The first book in a new series never fails to be exciting for me - especially when I get to the end and am disappointed that I don't have the next one at hand. Such is the case here, and I'm already hoping the author is well into the writing of book No. 2.

The star of this show is Josie Quinn, a detective with the Denton, Pa., police who's been put on leave following allegations of use of excessive force (where she lives is of some relevance to me since in about 15 minutes we can be in the Keystone State). There's not a lot of question that Josie did the deed; but it's also true that she had a traumatic childhood that has left her with serious emotional scars, so I suppose it's understandable that she's got a hair-trigger temper. She's still married to childhood sweetheart and fellow cop Ray, but only because he refuses to sign the divorce papers; in fact, she's now engaged to hunky state cop Luke (thus jumping from the frying pan to the fire a bit too fast for me to have much sympathy should things go wrong).

As the story begins, Isabelle Coleman, a beautiful and popular girl from town, goes missing. Not long thereafter, Josie narrowly misses being struck by a car that's occupants are being shot at - a car filled with gang-type guys and a local history teacher, the latter of whom lives long enough to utter the name "Ramona" as Josie tries to help.

Next comes another stunner: Another girl turns up, unresponsive and near death - a girl no one realized had been missing. Even more confusing, she's got a tongue piercing exactly like Isabelle's. Does that mean the two cases are related? Could Isabelle still be alive? Who in blazes is Ramona? Wondering minds, especially Josie's, want to know; but since she's currently prohibited from taking part in any official police investigation, she's got to figure out how to get away with on-the-sly sleuthing.

She does try to convince the police chief to let her work the case, but her pleas fall on deaf ears every time. So, she relies as best she can on Ray, Luke and an ethically challenged TV reporter - at least, until some buried facts come to light that change everything she's believed about the case - and about many of the people she's known and loved. Worse, what she's learned puts her square in the crosshairs of some people who will stop at nothing to keep their long-held secrets secret.

There's no shortage of action (sometimes a bit over the top), so the whole thing kept me pretty much on the edge of my seat throughout. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review it.

"You can't always be all roses and sweetness...that don't get shit done."

Detective Josie Quinn of the Denton, Pennsylvania police, has a bit of a temper and is on suspension after using excessive force during a call out for a disturbance of the peace in the rural town of about 30,000 people. So, she can't get involved in the search when teenager Isabelle Coleman is apparently abducted even though the department is stretched thin, especially after a highway shooting leaves 3 apparent gang members dead at the Stop and Go gas station. Of course Josie won't sit this out, especially after she discovers that there may have been other instances of kidnapped girls that might be linked to this case -- a girl that no one even knew was missing is found in a catatonic state. The only real clue is a name -- Ramona. Who is Ramona?

This fast-paced police procedural is full of surprising revelations as the full scope of the "vanishing" girls is discovered. That small town has many secrets. NO SPOILERS.

There is a lot of room for character development in the future episodes in this series, and I hope that Josie becomes her own person rather than a copy of all the other female detectives in books of this genre -- let's "un mess" her up, OK? Women can be great cops without being so damaged, can't they? Another issue for me was the romance with Luke (and leave out the sex scenes -- a pet peeve of mine) as Josie needs to get her head on better before she's too deep in another relationship.

I enjoyed this debut in this crime thriller series and am eager to see what case comes next as Josie assumes her new role in the department.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

If, like me, you’re a lover of police procedural series, seeing the same characters filling your pages again and again, every time a new one appears, you’re probably asking yourself, can I really allow another series into my life? The answer is yes! There’s always room, so make some time to tuck into Vanishing Girls – you won’t be disappointed – the case is gritty and the stakes are high!

One of my main lures into crime series, police procedurals in particular, is my love of the main character – seeing how they handle each case they’re faced with and following the personal life of said character. Interestingly, I didn’t like Josie much, I understand why she is the way she is, but I didn’t fall in love with her character the way I usually do with flawed detectives. And that makes me curious to see what’s to come in Josie’s future, will she win me round or not? But more importantly, it highlighted to me the strength of this plot – how the case itself was so interesting, it was more about it being solved, me knowing the outcome, than who was responsible for solving it.

