This is an intense read from the beginning until the end. The story is fast pacing, pack full of action and nothing short of angry emotional outburst (which in my case, I think it’s too much).

The story and plot

It started with a missing girl that’s been abducted from her backyard. No particular date or time frame was introduced here. And then, there’s another girl missing and the whole town is looking for her. Isabelle Coleman just vanished into thin air. Detective Josie Quinn is on suspension and she’s itching to pursue the case. Everybody keeps saying that she should lay back and don’t meddle with their job. But somehow she kept stumbling into one clue after another clue. Started with the name “Ramona” whispered from a crash victim.

I like the story from the beginning. It’s intense and getting darker as I progressed through the book. By 50% of the book, the story is getting darker. By 75%, things begin to unravel and the plot started to twist. At first, it seems that Josie is getting nowhere. She keeps banging against the wall with everybody keep telling her that she’s crazy. But as the book progressed, it revealed that her instinct was right. There was some nasty business behind all the young girl disappearance.

This is the first book that I read that has so many dead from the good guys side. How is it even possible? It is possible indeed! That’s the twist right there. And then, some people that you thought are supposed to be good, a.k.a the police are crooked as hell. I never see that coming.

The characters

Josie Quinn is one angry woman that is ready to take on the world with her strong headed attitude. So many anger in one book, just makes me a bit emotional by reading her character. At one point, it’s good. But it’s kind of disturbing to read a character that has so much emotion from angry to sad in one reading. Reading her character, it looks like an unbalanced character. However, I feel that her character is quite true. She’s been gone through divorce, bad childhood. Obviously, the normal human being could react like she did. I like that she’s only sad in the right places, not weepy all the time.

I love the grandma character. Silent but strong. Someone quite funky for a grandma. I want to see more the story of Noah Fraley and Luke. Wondering how the relationship between Luke and Josie in the next book. Will they get married ? or just hanging there ?

Recommend this book for those who love intense reading with full pack action from beginning until the end. Sure as well recommended for those who love a strong female character and when the read is getting darker as you progressed till the end.

Sorry with my delayed review!!!

I really really enjoyed this book. The only reason I am giving 4 and not 5 stars, is because I initially found it slow to get really going, but once it did, it blew my socks off!

Once again i hesitate how to start a review. Usually i know exactly how i feel about the stories i read, but sometimes it's not that simple.

Vanishing Girls left me with mixed feelings. The first half of it i felt almot bored, although the story had many twists and revelations and its fair share of deranged characters and horrible truths.
The whole first half of the book i was thinking only 2 stars for the book.
Then came a rather interesting twist about what was happening in the town of Denton, that was kind of surprising as i did not expect something that big and that raised the rating of the book for me.

I guess my main issue was with the characters, there was something about the story that made them seem fake, and some times annoying and not in a good way. And i did not like Detective Josie Quinn at all from the beginning.
The story was also rather interesting but it did not surprise me or catch my attention fully.
I really don't mean to be harsh towards any book, but this is the end of the road for me with Detective Quinn.

Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan is the 1st in the Detective Josie Quinn series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Josie Quinn is on suspension for alleged use of excessive force. She’s feeling a little angst. She wants to be on the job, especially with a young girl missing. She wants to help. Her chief won't allow it.

Investigating on her own time, while using both her soon-to-be ex-husband and her future fiancé as information providers, Josie is not only jeopardizing her own job, but both of theirs as well. But Josie doesn’t really care. She thinks that this is more than an abduction, more than one missing girl. She is afraid that there may be a serial abductor/killer on the loose, and as she delves deeper, Josie finds herself in a difficult position. She thinks someone in the police force has been covering up. This is becoming even bigger than she realized. Suddenly she doesn’t know who she can trust.

Josie's personal life is a bit of a mess. She has already accepted an engagement ring from Luke, but Ray has not yet signed the divorce papers. Ray has been in her life since they were kids, and neither one of them is handling the separation well, although Josie knows it is the right thing to do.
My Views:

I didn’t particularly like Josie Quinn initially. I definitely do not like the way she handled her personal life. I still don't. I thought the author was creating one more flawed detective with total disregard to the rules. But Josie is not really flawed. She had a rough upbringing, but with her support system, she is actually level-headed. She is just very passionate about her job. Lisa Regan created a very strong female detective, and gave her the depth needed to seem real. I am not a romance reader, but I did not feel that Josie’s love life interfered with the story, as it seemed to be an integral part of the plot. Regan put some real thought into the supporting characters, and it all worked. I really loved her Grandmother. The plot, although a little dark, was handled very well, and moved along very quickly with great twists, and a few surprises.

