As the story opens, we have the team trying to help plan a honeymoon for Josie and Noah...then a call comes in. A girl has been found dead at a high school prom, and with that, we're headed for a fantastic read. Josie and Noah aren’t so much front and center this time. We get to see Josie interact with Chief Chitwood. Not only are they investigating the current murder, but they’re also looking into the unsolved murder of the Chief’s sister, Kelsey. The unsolved murder on which the Chief’s father, Harlan Chitwood, had been the lead investigator. The question remains...was the Chief’s father a crooked cop? This time, Lisa Regan gives us some fascinating insight into why Chief Chitwood is the way he is. We learn a lot about how his sister’s unsolved murder yet haunts him, and Josie begins to see why he’s always kept her and the other officers at arm’s length. We also see why he is so invested in solving this crime, knowing that doing so might finally bring justice for his sister. You won't believe how may the twists and turns there are here. For more than half of the book of I thought I knew who the killer was. Then my suspect blew up all my theories when he said, “I... nothing happened. Not before, and not this time.” What??? Before?! Not this time?!....and there you have the twist, letting the story bolt off the rails... and all you can do is to just keep on reading. I've always liked this series. Josie is one of my favorite protagonists. She has a tough and sometimes a thankless job, but she never lets it change her. Like all of this series, this one is a thrilling read and another masterful work by Lisa Regan. ( )

All too often, in a series of books when a writer has found their cast of characters, their setting, etc. everything becomes routine and instalment after instalment gets chucked out but there’s hardly ever anything new. Each new book is a variation of its predecessors.

Thankfully, Lisa Regan miraculously doesn’t fall prey to this effect in her long-running Josie Quinn series. Each new book presents us with interesting new aspects, engaging stories and empathic investigators.

In “Watch Her Disappear” Josie investigates the case of a formerly missing girl who’s found dead at the prom of a school she didn’t attend. While looking into the murder, Chief Chitwood is reminded of a similar (and very personal…) case from his distant past…

As so often in Regan’s books, there are major revelations about one of the police investigators involved in the current case. Fittingly, for this book Regan chose Chief Chitwood to take the centre stage.

Since Regan has long-since found her own style of storytelling and language, there are no surprises in either department - the book is suspenseful and exciting as ever. You’ll never find groundbreaking new thoughts in these books but if you like just one, you’re likely to enjoy them all.

You can read this as a stand-alone novel even though you will miss out on a few interactions between the investigators.

The Josie Quinn mysteries have become a go-to for interesting, engaging, suspenseful mystery thrillers and I’m already looking forward to the next one!

Five out of five stars.

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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam ( )

How many different ways can people abuse other people? Lisa Regan has plotted another strong police procedural targeting crimes against young women while exploring the depravity of deviant criminals. Two pages in and I was hooked. A serial killer, horrific crimes, and Josie Quinn along with her Chief and her team are working all the angles. Clues are dangled, possibilities explored and while there are always a few twists in a Josie Quinn installment the real story is the men and women on the job and their dedication to finding justice for the victims.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutre for a copy. ( )

Watch Her Disappear by Lisa Regan
Josie Quinn #14

Josie and her team have another complicated intriguing case to solve in this murder mystery that sees fifteen-year-old girls disappear only to reappear on their sixteenth birthday…dead. Will the team figure it out in time or will more girls die/

What I liked:
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* Josie: focused, intelligent, dedicated detective
* The team: Josie’s husband Noah, Gretchen, Amber, Finn, the Chief and the rest
* That this time the Chief’s backstory plays a big part and we get to k now him better
* How the prologue played into the overall plot…eventually
* The red herrings, twists, and turns
* That the killer and reason for killings were finally determined
* That the case was tied up at the end of the story ready for a new book to begin
* Wondering if, when, and where Josie and Noah might finally go on their honeymoon

What I didn’t like:
* The people and events I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how twisted some people are and what they are capable of doing

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

Another enthralling Josie Quinn mystery! This is the fourteenth in the series and they just keep getting better.

On prom night, a girl dressed in a gown is found stabbed to death outside the prom.
Was it a disgruntled boyfriend? Or, is there a serial killer afoot? And, what does this murder have to do with another one decades ago?

In this story, Josie is still sad about the death of the grandmother who raised her, but there are positive signs that she is healing. Josie’s close knit team, which includes her husband, Noah are all here, and we learn more about the history of their chief who looms large in this mystery.

I really like the Josie Quinn series and typically stay up late to finish each one I read because I can’t put them down! Josie is a strong, capable female protagonist.

This can work as a standalone, but I encourage those new to this series to dig and read some of the prior ones.

If you like well written police procedurals/thrillers, and are not familiar with Lisa Regan, I recommend her. I can’t wait for the next one! ( )