The Secrets They Left Behind is an adult mystery with the potential for a crossover with some older YA readers.

Shea, our main character, seemed a little bland, despite her hefty (like, I thought I was reading a sequel more than once) backstory. But this was one of the rare occurrences that I actually enjoyed a romance subplot in a mystery novel. It was, rather shockingly, well-done, and definitely the most compelling part of the story for me.

The mystery itself seemed slow at times, but was overall pretty solid. It was slightly transparent, but a twist doesn’t make a book, so it was a fun read anyway.

I have to admit that the portrayal of the college teenagers in the book is embarrassing. The novel seems like an insult to modern teenagers everywhere. These are vapid, ignorant kids who speak in hyperbolic, dramatised quotes. For a narrator who is meant to be fairly close in age to the teens in the book, it seemed a little counterintuitive that she’d be so dismissive towards them. It doesn’t come across as a commentary on privilege. It comes across as unbelievable. I had to take a moment to myself when I read the phrase “and we took a celebratory selfie”.

Looking past the dodgy portrayal of Gen Z, the novel is alright. It does rely on the idiotic antics of its underdeveloped characters to move the plot along, and if you’re looking for it, you can see the culprit from a way out, but it was overall a good mystery and an interesting insight into the actual way that the FBI investigate crimes.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!

I loved this book. Going by the other ratings & reviews I put off reading this, but I shouldn't have because I ended up loving it! This was a good refresher from the police procedurals I generally read. The book started with a chapter that left me a bit confused, nonetheless on proceeding it got suspenseful & exciting. The Secrets They Left Behind is a good suspense book.

I liked the character of Shea O'Connor. The fact that the author is a former cold-case homicide detective made it feel all the more realistic to me. There was nail-biting suspense in almost every chapter & the tension was tangible towards the end of the book. The plot was also good & had a good number of twists that you won't see coming. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book & if this book is any indicator of the Lissa Marie Redmonds' writing skills, I am keen to read her other books!

Thank You NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books & Lissa Marie Redmond for an arc!

A fun read was this book. Three lost girls and an undercover agent, the investigation rolled on.

My first book by this author, the story moved swiftly. I liked how Shea did her investigation. She was brilliant in her role and I found myself hooked to the book. The twists were quite unexpected, I liked how the author knew where to insert them to keep the plot intriguing.

The writing captured the chilling atmosphere, the subplots were certainly suspenseful. With a dash of romance and great dialogues, the story was wonderful to read.

I enjoyed it. Quite a lot.

This was a fast paced and page-turning read. I loved how unique the plot was. I don’t normally read books based on an “undercover” role so it was really intriguing to experience the mystery from that aspect.
The twists were surprising and I really enjoyed the chilling atmosphere. Shea O’Conner was a strong and very like able character. I also appreciated the little bit of romance sprinkled in. It made the book that much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and CrookedLane Books for this digital arc!

Baffling Crime Mystery!

Shea O'Connor is a twenty-three year old policewoman in Buffalo NY and looks like a teenager and that's why she has been chosen by the FBI to work undercover as a student in a small town where three college freshman girls vanished from one of their homes on Christmas vacation without any clues left behind. Shea's job is to become friends with any of the people who were close to the girls and find out some of the secrets these girls carried because someone knows something and they are hiding it very well. Shea's last undercover work for the FBI almost got her killed by a serial killer so she is very wary and tentative about how she gains the trust of the folks in Kelly's Falls while keeping herself safe from harm.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all very interesting and believable as was the storyline and the writing was very good and captured the essence of small town life very well. The story was fast moving, interesting and suspenseful with a little romance thrown in and some terrific twists towards the end of the book. I definitely will look forward to reading more books written by "Lissa Marie Redmond" and I recommend this book to all mystery readers.

