In this atmospheric romantic thriller from bestseller Dodd (Wrong Alibi), the city of Gothic, perched on California's stormy Big Sur, is known as a refuge for "lost souls," one of whom is recluse Adam Ramsdell, who turns metal refuse from the sea into razor-edged sculptures that gesture toward his painful secrets and tragic childhood. One day, contemplating suicide, Adam walks along the beach, where he finds a young, beautiful woman in the waves. Bruised and battered, she appears dead, but he revives her, only to find that she suffers from amnesia, able to recall only part of her name--Elle. In the intense days that follow, Adam protects her and helps her recover, and Elle encourages him to speak of the memories that torment him. But their newfound passion is threatened by a sniper's gunshot and suspicious accidents. Elle's memory holds the clue to preventing further tragedy, if only she and Adam can unlock it quickly enough. Local color and humor are provided by secondary characters, including an insightful fortune teller, a troubled teen, and a group of amateur women sleuths known as the Shivering Sherlocks. Dodd's many fans are sure to be satisfied. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)

Adam Ramsdell has retrieved a number of different things from the Pacific Ocean, but this is the first time he finds himself dragging a woman's dead body out of the water. However, it quickly turns out that the woman in question only seems to be dead. Once revived, she has absolutely no memory of anything except that her first name might be Elle, and she is certain someone tried to kill her. When it comes to nerve-shredding, edge-of-your-seat suspense, Dodd (Wrong Alibi, 2020) consistently delivers the goods, and her latest, the first in a new series set in the small Northern California beach town of Gothic, is no exception. Graced with a gutsy yet realistically vulnerable heroine and a hero with a tortured past, it is also enhanced with a cast of ingeniously quirky supporting characters that includes a Hollywood psychiatrist turned psychic and a lifestyle doyenne who could give Martha Stewart lessons in branding. Punctuated with delicious bursts of Dodd's diabolical wit, Point Last Seen is a gobsmackingly great read.