Looking forward to the next Josie Quinn book!

I received a copy of Vanishing Girls from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....

Vanishing Girls was an unexpected hit in my book. I have been going through a minor NetGalley slump with my last few approved requests ending to be rather mediocre. But Vanishing Girls was a story that I just devoured.

First, I think the premise sounds a bit familiar. But I was pleasantly surprised by the story being less predictive that I was expecting. There were a few shocking discoveries that I had not seen coming, which is most excellent!

I had an interesting relationship with the protagonist and narrator, Josie Quinn. On the one hand, I found that she was a rebel of sorts, which can be fun. Even while being suspended from the squad, she would do whatever she wanted to get to the bottom of a missing girl case. Even after being warned, she took matters into her own hand. While I admired her tenacity, I just wanted to yell at her, "Why can't you just fricken do what you asked? You're a damn cop after!" But her persistence resulted in quite the unexpected scandal. I refuse to dive deeper, it would be criminal to give anything away.

The story and content is a bit dark. This story could be a trigger for some. So I will offer you a fair and advanced warning. But I think if you can stomach the awful, you will enjoy the story.

This is book one in a promising new series featuring Detective Josie Quinn, Set in Pennsylvania where girls are going missing and Josie is suspended from her job. A strong female character with ongoing personal problems of her own to contend with. The plot felt a bit familiar at times but overall, this is an author to watch out for. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

Fans of Lisa Regan will be delighted to see a new series, featuring Detective Josie Quinn. If you haven't read anything of this author, this would be a good place to start.

Detective Josie Quinn is a strong, independent woman, secure in her own skin and her job. That is, until she screws up and batters a woman in her custody. She's on unpaid leave, waiting for a hearing to see if her career will stand.

Two girls have recently gone missing in recent time. They found one of the girls ... a girl they hadn't even known had been missing. Of the other girl, nothing has been seen since. Josie wants in on the search, but the Chief of Police has denied her request.

She's been bugging Ray, her soon to be ex-husband and also a detective, for information. She also has questioned Luke, a State Police Officer and her brand new fiancee. They are all warning her to stay away, she can only hurt her own career by doing her own investigating. But she's stubborn and one-minded and wants justice ....

"The trail leads Josie to another victim, a girl who escaped but whose case was labelled a hoax by authorities. To catch this monster, Josie must confront her own nightmares and follow her instinct to the darkest of places. But can she make it out alive?"

This is not my first book read by this author. I like her writing style and her story-telling abilities. Her characters are memorable, and more importantly, credible. I so enjoy the way her characters all interact with each other .... with love, anger, remorse, sorrow .... all the emotions are always exposed.

This new series has twists and turns that start to feel like being on a roller coaster. The plot is definitely an attention -keeper. The ending is exciting ,, maybe just a touch overblown, but riveting, nonetheless. I look forward to following more adventures of Josie.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot packed into the story. Josie is currently suspended from the police force. When a girl goes missing she is determined to help in any way possible whether she is allowed to or not. The case is complicated and other girls have been missing in the past. I do not want to give away any spoilers. The perpetrators are a surprise and how many people are involved are a total shock. The plot and the short chapters make this book really gripping from the start and definitely worth reading. I hope there are more books about Josie.

Josie Quinn is not the type of girl that takes no for an answer. When a local girl vanishes from her small home town of Denton, Pennsylvania; Josie a member of the local police force, springs to action. However, Josie, recently placed on paid leave is quickly dismissed by the chief and told to keep her nose out of it. But, again Josie never takes no as an answer - she is the type of character that kicks ass and asks questions later.. As she continues her investigation, Josie is lead down a dark, twisted, Ill path to which she will be lucky to escape with her life. 10 stars for this sick tale - ok Goodreads 5 stars. It's a must read! Thank you, NetGalley for this Arc and to the talented author, Lisa Regan - I look forward to more adventures with Josie Quinn! ❤️

Gripping from the offset, and keeps you guessing all the way through.
Who can you trust, when the whole town seems to be hiding something?