I want to thank the publisher "Crooked Lane Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this marvelous crime mystery and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this terrific book a rating of 4 Mysterious 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

While a cold case mystery/thriller about 3 missing college girls may not be an original story line, Lissa Marie Redmond has given her characters some unusual twists that add dimension and interest as our young policewoman works undercover to find fresh clues for the young women's disappearance. The story actually centers around the policewoman and her efforts to fit in while gathering information. She must decide where to draw the line as her investigation takes her closer to their class mates and families. How far is too far? The book actually has a mix of genres that I found kept my attention as it added to the overall tone of the book. The ending is a surprise and enough story is left open that it feels like there will be another book. Let's hope so.

I received the digital arc of this book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Shea O’Connor is a young officer at the Buffalo Police Department who lives with her roommate Karen who is a trauma nurse at Erie County Medical Center. They met at the University of Buffalo. Although she’s 23 years old, Shea finds she is often not taken seriously as she appears much younger than her age. This actually worked to her advantage when she was asked to work undercover for Bill Walters in the FBI. She worked undercover to assist with the capture of a teacher Terry Roberts who was a serial killer.

Just as Shea is slowly recovering from the personal trauma of that undercover case where she almost died, she receives a phone call from Bill Walters. Because Shea feels under appreciated at the Buffalo Police Department, she accepts another secret undercover FBI assignment. Again, she need to pose as a freshman at Harris Community College in Kelly’s Falls, NY as 18 year old, Shea Anderson.
Bill Walters has a cover story arranged with the chief of police, Roy Bishop.

Shea transitions into Theresa Parker’s boarding house posing as the chief of police’s niece who parent recently died in a car crash. She begins to befriend the other borders at the house and settles into her school routine. Her assignment is to uncover the mystery surrounding three missing college students last seen at a party. Shea is eager to emerge herself into the school’s social scene to learn what happened the night the girls went missing.

While Shea is strategically meeting key friends she is introduced to further people who knew the missing girls. Shea isn’t prepared for these relationships to become close and intimate. She earns the trust of Kayla Johnson who is the cousin to Nick and Olivia Stansfield. Olivia is one of the missing girls whose brother Nick, a senior at RIT in Rochester will stop at nothing to find his sister.

Soon, Shea is engaged in typical college life which seems to annoy Chief Bishop who resents her involvement in this cold case. Over time Shea is hanging out at Freddie’s Pizza with Rob, Tyler, Maddie and Jenna and going to parties. Things become tense when Shea becomes involved with Nick Stansfield who starts to develop feelings for her. As much as Shea tries to maintain her professional ethics undercover she can’t help but acknowledge her own growing feelings towards Nick.

As much as she feels guilty, Shea continues a relationship with Nick to gain access to people who know more than they want to admit about the missing girls. Along the way she attracts unwanted attention from Joe Styles who is a local with a reputation for trouble and a girlfriend, Amber Wray who loves to fight.

Just as Shea becomes close to solving the cold case, things explode and she finds herself fearing for her life once again.

Three college freshman girls vanish one night from their small country town of Kelly's Falls after attending a party.
Leaving behind their cell phones, and no clues as to why they disappeared.
Shea O'Connor is a twenty three year old Buffalo police officer. She had worked with the FBI previously to help catch a serial killer.
Now they ask her to go undercover, posing as an eighteen year old student to gain access to family and friends. She gathers clues to find out what happened to the girls.
Only the local chief of police, Roy Bishop will know who she really is, posing as his niece as her cover.
To complicate matters, Shea begins to have strong feelings for Nick, the brother of one of the missing girls.
And it seems that someone might have caught on to who she really is.
This was a captivating police procedural/thriller. The mystery was exciting and suspenseful, I didn't guess where this one was going!
Shea was a great character. I would love to see this one turn into a series.
Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an e-arc through NetGalley.

