My Child Is Missing by Lisa Regan

 

The plot:  Two go into the woods, but only one comes out. That's the legend of The Woodsman. And it's spreading across Pennsylvania--scaring elementary-age children, challenging the teenagers. Detective Josie Quinn knows it's just a story, but when two sister go missing, and only the younger girl is found, she also knows something sinister is going on. The investigation into Kayleigh's disappearance is hard enough, but Josie's not sleeping because of some recent traumatic events, and then she learns about two other murders linked to the story of The Woodsman... and she starts to wonder if they have a serial killer on their hands.

My thoughts:  This is the eighteenth Josie Quinn book, and another excellent mystery in this addictive series. Josie and her partner, Noah Fraley, are so good together. I've liked seeing how their relationship has developed and grown over the course of these mysteries. And I found this particular mystery nicely twisty and unexpected. I've been reading this series in order, which I recommend, because Josie's past is fairly complicated. But all the books in this series aren't long and they read fast. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Other Josie Quinn mysteries I've reviewed:

Vanishing Girls (#1)

The Girl With No Name (#2)

Her Mother's Grave (#3)

Her Silent Cry (#6)

Cold Heart Creek (#7)

The Drowning Girls (#13)

Watch Her Disappear (#14)

Watch Her Disappear by Lisa Regan

 "In all the years she had been on the Denton police force, Josie had never encountered a dead body on prom night."

 

The plot:  Gemma Farmer, a fifteen-year-old girl who went missing in January is found dead on her sixteenth birthday wearing a brand new prom dress. The way she was killed is eerily similar to another missing girl's murder two decades ago. That girl, who was also found on her sixteenth birthday, was Chief Bob Chitwood's younger sister. How are the two girls connected? Who helped lure them away from their homes in the middle of the night? And can Detective Josie Quinn and the other members of Denton's small police force find the murderer before he kills another teenage girl?

My thoughts:  This is the fourteenth book in one of my favorite mystery series. Lisa Regan writes a taut crime thriller. I've come to really like Josie Quinn, Noah Fraley, and her other characters. And the mysteries themselves are sometimes dark, always puzzling and often unexpected. Normally I recommend starting with the first book in this series, Vanishing Girls, but I think you could easily jump into this series with this book because the mystery is not tied to Josie's personal history and past like so many of the other books in this series are. Watch Her Disappear is well-written, fast-paced, suspenseful and compelling. Another solid 4-star read. 

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Spring Girls by Karen Katchur

 

First line:  Drowning is a quiet death.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Setting:  Minsi Lake, Pennsylvania

Rating:  3.5/5 stars

Main characters:  Detective Geena Brassard, who is part of the team investigating the three Spring Girls murders, and her new partner, Detective Parker Reed. And Janey Montgomery, a single mom who has already survived one nightmare and who is about to become embroiled in another. Because Geena just found out that Janey was the Spring Strangler's first victim, and she needs Janey's help to catch him...only Janey doesn't remember anything about her attacker.

My thoughts:  This mysery is very readable and the two main characters are interesting, though I didn't really warm up to either one of them. Geena's very dogged in her investigatioon; Janey is fragile and struggling not only with her own fear but with her six-year-old son's behavioral issues. I liked Detective Reed the best, and he's more of a side character in this one. As with any thriller, there are several twists, but I felt like I saw most of them coming. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This one reads fast and has a good ending. 

Happy Reading!

The Hidden One by Linda Castillo

 

Jonas Bowman was Kate Burkholder's first love back when she was fifteen years old. It's been over twenty years since she's seen him, but when she finds out he's been accused of murdering an Amish bishop, she heads to Pennsylvania to help out. Because she knows Jonas could never murder anyone. 

The Hidden One is the fourteenth Kate Burkholder mystery. She's the Chief of Police in Painter's Mill, Ohio, where most of this series is set. Kate grew up Amish, which helps her navigate between the English and Amish in her community now. In this book, she heads to Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania on her own to look into this murder, putting herself in danger once again. 

I find the Amish setting in these books, with their faith, culture and traditions, fascinating; and I always enjoy Kate's interactions with her family and the other Amish. The flashbacks into Kate's teenage years and her friendship with Jonas was also fun. And I thought the mystery involving the murdered Amish bishop was very compelling. I didn't quite guess the twist at the end, but I did like it. But then, I've liked all of Linda Castillo's books. This is one of my favorite mystery series. 

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The Girl With No Name by Lisa Regan

 

The plot:  Josie Quinn's life just got more complicated. Not only is she now the chief of police in Denton, Pennsylvania, but she's getting married soon. Only Luke, her fiance, has been cold and distant lately, and she's just been called out on a case involving her ex-husband's girlfriend. The former stripper was attacked at home, her newborn baby taken. Only she's too hurt to identify who attacked her. Then Josie discovers that Luke is also missing, and the mysterious young woman who was discovered at his house claims not to remember her name. What is going on? Josie thinks the two cases might be connected, but she isn't sure how. And she's worried that Luke might be in real trouble.

My thoughts:  This is the second Josie Quinn novel that I've read, and I liked it as much as Vanishing Girls, the first book in this series. It's fast-paced, with the suspense constantly building, and the mystery is compelling, with some good twists and turns along the way. Another plus is that the main characters are very likable, especially Josie Quinn. She's got some secrets in her past that I'd really like to read more about! Police procedurals sometimes bog down for me, but this one never did. It's an entertaining thriller. And I'm looking forward to reading the remaining books in this well-written series.

Happy Reading!