This is the first book in a new series featuring Detective Josie Quinn. A teenage girl goes missing and Josie has to conduct her own investigations as she has been suspended from her duties due to an assault. Josie is a very gritty character. She is in the middle of divorcing her ex husband Ray, who was also her childhood sweetheart, whilst engaged to her current partner Luke. More girls disappear, with no clues as to what has happened to them until one of the girls turns up. She is traumatised but Josie is determined to find the most recent missing girl and also what had happened to the girl who has turned up.
This is a brilliant start to a new series, I was racing through the book not wanting it to end. It was well written, plenty of tension, twists and turns and left me guessing right to the end. Can’t wait for the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

First of all, thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC. Sexondly, I have a lot of feelings. A lot. I liked this one. There wasn’t a lot of twists and turns but it was a great thriller. The main character was troubled but likeable. The side characters all played their roles well. Everything fit well together. What this book managed to do that not a lot of other things accomplish is it made me feel for the characters. I just liked it a lot. Read it.

If you love reading books with a strong female lead, you’re going to love this one! Josie Quinn is a hard-ass detective in a small town in central Pennsylvania. Suspended from active duty for failing to rein in her temper and still struggling with the end of her marriage, Josie finds herself drawn into weird happenings going on her in small town in central Pennsylvania. Women are disappearing and the only clue Josie has is a name…Ramona.

Luke seems like a good man and he makes her happy, but there’s something missing. Will Josie have a new love interest soon? I’m so glad that this is just the start of a series. I will be eagerly looking forward to the next book. Lisa Gardner fans should not miss this one!

This mystery thriller of a novel captivated my attention when it began somewhere in the past, rather than starting in the present. The protagonist of this story is a female detective named, Josie, who has recently under investigation from an incident that occur while she was n duty. Already into a great start am I right? Already in the middle of something troubling when I started this novel and It’s one thing I like how the story goes. you just dive right in. You get to learn more about her in bits of pieces while trying to uncover the missing girls investigation.
Go to my blog to read more of this review :)

A dark and twisted story featuring a strong female protagonist with little regard for the rules. It keeps your attention and has some great twists towards the end. What took me out of the story a little was how completely unrealistic some parts were. In the real world, I seriously doubt Josie would still have a job or any colleagues left that still liked her. Details about those plot points would be considered spoilers, so I'll just say I'd recommend some suspension of disbelief for this story.

Quiet Denton, Pennsylvania has been rocked by the disappearance of a teenager. With little to go on, they're not getting far... but they do find another girl who's been missing. This one was assumed to have run away, so she didn't get nearly the same amount of media attention as the latest girl. She's clearly traumatized and refusing to speak to anyone. The only thing they manage to get from her (in a very strange way) is a name: Ramona. Detective Josie Quinn is convinced this girl can lead her to the one still missing, but she's on suspension and isn't supposed to be working the case... as if she'd led that stop her from investigating.

Still using connections she shouldn't be and disobeying the orders of her chief, Josie isn't letting her suspension for use of excessive force slow her down. She's convinced they won't find the girl in time without her help, and if they don't want it... she'll work it on her own. It isn't long before she connects the cases to one from years ago: a woman who was taken and then dumped a couple of weeks later, naked and bound. It was dismissed as a hoax, but Josie isn't convinced. Her co-workers aren't getting anywhere, but can she figure it out before it's too late?

This series has a lot of potential, and I think Josie has a whole lot of room to grow. I'll certainly read the next one. This is a twisted tale for sure.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Bold and striking: two words that describe the cover perfectly. And these words apply to Vanishing Girls itself as well, because this new detective series goes all out and buries you under a mountain of intense and action-packed scenes. I picked up this thriller on a Saturday afternoon and found myself to be so utterly engrossed I completely forgot I had other things to do. The writing style is engaging and allows you to jump right in. There is a lot going on in Vanishing Girls and there is not one boring minute with the non-stop action and plot twists getting thrown right at you. That said, I almost felt there was too much going on and I started to doubt about the credibility of it all. I’m not saying I didn’t love this story, especially since I like my thrillers dark, intense and suspenseful, but still… Especially the final part felt a little bit too close to the credibility border. The main character Josie Quinn is without doubt another interesting one and a perfect example of a kick ass female detective. The fact she is on a suspension and doing her own investigation anyway adds a little something extra, and I like how well fleshed out and rounded her character felt. There are a few cliches involved, like the complicated and dark past and personal life in general, but Josie Quinn is mostly forgiven for those cliches as she bulldozers through the secrets and lies and gets things done. I do wonder how things could continue on the same level after such an explosive ending, but I’m definitely curious and will be coming back for more. Intense, fascinating, disturbing, suspenseful… Thriller fans, read this book!

