to do, and made the whole story feel slightly pointless.
Overall, this book had its faults, but I enjoyed it. Especially the humor! More than I expected, and it was great.
• Elle: “The ocean burps up pieces of ships?”
• As Elle chewed, she moaned. Senor Alfonso and Ludwig beamed, overcome with joy.
“Is it really that good?” Clarice asked Elle.
“No. You shouldn’t eat any.” Elle pulled the trivet away from Clarice.
• Rune watched the food disappear into the cupboards and the refrigerator. “I never ate breakfast,” she said wistfully.
Adam: “Hey, Rune, want to stay for lunch?”
