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Virtue Falls
(Virtue Falls #1)
by
Twenty-three years ago, in the isolated coastal town of Virtue Falls, Washington, four-year-old Elizabeth Banner witnessed her mother's brutal murder. Elizabeth's father was convicted of killing Misty and sentenced to prison. Elizabeth grew from a solitary child to a beautiful woman with a cool scientific mind and an instinctive distrust of love.
Now Elizabeth is back in V ...more
Now Elizabeth is back in V ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, 524 pages
Published
June 30th 2015
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published September 1st 2014)
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Judy
There are 93 chapters so you are definitely missing a big chunk of the book.
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Start your review of Virtue Falls (Virtue Falls #1)
Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd is a 2014 St. Martin’s Press publication.
Suspenseful, fast paced with a unique premise.
Elizabeth Banner, an expert geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls, Washington to continue with her father’s work.
But, her return has sent shockwaves into the community, because when Elizabeth was four years old, her father, Charles, killed her mother, Misty, after he discovered she had been unfaithful. Riddled with Alzheimer’s and housed in a special facility now, Elizabeth ...more
Suspenseful, fast paced with a unique premise.
Elizabeth Banner, an expert geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls, Washington to continue with her father’s work.
But, her return has sent shockwaves into the community, because when Elizabeth was four years old, her father, Charles, killed her mother, Misty, after he discovered she had been unfaithful. Riddled with Alzheimer’s and housed in a special facility now, Elizabeth ...more
4.5 stars!!
I’m a big fan of this author’s historical romances so I thought to try out one of her contemporary works, especially since this one was a romantic suspense/mystery and I’m a huge sucker for those. Aside from her writing style, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book in particular, but let me just say that you won’t be worrying about your expectations once you start reading – the story will grab your attention from the start and though there may be a few times where there are t ...more
I’m a big fan of this author’s historical romances so I thought to try out one of her contemporary works, especially since this one was a romantic suspense/mystery and I’m a huge sucker for those. Aside from her writing style, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book in particular, but let me just say that you won’t be worrying about your expectations once you start reading – the story will grab your attention from the start and though there may be a few times where there are t ...more
The start of Christina Dodd’s new romantic suspense series, Virtue Falls was enjoyable but not exactly a winner.
Geologist Elizabeth Banner returns to her hometown of Virtue Falls, Wash, a place she hasn’t been to for 23 years after the terrible murder of her mother that she had witnessed when she was a small child. Her father had been convicted for the crime and has been paroled and returned home as well.
When an earthquake hits the area, she finds herself isolated and she begins to spend time wi ...more
Geologist Elizabeth Banner returns to her hometown of Virtue Falls, Wash, a place she hasn’t been to for 23 years after the terrible murder of her mother that she had witnessed when she was a small child. Her father had been convicted for the crime and has been paroled and returned home as well.
When an earthquake hits the area, she finds herself isolated and she begins to spend time wi ...more
I started reading this and thought O crap, I'm bored all ready. I hate dnfin a book so I trudged onward. I am so glad I stuck with it. I questioned myself over and over again whether I knew who the murderer was. I went back and forth between the characters until the very end. This book was so much more than I expected. Kudos to me for sticking to it or I would have missed out on a great story!
...more
Whew. I'm not sure how this book ended up in my pile from the library, but I read it to the end, mainly from a growing sense of "is this book really this bad? surely this is just a bad section!". I like mysteries and somehow missed the fact that this is a mercifully hitherto unknown to me genre of "romance mystery". Painfully awful book. The lead female character alternates between speaking like Spock (to show that she's a "logical scientist") and a sex kitten (if her *man* is around/she's ready
...more
An author whose work I have wanting to read for a very long time. I love the romantic suspense genre and this rightly fills the bill. Elizabeth is a geologist who is socially inept and brutally honest to a fault. Garik is her ex husband who has been suspended from FBI. By adding a serial killer to the murder mystery of Elizabeth's mother, the whole plot took an unexpected turn. Of course there are quite a lot of clues to keep the reader entertained and have to say I was thoroughly engrossed even
...more
Jul 09, 2016
The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audible
Link to full review below! Really enjoyable! Lots of red herrings to keep you guessing and a second chance romance between 2 really complex characters! This review was originally posted on The Book Disciple
...more
My first Christina Dodd novel and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! It was a little bit slow getting started but picked up quickly! Good mystery that really kept you guessing until the very end! Looking forward to the next in the series!
