Title: The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream
Author: Christina Dodd
Series: Virtue Falls #4
Two well-written stories that don’t belong together
I would like to thank Christina Dodd, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
From the very start of The Woman Who Couldn’t Scream, I was hooked, and I could not bear to stop reading for any reason, because I had to know what happened next. I had to know what was going on. As I was reading, I was utterly enthralled by the intelligent script, the fast pace, and the intriguing suspense. I didn’t have any idea who the culprit was, and it drove me nuts.
The characters were great. I liked Merida, loved that she was mute. That detail made a good character into a fascinating one. I was slow to grow on Benedict, but by the end, he’d proven to be a worthy romantic hero. And Kateri’s an old friend at this point. All three of them had arcs and became better people.
The writing, stylistically, was fantastic. Hands-down five stars. But…
As I sat down to write a synopsis for this review, I realized I wasn’t sure which story to summarize—and that’s a problem. There are two different plots held together by the thinnest of threads. Kateri’s tale was women’s fiction, and Merida and Benedict’s was romantic suspense. While they were both fascinating stories in their own rights, I feel that trying to mash them together was unfair to everyone. Both stories deserved their own books.
I’ve had mixed feelings about the entire Virtue Falls series. I was never sure of what these books were trying to achieve. Romance? Suspense? Fantasy? Police procedural? A continuing storyline for one character? A small-town saga? I enjoyed the stories, but they all seemed to have been tossed together in a disorganized heap.
I freaking loved the idea of Merida Falcon and Benedict Howard’s plot—LOVED it—but its foundation was weak. The conspiracy was brilliant, I didn’t see I coming, but its success hinged on Merida’s easy acceptance of Benedict’s betrayal, and that I don’t buy. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and she had to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to know he loved her in return, or at least cared for her deeply. I mean, she believed he would take care of her when she got out of the hospital, disfigurement and all. Yet as soon as someone else tells her that he’d tried to kill her, she believes it. I don’t understand why she didn’t seek confirmation beyond the pictures, seek it straight from him. Yes, it would have caused her unbelievable heartache to know with certainty that he’d betrayed her, but at least she’d know the truth. She got the heartache anyway, and it was caused by a big, fat lie. Personally, I’d rather grieve the truth than grieve a lie and find out later I’d been a faithless fool. And I don’t recall a good reason why she hadn’t had faith in his love; maybe she’d always harbored a debilitating lack of confidence in their relationship because she was a poor orphan begging for donations and he was a grossly rich business tycoon. I’m not sure.
What I am sure of is that this plot could have been its own full-length novel. Dodd skimmed the surface of their entire story, to the point that a couple of times I felt I’d missed a scene, that something significant had happened while I wasn’t watching. If she fleshed this plot out, filled in gaps, let us get to know the characters more intimately—strengthened the foundation—I’d totally pay for it again. I loved it that much.
The only way I can discern that Merida and Benedict’s story had anything to do with Virtue Falls is that Merida moved there for some reason. Kateri asked her during a conversation, but Merida never answered. I think we’re supposed to believe she moved there because she knew that Kateri, a friend from childhood, lived there and wanted to reconnect with her—which isn’t complete horse doo-doo, but as I said above, it’s a thin thread. If Merida didn’t move there because of Kateri, then I’ve got no idea.
Aside from the childhood friend connection, the only way Merida’s plot impacted the other one, which revolved around Kateri, was that Kateri had to deal with the crime Merida brought with her, when Kateri already had to deal with enough crap to fill a separate full-length novel. And that leads me to—
The second main storyline—the one that took the lion’s share of the book, I’d guestimate 60-70%. It began in the first book of the Virtue Falls series and has continued throughout, which makes me wonder why on earth Kateri has never headlined. The titles and synopses always focus on the other plot. Kateri’s a very strong character, she could have handled the heavy lifting. Anyway, her storyline picks up pretty much where it left off in Because I’m Watching, less than a week after she was elected sheriff and a meth-cooker named Terrance began leading the cops in a not-so-merry chase. She’s a busy lady, juggling five or six subplots, by my count.
I feel that most of the book’s shortcomings stem from the overabundance of plots. Kateri’s step-sister Lilith was rather an over-the-top caricature of a selfish, shallow society princess. Stag Denali, Kateri’s purported criminal boyfriend, was just kind of there. He had the potential to be a great romantic hero if given the opportunity to shine, but there wasn’t time to cast the spotlight on him, and he was as much a mystery at the end as he was at the beginning. We never found out what the deal was with Phoebe Glass and her son Evan. We never see the fall of the Howards’ corporation or how that all turned out. Did that nasty waitress Linda ever get kicked to the curb? And while some readers might like how Benedict and Merida disappeared into the fog, I needed closure. It was cool to imagine, but an epilogue would have been nice.
Overall, Dodd is a masterful writer…but as a storyteller, she needs to give her attention to one story at a time. Please.