While I may not have fallen in love with Josie, yet, I do like that suspended or not, she’s going to investigate this case. A surprise to me, was that my favourite character in this novel, was the journalist – Trinity. Usually I love to hate the “annoying journalist” – worried that they’ll mess up the investigation with their snooping, but here, I thought Trinity was fantastic. While this novel follows the format of a police procedural, I love that it went against the familiarity I look for in these novels and I still really enjoyed it; so credit to Regan for taking me out of comfort zone, while still firmly keeping in my comfort zone.

The more I read of this novel, the stronger the plot became, the higher the stakes, the faster the pace, and the higher my level of interest. In the latter part of the novel, I was so gripped, I kept checking [on my Kindle] how much of story I had left to read, and that was because I didn’t want it to end, I was enjoying it so much. But alas, all good things must come to an end, a very good ending may I add, and I’m looking forward to the second book in this series.

I’m a firm believer in reading series in order, so don’t be left behind, playing catch up – get yourself a copy of Vanishing Girls now!

Vanishing Girls is an entertaining, gripping and suspenseful story that had us lost in the untamed, dense woody coulee. Things started off quite quickly as the unexpected emerges from that one-laned windy road and our main character Detective Josie Quinn is thrust into the middle of some action. With a case on her mind that isn’t supposed to be on her mind, she is determined to find answers. Answers become more questions for Josie and for us. Things started to slow down for us as we get to know Josie and follow her search for answers.

We felt a little cold in the coulee shortly after meeting tough and flawed Detective Josie Quinn. It took us awhile to warm up to her. It was her relationships that won us over. We became quite invested in her relationships and found ourselves cheering for Josie and her high school sweetheart Ray. This was a bit surprising for three of us non-romantics who quickly usually roll over to the eye-rolling Coulee at any sign of romance. Lisa Regan does such a great job drawing us into their relationship and allowing us to care so much for them. We grew to really like Josie as we got to know her more and of course when we found out why she was suspended we like her even more.

Things really started to pick up as Lisa Regan takes us down that an intense, heart pounding fast one-lane windy road in the coulee filled with secrets and lies and shocking moments that left us resting in the grassy, tamed lush coulee. We are looking forward to more from Detective Josie Quinn and the next book in this series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookoutoure and Lisa Regan for the opportunity to read and review a copy of this book.

Pub date January 17, 2018

Traveling Sisters Review also can be found on our sister blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com/

I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Regan’s ‘Claire Fletcher’ series, and was delighted at the release of a new series by this author.

Book one starts out with a massive bang!
Josie, her marriage disintegrated and her career on hold from a suspension, finds herself in the middle of not one but two murder scenes. For tough as nails Josie, taking a step back for personal problems is not an option, even though she’s risking everything!
As young women keep disappearing, Josie takes it upon herself to investigate. The stakes are rising as people around her are getting seriously hurt. Someone has something to hide...somebody wants to keep her away from the truth!

Lisa Regan takes you down a dark road of lies and deception. It will leave you breathless and questioning who you can trust? And is anyone in this small town safe?

Short chapters with a storyline that flows easily. The characters are all portrayed vividly, giving you a strong sense of who to root for (and who not to!!). The ending leaves you knowing this is just the first for a great new series! I’m already looking forward to reading Lisa Regan’s next release!

A wonderful & exciting Traveling Sister read!:)

Thank you to NetGalley, Boutouture and Lisa Regan for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.

For this review and our Full Traveling Sister review please visit Norma and Brenda’s fabulous book blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

3.5 stars

This was an action-packed crime thriller that follows Detective Josie Quinn on her journey to uncover hidden truths and secrets surrounding the disappearance of several local women. Quinn is on a work suspension when the novel starts, but she just can’t seem to stay away from her police departments’ investigations.