Every once in a while, I come across a writer that I have never read before, I read the book and wonder ‘how the devil have I not read books by this writer before?’ This is just such an occasion. ‘Vanishing Girls’ is the first book by Lisa Regan that I have read but going by how much I enjoyed it, it certainly won’t be the last. I LOVED ‘Vanishing Girls’ but more about that in a bit.
Detective Josie Quinn is the main character in the book and what a character she is too. She is currently suspended from her role as a detective following an incident. As the book progresses, we gradually find out more about what happened and Josie’s reaction to it. Whilst she is on suspension, a girl called Isabelle Coleman goes missing and the town’s small police force begins to investigate. Detective Quinn so wants to join in the search but as she is on suspension she is unable to join in officially, so she conducts her own unofficial investigation. Detective Quinn does not like being told that she cannot do something and it has the opposite effect of making her even more determined to do it. Josie is certainly a rebel and then some. During the course of the investigation, a girl is rescued but the problem is that nobody has reported her as missing. Quinn tries to piece together the rescued girl’s story, whilst trying to find Isabelle Coleman. Quinn is a courageous woman, even if she does sometimes place herself in unnecessary danger, which she frequently does. Quinn seems very angry at the world and most people in it. There’s no doubt that Detective Quinn has issues and that she has experienced some traumatic events throughout her career. She seems to have used alcohol as a coping mechanism, which is a mistake. Quinn’s investigation sees her investigate a third disappearance, which was cruelly dismissed as a hoax at the time. Quinn comes to some shocking conclusions and leads her to question what she thought she knew. Will Detective Quinn ever be able to trust anybody again? Will Quinn be able to solve the mystery of the disappearing girls? Will any lives be lost? Will Quinn ever have her suspension lifted? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves as I am not going to tell you.
My initial thought on finishing the book was ‘blooming heck (or words to that effect) what a fantastic story and rollercoaster ride that was’. The story hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. To say I was addicted to the book from start to finish is something of an understatement. The book reeled me in from the very first word on the very first page and kept me hooked until the last word on the last page. It was almost as if the book had me under a spell. For me ‘Vanishing Girls’ really is a ‘CPID’ (can’t put it down) book. It was almost as if the book was glued to my hand because it came everywhere with me. I usually have the attention span of a gnat and I am easily distracted but not in this case because I was able to shut out any other distractions, just so I could concentrate on the story. I would say that reading ‘Vanishing Girls’ is much like being on one of the scariest rollercoaster rides because there are lots of twists, lots of turns and several moments where you just want to shout out a rude word and put your hands over your eyes because you fear what is going to happen next. Well I was the same with this book. I almost had to read through my fingers because I feared what was going to happen next but I also knew that I had to read on because I needed to know how the story ended. There were also times when something happened that was so unexpected and shocking that I couldn’t believe I had just read it and I had to read that section again. The story could be pootling along and then bam, an incident happens which is so unexpected that reading it feels like a punch to your stomach and it knocks the breath out of you.
In short I totally LOVED reading ‘Vanishing Girls’ and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series featuring one of my favourite female detectives Josie Quinn. Here’s hoping that I don’t have too long to wait. I would definitely recommend this book to others. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is an easily well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan that I read and reviewed.
This is the first book in a new series that I thought was excellent. If it was anything like what any of the books that are going to be in the rest of the series Lisa Regan has has a hit on her hands.
Detective Josie Quinn the main character is a great lead for the series. She is spunky and is the full package for what I am looking for when I am reading a book with female detective lead. She was willing to do what she had to to get to the answers and she had did not care whose toes she stepped on to get her answers.
This book was an excellent read and I highly suggest it because it one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Vanishing Girls gets five out of five stars.

