5 stars or more! What an excellent, unputdownable thrilling book! I picked it up and had the hardest time to set it down, even when my little monkeys needed help. The characters are well developed and the story is written in a superbly fast paced, and just one of those books that will absolutely have your mind reeling! It will absolutely chill you to the bones, blow your mind with twists and turns and shocks, and keep you wound up like a yo-yo with it’s suspense! Grab your copy today, as you do not want to miss this one!!
I will make sure I get reviews and excitement out on different platforms!

Wow! I'm really impressed by this novel. I loved the writing style, the protagonist, and I didn't guess the culprit though I suspected them. Then again, I suspected everyone! It really kept me wondering.
This stand-alone novel is about a disappearance of three small-town college girls, which is being investigated by an undercover cop Shea. Shea herself is fresh off another undercover case where her life was put in danger, so she is suffering from PTSD and realizes that her FBI handler is using her without much concern for her life. Shea has an amazing character development, she is so realistic. She struggles so much! With falling in love, with the ethics of being undercover and lying to her newfound friends, with the sexism of the system she is part of, and even with the homework she has to do keep up her appearances! I just love her. Go Shea!
A mild spoiler: There are a lot of girls involved in the case: three are missing, and another three are their friends, so at first I thought it's going to be like a Pretty Little Liars mean-girl kind of clique, but everyone was actually very nice and loyal to each other and the missing girls' secrets weren't about them being secretly horrible people, which I really liked and it was actually quite refreshing for the genre. There was a mean-girl clique, but not the main characters, so I really felt connected to these girls. I'd say, based on the characters' age and the writing, it will be a good fit for young adults (16+) as well as adult mystery lovers.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it. 3 girls disappeared one night aftera party and a young rookie cop goes undercover to find out what happened to those girls. There was a lot of insight into college life, as well as insight into what families have to endure when their children go missing. I thought I knew who was responsible for the disappearance throughout most of the book, but I was totally wrong!

I will say that I was somewhat disappointed with the ending of the book, but not exactly because of the WAY it ended, but because a character was mentioned that I didn't even remember what they were all about. I believe they had been in the beginning of the book, but I honestly can't remember who they were or what part they played in the storyline. But other than that, I absolutely LOVED this book!

I would have gladly reviewed this book on Amazon, however, since the book has not yet been released, they won't allow me to review it on their site!

A fabulous book by Lissa. I read this book within 24 hours. It was that good i couldn't put it down. Great writing and a fantastic storyline. A must read for anyone one who likes this genre of books. Didn't guess the culprit at all. Well done Lissa.

Shea is a young cop who has previously worked undercover on a high profile case but can’t tell anyone about it. Using her feelings of being under appreciated, she is persuaded by the FBI to work undercover again. Three college girls have disappeared without trace. Shea attends their college and gets to know their friends in an effort to find out what has happened to them. The book started well but Shea wasn’t very professional which bothered me, She ‘solves’ the case at the end. This was enjoyable enough but I’m not rushing to read anything else by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #Crooked Lane Books

Three college girls disappear without a trace, their is no sign of a struggle and their belongings were left behind. Two months later the FBI sends Shea Anderson a young policewoman from Buffalo, NY to go undercover as a college student. The cover story for Shea is that her parents were killed in a motor vehicle accident and she is the niece of Roy Bishop the local Chief of Police. The Chief isn't happy that Shea is on the case and does not approve of her undercover tactics.

The story has many twists and turns and several suspects. I changed my mind a few times on who I thought the suspect was and then I was surprised as to who it turned out to be. I enjoyed this book very much.

I went back and forth with the rating on this one and decided to go with four stars. What I enjoyed about the book is how fast paced it was and how I was able to feel connected to some of the characters. I also enjoyed that there was an ending to this thriller. What I didn’t enjoy was how long it took for the buildup to happen. It was a lot of backstory and reference to her past case. I also guessed who the suspect was. I just didn’t understand know the motive. I would still recommend this one.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for my advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this one!

First of all, this is one of those books that does the ending really good. I did NOT see it coming although I had my many suspicions while reading. I liked the characters, the story, the writing.
I actually would love a prequel to this as in this story there are some important events that happened prior to those here. I would love to get to know the characters on a deeper level, understand their relationships and how some events came to happen.

Overall, four stars. It was enjoyable, a fast read, actually surprising.

Shea O’Conner, a police officer who has helped the FBI before as an undercover officer, is called in on another case. She looks very young and can easily pass as a co-ed. Three female college students from a small town disappeared one night and the case has grown cold. So Shea is sent to be a student at the local Community College and become friend with the crowd those girls were part of. As she pursues the case it gets curiouser and curiouser.

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I just LOVE Lissa Marie Redmond's police stories... She has a marvelous ability to write female protagonists who have been through the wringer but remain capable, tough, and willing to do what it takes - even when what it takes threatens to tear them apart. It probably doesn't hurt that I grew up near Buffalo, either - it's always extra engaging when I know the locations and personality types being referenced in a character-driven story like this one.

