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Cape Charade #0.5
Hard to Kill
When Captain Kellen Adams receives a job offer that sounds too good to be true, she finds herself balanced between fascination and fear. All she has to do is break a code and find a long-lost fortune…or die trying.
New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off her Cape Charade suspense series with Hard to Kill, a short story of treasure, treachery…and murder.
New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off her Cape Charade suspense series with Hard to Kill, a short story of treasure, treachery…and murder.
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2018
280 people are currently reading
871 people want to read
About the author
Christina Dodd
100 books5,909 followersUpcoming:
— 6/30/26 TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN: Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
New and Now!
—MUCH ADO ABOUT MISTLETOE: Daughter of Montague Christmas novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction Trade Paperback Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
— WELCOME TO GOTHIC: A Gothic novella in ebook (at last!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— GIRL ANONYMOUS “Crackling sexual chemistry and a few love scenes guaranteed to scorch readers’ fingers as they turn the pages." — ⭐️ Booklist
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.
(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )
— 6/30/26 TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN: Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #3 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
New and Now!
—MUCH ADO ABOUT MISTLETOE: Daughter of Montague Christmas novella https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— THUS WITH A KISS I DIE Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction #2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction Trade Paperback Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
— WELCOME TO GOTHIC: A Gothic novella in ebook (at last!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— WHAT DREAMS MAY COME Daughter of Montague novella 1.5 "I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb…" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
— GIRL ANONYMOUS “Crackling sexual chemistry and a few love scenes guaranteed to scorch readers’ fingers as they turn the pages." — ⭐️ Booklist
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.
(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 26, 2018
Hard to Kill by Christina Dodd is a 2018 HQN publication.
This novella is a prequel to ‘Dead Girl Running’ and gives readers a few more in depth details about Kellen Adams before she takes the job at Yearning Sands Resort.
In this story we learn why and how Kellen’s career military plans were thwarted and chronicles her next mission in which she searches for treasure hidden in German caves.
Code-breaking and art forgeries are always fascinating, but there are some very dangerous aspects in Kellen’s mission. Will she outsmart her enemies and complete her mission in one piece?
I enjoyed learning more about Kellen’s background, her strong character, and the experiences she had while serving her country. This is a suspenseful short story, with a very clever twist that truly surprised me!!
I’m very excited about his series and was glad to have this short story to tide me over until the next full -length installment.
4 stars
This novella is a prequel to ‘Dead Girl Running’ and gives readers a few more in depth details about Kellen Adams before she takes the job at Yearning Sands Resort.
In this story we learn why and how Kellen’s career military plans were thwarted and chronicles her next mission in which she searches for treasure hidden in German caves.
Code-breaking and art forgeries are always fascinating, but there are some very dangerous aspects in Kellen’s mission. Will she outsmart her enemies and complete her mission in one piece?
I enjoyed learning more about Kellen’s background, her strong character, and the experiences she had while serving her country. This is a suspenseful short story, with a very clever twist that truly surprised me!!
I’m very excited about his series and was glad to have this short story to tide me over until the next full -length installment.
4 stars
December 27, 2023
4 Stars for Hard to Kill: Cape Charade, Book 0.5 (audiobook) Christina Dodd read by Vanessa Johansson.
Captain Kellen Adams’ life is turned upside down when she drives her Humvee over an IED. Her plan to make the military her career is over in one explosion. As Kellen is rehabbing she gets an offer that may be too good to be true. But it’s the perfect task to set her up for a life after the military.
Captain Kellen Adams’ life is turned upside down when she drives her Humvee over an IED. Her plan to make the military her career is over in one explosion. As Kellen is rehabbing she gets an offer that may be too good to be true. But it’s the perfect task to set her up for a life after the military.
October 23, 2018
This is a good short story and gave a nice intro into the Cape Charade series. I haven't read the series yet, but when I saw this prequel I thought it was a good place to start. I was surprised to read that this was actually released after the first book. I did think it was a good story and I will definitely be continuing to read this series.
August 20, 2018
Short but sweet
This book seemed more like the prologue to Dead Girl Running , showing insights to Kellen character but despite the brevity of the book it was a truly unique story.
This book seemed more like the prologue to Dead Girl Running , showing insights to Kellen character but despite the brevity of the book it was a truly unique story.
August 8, 2018
It is curious that Christina Dodd published this "prequel" after "Dead Girl Running" the first book in the series. Regardless, it was a great short story about Kellen, the lead character.
Read
August 2, 2018Miniseries: Cape Charade
September 3, 2022
Kellan is injured in a war zone and is recovering in a hospital in Germany. While she is there, a General asks for help recovering Nazi war loot by decoding a diary.
