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Fear prickles her skin. “Noah?” Photos and trinkets from their simple but perfect life together litter the carpet. The coffee table is cracked, blood along its edges. She should be taking in details, but her heart is racing too fast. A strangled cry works its way from Josie’s chest. Where is her husband? Detective Josie Quinn’s world shatters when she returns home to find her house ransacked, and her husband, Noah, missing. When she kissed him goodbye hours earlier, called to the discovery of a woman’s body at a protest, they were putting the finishing touches to a nursery for their first adopted child. But now the house is empty, Noah’s bloodied handprints trailing the walls. Every fiber of Josie’s being screams to investigate. But her team warn her to keep her distance as they follow a connection to a recent robbery in Denton. But Josie can’t quiet the voice telling her the handprints Noah left are leading her somewhere, and the trail ends at an upturned box of her long-dead abusive mother’s possessions: faded photos, jewelry, a lock of hair, and a few old newspaper clippings. Beside herself with worry for Noah, and unexpectedly confronted by the trauma of her past, Josie throws herself into work. The woman’s body found during a demonstration outside a children’s hospital belongs to Gina Phelan, daughter of the powerful and influential Phelan family. Trawling the CCTV is a welcome distraction, but everything changes the moment fingerprints from the knife that wounded Gina match to prints found in Josie’s own home. Her head spinning as the two cases collide, Josie’s only option is to delve into the life of the monster who terrorized her as a child. The key to everything is hidden in the box of her mother’s mementoes. But is Josie strong enough and fast enough to find it in time? And at what devastating cost to those she loves most? An absolutely heart-stopping and totally unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. You will be up all night biting your nails and turning pages! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine. What readers are saying about Lisa Regan: “Holy Moses!!… I read in less than a day. Gripping from the first paragraph… A true rollercoaster ride, my head snapping this way and that… Awesome!” NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Oh my, I need to take a breath!... absolutely amazing… so many twists and turns. The last reveal came out of nowhere. I love this series, but my heart was always racing throughout… Highly recommend and can’t wait for the next one!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Boom! This book is WOW!… dark, creepy and truly unputdownable. It blows my mind that this far into the series I’m still so invested.” B*tchcanwriteabook, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Kept me on the edge of my seat, with twists and turns that left me guessing until the very end… an adrenaline-pumping, edge-of-your-seat read that will leave you breathless.” Teatime with Kristin, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The twists and turns kept me guessing and captivated right until the very end!! 10/10 stars!!! It was amazing!!” Bookishnick101, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Brilliant. A jaw-dropping thriller that will have new readers wanting more and lovers of the series wanting to read it all again… knocked this one out of the park. Definitely a five-star read.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “If only there were more than five stars… a fast-paced, gritty and compelling read that will have you holding your breath. Heaven help anyone—dog included—if they interrupt… my favourite book… Don't miss this one.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Featured Series
19 primary booksDetective Josie Quinn is a 19-book series with 19 released primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Lisa Regan.
Reviews with the most likes.
I’m a fan of the entire Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan. Sadly, “Husband Missing” left me disappointed on several levels.
It started out well: Josie is summoned to the crime scene of a mysterious murder. On her return home, she finds everything in disarray and, worst of all, her husband, Noah, is missing and there’s blood…
Of course, Josie wants to investigate, but is quickly sidelined because both cases seem to be linked. Josie, hardly able to keep a coherent thought, goes on a wild goose chase that leads her to her own past — including the late Lila Jensen.
We get lots of “big emotions” from Josie, but not much of the police procedural that I expected. Turner and Gretchen from her team make some appearances, but for most of the novel, we’re solely following Josie and her stumbling attempts to make sense of the whole convoluted drama that ensues. And, honestly, much of it doesn’t make much sense. Least of all does the all-too-convenient “deus ex machina” moment at the very end.
The rest of Josie’s team is also completely absent (apart from a collective cameo at a celebration at the very end). As a result, the usual dynamics are completely missing. The sole focus is on Josie and her frantic search for Noah.
As always, the writing itself is fine, but for some inexplicable reason, Regan chose to mostly stick to very short chapters – including introducing abrupt, nonsensical chapter breaks. Sometimes even in the midst of conversations that just immediately resume in the next chapter. This causes annoying, completely useless, and meritless interruptions while reading.
For fans and completionists like me, “Husband Missing” is a must-read. Everyone else should probably steer clear of this instalment. It also doesn’t lend itself as an introduction to this series because much of it simply won’t make much sense without knowing how Josie grew up…
Three stars out of five.
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
Originally posted at turing.mailstation.de.