Since all of my previous blog posts are gone, I'm starting at zero with my #FridayReads posts. Because of that, I'm highlighting one of my favorite authors and my favorite series.
If you're a lover of crime thrillers, you're going to love Lisa Regan's Detective Josie Quinn Series.
I've listed the entire series below with my reviews. Check them out! I promise you won't be disappointed!
First, I want to highlight the NEXT BOOK in the Detective Josie Quinn Series.
I haven't read book 5 yet, but I've pre-ordered it and I cannot wait!
Josie works until her arms ache, until the paramedics arrive and pull her gently away from the woman’s cold, fragile body. Noah’s voice cracks beside her as he calls the time of death for his own, beloved mother.
Arriving with her partner Noah for dinner at his family’s immaculate countryside home, Detective Josie Quinn is devastated to find Noah’s mother, Colette, lying lifeless in the back garden, her mouth clogged with soil.
Searching the house for answers, Josie’s team don’t know what to make of the rosary beads buried in the dirt near the body, or the hidden file labeled “Drew Pratt”, the small town of Denton’s most famous missing person.
As she delves deeper into Pratt’s case, Josie quickly discovers he had a brother whose body mysteriously washed up on the banks of a river. There’s also a diary entry suggesting that Colette may have met him on the last day he was seen alive. Can Josie believe the unthinkable, that a kind old soul like Colette might have been involved in their murders? And, will Josie’s new relationship with Noah survive the accusation?
Josie’s only hope lies in tracking down Pratt’s daughter. But when she arrives at her home to find she’s been murdered just minutes before, Josie knows the real killer is one step ahead and won’t stop until Colette’s secret is buried forever. With many more innocent lives on the line, how deep is Josie prepared dig to reach the truth?
When Isabelle Coleman, a blonde, beautiful young girl goes missing, everyone from the small town of Denton joins the search. They can find no trace of the town’s darling, but Detective Josie Quinn finds another girl they didn’t even know was missing.
Mute and unresponsive, it’s clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Josie can get from her is the name of a third girl and a flash of a neon tongue piercing that matches Isabelle’s.
The race is on to find Isabelle alive, and Josie fears there may be other girls in terrible danger. When the trail leads her to a cold case labeled a hoax by authorities, Josie begins to wonder is there anyone left she can trust?
Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses their life?
My Review:
I'm a huge Lisa Regan fan so I couldn't wait to start this new series. The title alone would've had me purchasing this book, and I wasn't disappointed. Lisa delivered an amazing thriller! The story keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter all the way to the last chapter when you're not totally sure how it's going to end.
Josie Quinn is a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners, yet relatable lead character. Even when you're screaming at the pages because she's totally breaking the rules and doing something she shouldn't be doing, you're still able to relate to her. All of the characters are well fleshed out and easy to like, and/or hate, depending. I cannot wait to read the follow-up. I have a feeling that Josie Quinn still has a lot of work to do.
5 Stars all the way for this thriller!
When Detective Josie Quinn is called to a large house on the outskirts of the small town of Denton, she’s horrified by the viciousness of the attack – smashed glass, splintered furniture and blood spattered across the floor. The owner, a single mother, is fighting for her life, and her newborn baby is missing.
A beautiful young woman caught fleeing the scene is Josie’s only lead, but when questioned it seems this mysterious girl doesn’t know who she is, where she’s from or why she’s so terrified…
Is she a witness, a suspect, or the next victim?
As Josie digs deeper, a letter found hidden in the house convinces her the attack, the missing child, and the nameless woman are linked to a spate of killings across the county, and Josie is faced with a heart-breaking decision...
Should she risk the life of one child to save many others? Or can she find another way to stop this killer before any more innocent lives are taken?
My Review:
I just finished The Girl with No Name and again, Lisa Regan got me. I loved this book. I think I might have liked it better than the first in the series and that’s no easy task because I loved The Vanishing Girls too.
I admit it. I’m too emotionally attached to Josie Quinn. I feel everything she feels even when she isn’t expressing her feelings. She’s such a strong character and so well fleshed out, I feel like she’s a real person. This book really pulled at my heartstrings. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I’m overwhelmed and ruined after reading this.
Lisa did a wonderful job of weaving the plot in a way that kept me from being able to guess what would happen next. I was on the edge of my seat, flipping pages rapidly to see if my guesses were correct.
As far as happy endings go, this book has one, kind of. I can’t say much without giving something away, but I will point out some of the things I loved about this book.
I love the relationship between Josie and Trinity. What a dynamic pair. Their relationship really bumps this story into overdrive for me. The same is true for their interactions in The Vanishing Girls.
