Wrong Alibi

When Wrong Alibi starts I feel like I am in a Stephen King novel and Alaska feels all too real and freakin' scary. I had just finished the prequel, Right Motive, of Christina Dodd's new series “Murder in Alaska” when I started this book. Dodd definitely creates a mood and a red herring (laugh). I was sucked into the storm immediately and could not put the book down.

You do not have to read the prequel first to understand Wrong Alibi. They are both standalone stories. Matter of fact reading the prequel gave me preconceptions for Wrong Alibi so I spent two-thirds of the book waiting for a connection to the first book when there is none. The Chief of Police is the same person at the end of the story, but he is barely in it. Thinking that these two stories were connected kept my mind off of the full story of the book.

Throw your concept of time away when you are reading Wrong Alibi. Our heroine Evie has a lot happen to her in her young life and it happens hard and fast. (Don't be like me and flip through pages to make sure your timeline is correct...just go with the flow. (laugh)) Evie is a fighter even when she does not want to be.

I think the relationships in the book confuse me the most. Ioana is like two different characters in the book. I am most confused by her and her relationship with Evie. She is very cold in the beginning of Evie's story. Ioana abandons her completely. Then when Evie shows up four years later it is with a completely different tune. It is like whiplash and Dodd's explanation just doesn't make sense to me. The same can almost be said for Evie's relationship with her sister.

Now the mystery is beyond good. It is diabolical and you get where the story is going in the book on the first drive. You just don't realize the full extent of the killer's agenda until it is too late...just like Evie. Gives me the creeps just remembering it.

I wish the later connections between Donald White and his future victim is explained better. Why them? Did he know? Did it satisfy the evil within? Was it deeper? So many questions.

There is a minor romantic storyline, but romance isn't the correct word. It is just sex, but somehow it ends up romantic a couple of chapters later. No buildup just an instant “I know this is going to be my person” connection. I think the later connection did not need to be added, it actually would have made more sense for Evie to end up with Hawley who stuck by her and helped her for eight years or even Jeen who made such a big impact on Evie's life.

Wrong Alibi is a mix of action, hold your breath moments, and drama. Evie's story is thrilling, horrifying, and enthralling. Dodd creates a memorable background for Evie. Evie is Wrong Alibi and she is a survivor. A heroine to root for and to read. Check out the vastness of Alaska and the killer's impact in Wrong Alibi.

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.