Shea's tale - both present and past - is a dark one, full of secrets and betrayals and horrific violence against young women. Redmond tells it with no holds-barred, but also with an element of compassion and a voice that rings with brutal clarion truth but never devolves into extraneous graphic depictions, which so often feel thrown in for shock value. She seems to recognize that there's no need to make things extra shocking - the elements of her tale provide more than enough horror without needing any of that...

This is a great mystery/thriller - it held me in its claws from the opening and never let go until the bitter end. The pacing was spot-on, the settings worked beautifully, and the characterizations were excellent. I picked it up and within a day, had finished. I did not see the bad guy for who he was; the misdirection and teasing revelations worked beautifully for me. And Shea is a great character - and definitely one that I'd love to see more about in future installments!

This was a really entertaining police procedural with an audacious 23-year-old protagonist! Shea is pulled off of her Buffalo cop job to go undercover for the FBI as she previously helped them convict a serial killer. Now posing as an 18-year-old college freshman in Kelly's Falls, she hopes to uncover the mystery of three missing girls who disappeared mysteriously one night after a party. The chief of police takes her in as his "niece" and she befriends other college girls hoping to gather information about the night in question. But of course, these cases are never easy and what she discovers are buried secrets and many surprises about this small town. Fast-paced and layered, this novel moves at breakneck speed and delivers many punches and twists. I do hope there's a sequel as well as we haven't heard enough from Shea!

When i came across the title “The Secrets They Left Behind”, this book immediately felt like the perfect read to me and the title I thought suited the cover perfectly.

"Damage attracts damage.."

Three college freshmen girls have disappeared from a house Christmas eve, the girl's purses, cell phones, and coats were left behind. Local police have been unable to find a clue.
Now it is 2 months later...
Having done work with the FBI prior to this, Shea O'Connor, a policewoman from Buffalo, NY has been summoned. This, once again, by Bill with the FBI. Shea is 23 years old but can pass for a college freshman, only she is "damage" after the last case she work with Bill but still she goes undercover in the small town of Kelly's Falls, NY for the girls that missing.

This book heve everything mystery, romance and secrets.
Many Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a great read!

The plot is realistic.. but watered down? I wish the author include the flashback on what really happened that night. How the girls get killed.. a gruesome shocking description of sort? but overall it gave me the thrill, the suspicion, the excitement. I just felt the story was short.
Anyways, Ms. Redmond is one of those authors that puts me on reading mode again after a slump. 💕

I was going to write a lengthy review, but I recently heard in one of my reading groups, that most people don't like long reviews. So, this is what I absolutely need to say about this book.

READ IT! You wont regret it. This book has made the list of my favorite books of the year, Good writing, story line keeps your interest and it's not to graphic. I thought I had the perp figured out, then I got about 80-85% into the book, and BAM, I was totally wrong! I will definitely be reading more from this author!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lissa Marie Redmond has created another strong female detective. This mystery follows a young undercover detective in a small town in WNY trying to help figure out what happened to three young female college students. Throughout the story, I thought I had the perpetrator pegged, but I was definitely wrong!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a solid thriller with a great twist. This felt a bit more like a YA book, which I wasn’t expecting. Still a great read.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

This is not my usual fodder but I found the story good, liked the characters

Overall, very enjoyable

Ok, This book was written by a former cold case detective which makes it a) pretty cool and b) super legit. (All my “does that really happen?” questioning was put to rest.)

2. I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I didn’t want to put it down until I solved the mystery (which was pretty close to the end).

3. The main character was lovely. The other (mini) story arc focusing on her personal life that made her relatable.

A bit far fetched as mysteries go but it was a decent story with a twist. As the story went on there were times I would get tired of the droning on between the characters regarding the missing girls. Otherwise, the story was a good and characters were interesting.

Lissa Redmond gives a refreshing take on crime and suspense!

This story follows a police officer, Shea, as she goes undercover for the FBI to solve a mystery of 3 freshman girls who go missing in their small town during Christmas break. Shea has to befriend the girls families and friends while unfolding the town secrets. In the meantime, she starts to fall for one of the victims brothers, Nick. Will her emotions interfere with her undercover identity or will she be able to find the girls before the kidnapper finds her? I don't want to give away too much but I will say that I did not guess the plot twist! I was shocked and frankly pissed off for Shea and everyone else involved whenever the truth was revealed!

I really wish these things had half stars because this would be a strong 4.5 from me. I have read plenty of suspenseful murder mysteries but this one stood out to me and Reymonds knowledge is to thank. The details and layout of this case could only come from someone with experience in the matter. The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because I was able to sit the book down. It definitely was not boring and once I hit the halfway point I had to finish it without stopping but it did take me a couple days to get to that point. Overall a strong read and I cannot wait to read more by her!