My Child is Missing

“[b:My Child is Missing 177529528 My Child is Missing (Detective Josie Quinn, #18) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1686850860l/177529528.SY75.jpg 183605300]” is [a:Lisa Regan's 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] 18th novel about her Detective Josie Quinn and I've almost universally enjoyed reading every single one of them. Sadly, not so with this latest instalment which steadily ran its course without any highlights nor any major letdowns...Sure, these novels have always been somewhat formulaic: Josie used to drink too much because of her gruesome past (which gets mentioned in this novel every five pages...), fell in love with her colleague Noah (whom she shot at one point), adored her grandmother (who was shot at another point), found her long-lost identical twin sister (who is a famous TV journalist - but nobody ever noticed...), her best friend Misty, ex-stripper and final girlfriend of Josie's ex-husband who died as part of the afore-mentioned gruesome past, and Misty's son from said ex-husband, the entire murder of cops (seems like the most fitting collective noun for US cops these days) are a happy family - it's complicated and yet these novels are usually thrilling and suspenseful to read.Another nice touch to almost every other novel in this series used to be that someone from the extended team (be it a cop, a coroner, whomever) has a special role which lends the story authenticity and makes people much more relatable. Not so in this novel; unless - unlike me - you count the countless mentions of a certain deceased team member...Be warned - spoilers ahead!In this novel, though, everyone is still reeling from the death of their colleague Mettner, whose desk they've kept like it was the day he left - like a shrine to him. As if that wasn't enough, they bemoan his absence on every second page. They keep reminding each other about the pearls of wisdom he used to utter...»“Or he could break the case wide open,” Gretchen said.It was exactly something Mett would have said.«.... because, surely, no other cop would ever say a sentence like that!A suspect is found in the first hours of the investigation (and, thus, very early in the book) and since Josie and friends almost exclusively concentrate on him, it becomes very clear, said suspect is at least a very important part of the cases of missing children that's being investigated.Knowing that, it was just a matter of reading along while our heroes interrogate people (like a nutcase pair of parents or teenager's who blatantly lie despite knowing full well that they could help to solve multiple murders and to find a missing girl...), find proof and, ultimately, convict the perpetrator.The almost-obligatory twist at the end was unconvincingly written towards, crudely done and I was so thoroughly disinterested at that point, I simply shrugged and read on.And imagine my surprise when the book just ended at 85% - the remaining 15% were just advertising for and excerpts from Regan's other novels. While that was no real loss in this case, it borders on cheating the customer.Barely three out of five stars.P. S.: »Did the hunt for [the Woodsman] have you desperately turning the pages and did you gasp out loud at the incredible twist?«No, I just gasped due to disappointment. And I hate it when an author breaks the fourth wall.P. P. S.: »A TOTALLY UNPUTDOWNABLE CRIME AND MYSTERY THRILLER PACKED WITH NAIL-BITING SUSPENSE«To whomever writes such crap: I sincerely and honestly despise you.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Lisa Regan has done. it. again.

Teenagers in Denton, Pennsylvania are scaring themselves silly with tales of the Woodsman, a bogeyman who takes children when they go into the forest. Two go in, only one comes out alive, so the story goes, and now children are daring themselves and each other go to into the woods. Kayleigh Patchett goes out with her little sister Savannah to prove that the Woodsman is just a myth. Josie, Noah, and the team are called in when their parents report them both missing. But Kayleigh is nowhere to be seen, and Savannah claims that the Woodsman took her sister.

The team struggles without Mett's presence and helpful insights, and they push themselves past the point of exhaustion, working nearly around the clock to keep the case moving. Lead after lead fizzles out. Frustration mounts, and the more time that passes, the more they fear what they'll find will be Kayleigh's dead body – especially once another teenager is found dead.

In case I haven't said it, Lisa Regan is the absolute master of suspense. She uses every word, every comma, every bit of dialogue to maximum effect. The snippets of the villain's point of view interspersed throughout really ramp up the tension.

This story is about a mystery and the hard work the police put into solving it. But it's also a study in family dynamics and a most excellent thriller with a plot twist that had my jaw hitting the floor. If you love a compelling work of detective fiction that doesn't give the ending away, with characters you will come to love as old friends (after eighteen books, they're practically family!), get to know Josie Quinn.