August 2, 2018
I really enjoyed this first look at the Cape Charade suspense series. I have read DEAD GIRL RUNNING and was looking forward to this prequel. It give additional information about Kellen Adams and the training she received in the Army and which helped shape her into the person she was becoming and to some extent her relationships with her former enlisted men. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story.
I bought the Nook version not the Kindle version but Kindle is the only version available.
I bought the Nook version not the Kindle version but Kindle is the only version available.
August 1, 2018
I am surprised this book was not released before Dead Girl Running since it’s supposed to be a “prequel” to that book. But this is Christina Dodd and as much as I enjoyed Dead Girl Running, this was a story all its own. And I love it. It shows what we already knew, that Kellen Adams is a true hero and deserves all the good that comes to her. Doesn’t matter if this was released second, this book is worth the read.
October 9, 2018
Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:
I really enjoyed the first Cape Charade book and was keen to see more of Kellen Adams, so I was very glad to receive this prequel short story to fill in a few gaps while I was waiting for the next novel. Set immediately after her discharge from the military, and before the start of her job at Cape Charade, this story follows Kellen’s recovery from her injuries and showcases some of the skills readers of the novel will have already observed her using. Although this is a prequel, it’s probably best read after the first book to fully understand who Kellen was before her military service, since none of that’s covered in this episode.
Having mostly recovered from injuries sustained when the vehicle she was travelling in hit a land mine, Captain Kellen Adams is waiting to receive her military discharge and is pondering her next move, when she is approached by General Slater, who has one last mission for her before he’ll pass over the discharge papers. The General has been given an encoded diary and treasure map, reputedly showing the location of a painting stolen by the Nazis during WWII, then hidden by the Monument Men (who we know all about from the first novel) to await onward transportation after they managed to recover it. None of the Monument Men who knew the encription survived to the end of the war, and the one surviving descendant doesn’t have the key; however, Slater is sure that Kellen will be able to crack it. He offers her free accommodation for as long as her task takes, along with a half-share of the reward money once the painting is found and verified as a genuine Old Master.
Kellen agrees to the job, although she is wary of both Slater and his aide-de-camp. She has her work at Cape Charade lined up for later in the year, but the reward money could come in useful. Besides, cracking the code will keep her occupied until her proper job is due to start. Needless to say, Kellen decodes the diary and map, but also finds information that indicates she’s been lied to about the origins of the papers; nevertheless, she agrees to accompany the General and his aide-de-camp to the caves the map is pointing her to. Then the excitement really begins.
Once the action got going, I found it hard to put the book down before I’d found out what was going to happen next – and the thrills kept coming thick and fast. Kellen does an excellent job of extracting herself and those on her side from increasingly tricky situations, and her forward thinking means that when the true villain of the piece is revealed, they are still in the dark as to the true nature of what the Monument Men had hidden in the caves. I also loved how Kellen decided to spend her share of the eventual reward.
I’m keener than ever now to read the next novel in the main series.
I really enjoyed the first Cape Charade book and was keen to see more of Kellen Adams, so I was very glad to receive this prequel short story to fill in a few gaps while I was waiting for the next novel. Set immediately after her discharge from the military, and before the start of her job at Cape Charade, this story follows Kellen’s recovery from her injuries and showcases some of the skills readers of the novel will have already observed her using. Although this is a prequel, it’s probably best read after the first book to fully understand who Kellen was before her military service, since none of that’s covered in this episode.
Having mostly recovered from injuries sustained when the vehicle she was travelling in hit a land mine, Captain Kellen Adams is waiting to receive her military discharge and is pondering her next move, when she is approached by General Slater, who has one last mission for her before he’ll pass over the discharge papers. The General has been given an encoded diary and treasure map, reputedly showing the location of a painting stolen by the Nazis during WWII, then hidden by the Monument Men (who we know all about from the first novel) to await onward transportation after they managed to recover it. None of the Monument Men who knew the encription survived to the end of the war, and the one surviving descendant doesn’t have the key; however, Slater is sure that Kellen will be able to crack it. He offers her free accommodation for as long as her task takes, along with a half-share of the reward money once the painting is found and verified as a genuine Old Master.
Kellen agrees to the job, although she is wary of both Slater and his aide-de-camp. She has her work at Cape Charade lined up for later in the year, but the reward money could come in useful. Besides, cracking the code will keep her occupied until her proper job is due to start. Needless to say, Kellen decodes the diary and map, but also finds information that indicates she’s been lied to about the origins of the papers; nevertheless, she agrees to accompany the General and his aide-de-camp to the caves the map is pointing her to. Then the excitement really begins.
