Because I'm Watching

June 13, 2016
In Dodd’s intriguing third Virtue Falls contemporary romance (after Obsession Falls), traumatized and disreputable Madeline Hewitson is the author of bestselling thrillers—but they are published under a pseudonym, and her brother, Andrew, is the public face of the author. Maddie’s fear-driven inspiration began when she was the sole survivor of a mass killing while she was a college student; later, two years before her move to Virtue Falls, Wash., she was cleared of suspicion in the unsolved murder of her lover, Easton. Text messages interspersed throughout the narrative reveal that someone is committed to keeping her “afraid, insane, malleable.” Military veteran Jacob Denisov endeavors to make his home across the street from Maddie’s into a refuge from the torment of events he and his team suffered in North Korea; when an exhausted Maddie accidentally drives into his front wall, she smashes through his literal and emotional barricades. An engaging cast of Virtue Falls locals adds depth and multiple subplots as the mysteries around Maddie reach unsatisfactory resolutions. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Endeavor.

Starred review from July 1, 2016
Jacob Denisov has shut himself away in his Virtue Falls home, waiting for the day he finds the courage to kill himself, until his neighbor drives her car through his house, forcing him into the light and into solving the mystery of "Mad Maddie."After suffering through horrific events in Korea, former Military Police veteran Jacob is haunted by his experience and has secluded himself from everything and everyone in his life, sitting in the dark, not eating or drinking--until the day his neighbor drives her Subaru through the front of his house. Maddie Hewitson has endured her own trauma, having survived the massacre of her roommates in college and then, more recently, the murder of her fiance. Everyone in the neighborhood thinks she's crazy, and her penchant for calling the police for no reason doesn't help. Jacob's first reaction to his demolished home is to retreat, frustrated to have to deal with people. But as workers start repairs, he is drawn out of his isolation, slowly getting to know his neighbors and becoming intrigued by bright, sexy Maddie, who's drawing him out of his shell and forcing him to face his emotional wounds. Except when she seems completely wigged out by her own. Something isn't right in Maddie's world, but the more he peeks into it, the more dangerous their neighborhood becomes, and the clock is ticking on Jacob's figuring out whether Maddie is the villain or the victim. Romantic suspense favorite Dodd (Obsession Falls, 2015, etc.) heads back to Virtue Falls for another smart, dramatic mystery that will keep readers flipping pages until the very end, with unexpected twists, psychological tension, and emotional depth. The traumatic back stories of the main characters set up a trail of believable misdirection and heart-stirring romance, while secondary characters add dimension and continuity to the vivid and entertaining world of this compelling series. Another Virtue Falls winner.

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Starred review from August 1, 2016
Madeline Hewitson knows everyone in Virtue Falls calls her Mad Maddie, but she knows she isn't crazy. Someone is watching her. Someone is moving things around in her house. And someone is leaving behind clues that indicate that they know what her deepest fears are. That is why Maddie has to be constantly on guard. Lack of sleep, therefore, explains why she drives her car through the front of Jacob Denisov's home, turning her neighbor's living room into her new garage. When Maddie sees, however, the way U.S. Army veteran Jacob, a hero haunted by guilt, lives, she begins to think he is the one resident of Virtue Falls who really should be called crazy. Dodd continues her flawless pivoting from romance to suspense with the third book (following Obsession Falls, 2015) in her riveting series set in the small Washington town of Virtue Falls. The tautly written novel's plot proves that Dodd knows exactly how to keep readers' nerves jangling; at the same time, her irresistibly dry wit helps lighten some of the darker twists and turns. Scary, sexy, and smartly written, Because I'm Watching is Dodd at the top of her game.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2016

Surviving the dorm massacre of her friends and later the accusation that she'd killed her fiance, horror writer and artist Madeline Hewitson has fled to Virtue Falls, WA, but is still haunted by guilt and a stalker no one else can see. Jacob Denisov is a war hero suffering from survivor's guilt and PTSD. He is waiting for the courage to end it all when Maddie accidentally drives her car into his house and turns everything upside down for them both. Returning series characters (Sheriff Kateri Kwinault is a favorite) add continuity and insight to a twisted plot that will keep fans on edge, if not in doubt of the villain's identity, for the duration. VERDICT Two emotionally damaged characters find hope, self-forgiveness, and love in this exquisitely crafted, modern version of Gaslight that hooks readers and keeps them mesmerized until the end. A chilling and gripping tale, beautifully done. Dodd (Obsession Falls) lives in Washington State.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016

Madeline Hewitson isn't called Mad Maddie for nothing. She's survived a college dorm massacre and the murder of a lover (of which she has been accused), and she claims to be stalked by a killer only she can see. She also manages to drive her car straight through the front wall of the shuttered house where veteran Jacob Denisov sits, contemplating suicide. Jacob identifies with Maddie's craziness--and begins to suspect that she's trapped in someone's sticky web.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2016

Surviving the dorm massacre of her friends and later the accusation that she'd killed her fiance, horror writer and artist Madeline Hewitson has fled to Virtue Falls, WA, but is still haunted by guilt and a stalker no one else can see. Jacob Denisov is a war hero suffering from survivor's guilt and PTSD. He is waiting for the courage to end it all when Maddie accidentally drives her car into his house and turns everything upside down for them both. Returning series characters (Sheriff Kateri Kwinault is a favorite) add continuity and insight to a twisted plot that will keep fans on edge, if not in doubt of the villain's identity, for the duration. VERDICT Two emotionally damaged characters find hope, self-forgiveness, and love in this exquisitely crafted, modern version of Gaslight that hooks readers and keeps them mesmerized until the end. A chilling and gripping tale, beautifully done. Dodd (Obsession Falls) lives in Washington State.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.