I love Lisa Regan’s “Claire Fletcher” series so I was excited to start this new series. Unfortunately, this book fell short for a few reasons. I wasn’t a fan of the main character, Josie Quinn. I couldn’t connect with her or invest myself in any of her relationships. I found several parts of this story were highly unlikely. The implausibility largely took away from my overall enjoyment. This novel also took me a while to get into. Once I reached the 50% mark, the story picked up and was more of a fast-paced, page turner.

I read this with my Traveling Sisters Brenda, Norma, Kaceey and Susanne which was a pleasure. They all enjoyed this one more than I did and I strongly suggest checking out their reviews on Brenda and Norma’s fabulous blog at:

https://twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/vanishing-girls-by-lisa-regan-travelingsistersread-bookreview-lisalregan-bookoutoure-blogtour/comment-page-1/#comment-1157

A big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lisa Regan for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

VANISHING GIRLS by LISA REGAN (Detective Josie Quinn #1) is a gritty, dark, and tense police procedural that grabbed my attention quickly and had me totally invested throughout this whole story.

LISA REGAN delivers another well-written, action-packed, and an angst driven story here that starts off a little slow but quickly becomes a thrilling, entertaining and exciting read.  I found the storyline to be rather interesting and I enjoyed following along with Josie as she investigates the disappearance (vanishing) of young women from her small town.  Even though there were a couple of questionable situations that seemed a little unlikely it didn’t take away from my enjoyment and how entertaining this novel was for me.  I kind of really enjoy over-the-top action!  

I thought the mystery was really good with a few surprising twists and I really enjoyed Josie’s character and the relationships she had with the other characters in this book.  I look forward to getting to know Josie better in the next book from this series.  

To sum it all up it was a suspenseful, fast-paced, and an enjoyable read with an ending that has definitely enticed me to read the next book in this series. Would recommend!!

Traveling Sisters Group Read - Thank you so much for another wonderful reading experience! It is always a pleasure reading along with these awesome ladies!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookoutoure and Lisa Regan for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

As soon as I saw the cover for this book and read the blurb I knew it was going to be one I would enjoy - and I loved it!

The characters were great and I really enjoyed Josie's determination to succeed. The plot was great, really well paced and I was gripped from the first few pages - you could tell it has been really thought about to make sure it was a believable story. I hope to see more books featuring Josie in the future - I love a good strong female lead!

Five stars from me - very highly recommended - a great thriller and really addictive - I didn't put it down from start to finish!

Actual rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

Originally I was going to give it 4 stars but after thinking of what I was going to write for my review, there were some things in the book that irked me so I decided to deduct half a star.

Josie Quinn is suspended from the police force while an investigation is taking place for misconduct (btw, you do not know what she did until half way into the book). A local 17-year girl goes missing and the whole town is looking for her. Since Josie is suspended and cannot partake in the search, she calls her fellow cop and estranged husband, Ray, and tells him what he should be searching for. Since she can't help the police, she decides to do her own investigating. Turns out, there may be other missing girls that are related to this case.

The plot and writing was good. It was suspenseful with some twists. But there were questions that didn't get answered until later on in the book (see above) or not at all. It's hard to like the protagonist if there is no character development in the beginning. I didn't see the connection between Josie and Luke besides rebound sex. I also felt like all the men in the book were weak.

The epilogue was confusing. <spoiler>I thought Ramona was an only child so I didn't understand the sentence "She smiled and thought of her sister..." Maybe I missed something.</spoiler>

All in all, I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for supplying me a copy of Lisa Regan's "Vanishing Girls" in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you very much for my copy. Unfortunately this book is not for me, I really couldn't connect with the characters or the storyline. I did not finish this book and so I will not post a review as I feel that is unfair to the author. I am sorry as I know I am in the minority and this book has a high rating. I will come back at a different time and attempt it again. Many thanks and my apologies.

This book had a little bitbof everything from action to police crime solving. The characters are genius and show a huge amount of talent as well as having problems of their own to deal with.
Jo is becoming one of mynfavoueite characters as she is good but has issues as well showing a human side that I wasn't expecting at first.
The story moves at a very good pace which I like and the book wasn't overly long and not drawn out. I am looking forward to more from this author.