I love the relationship between Josie and Noah. I hope Noah gets a romantic relationship in the next book. That man deserves a great woman. He’s such a great and caring guy. I love how he’s the caretaker in his relationship with Josie.
I also love the setting. I feel like I know Denton. Lisa didn’t over describe the town or the settings, but she gave enough and put the descriptions in enough (or in the right places) to help me understand the town and feel like they know it. This is important for the series since we're going to be in Denton for every book and we need to have a connection with the town.
I can’t wait for the next installment. What will Josie Quinn do next? Please, Ms. Regan, get to writing the next in the series.
When two young boys discover human bones buried beneath a tree in a trailer park, Detective Josie Quinn races to join her team at the scene. She used to play in those woods as a child, happier outside and away from her abusive mother, Belinda Rose.
Josie’s past crashes into her present when a rare dental condition confirms the bones belong to a teenage foster-child who was murdered thirty years ago. A girl named Belinda Rose…
Josie hasn’t seen her mother in years but, with an undeniable connection between her mother and the dead girl, does she dare track her down?
Just as Josie gets closer to uncovering a secret that will shatter her world forever, another body is uncovered. It’s suddenly clear that someone very close to Josie will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried forever.
As she battles the demons from her past, can Josie stop this killer before another precious life is taken?
My Review:
I read this is three days. I don't read anything that fast. I’ve read this entire series and I'm in awe. Seriously! I was on the verge of tears nearly the entire time I was reading this book. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with being so familiar with Josie at this point and just being totally invested...maybe it hit me on the mom level...I don't know, but it hit me. I read this really fast.
I was so engrossed in the story and flipping pages like a mad woman. I immediately turned back to page one to read it again when I was finished. I love this entire series, but hands down, this book is my favorite.
Some of the things revealed in this story are heart-wrenching yet so incredibly wonderful at the same time. The slowly growing relationship between Josie and Noah is perfectly paced. I love his character too. His goodness is such a great contradiction to everything else in her life and she needs that. Readers need that. The loyalty of Josie’s entire staff, her memories of Ray, her memories of her father, it's all so well done. I didn’t figure out the end until I was there! I thought a million different things but I didn't suspect anything like what was the actual truth. Between 72% and 85% I was ... jeez ... completely thrown.
This book in an emotional powerhouse and that’s saying something considering Josie’s nerves of steel. Best. Book. Ever. An absolute 5-star read! Don’t start this unless you have time to finish it in one sitting because you won’t be able to put it down.
Watching her friend dragged away in handcuffs, Josie couldn't believe for one second that Gretchen had killed that poor boy. Confession or not, someone else was involved. She would find out who…
When the body of a young student is found on the driveway of a local Denton home, a photograph pinned to his collar, Detective Josie Quinn is first on the scene. The house belongs to Gretchen Palmer, a dedicated member of Josie’s team, missing for the last twenty-four hours.
Working around the clock, Josie is stopped in her tracks when Gretchen hands herself in to the police. She knows that there’s no way Gretchen could ever be a killer, so why would she confess to a murder she didn’t commit?
Digging deep into Gretchen’s secretive life, Josie uncovers a link between the boy, the photograph and a devastating case in Gretchen’s past. But just when Josie thinks she has it all figured out, the bodies of a young couple surface on the other side of town. Can Josie get to the truth in time to save her friend from a life in prison or certain death?
My Review:
Another “Wow” read from Lisa Regan. This book is all kinds of twisty and so, so good!
I love this series so much. I feel like these characters are like old friends. That’s what Lisa Regan does to you, she pulls you in and then tortures you by threatening your friends!
Her Last Confession doesn’t disappoint! If you loved the first three novels in this series, don’t stop now. Lisa is a master plotter and this is another must read!
Not only do you get to learn about Gretchen’s backstory and why she is the way she is, but you also get to see Josie interact with her new sister—and new love interest. Josie and Noah sizzle on the pages, even when they’re angry with each other.
Trinity and Josie’s’ relationship is as complicated as ever but also sweet as hell all at the same time. I can’t wait to see how they progress in future books.
In this book, Gretchen is in trouble, and Josie refuses to believe she’s guilty. Even when Noah doubt’s Gretchen’s involvement in the murder of a young man, Josie’s faith in her friend never falters. But it’s more than faith, it’s instinct. Josie has razor shape instincts and her intuition is almost always right. She’s fun to read and I love her take-no-crap attitude.
With this book, we're introduced to some new characters and man are they fun. Between the drunk ATF agent, the serial killer, and the biker gangs, you’ll won’t be bored. I had trouble putting this down and I’m sure you will too.