Girls are not the only thing vanishing when you open Lisa Regan’s book. Time ceases to matter, dogs get neglected, thirst is forgotten, hunger is a vague memory. Your condition as a human being disappears. Only the reader is left. A reader with awfully gripping chapters at the tip of their finger.

Don’t let the title mislead you. This book isn’t about your usual missing girls. You thought those were scary and right out of a nightmare? Haha, how innocent are you! Vanishing Girls takes the tragic, heart-stopping, unbearable and cold event of girls going missing and turns it into a tragically realistic and gruesome story around one of the most fascinating female police offer I’ve met since Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone.

I took a liking in Josie Quinn, our main character, very quickly. Her stubbornness and her bossy way reminded me of myself when I’m in work-mode (poor coworkers!) and her frustration about being left out of the pending missing girl case was palpable, it was too real not to feel genuine. Being suspended is difficult enough, but when things happen and you get caught in the middle, knowing you could actually help your coworkers, this is pure torture!

For the second time in the last five minutes, she felt like a stranger in her own world.

Having Josie stuck on the side, a cop with handcuffs, having to rely on herself, her connections, and her brain instead of being on the field, with a team and a complete access to the investigation was a great idea, but it would only have made an okay story hadn’t the writing been so personal, so spot-on and captivating. The combination of a lonely cop and a detailed, clever writing that doesn’t let anything to chance makes Vanishing Girls a story you devour faster than a baba au rhum! I was on Josie’s side, and Lisa Regan made sure it felt a lot like us against the world!

There are so many things I need to praise in this story that I don’t know where to begin. Hints are everywhere, but you need the right light to see them. A bigger picture is set for you and a chess game starts, with you wondering who are the other players. I was going to mention an OMG moment, but the book itself is an “OMG what the hell?!?” thing! The intricate but so plausible web the author weaved around Denton made me queasy and naively hope this would stay locked in the pages of the book and not happen in real life!
So, the OMG award is given to Vanishing Girls for maintaining a high writing quality throughout the entire book, a strong array of secondary characters, emotional moments that can’t leave you stone cold, and one of the most wicked plot I have ever read which makes me want to suspect everyone and move on the moon on my own!!!!

Love, loss, holes left by people who have been and gone, darkness, emptiness, hope, strength, guts, blood. You want it, you have it.

Another thing that makes Vanishing Girls special is the way the case envelops and smothers Josie in a professional and personal way. No part of her life is left untouched and it makes things personal for the reader too, making it even easier to fall for Josie Quinn. The barrier between the woman and the detective is blurred, forgotten even, as you go deeper into the investigation, deeper into the darkest places on Earth.

Lisa Regan offers a stunning characterization that makes you build an opinion on every protagonist you meet. You are bound to feel something, no matter which feeling it is, and your emotions evolve with the story, like a roller coaster, just as in real life. Actions and reactions, feelings on the spot, emotions after a good night of sleep, you get the difference, you get the burn of words spoken too fast, or sentences left unsaid. There is a weight to every relationship Josie has which brings a layer of authenticity to the book and takes Vanishing Girls on the highest rank of my book list.

Vanishing Girls is a hell of a book, a true crime story focusing on the right spots to make you beg for more! My first new favorite series of the year!

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. With my new love for Crime books well and truly taking hold this was a book not to be missed.

The story follows Detective Josie Quinn as she tries to locate missing girl Isabelle Coleman. I was very confused when I first began reading as Josie is actually on suspension and I kept wondering how she was going to do this while she was not technically working but it played out better than I could have imagined. Josie is bad ass! She also has a lot of layers. She has had a troubled past and I cannot wait to delve into those layers and unearth more about her. She is going to be a fascinating character as the series progresses. 

There are  a few side characters that I really enjoyed. Lisette is awesome. I  have noticed recently that I love old people in books. In some ways they are like children where they aren't afraid to say it how is it. The difference with old people is they have the experience that children lack. This experience has taught them that you can't please everyone so you should be true to yourself.  The other character I really liked was Noah. At first he seemed like a bit of a wet fish but as the story progressed he became one of my favourites. 

Lisa's writing is gritty but not explicit. This book deals with some real dark crimes but Lisa manages to do so without shoving it in the readers face which is quite a skill. I really struggled with guessing where this was going and I really had to rely on Josie to figure it out for me.  I cannot wait to see what Lisa brings for book two!