Aug 17, 2014
Judy D Collins
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2014-releases,
books-read-in-2014,
suspense,
crime,
family-drama,
mystery,
netgalley-arc,
thriller,
contemporary,
entertaining
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Christina Dodd’s VIRTUE FALLS (Virtue Falls #1), is a powerful new series which will blow you away! WOW factor, with a capital W! If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, crime thrillers, and romance – all rolled into one, you will be guaranteed an engaging and satisfying ride!
Prior to reading the ARC, I read the novella, THE LISTENER (0.5 Falls Series) July, 2014, a prequel to VIRTUE FALLS ...more
Christina Dodd’s VIRTUE FALLS (Virtue Falls #1), is a powerful new series which will blow you away! WOW factor, with a capital W! If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, crime thrillers, and romance – all rolled into one, you will be guaranteed an engaging and satisfying ride!
Prior to reading the ARC, I read the novella, THE LISTENER (0.5 Falls Series) July, 2014, a prequel to VIRTUE FALLS ...more
Disclaimer: Christina Dodd and I are in a plot group together, so I knew what was going to happen before I sat down to read VIRTUE FALLS. Nevertheless, she drew me in from page one with a deliciously creepy serial killer and a pair of thrill-ride natural disasters. Great characterization--I want to be Margaret when I grow up--and simply wonderful chemistry between the hero and heroine. As someone who reads across genres, I found the balance between mystery, suspense, and romance just right. In V ...more
Jul 30, 2014
Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Christina Dodd fans, contemporary/romantic suspense fans
I loved this book for the chemistry and obvious love between Elizabeth and Garik. Garik is eminently lickable. The mystery wasn't quite as well plotted, but it was still good. I liked the small-town atmosphere of Virtue Falls.
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com. ...more
Overall rating: 4.5/5.0 stars.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine in the September 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com. ...more
Oct 18, 2015
CD {Boulder Blvd}
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romantic-suspense,
s-bv-library
Notes to Self (in hopes of writing a review):
My 1st Christina Dodd book. 3.5 Star.
I really liked the main plot and story line of this book. Although there were times the story seemed to drag and I could put the book down, though for most of the book I was pulled in.
My favorite character was Margaret, Garik's foster parent. She's extremely well developed and could carry a book on her own. She's 91, spunky but still given some frailties of old age that makes her real. You can see the real affecti ...more
My 1st Christina Dodd book. 3.5 Star.
I really liked the main plot and story line of this book. Although there were times the story seemed to drag and I could put the book down, though for most of the book I was pulled in.
My favorite character was Margaret, Garik's foster parent. She's extremely well developed and could carry a book on her own. She's 91, spunky but still given some frailties of old age that makes her real. You can see the real affecti ...more
Aug 29, 2015
Jane Stewart
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romantic-suspense
A good story. I enjoyed it all the way through. Good character development.
It reminded me of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense but with better romance. And the ending was good.
BUT I had a problem with three instances of stupidity. I was willing to go with it, but I was shaking my head. This might have been 5 stars without the stupidity - see Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS - Stupidity: (view spoiler) ...more
It reminded me of a Sandra Brown romantic suspense but with better romance. And the ending was good.
BUT I had a problem with three instances of stupidity. I was willing to go with it, but I was shaking my head. This might have been 5 stars without the stupidity - see Spoilers below.
CAUTION SPOILERS - Stupidity: (view spoiler) ...more
This was highly rated by one of my Goodreads friends with similar taste and I'm a sucker for lighthouses so I decided to give it a go. (*Note: Sadly, no lighthouses are featured in this book).
Virtue Falls is about Elisabeth Banner, who returns to the Washington town to further her career as a geologist. Virtue Falls is also her birthplace, and the location where her father, Charles, purportedly murdered her mother with a pair of scissors. Charles has since been released from prison and is mold ...more
Virtue Falls is about Elisabeth Banner, who returns to the Washington town to further her career as a geologist. Virtue Falls is also her birthplace, and the location where her father, Charles, purportedly murdered her mother with a pair of scissors. Charles has since been released from prison and is mold ...more
This is Christina Dodd's fiftieth novel and my first look at her writing.
There is a lot to like in this novel. Geologist Elizabeth Banner is back in Virtue Falls, her hometown and the site of her mother Misty's murder. She was the girl who witnessed her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors, or so the legend goes.
We are introduced to a town full of characters who have known Elizabeth since she was young and all have opinions about the young geologist. One of my problems with this novel ...more
There is a lot to like in this novel. Geologist Elizabeth Banner is back in Virtue Falls, her hometown and the site of her mother Misty's murder. She was the girl who witnessed her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors, or so the legend goes.