I have to say that before I even read the blurb for this book I knew I wanted to read it, the cover just jumped out at me. It’s stunning.
This is the start of a new series involving Detective Josie Quinn and what a cracking character she is. Suspended due to misconduct the book opens with Josie struggling to fill in her days, that is until she hears a young girl has gone missing and she’s desperate to be involved in the case.
Josie is one of those characters that you are instantly intrigued by. We know she’s been suspended but at the beginning the reason why isn’t clear, she’s also got a bit of baggage and some demons haunting her but she’s also a bit kick ass and determined.  Josie is definitely a character many will love.
Vanishing Girls is quite an action packed story, right from the get go I was hooked and as the story unfolded and the many twists and turns were revealed  I found myself getting closer and closer to the edge of my seat, ready for my bum to hit the floor as the pace evolved.
This isn’t your ordinary police thriller, for one Josie has been suspended and shouldn’t even be investigating. It was different and interesting and I don’t want to give anything away so I’m going to end here and just say that if you’re looking for an edge of your seat, unputdownable, sleep stealing read the Vanishing Girls is for you.
So I think I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed Vanishing Girls and will be waiting with bated breath for book two.

EXCERPT: She only went outside if her mother, father or sister were out there. For a long time he disappeared. She stopped sensing him, stopped hearing him. She almost believed that he had gone back to wherever it was he came from. Maybe she had conjured him after all.

Then one day her sister was hanging clothes on the line while she flitted to the other side of the yard, chasing the yellow monarch butterflies that proliferated on top of the mountain. A white sheet fluttered on the clothesline, blocking her from her sister's view. She got too close to the treeline. A hand shot out and clamped down over her mouth, silencing her screams. An arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground. Holding her tightly against his chest, he dragged her through the forest that used to be her friend. One thought rose above her panic. 'He was real.'

THE BLURB: She was close enough to see that the girl had written a word on the wall in bright, warm red blood. Not a word, actually. A name…

Everyone in the small American town of Denton is searching for Isabelle Coleman, a missing seventeen-year-old girl. All they’ve found so far is her phone and another girl they didn’t even know was missing.

Mute and completely unresponsive to the world around her, it’s clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Detective Josie Quinn can get from her is a name: Ramona.

Currently suspended from the force for misconduct, Josie takes matters into her own hands as the name leads her to evidence linking the two girls. She knows the race is on to find Isabelle alive, and she fears there may be others…

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?

MY THOUGHTS: This is a series that I am going to follow with great interest! Reminiscent of, but definitely not a copycat of, Angela Marsons DI Kim Stone series, Lisa Regan has laid the groundwork for a riveting and compelling series.

The plot kept my attention, and while I didn't always understand why the author was writing what she was writing, it mostly all became clear. I had one or two minor issues, which was enough to drop one star from the rating, which I won't go into because of issues with spoiling the plot for those who have not yet read Vanishing Girls.

The pace is reasonably fast and the quality of writing excellent.

While I frequently didn't like Josie, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. It will be interesting to see how young Noah Farley develops in the coming books. He has great potential. And I just loved Josie's grandma. I defy anyone not to!

4 very expectant stars for Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan. I am eagerly awaiting Josie Quinn #2.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

3.5 stars

Gritty thriller about a small town in Pennsylvania where women are vanishing without a trace.

Detective Josie Quinn is the star of this book. While the plot at times was a little formulaic and over-the-top, Josie’s character is what makes Vanishing Girls a worthy read.

Josie’s life is falling apart. On suspension for using excessive force, she turns to alcohol to help pass the day and keep the demons from her past at bay. Unable to stop doing what she loves best, being a detective, she uses her resources to continue investigating the disappearance of high schooler, Isabelle Coleman. At the same time, she is also struggling to come to terms with divorcing her childhood sweetheart, Ray, and moving on with new love, Luke.

As Josie investigates the case of Isabelle, she turns up buried cases from the past of other missing girls. What she uncovers puts the whole town of Denton at risk, as she is in a position to expose corruption and some serious sick and twisted shadiness!