Lissa weaves a simple, highly engrossing thriller with this one: crafted to satiate the cravings of thrillers with this light procedural surrounding a gripping plot. Narrated through Shea's POV, this book explores a young woman working in a male-dominated work environment with PTSD from her past undercover, this procedural is built with eerie suspense that will make you anticipate what happens next.
I loved Shea and how much she developed as a character by the end of the book! The other characters in the book are well-built, as well and I loved their part in the story. The climax is totally unpredictable and that just makes the entire experience with this book worthwhile!

Lissa's writing is adept and has the power to make the simplest aspect to be interesting. I will not think twice to read her works. Neither is this the best thriller around nor is it an average one. It is a quick, interesting and real time-killer read that I would recommend to anyone starting to explore the genre or an avid thriller reader like me.

Rating: 3.25/5

I enjoyed the writing style and the story line of The Secrets They Left Behind. There were a lot of suspects to keep me guessing, until I figured out what was going on (maybe a tad before our protagonist does ;-). There were a lot of humorous moments that lightened the heavy topic (the disappearance of three girls - all friends), and maybe a healthy dose of romance that seemed necessary to the plot. And while I really liked the book, I had to suspend disbelief for a couple of things. The first was that the undercover agent is a 23 year old cop, who already did a stint as an undercover cop for a previous case that is referred to throughout the book (maybe there was a prequel to this book?) It seems to me she would a) need a lot more experience to be sent in on such dangerous assignments and b) doesn't the FBI have their own agents? Hard to get past for me which is why I deducted 1 star, but a book I had a hard time putting down.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/review/R1VXZ8NO3KGMWC/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Shea O'Connor is a cop in Buffalo. She has just finished helping the FBI find a killer when they call her to assist with another crime. Three girls are missing in a small town. Shea is sent as a college student to find out secrets to help find the girls. What isn't expected is for Shea to fall in love with one of the missing girls brother Nick.
Shea becomes friends with the girls.
I found this to very intriguing and there is a twist near the end.

One of my favorite mystery tropes with enjoyable characters. What more do you need than being proven wrong? I really enjoyed it!

Sorry I, late reviewing. Unfortunately I didn’t get to quarantine at home. As a lab tech, work goes on in a hospital. Anyway, I loved this book. I really enjoyed how the main character went undercover as a high school student. The book was a little slow to start but it was so much worth it. That was the best twist I’ve read in a long time.

Being a fan of mysteries with a serial killer thrown in, I couldn’t pass this one up, especially since I’ve got a lot of time on my hands being in quarantine.

I loved the idea of infiltrating the social circle to discover the truth but I had hoped to connect to the main character a little more than I did. That being said, I was surprised by the twists although it took a while to get there.

Overall this was a good read and one that I recommend to pass the time! It’s a little different with a splash of romance and can easily be suggested to teens and young adults too!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC of The Secrets They Left Behind. The book started off very slow for me but I kept reading on. I am so glad I did not DNF this book because the twist at the end WOW, did not see that coming.
The story follows Shea a cop who has been tasked by the FBI to go undercover as a student and a college in Kelly Falls, NY to help uncover what has happened to 3 girls who just dissapeared one night.
Shea befriends all of the missing girls friends and helps unravel what has happened. Once I got to the middle of this book it was a page turner. I wanted to know what happened to the missing girls and if someone took them or did they just run away.
Out now so definitely order it from your local bookstore and let's help support them during this time.

Shea O'Connor is twenty-three, working as a patrol officer in the City of Buffalo Police Department. She's gone undercover successfully before for the FBI and that's why she's called on again when three girls go missing in the small town of Kelly's Falls, New York. Three college freshmen have disappeared, leaving behind their phones and purses. As weeks turn into months without a lead, something needs to change. So the youthful-looking Shea is planted undercover as a transfer student at Harris Community College, arriving in town as the "niece" of the local police chief. But Shea quickly realizes Kelly's Falls is full of secrets and whomever is responsible for the girls' disappearance will do anything to keep those secrets hidden.

"Three young girls, all college freshman, just disappeared. No clues. No traces. They just went to one girl's house after a party and vanished."