We are introduced to a town full of characters who have known Elizabeth since she was young and all have opinions about the young geologist. One of my problems with this novel ...more
Romantic Suspense / Mystery / Contemporary
Series: The Virtue Falls Series (Book 1)
Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, in the isolated coastal town, where she witnessed her mother's brutal murder 23 years ago. Elizabeth is now a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by guilt of his own past. Nor can it help her deal with her fath ...more
Series: The Virtue Falls Series (Book 1)
Elizabeth is back in Virtue Falls, in the isolated coastal town, where she witnessed her mother's brutal murder 23 years ago. Elizabeth is now a geologist like her father, her life guided by logic and facts. But nothing can help her through the emotional chaos that follows the return of her ex-husband, Garik, an FBI agent on probation and tortured by guilt of his own past. Nor can it help her deal with her fath ...more
Virtue Falls was a very enjoyable romantic suspense. I loved the main characters, Elizabeth and Garik, who were formerly married to one another. They both carried a great deal of baggage, but were very likable. Elizabeth's career as a geologist was a great aspect to the story, and I loved her intelligence. Garik was a very protective FBI agent who harbored a great deal of guilt over the incident that left his career in tatters.
The story had some great supporting characters, namely Garik's foster ...more
The story had some great supporting characters, namely Garik's foster ...more
Sep 10, 2014
Anita
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sandra Brown Fans
Shelves:
romantic-supense,
library-public
I loved Christina Dodd's Fortune Hunter series. I'm not a fan of the paranormal stuff. I love Virtue Falls, it is a real good romantic suspense. My kind of book. It is right up there with the best of Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts. Sweet romance and a suspense that keeps you off balance right to the end.
Elizabeth Banner, a very analytical geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls to work on a geology project started by her father 26 years ago. She has also returned to being the object of the town' ...more
Elizabeth Banner, a very analytical geologist, has returned to Virtue Falls to work on a geology project started by her father 26 years ago. She has also returned to being the object of the town' ...more
This book took me FOREVER to finish, it was like a bad Lifetime movie!!
The story is well written… with emphasis on character development – most characters are potential murderers though… and the author weaves the elements of character, location, trauma, forgiveness, justice with precision, interest, creativity, word crafting expertise.
Setting:
Virtue Falls, Washington – part of the Pacific Rim of Fire – Ocean View Café, Virtue Falls Resort, Honor Mountain Care Facility, Virtue Falls Canyon, abandoned house on cliff, coroner’s office / evidence room, coast guard sta ...more
Setting:
Virtue Falls, Washington – part of the Pacific Rim of Fire – Ocean View Café, Virtue Falls Resort, Honor Mountain Care Facility, Virtue Falls Canyon, abandoned house on cliff, coroner’s office / evidence room, coast guard sta ...more
Aug 26, 2014
Pj Ausdenmore
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2014,
suspense-thriller
She's the woman who, as a young girl, watched her father kill her mother with a pair of scissors. He's a man who has never come to terms with his tortured childhood. They used to be married, are now divorced and probably still love each other.
Elizabeth Banner, a brilliant geologist, has come back to Virtue Falls for the first time since her mother's murder 23 years earlier to continue her father's study of the geologically rich coastal area of Washington and to confront the man who brutally murd ...more
Elizabeth Banner, a brilliant geologist, has come back to Virtue Falls for the first time since her mother's murder 23 years earlier to continue her father's study of the geologically rich coastal area of Washington and to confront the man who brutally murd ...more
I did read the Novella, The Listener, prior to reading Virtue Falls and must admit that it was a great little teaser to get you started and interested in Virtue Falls (stay tuned for a review of The Listener). I do have to admit that the length of this book is what kept me from jumping right to it, as I can get pre-book jitters, especially if it's a long title!
I felt that there were great, solid characters in this book, but I did feel like the story was a little more drawn out than it had to be. ...more
I felt that there were great, solid characters in this book, but I did feel like the story was a little more drawn out than it had to be. ...more
Dec 05, 2014
Gerry Bartlett
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
contemporary
Ignore the insipid title. This is a good mystery by the ever entertaining Christina Dodd. A little girl witnesses her mother's murder but doesn't remember it and her father is convicted of the grisly murder. Now, 23 years later, the girl is a woman and returns to the town of Virtue Falls an accomplished geologist. When an earthquake shakes the town and a tsunami follows, the town is cut off from the rest of the state. A body is found and there are clues that hint that the woman's father might no
...more
It is not often I find novels depicting a location in my home Washington State. This one, set on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, captures the concern of all us on the west side of the Cascades. Some day the big earthquake will hit. Living on an island in the Salish Sea, the depiction of a tsunami was impressive.