As Josie digs, some improbable events occur which took me out of the story---I wish I could shut off my inner detective/critic while reading! I also found some plotlines to be a little thin, although they might be fleshed out in future books.

While I didn’t love the plot, Josie’s character has me invested enough to want to read the next book in this series!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Vanishing Girls is the first book in the Detective Josie Quinn series and this is in fact the first book that I have read by this author and certainly wont be my last. Vanishing Girls is a brilliant start to a new series which I couldn't put down and devoured it in one day.

The book starts off with one chilling prologue that left me wanting more. Set in a small town of Denton Pennsylvania, a young girl Isabelle Coleman goes missing But then Detective Josie Quinn finds an unresponsive damaged girl that they didn't know had gone missing. Fearing that other girls are in danger It is a race against time to catch the killer and find Isabelle alive.

Josie is one hell of a strong feisty character who is stubborn and very independent which I love. There is plenty of character build up and really do get to her. She hasn't had the best of luck with her personal life and her job. Josie is actually suspended from work but that doesn't stop her getting involved in this case. Has the story unfolds we learn that she is a very determined woman and wont give up. I love everything about her

This story will have you on the edge of your seat willing Josie along it is full of twists and turns . Without giving to much away the last 25% really did it for me when it all picked up speed and became very gritty with one hell of an OMG moment.

This is a must read for Karin Slaughter fans and cannot wait to read what is in store next I highly recommend it giving it 4 well deserved stars.

4 Stars

A girl goes missing in the small town of Denton, Pennsylvania and Detective Josie Quinn knows that the police investigation is being mishandled - the problem? Josie was suspended from the Department and can’t do anything about it - except for conducting an investigation on her own, that is.

Josie, however needs help. Her only allies are her soon to be ex-husband (and Detective), Ray, and her fiance Luke, who is a “Statie” - neither likes the other, and neither wants Josie investigating on her own, but they know they can’t stop her. Josie is extremely stubborn and she never listens to reason. Soon, she realizes that more girls have vanished and that everyone she knows is in danger and unless Josie can find out who is responsible, it will keep on happening.

“Vanishing Girls” is the first in the Detective Josie Quinn series. Josie is a tough cookie - she has been through a lot in her life and hates being vulnerable. Slowly however, she starts to show a softer side (first with Ray and then with Luke), which I can’t wait to see more of.

This is a novel that starts out slow and takes off like a rocket. Once it blasts off you are on the edge of your seat holding on for dear life. It was a ride I loved being on and I hope you will too.

This was a Traveling Sister Read. It included Brenda, Kaceey and Lindsay. Reading and discussing this novel with my sisters was fantastic and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series with them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lisa Regan for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon and Twitter.

I fell in love with Vanishing Girls as soon as I started reading it! It was full of suspense and I finished it in a day because it was impossible to put it down! It's been a while since I've felt so strongly about a book and it was all I needed to fall in love with the Genre even more! I was never really into Mystery/Thrillers because I had this ridiculous notion that, I could only enjoy them on screen. But, Lisa Regan proved me wrong by keeping me at the edge of my seat throughout this book and engaging me in her twisted and out of this world storyline!

The only thing you need to know about the plot itself is this: mind-blowing and extremely fascinating. We're not going to get into details because that will obviously spoil the wonderful experience of going into this book and not knowing what to expect. Which is highly recommended! The characters were so complex and well written that, I was actually very impressed. Their development throughout the story was guaranteed from the moment I really got into it and the uncertainty of what was happening was highly addictive, mainly because it was combined with an adrenaline filled suspense!

I fell in love with Josie as soon as she was introduced in the novel. She's such a strong-willed individual, even though she went through some very dark and traumatic events during her earlier years. She's determined to get to the bottom of things and uncover the truth, before it's too late. Even though everything's on the line since she's technically suspended while conducting her own investigation, she never gives up. It's obvious that something fishy is going on with the girls' disappearances and the truth she uncovers by the end of the novel is both shocking and unexpected! I didn't agree with her way of thinking sometimes but, I could definitely understand where she was coming from. She's probably one of the most complex characters I've ever come across and I'll definitely enjoy getting to know her more during the following books in this series.

