Lisa Regan (2)

I really enjoy Lisa Regan’s Josie Quinn novels. Regan almost always succeeds in crafting intricate plots and compelling characters. After the previous instalment’s short departure from Josie’s usual haunts, I wondered where “Her Dying Secret” would take us. Thankfully, it is firmly set in the familiar world of Josie Quinn and her friends and colleagues in Denton.

As for her friends, most of them are absent: Misty and her son, Harris, are mentioned a few times but play no role. The same is true for her parents and her twin sister, which is slightly sad but doesn’t detract much from the novel’s overall appeal.

Regan’s prose continues to channel an atmosphere thick with suspense and emotional tension. This is especially the case since the story opens with a car accident, the body of a murdered woman in the car, and a child in danger.

A recurring issue in Regan's works, however, is the narrative ending way before the book’s actual last page. This time, it’s at 88%, and the remainder of the book are advertisements and excerpts. One can’t help but feel a bit short-changed, which leads to the subtraction of one star.

All in all, if you like Josie Quinn, you’ll certainly get your “fix” out of this one. It can also be read standalone but it’s certainly not the best starting point for this series.

Four out of five stars.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam… (more)

It has been awhile since I’ve stayed up late to finish a book, but Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan (First in the Det. Josie Quinn series) had me up way past my bedtime yesterday.
It was so fast paced and the way Regan continually revealed the clues, had me quickly turning the page.

Det. Josie Quinn is the first female detective at her precinct in Philadelphia, surrounded by all men. She’s had a traumatic childhood, she has anger issues, and now because of her childhood friend and husband (soon to be ex), she has trust issues. They are not just because he cheated on her, and when I read the complete reason, I have to say that Josie kept it together a lot better than I would have.

Since she is currently suspended, Josie has time to delve deeper into the missing girl case in her town, especially since it seems like the entire police force is doing very little to nothing to try and solve it. As she gets deeper, she realizes that her town is a hotbed of evil, and she doesn’t know who to turn to for help. And the people she does ask, end up with horrible consequences happening to them.

Besides the current case, a case from six years ago, and another from decades ago, they all come together for a very satisfying conclusion.

I will be reading the next book in the series, The Girl with No Name, and if they continue to be this good, I will be excited to read all the books in the series (21 total as of now!)
If you enjoy female detectives, serial killers, or thrillers, you need to get yourself a copy of Vanishing Girls!… (more)

Her Dying Secret by Lisa Regan
Detective Josie Quinn #20

Twisty twisted tale that had me wishing that things could have been different for more than one character in this story!

What I liked:
* The opening and finding out what Josie and her husband Noah are working on in their private lives
* Josie: homicide detective, survivor with huge backstory in the previous books, wife to Noah, strong, resilient, intelligent, team player, compartmentalizes, and the main character of this series,
* Noah: police department lieutenant, Josie’s husband, calm, wise, good leader, sees the big picture, there for Josie in more ways than one
* Catching up with some of the characters from previous books and wondering what parts they will play in future books
* Trying to figure out the new guy that was hired after Finn’s death
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* The police procedural aspects of the story and how they managed to get some things right and other things so very wrong…till they did get them right in the end
* Thinking about how Josie’s life will change in the future - or if it will at all
* The conclusion of the book that wrapped left nothing in regard to the case dangling
* All of it really except

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant to dislike
* Thinking about how warped and twisted people can be and whether it is nature or nurture that causes this
* Having to wait to see what will happen in the next book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (more)