At first I was disappointed this was not one of Redmond's excellent Cold Case novels featuring detective Lauren Riley, whom I love, but that disappointment was short lived. I quickly took to Shea O'Connor, a young but feisty and enjoyable officer who will stop at nothing to solve her case. We realize that Shea clearly had a close call with a serial killer the last time she was undercover and she's still recovering from those wounds. Our girl is hurting, but she's also focused--Shea will do anything to find those girls.

Shea is in a tough spot. She's a young, female officer in a male-dominated profession, and she's often mistaken for a teen. However, her youthful appearance pays off undercover. But is the FBI using her? There's more than a simple mystery to solve here, as we must unravel if Shea can trust those around her.

The central mystery itself, of the girls' disappearance, is engaging and fascinating. I had a fairly good inkling early on who might be involved, but it didn't stop my interest, and I flew through the book. There are, of course, plenty of dirty secrets in Kelly's Falls--as in most small towns--and Shea digs up plenty of them. There's also an interesting angle where she becomes close with one of the missing girl's brother. Shea excels at immersing herself in her undercover role, and it was fun to see her play the young, naive college student (with a knife hidden in her back pocket).

The writing is a little simplistic at times, but overall this is a compelling thriller with an engaging protagonist. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 here. I'd love to see another book featuring Shea.

I really enjoyed The Secrets They Left Behind. Three girls have disappeared from one of their homes in rural Kelly's Falls.. They didn't take their phones or their purses and no one has seen or heard from them in over 3 months.

Shea O'Connor, a 23 year old police officer in Buffalo is asked by the FBI to go undercover as a college student in order to try to figure out what happened to the girls. Shea is still recovering physically and mentally from her previous undercover job, tracking and apprehending a serial killer. She decides to take the job, anyway.

She moves to Kelly's Falls undercover as the police chief's niece, and starts to make friends with the locals so she can dig up some information that may help her find the girls. Unfortunately for Shea, the killer quickly sets their sights on her. Will she find out what has happened to the girls before she is the next to disappear?

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this copy of The secrets they left behind by Lissa Marie Redmond. Three girls go missing during Christmas break, their purses, coats and cell phones are left behind, they just disappear. As time goes by and the investigation grows cold, twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O'Connor is called on to dig up leads while undercover. I did enjoy this book. I love police procedural books, and this reminded up a bit of the old tv show 21 Jump Street (just the undercover theme) I enjoy strong women characters. At this point this appears to be a stand alone book. 3 1/2 stars

Title: The Secrets They Left Behind
Author: Lissa Marie Redmond
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

Three college freshmen go missing from their rural hometown of Kelly’s Falls while on Christmas break. Their cell phones, coats, and purses are left behind, but the girls have disappeared without a trace. As the days turn into weeks and the investigation grows cold, twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O’Connor is called on to dig up leads undercover.

Still bearing the emotional and physical scars of a previous case, O’Connor infiltrates as eighteen-year-old Shea Anderson, a college freshman and the “niece” of the town’s police chief. As she begins to immerse herself in the missing girls’ world, befriending their friends and family, and doing whatever it takes to maintain her cover, O’Connor realizes the track is far colder than she initially thought. But whoever was behind the girls’ disappearance was only warming up, and they have set their crosshairs directly on her.

The heat is on for O’Connor as she closes in on the shocking truth about what really happened the night the girls vanished.
I enjoyed this thriller/murder mystery. I like reading police procedurals, and with Shea going undercover as a teenager, that just made this even more interesting. I might have figured out who did it, but that’s mainly because I usually pick the least likely suspect and go with that while reading mysteries or watching stuff like NCIS. But there were a lot of red herrings in this one.

Shea herself was an interesting character. I can’t imagine doing undercover work and how hard that would be, and Shae experiences the struggles as she comes to care about people who think she’s someone she’s not. And excellent pick to distract yourself from everything going on around you!

Lissa Marie Redmond is a retired detective. The Secrets They Left Behind is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.)