Ray was also a very interesting and complicated character. His relationship with Josie was truly an unusual one but, if we take their past and what they've been through into consideration, it kind of makes sense. I wasn't really rooting for them to get back together because I truly enjoyed Luke's refreshing and swoon worthy ways of caring for Josie but, I could appreciated their history. I feel like Luke balanced Josie out perfectly and he never pushed her or patronized her. He perfectly understood what she was going through and was there for every step of the way.

The only thing I definitely did not agree with was the fact that Josie kept huge parts of herself from him. He had the right to know what she went through, especially if it still came back to haunt her in stressful situations and affected her life and those around her. I strongly believe that trust is the key point to a successful relationship and I'm 100% sure that Luke would've stood by her, through thick and thin. Keep in mind that, not every single thing about Josie was revealed at once, which I actually quite enjoyed. Getting to know the main character was a process that took some time and added to the mystery of the book itself.

Lastly, the quality of writing is perfect! I usually prefer stories told in the first POV but, I immensely enjoyed Lisa Regan's storytelling abilities and how she made everything seem so real. The vividness of the scenes described throughout the book were out of this world and I did not mind the third person POV at all! It made the experience of reading Vanishing Girls even spookier and suspenseful. The pace was fast - exactly how I like it - and the events that unfolded in each chapter literally took my breath away! Moreover, I found the flashbacks quite dark and mysterious. An intriguing addition to a memorable book! They came out of nowhere and I actually could not figure out what was going on until the truth was fully revealed dyring the last couple of chapters and put the scattered pieces of this huge puzzle where they belonged!

I cannot recommend this one enough! Definitely one of the most surprising, unpredictable and engaging books I've read in quite some time! I seriously cannot wait for its sequel and I'm excited to see how Lisa Regan will continue on with Josie's story after the heartbreaking ending of Vanishing Girls. The possibilities are endless and I'm extremely curious to see how she'll take advantage of them!

This is book one in the Detective Josie Quinn series and my first read by this author. After reading this I know Vanishing Girls will not be my only read by this author.

Josie is a detective on suspension from her job. When girls start vanishing she asks her boss to let her work on the case but he says no. So she does her own investigations.

Great praise to the author for a brilliant start to this series. I read this in one day as I couldn’t put it down. I found it to be a gritty well written story with plenty of twists and turns. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author and of this series.

#VanishingGirls by Lisa Regan
#NetGalley
17 Jan 2018

A great book with the following line that I personally think is the best I have ever read: “Josie didn’t care if the guy disintegrated when they slapped the cuffs on him.” Josie Quinn is a detective in a small town. Unfortunately, she’s suspended with pay while a rash of young girls disappear and even though the whole town participates in the searches it is to no avail. Josie is not the kind of person to let anything stop her and before long she is part of the investigation unto the chief changes her status to suspended without pay. The book is fast paced and keeps your interest going. I had to force myself to take breaks so I wouldn’t finish too early. I would without doubt recommend this book to anyone and will definitely keep my eye on future books from this author. At first I didn’t like the ending until I got to the very end and that just made me love the book more. I received this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Ms. Regan sure knows how to start a series with a bang. The question might be whether she will be able to keep it up with the subsequent books and whether or not readers will have to continue to accept events that seem unplausible. Detective Josie Quinn has been suspended from the police force for excessive force against a mother trying to sell her kid for drugs. This is perhaps the first somewhat unrealistic action in a book that had many borderline realistic events. It wasn't much force and, come on, the woman probably deserved a lot more. But it ostracizes Josie from her co-workers and removes her from the active force. When a girl goes missing, Josie can't resist trying to find out what is going on. From here the story leads down a path of a few other somewhat unrealistic events, and really odd partnerships, but I assume they are done in order to bring Josie and the story to the place Ms. Regan wants it to be for the rest of the series. I always give first books a little more leeway as I know they need to establish a foundation for the characters, setting, and future stories. I hope future books in this series don't push the plausibility quite so much.