I like Dodd's writing style. The novel flows well, has good character development and an interesting mystery in the plot. The only thing I didn't like about the novel was the toke ...more
I like Dodd's writing style. The novel flows well, has good character development and an interesting mystery in the plot. The only thing I didn't like about the novel was the toke ...more
Won this book as an advance copy. It is a longer than normal book but worth reading. It started out a little slow for me but once I became absorbed in the characters I had a very hard time putting it down. Virtue Falls is one of those places where I think anyone could picture themselves living...it has the same issues as any small town in America. It is a great return to non-paranormal romance with well written dialogue between characters and just enough suspense thrown in. Christina Dodd has me
...more
Virtue Falls
This one hit all the right notes for me. There was romance, to be sure, but it was secondary to everything else, and that was just right.
Mystery, suspense, found family, family found again, communities coming together, love that lasts beyond the grave, and several women who were wounded and yet came back stronger than before.
Definitely deserving of the five stars.
This one hit all the right notes for me. There was romance, to be sure, but it was secondary to everything else, and that was just right.
Mystery, suspense, found family, family found again, communities coming together, love that lasts beyond the grave, and several women who were wounded and yet came back stronger than before.
Definitely deserving of the five stars.
Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
I FREAKIN LOVE Christina Dodd!!
Christina is one of those authors whom I have grown with. Each stage of her writing was perfect for me at that time. Now, she is an author I don't miss a chance to read. Each book is a promise.. and Virtue Falls exceeds any promise made before...
The intriguing thing about Virtue Falls is that it has a similar (and I mean vaguely, sort of like, kinda) plot to one of my least favorite Nora Roberts book ...more
I FREAKIN LOVE Christina Dodd!!
Christina is one of those authors whom I have grown with. Each stage of her writing was perfect for me at that time. Now, she is an author I don't miss a chance to read. Each book is a promise.. and Virtue Falls exceeds any promise made before...
The intriguing thing about Virtue Falls is that it has a similar (and I mean vaguely, sort of like, kinda) plot to one of my least favorite Nora Roberts book ...more
Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd should appeal to mystery fans, as well as fans of small town fiction. I was engaged right from chapter one, which gives you chills. We're introduced to a serial killer, who goes as far as killing children. The serial killer seems to be connected to a horrible crime decades earlier in Virtue Falls, Washington. We then visit Virtue Falls, and Elizabeth whose mother was beaten and slashed with scissors by her father who was put away in prison for the crime and now suf
...more
Elizabeth is a geologist following in her father's footsteps and now helping on a project that he started many years before. 23 years prior to when Elizabeth decided to move back to Virtue Falls and work on her father's project, her father was convicted of killing her mother with scissors. Her father is now battling Alzheimer's and making Elizabeth wonder if what he says is true or not. Shortly after the start of the book, the town of Virtue Falls is hit with a massive earthquake and a tsunami f
...more
Virtue Falls
By: Christina Dodd
Pages 437. St. Martin’s Press 2014 / Suspense
Copy Courtesy of The Reading Room
Reviewed by: tk
Elizabeth Banner is a 29 year old geologist coming back home to Virtue Falls to face her past, and move forward to her future. Her father, a brilliant geologist, is suffering from Alzheimer’s in a long term care facility. Elizabeth wants to know what her father remembers from that time her mother, Misty was murdered. At the age of three, she was a witness, she cant remember ...more
By: Christina Dodd
Pages 437. St. Martin’s Press 2014 / Suspense
Copy Courtesy of The Reading Room
Reviewed by: tk
Elizabeth Banner is a 29 year old geologist coming back home to Virtue Falls to face her past, and move forward to her future. Her father, a brilliant geologist, is suffering from Alzheimer’s in a long term care facility. Elizabeth wants to know what her father remembers from that time her mother, Misty was murdered. At the age of three, she was a witness, she cant remember ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Distri...: February 2018 Discussion: "Virtue Falls" | 5 | 12 | Feb 21, 2018 11:53AM | |
| Reading Group Gold: Virtue Falls- Christina Dodd Discussion Questions | 14 | 5 | Jun 10, 2016 11:13AM | |
| Sisterhood of the...: October 2014:Virtue Falls by Christina Dodd | 31 | 24 | Nov 07, 2014 10:51AM |
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