Once the action got going, I found it hard to put the book down before I’d found out what was going to happen next – and the thrills kept coming thick and fast. Kellen does an excellent job of extracting herself and those on her side from increasingly tricky situations, and her forward thinking means that when the true villain of the piece is revealed, they are still in the dark as to the true nature of what the Monument Men had hidden in the caves. I also loved how Kellen decided to spend her share of the eventual reward.
I’m keener than ever now to read the next novel in the main series.
August 2, 2018
Wow
As always Christina Dodd amazed me.I'm waiting for her next book.I always seem to finish reading her books too fast.
As always Christina Dodd amazed me.I'm waiting for her next book.I always seem to finish reading her books too fast.
March 5, 2019
I have read books 1 and 2 in this series. I enjoyed this short story more than either of the books. It features Kellen Adams and takes place before book 1. "Hard to Kill" is a clever, fast-paced story with a great ending. I really liked it.
October 15, 2019
This E-Book is a novella, book #0.5 of the Cape Charade series.
I started reading book 2 not knowing it was a series. The
three novellas added $10.00 to the series.
Since I had started bk. 2, I already knew a lot of
what the novella talked about, but was good to
get an explanation. At 61 pages, there wasn't much to it.
I started reading book 2 not knowing it was a series. The
three novellas added $10.00 to the series.
Since I had started bk. 2, I already knew a lot of
what the novella talked about, but was good to
get an explanation. At 61 pages, there wasn't much to it.
November 20, 2019
A perfect blend of suspense and action. The characters were intriguing and the story had me guessing the entire time. I loved the sentimental moments and the action packed moments equally. It was a great introduction to a new character and series!
February 22, 2019
Short but smart
This is the second book I have read by the author and I love the strength and heart of the leading female character.
This is the second book I have read by the author and I love the strength and heart of the leading female character.
September 11, 2018
I enjoyed this prequel to Dead Girl Running. In Hard to Kill Kellen Adams is still in the military and we learn a little more about her and what is important to her. I really like that we continued to get the "data snapshots" of her thoughts on the characters as they are introduced. I think that is something unique that started in Dead Girl Running and I like that it continued here. I am very much looking forward to What Doesn't Kill Me.
September 19, 2020
I'm so glad that Ms. Dodd decided to introduce her series with this short story/novella (what's 62 pages?). Now I don't feel bad about skipping the rest of the series. If your story is implausible and muddled in a short story, what happens to it in a full-length novel?
August 3, 2018
Hard To Kill (Cape Charade)
Kellen before she went to the state of washington. Injured in Afghanistan, kellen helps a general decrypt a notebook leading to hidden WWII artwork. Short novel. There is of course double dealing and beyrayal, danger and heroics involved.
Kellen before she went to the state of washington. Injured in Afghanistan, kellen helps a general decrypt a notebook leading to hidden WWII artwork. Short novel. There is of course double dealing and beyrayal, danger and heroics involved.
August 6, 2018
Interesting Story
Mysterious Kellen, a Captain in the army, is injured and up for medical discharge when she is drawn in to crack a code and solve a decades old mystery. Suspense and intrigue at every turn as the plot comes to an unexpected end.
Mysterious Kellen, a Captain in the army, is injured and up for medical discharge when she is drawn in to crack a code and solve a decades old mystery. Suspense and intrigue at every turn as the plot comes to an unexpected end.
August 7, 2018
Good book
July 26, 2019
4.5 Very good for a short story. I don't usually like novellas. But Dodd did an excellent job with only 61 pages!
October 20, 2020
3 stars!
just okay, i'm still debating if i'll read this series.
just okay, i'm still debating if i'll read this series.
August 4, 2018
Short and sweet. This was a bonus in the back of another book about Kellen Adams ... and I loved it.
September 15, 2019
Short story to introduce the character for the Cape Charade series. I'm frustrated as I thought it would explain more of her past, but the plot was good in spite of being very very short (40 pages)
August 4, 2018
Loved it! Enjoy this series. Another great story by Christina Dodd.
April 7, 2019
Hated how short this was! Otherwise, absolutely wonderful!
October 20, 2020
I've enjoyed this series and it was nice to get the background of the main character filled in a bit more.
March 18, 2019
This was a quick glimpse into the oncoming story of Kellen Adams. It was the perfect introduction to a very interesting heroine. Despite the mystery, I found it to be a fun story.
March 11, 2019
The opening novella on which the series is based --- not really necessary, but gives you some background on the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews