The Innocent Wife

Oh, well, here we go again - just when a mostly-meh year has ended and a new year begins, it begins with yet another meh novel...I usually like [a:Lisa Regan's 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg] Josie-Quinn novels a lot - they're usually very well paced, engaging and suspenseful. Josie and the entire team are interesting and everyone gets some time in the spotlight, e. g. in a recent instalment we learned a lot about Josie's ever-angry boss. At another time Mettner, her colleague, fell in love with the press liaison, Amber, and so on.This time around in “[b:The Innocent Wife 62973163 The Innocent Wife (Detective Josie Quinn, #16) Lisa Regan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671008848l/62973163.SY75.jpg 98795433]” (what a cheesy title!) by [a:Lisa Regan 6443334 Lisa Regan https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589563239p2/6443334.jpg], there's nothing but the plain murder mystery - and that is, indeed, rather plain. And bland, and boring. For about 80% we just follow Josie and colleagues around on a wild goose chase after the killer. Sadly, that chase is neither very interesting nor is the eventual reveal much of a result of police procedure but much of it is plain old luck - and a healthy dose of deus ex machina.Usually, these books are page turners for me and I'm always looking forward to the next instalment because I've come to rely on my yearly (some twice yearly!) dose of Josie Quinn.There's lots of police procedure here but hardly anything else. Yes, there are some far-fetched scenarios about adultery in combination with a brain-damaged person, children born out of wedlock, complicated, almost incestuous feeling affairs among the crew of a TV show, a person whom you peg immediately for a killer - or are they?As if all that mess wasn't bad enough in itself, even after they finally solve their case, there are lots of loose ends, many questions remain unanswered and one that is central to the entire mystery is not even addressed in any way.The worst surprise, though: The actual book ends at a mere 89% - all that remains are 11% advertisements...Still, this is not a bad book - just one that is seriously mediocre. I'm still looking forward to Josie Quinn no. 17! Three out of five stars. Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

If y'all have read along with my blog or my reviews here for a hot minute, you know I love love love Lisa Regan's Josie Quinn books. (You can see all the posts where I run my mouth about Josie here.) That trend continues with The Innocent Wife, the sixteenth in the series.

Beau and Claudia Collins are well-known in Denton as the marriage advice gurus. They've got a popular TV show, they run a counseling practice, they've written books, and the face they present to the public is that of an adoring couple. Beau arrives home expecting that he and his wife will be celebrating their anniversary for the camera and for their adoring fans. Instead, he finds Claudia dead, the murder scene artfully staged, a puzzle box like the one Beau uses with clients in her hand.

Josie, Noah, and the team have their hands full with this one! The killer always seems to be one jump ahead, anticipating their efforts to trap him (or her?). The body count is rising, and everything they think of to pin down the killer, he easily sidesteps. That contributes significantly to the tension in the story.

Every story gives us a little insight into Josie's past. In this one, we get to meet Luke, her ex. He and his dog are able to help with the investigation, and even though Josie is a little uncomfortable with it, she knows his skills are needed. I'm interested to find out if we see more of Luke in future books.

As with all of Regan's books, there are suspects aplenty. Beau and Claudia's marriage wasn't as picture-perfect as the image they presented, and Beau wasn't exactly a faithful husband. (Kind of makes you wonder why he wasn't the one who ended up dead, with Claudia the prime suspect!) Were the murders motivated by jealousy? Greed? Trying to keep a secret safe? Regan does a fantastic job of keepingi the reader guessing and then unraveling the knot she's created to reveal the killer's identity and motive.

My one gripe is with the police questioning Beau when he was obviously drunk as Cooter Brown. In a former life, I was a prosecutor. If I'd gone to court with the testimony of a witness who may or may not have had full command of his mental faculties, the defense would have had a field day with it. Josie and Noah are experienced enough that they should know better. So, half a star off for that. Still four and a half, and that rounds up to five!

All in all, The Innocent Wife is another gripping suspense tale from the pen of Lisa Regan, and she remains firmly on my list of must-read authors. Go back to the start of the series and get to know Josie. You'll be glad you did!