Cover Image: Vanishing Girls

Vanishing Girls

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Member Reviews

A suspenseful, tense, edge of the seat roller-coaster of a thriller. Loved it from start to finish. Was racing through the pages at the same time as not wanting it to end. A book which absorbed and transported me so that for a while I was one with the characters. I am so glad I discovered this author and cannot wait for her next.

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Book 1 in the Josie Quinn series. Excellent first book in the series. Josie Quinn is a cop on suspension. When a young girl goes missing Josie can't help but investigate. There is lots of suspense and twists and turns in this book. Looking forward to reading more about Josie Quinn in the next books. Thank you NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

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The Vanishing Girls Lisa Regan

Straight from the start I’m going to say I loved this book. The Plot, the main protagonist, the setting, everything.

The story is based in the small fictional town of Denton Pennsylvania. When a young woman goes missing it attracts the attention of all of the local police department, but the one woman that really wants to get involved I the search is on suspension for hitting another woman.

Detective Josie Quinn is a troubled character, she has recently left her husband when she found out he was having an affair with the local stripper. Her husband, her childhood best friend turned-lover-turned-husband, is also a cop so life is awkward.

The towns chief refuses to let Josie back from suspension so she starts to look into the disappearance of the girl herself; and she starts to uncover some terrible secrets.

Everybody she thinks to turn to for help might be put in danger, or may put her in danger. In turmoil and not knowing who to trust Josie uncovers historical crimes that she links to the disappearance of the girl. Her one-woman investigation goes from looking for a missing girl to looking for a serial killer.

This book is brilliant. The story had me hooked from the start and kept me engrossed throughout.

The culmination of the investigation is not at the end of the story. Thankfully Lisa Regan has continued past the end game of the crimes to include the inquest that goes on after the perpetrator has been found. But did he work alone, and has Josie got everybody involved.

Thankfully there are more Josie Quinn books on the way and I, for one, can’t wait for the next.

Whilst I was reading this the style of writing and the story reminded me of another of my favourite authors. So, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anybody who likes books by Greg Isles

Pages: 345
Publisher: Bookouture

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This was a great first book in the Josie Quinn Series. It keeps you gripped page by page. It is a riveting read, I completed it in 3 days, totally absorbed in the cahracters and storyline, which was tense, disconcerting and suspenseful. I can't wait for the next one in the series and to see how Josie's career and personal life develops.

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RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2018

RATING: 3 Stars Worth a read but not what I’d call a contender for “Best Book of the Year”

GENRE: Thriller/Suspense

AUDIENCE: Fans of Kristi Loucks and Lorraine Taylor may enjoy books written by Lisa Regan

SERIES: Josie Quinn Book 1

THE GOOD: Lisa Regan has a great writing style that keeps readers involved with the story, and the first chapters evolve from describing the main characters, their backgrounds and situations, and setting up the plot. There wasn’t a single chapter that dragged, or didn’t move the book forward in a satisfying fashion. I’ve read several of her previous books, and while I wasn’t in love with them per se, Regan doesn’t dawdle when she’s spinning a tale. For this particular book, it was a saving grace.

Josie Quinn is a detective on the police force of a small town in Pennsylvania. She’s recently been suspended for misconduct in the form of rough treatment of a suspect. She’s whiling away her time a) being pissed about her suspension, b) trying to avoid her soon-to-be ex-husband who is also on the police force, and c) making time with her new fiancé.

A young girl goes missing, and Josie chomps at the bit to work the case. Her chief says no. Then he tells her, “Hell, no.” Then he suspends her without pay when she repeatedly refuses to listen. Of course, she still doesn’t listen, and when a different missing girl shows up the game is truly afoot.

THE BAD: Regan created the main character of Josie Quinn as a no-nonsense cop with a strong sense of justice and a childhood past that continues to haunt her. The author’s intention to create a resilient female lead went a little too far. I didn’t care for Josie throughout most of the book. She had a very high opinion of her own detective skills and felt she was the only one who could crack the case. That may sound misogynistic but I try to measure characters by whether their thoughts/actions would be tolerable if they were of the opposite sex. If Josie would have been a male, I probably would have put it down by chapter 3.

I’m not going to go in depth with other issues I had with the book, because to illustrate them would mean spoilers. I’ve been called out on the carpet for leaking spoilers unintentionally before, so – not today. I will mention that there are several deus ex machina twists that left me more resentful than wowed. Here I am, faithfully trying to follow along, and then Regan has to pull a rabbit out of a hat. No bueno.

THE UGLY: There really isn't any ugly. This was a very readable book. Readers with weak stomachs should not indulge, but other than that it was all right.

*Tremendous thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

FYI: Additional books written by Lisa Regan can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Lisa+Regan

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Wow this book blew my mind! Utterly fantastic, I loved it, this is your worst nightmare come true! An explosive start to a new series. This book was scary, dark and twisted and kept me hanging on the edge of my seat unable to put it down. I think it makes a book much more believable and disturbing if the story is a scenario that could really happen, and this could! A huge 5 stars for this, it was a brilliant piece of writing.

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This fast action packed thriller had it all, a strong female lead, that the reader can't help but warm to and a gritty plot that left you wanting more.
Josie is a DC or should I say was, she has been suspended but this doesn't stop her wanting to know why girls keep going missing in the town she lives in. She has no idea who to trust and seem to be in the deep end of every issues. She stops at nothing to find answers even when her own life is at risk.
I honestly couldn't put this book down, it is written in a way that makes the reader need to know the next part, lots of suspense with a brilliant twist of the plot at the end. The author describes each character very well, as the reader, you love some and hate others, her way with words had me picture every single character in their own right.
I'm looking forward to the next action pack book in this series.

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Wow what a start to a new series. From the opening page the author sucks you in to the story and as the book progresses the twist and shocking revelations keep you on the edge of your seat.

Josie Quinn is a detective with the Denton, PA police department. She is currently on suspension for excessive force. She is not the kind of person to just sit around twiddling her thumbs and when a local girl goes missing she cant help herself but to start doing her own investigating.

There is drama galore through out this book. She is currently in the midst of a divorce from her childhood sweetheart – fellow cop Ray Quinn and she just accepted a marriage proposal from Luke Creighton who works for the state police.

Josie's look into the current disappearance leads her to others and when another girl turns up naked on the side of the road she knows things are connected and wonders how many of her fellow law enforcement colleagues are involved.

Josie is a strong female character with a deep-seated moral compass. I look forward to more books in the series.

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The first in a new line of stories featuring Detective Josie Quinn, I am already eagerly awaiting the next book after finishing this.

There is plenty of drama and twists woven into the intense and detailed plot which covers a dark and emotive subject really well. Quinn is a very strong and likeable female lead, always half the battle in a detective novel. The sub characters were equally as good, interesting and some completely vile, but all well described, enough to give me the shivers in fact! I do hope we see more of Noah in future books though, as I enjoyed his appearances and think he'll be a great character going forward.

A cracking start to a new series. Bring on the next instalment Lisa Regan, I hope you're a fast writer!

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One girl goes missing, another is found. There is no trace of Isabelle Coleman, instead Detective Josie Quinn finds a girl no one knew was even missing. The girl has clearly been severely traumatized, the girl reveals nothing of her ordeal except the name of another girl. Isabelle and this waif couldn’t be more different, on the surface anyway, but they both share a strange tongue piercing. Josie doesn’t believe this is the work of some passing drifter, she believes the kidnapper is someone local, but can she figure out who it is before the other girls die? Regan has a way of drawing readers into her story from the very first page, creating believable, sympathetic characters and a bang up mystery

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