Wrong Alibi (Alaska Wilderness Book 1)

Christina Dodd

HQN Pub

Dec 29^th, 2020

Mystery/Thriller

Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd is a thrilling new mystery that is hopefully the first in the Alaska Wilderness series. Per usual, Dodd’s books have a strong, bold, and brash female protagonist with a riveting murder. The themes of revenge, retribution, family, and second chances make for a great read.

The story begins with eighteen-year-old Evelyn (Evie) Jones landing a job in a small isolated Alaskan town. After discovering the bodies of a mother and son as well as a teddy bear that seems to communicate a desire for justice, Evie decides to call the police.  But her boss, Donald White, disappears and she is accused of murder and embezzlement, despite claims of innocence.  Wrongly convicted, she seems to get a second chance when the bus taking her to prison crashes, enabling her to escape, with the assumption she is dead.

“I wrote her as a seeker of justice that has a lot of personal growth.  I think she was a lot like me at the age of eighteen.  There was this belief people are always good, always wanting justice, and believe in the system.  When she was falsely accused, she became lonely with a feeling of hopelessness. After what she went through, I wanted to show people that there is the possibility that they can overcome and come out on the other side, gaining strength and becoming a survivor.”

Working under an alias for a wilderness camp, she is now known as Petie. Working closely with her boss, she learns how to make successful investments for both of them, and to search the internet for clues that will lead to her innocence. In working at the resort, Petie has met many interesting guests, including a businesswoman, Jean Lee, who commands respect and exudes power, not a woman to be trifled with. After Petie helps the woman find her lost son, they become friends and allies.

Fast-forward about ten years, still bent on justice, and intent on recovering her life, she searches for the serial killer who framed her. After seeing that White has returned, dating her mother, Evie knows it is time to emerge from hiding and put the real killer behind bars. 

The setting plays a major role in the story with the barrenness of the Alaskan landscape, the rugged weather, and the danger of the wild animals. “I wanted to write a fugitive story from a female’s point of view.  There are not many places someone could hide out.  Living in Washington state, I can see from my front door this marvelous setting.  I have here a smudge of what Alaska is like during the winter, always raining and we get less than eight hours of sunlight. The setting was almost like a character, big, diverse, and extreme. I even dedicated to the book to Lillian. When I was a child, our next-door neighbor moved to Alaska.  She gave mementos to my mother and myself.  Two years ago, she died, at 104 years old.  I wanted to write a book about Alaska where she and her husband made a second life after moving there.”

This story has an exciting and tense adventure.  There are so many twists and turns readers’ heads will be spinning and will put them on the edge of their seats. Anyone looking for a gripping mystery should read this novel.

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