Series: Detective Josie Quinn, #18
Published by Bookouture on September 8th 2023
Format: eARC
Source: Net Galley
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Also by this author: Her Mother's Grave, Her Final Confession, The Bones She Buried , Her Silent Cry, Cold Heart Creek, Find Her Alive, Save Her Soul, Breathe Your Last, Hush Little Girl, Her Deadly Touch, The Drowning Girls, Watch Her Disappear, Local Girl Missing , The Innocent Wife, Close Her Eyes
The little girl’s bright blue eyes are wide with fear, her hair tousled, her tears making tracks in the dirt smudged across her cheek. Curled tight in a tiny ball, it’s as if she wants to hide away forever. “He took her!” she cries. “He took my sister!”
When a desperate mother calls Denton Police Department to report her children missing, Detective Josie Quinn races to investigate. Sixteen-year-old Kayleigh and her little sister Savannah went for a walk in the woods but never came home. They are good girls and know not to go far, say their frantic parents. Kayleigh always looks after Savannah and brings her home safely. Until now…
Even as she vows to bring the sisters home safely, Josie’s blood runs cold: because they are not the only missing children. Rumors are spreading about the legend of “The Woodsman”: when pairs of children go into the woods, The Woodsman takes one of them and only one comes out alive. With local teenagers daring each other to walk into the woods at night in pairs, Josie knows that nobody is safe from the hysteria sweeping Denton. Little Savannah Patchett is soon mercifully found alive, alone and terrified, but she tells Josie “The Woodsman has taken my sister”.
All Josie’s leads seem to reach dead ends: her team traces Kayleigh’s scent to a dank, dark cabin in the woods, but the owner has an alibi and there is no evidence that Kayleigh has been inside. When Josie persuades Kayleigh’s classmates to talk, she learns that Kayleigh herself had a secret boyfriend whose identity is a mystery. Josie is desperate to track him down and to work out if he could hold the key to solving the case.
Then Josie’s worst fears come true: another pair goes missing and one of them is found dead soon after. Another teenage girl, lying straight and still, a halo of blood surrounding her beautiful blonde hair.
Josie knows that the legend of The Woodsman is nothing more than a story, but the truth is far more horrifying… With Kayleigh still out there somewhere and the TV news filled with stories of a serial killer at large, how far will Josie have to go to find the killer before more innocent lives are lost?
Character List spoiler free
*Detective Josie Quinn, married to Noah, her newest obsession is a cup of flat white latte. Struggling a lot with different traumas from childhood to the events from Book 17!
*Noah Fraley, Josie’s strength and husband.
*Chief of Police Bob Chitwood, boss of everyone
*Detective Gretchen Palmer, short spiky brown and grey hair, the lynchpin of the team, holds everyone together.
*Amber Watts, the press liaison in the office, is quiet in this book, working through the events from the last book.
*Kayleigh Patchett, missing girl, 16 years old. Last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, a pair of black shorts, and white sneakers. straight, shoulder-length hair almost black, with a smattering of freckles across the nose and cheeks
*Savannah Patchett, sister to Kayleigh. She is found in the woods by Josie, Luke, and Blue. 8 years old, smile that goes on for days, curly hair
*Luke Creighton, Josie’s ex and owner of Blue, works with Denton P.D
*Blue, Tracker dog who belongs to Luke, bloodhound, K9 liaison
*The Woodsman, the local legend, is blamed for the missing children.
This book was explosive and I loved the turn of events. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t love the murdered girls or what happened to people, and although I had an inkling of the twist, I loved it! It was so left field, but at the same time so relevant and twisted.
This is definitely my favourite in the series, I was blown away. I didn’t always get the chance to read the book as much as I wanted to but every spare minute I was trying to speed through as much as I could. I was addicted. 18 books in and you do start to wonder if the series might wane….this book shows it hasn’t.
So much to unpack in this book, so much is going on aside from the missing girls, the turn of the relationships and how broken Josie is again was sad. I felt Josie was just getting her life back, but she has been through the wringer so much in the last few books, I feel like she getting lost in herself and regressing. It’s so hard to watch, and I hope she goes to the retreat – and it’s crime-free!! She needs to find her sparkle. But that’s what I love, each is a continuation and we see how the events from before are still impacting them. It’s not all light and fluffy, it’s gritty and so realistic.
I have no idea where Lisa might take the series next, but I just hope she takes the series and continues. Josie needs a break, I have said that many times, and I am looking forward to her sparkle.
Such a dark tale, a somber one, and one that sobers up a lot of people. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, words no parent wants to have to ever utter. It did, however, make for a riveting read and a lot of praying that all will be ok in the end!
This book was explosive and I loved the turn of events. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t love the murdered girls or what happened to people, and although I had an inkling of the twist, I loved it! It was so left field, but at the same time so relevant and twisted.
This is definitely my favourite in the series, I was blown away. I didn’t always get the chance to read the book as much as I wanted to but every spare minute I was trying to speed through as much as I could. I was addicted. 18 books in and you do start to wonder if the series might wane….this book shows it hasn’t.
So much to unpack in this book, so much is going on aside from the missing girls, the turn of the relationships and how broken Josie is again was sad. I felt Josie was just getting her life back, but she has been through the wringer so much in the last few books, I feel like she getting lost in herself and regressing. It’s so hard to watch, and I hope she goes to the retreat – and it’s crime-free!! She needs to find her sparkle. But that’s what I love, each is a continuation and we see how the events from before are still impacting them. It’s not all light and fluffy, it’s gritty and so realistic.
I have no idea where Lisa might take the series next, but I just hope she takes the series and continues. Josie needs a break, I have said that many times, and I am looking forward to her sparkle.
Such a dark tale, a somber one, and one that sobers up a lot of people. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, words no parent wants to have to ever utter. It did, however, make for a riveting read and a lot of praying that all will be ok in the end!
Until the next time xxx
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