Book Description
LIFE LAST SEEN
When you’ve already died, there should be nothing left to fear… When Adam Ramsdell pulls Elle’s half-frozen body from the surf on a lonely California beach, she has no memory of what her full name is and how she got those bruises ringing her throat.
GIRL LAST SEEN
Elle finds refuge in Adam’s home on the edge of Gothic, a remote village located between the steep lonely mountains and the raging Pacific Ocean. As flashes of her memory return, Elle faces a terrible truth—buried in her mind lurks a secret so dark it could get her killed.
POINT LAST SEEN
Everyone in Gothic seems to hide a dark past. Even Adam knows more than he will admit. Until Elle can unravel the truth, she doesn’t know who to trust, when to run and who else might be hurt when the killer who stalks her nightmares appears to finish what he started…
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Elise’s Thoughts
Point Last Seen by Christina Dodd blends mystery, action, with a tinge of romance. With her descriptive words she takes readers to the setting of Gothic, off the Big Sur coast. This first in a new series has well developed characters and an intense plot where the setting plays a major role since everyone there has a dark past.
Readers meet Adam Ramsdell, a town recluse by his own choosing. He likes to keep to himself until one of the town’s residents needs help. One of the occupants, Madam Rune, a fortune teller, alerts him that he will find “a lost soul coming to challenge his being.” While at the ocean he finds a body wrapped in plastic. As he carries her over his shoulder Elle starts breathing. Realizing she is not dead he takes her to his place for refuge since she is badly bruised, and it appears she was strangled. Unfortunately, she cannot remember any details of what happened to her. In the meantime, she grows close to Adam and makes friends with other townspeople forcing Adam to come out of his shell. As her memory slowly comes back with the help of Adam and Madam Rune, they all realize how much danger Elle is in.
Fans of Dodd will not be disappointed. She combines into the story twists, emotions, and an edginess that will keep readers turning the pages.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Will this be a series?
Christina Dodd: This is the first book set in Gothic. The setting will be the series, not the characters.
EC: The idea for the story?
CD: I was writing a book set on a cruise line and then Covid hit. Because they were shut down, I realized I was in deep trouble. Then I had an idea about a woman rolling up on the beach unconscious. After she awakes, she cannot remember where she is from. I think this idea came to me because I was working with the ocean and the cruise lines. It was written while I was in Covid isolation.
EC: What was the role of the Gothic setting?
CD: It was a character. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and was captivated the first time I went up to Big Sur. This spring my husband and I drove up the coast. I thought how Big Sur seems to be immune to civilization because I wanted a place where people could disappear, and lost souls could come there.
EC: What role did the ocean play?
CD: It creates everything and is very dominant, controlling all the weather. It is so primal and creates atmosphere for the story. One of my earliest memories is standing on a beach and my great aunt said, ‘don’t ever turn your back on the ocean.’ It can be scary and glorious. There are storms, frothy and frosty waves crashing against the rocky cliffs, with different colors, and the great sea breeze. The ocean plays with fate since it brought Adam and Elle together.
EC: How would you describe Elle?
CD: Brilliant but trusted the wrong person. Briefly traumatized. A strong sense of self. She can be resilient, smug, and witty.
EC: How would you describe Adam?
CD: A loner, tragically wounded. I think this is Adam’s story. He has good instincts, very cautious and alert. Protective, stoic, and compassionate. He is grieving and feels guilty.
EC: What about the relationship?
CD: She is Adam’s salvation. Elle makes him interact with people. He ends up terribly invested in her. In the beginning, she is more open to having a relationship than him. He is afraid anyone he cares about will die.
EC: What about the bad guy Penderghast?
CD: He is a bully who enjoys seizing power. His scientific vessel that he financed was a great thing to do. But his personality of being arrogant, cruel, and self-centered overshadows that.
EC: Next book?
CD: It is set in Gothic and titled Forget What You Know, coming out in March of next year. The plot has a car pulled out of a lake with a dead body shot in the head and a precious statue in the back seat. The heroine is a flower breeder, the heir to this statue.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
