Series: Detective Josie Quinn, #16
Published by Bookouture on 12th December 2022
Format: eARC, Audiobook
Source: Net Galley
Pages: 394
Amazon UK
Goodreads
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 , Close Her Eyes, My Child is Missing
Candles are lit and their rich vanilla scent twists its way through the cabin. The table is set for a romantic anniversary dinner with fresh roses dropping crimson petals on crisp white linen. But the woman seated at the table is cold to the touch, and there’s blood trickling down her neck…
When Denton’s most loved TV presenter returns home to find his wife dead at the dining table, it shatters the close-knit community. Beautiful and absolutely besotted with each other, Beau and Claudia Collins were idolized for being the perfect couple. But the devastating scene Detective Josie Quinn finds in their remote hideaway has her asking what dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of this seemingly flawless marriage?
Beau is grief-stricken by the loss of his kind-hearted wife who gave so much to others as a therapist, but Josie needs to know the significance of the small wooden puzzle box found clutched in Claudia’s hand. A prop in a popular game Beau played with his viewers to test the strength of their relationships, is it a twisted calling card, or a challenge from the killer?
The broken body of one of Beau and Claudia’s assistants is found the next day, a matching little box left in the dirt beside her. It’s clear that if Beau doesn’t start telling the truth about the flaws in his marriage, those dearest to him will die.
Caught in a cat and mouse chase with disturbing revelations and a mounting body count at every turn, Josie and her team work night and day to keep Beau’s loved ones safe. What kind of calculating monster would do this? A faded newspaper article about a tragic accident is the break Josie desperately needs. But she may already be too late, an innocent child is in danger…
Wowzers! What did I just read?! This book was unreal! The story was just mental and I wasn’t expecting THAT!! Book Contender for 2022…HELL YEAH!
I love this series but this one will stick in my mind for a while. One lie, one mistake, causes utter destruction and I had no idea how it all linked together. When it happened, I still had questions, I had a loose end, and then it was tied up…… Jaw dropped… What a clanger! I was twisted up in knots with this book. It was very cleverly done. I am in awe. I just simply loved this book!
I don’t want to talk about the story because I don’t want to give anything away but the story of Claudia and Beau is a story that just keeps on giving. So many secrets were uncovered throughout the book making you question how well you know your closest person. The couple is famous, on TV, writes books and so much more, so this case is already high profile. And with Josie on the case you know she will solve it, and bringing back a character from a previous book was an interesting plot twist. Despite bringing them back, I didn’t see them enough but it is going to be a great dynamic for the team. Looking forward to seeing how it works in the future.
I have to applaud the author because she shows these characters as humanly as she possibly can and I appreciate the fact that Josie is still dealing with the loss of someone close to her. I respect the realistic portrayal of grief, it’s tough, hard and heartbreaking, but as much as I hate seeing Josie go through, it was real and raw. It gives the characters all depth.
Just everything worked for me and it was just brilliant.
Roll on to the next one!!!
Until next time xxx
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