Stevie‘s review of What Doesn’t Kill Her (Cape Charade, Book 2) by Christina Dodd
Contemporary Suspense published by HQN Books 29 Jan 19
Kellen Adams is a fascinating character, and the more we follow her adventures in the Cape Charade series, the more intriguing she becomes. Having decided to play a major role in the upbringing of the seven-year-old daughter she only just met, Kellen is staying at one of the wineries owned by her daughter’s wealthy father and his family. And when we first meet Kellen this time around, she’s crawling through the undergrowth close to one of the winery buildings.
At this point we don’t know what Kellen is up to – and we won’t for some time – but her plan is abruptly altered when she is hit by a tile falling from the building’s roof. Ignoring the part where a piece of tile has lodged itself in the flesh of her hip, Kellen’s first thought is to investigate why roof tiles are landing on her. She doesn’t have to look far. One of the winery’s more annoying paying visitors has somehow got himself stuck on the roof and seemingly dislodged the tile in his attempts to get down. Having put in a call for assistance, Kellen decides help is going to take too long to arrive and sets out to rescue the man herself. Although this leads to further injuries to both rescuer and rescued, no one actually dies, which counts as a plus for Kellen and further convinces her daughter that Mommy is a superhero and a person to be emulated. Naturally, this does not go down well with either her parents or her paternal grandmother.
While still recuperating, Kellen is contacted by that persistent annoyance from her previous adventure: Nils Brooks of Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives. He has a small security job for her and won’t take no for an answer, no matter what Kellen or her daughter’s family have to say about it. Brooks wants Kellen to accompany a recently retrieved artifact to a reclusive expert for verification, and makes out that this is a simple, not at all dangerous mission. Reluctantly, Kellen agrees to work for Brooks once again.
Of course, nothing is ever as simple as employees of secretive government agencies work out, and soon Kellen finds herself stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people following her, who all plan to kill her, steal the artifact, or both. To make matters worse, Kellen’s daughter has stowed away in the vehicle in which Kellen was a passenger, and now she’s in danger too. Kellen’s only option is to hike through the woods with her daughter and the artifact until they find either a Ranger Station or the home of the recluse she was supposed to be meeting.
Meanwhile, Max, the father of Kellen’s daughter – still very much in love with Kellen – realises that something has gone badly wrong and sets out to provide assistance or rescue as necessary.
This book had a lot of twists and turns, and I felt at times that there could have been enough action for at least two books. I was also a little disappointed at the reveal of the identity and motives of the big bad. On the other hand, I really liked the cliffhanger that this book ended on, which isn’t always the case for me when plot threads are left unresolved, and I’m greatly looking forward to the next book in the series.
Grade: B
Summary:
One secret, one nightmare, one lie. You guess which is which.
1. I have the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.
2. I have willfully misrepresented my identity to the US military.
3. I’m the new mother of a seven-year-old girl.Kellen Adams suffers from a yearlong gap in her memory. A bullet to the brain will cause that. But she’s discovering the truth, and what she learns changes her life, her confidence, her very self. She finds herself in the wilderness, on the run, unprepared, her enemies unknown–and she is carrying a priceless burden she must protect at all costs. The consequences of failure would break her. And Kellen Adams does not break.
What doesn’t kill her… had better start running.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
