JQ is looking for clues! When a soggy car is pulled from the river Josie realizes they’ve found the bodies of two people who disappeared 7 years ago.
The story was akin to the junk removal business because a lot of junk had to be removed before the little pieces surfaced.
Regan had me fooled as to who really committed the crimes until she allowed the veil to drop.
I loved how things sizzle between Noah and Josie even with a teenager in the house.
Another excellent book!

Another amazing addition to the Detective Josie Quinn series. Josie and her husband, Lt. Noah Fraley are planning their vow renewal event when two incidents occur which may delay their celebration. They have very recently welcomed the unexpected arrival of fourteen-year-old Wren McMann into their lives. She is the daughter of Josie’s dear friend Dexter, who has passed away. Josie is questioning whether to postpone the celebration, again, when she receives a call to the scene of a car in the local river. Due to the lowering of the river, she is able to view what could be the top of a car. She believes that the car has been submerged for years and finds the remains of two murder victims inside. Josie, along with best friend, Detective Gretchen Palmer, begin questioning the people from years ago that knew the couple. The deceased couple, between them, had two sons and a daughter. They question their adult children who never gave up on finding their parents, the previous detective and his file, the deceased man’s business partner and the woman’s ex-husband who had abused her during their marriage. Who could have wanted them dead and why? The twists will keep you guessing as they sift through the memories of seven years ago, another death, and a truly bizarre ending. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

ARC Review – Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The Couple’s Secret follows Detective Josie Quinn as she reopens the cold case of Tobias and Cora, whose disappearance hides layers of lies, betrayal, and danger.

I enjoyed being back with Josie and the team, the pacing was quick and the emotional depth was there. But the mystery felt predictable at times, and some twists didn’t land as strongly as I hoped. A solid addition for series fans, though not my favorite.

Another brilliant crime thriller from Lisa Regan.
When Josie and Gretchen are called out to a car submerged in the water, they know it’s not good.
When two bodies are found in the car they discover they have been missing for a while, and were murdered.
The family are devastated to hear the news, but it’s clear Josie and Gretchen are not getting the full story from them.
They contact the Detective who was looking at the missing persons case previously and with more and more information to work through, the Chief is getting impatient and wanting results.
Josie and Noah are also adjusting to life with Wren and desperately want her to like them.
This is a gripping crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this awesome book in an amazing series

when josie get the news about a car being found at the bottom of a lake her first thoughts are for survivors but when she arrives on scene it apparent that there are no survivors and that the car had been there for years.... and its only because of a drought that the car had become visible....

getting the car out demanded a lot of time and effort but once it was out and the investigation could be begin.... there was a murder to investigate...not only did they have two skeletal remains they also had evidence of gun shot to both heads and all they needed was an identification confirmation to confirm the two remains were who they thought they were...

man this book had so many twists and turns you never knew what was coming next.... sat on the edge of my seat all through reading this book and i cant wait to meet the new character that we had a brief glimpse of....

this series just gets better and better...

This is number 23 in the series and as brilliant as the rest. There's nothing stale or predictable about this series; it just gets better and better with each instalment.
A riveting main plot, full of twists and turns and so many family secrets. When a drought uncovers a car at the bottom of a river with two bodies inside the resulting cold case uncovers much more than an accident.
The subplot continues to delight, with the cast of characters seeming to grow with each instalment. It provides a lovely ending with lots to offer going forward. Like catching up with old friends, it's a joy to be back with Josie, Noah, and co.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Couple’s Secret’, book 23 in the Detective Josie Quinn series written by Lisa Regan, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Due to a drought, a submerged car can be seen in the river just outside Denton that would otherwise be completely underwater. Inside the car Detective Josie Quinn finds the bodies of Tobias Lachlan and his fiancée Cora Stevens who’ve been missing for seven years. When they bodies are retrieved the medical examiner reports that they’ve been murdered and the cold case with no motive or suspects is reopened by Detectives Josie Quinn and Gretchen Palmer.

‘The Couple’s Secret’ is the next instalment in this hugely popular series as Detective Josie Quinn works alongside her husband Lieutenant Noah Fraley and colleague Detective Gretchen Palmer to solve this intriguing cold case. This fast-paced thriller has had me hooked from page one through each unusual occurrence and each twist and turn as they struggle to find the reason behind the deaths of Tobias Lachlan and Cora Stevens so they can provide closure for their children Jackson, Zane and Riley. While Josie is trying to understand who could have wanted this couple dead, she and Noah are organising the renewal of their marriage vows hoping to include Wren, the daughter of Dex who was important part of Josie’s childhood, and is now the newest member of their family. I always enjoy reading more about Josie and her family who are an integral part of these books and hope there’ll be another book in the series for me to enjoy.

Josie and Noah are settling into their new life with Wren at home. At work they are working opposite shifts on a case where a couple reported missing years ago are found in a car in the lake.

This is one of my favorite series because of the mix of outside work life and police procedural. I read this book in a day devouring it. If you haven’t read this series you will want to after reading this book!

Secrets always have a way of bubbling to the top. even ones that are meant to stay buried.

Tobias and Cora go to dinner one night and are seen leaving the restaurant happily as ever. One text to home to say they will be home soon, only to never be seen again. Seven years later, the water in the lake recedes and a car is discovered with the bodies of Tobias and Cora. Josie is called to the scene. A welcome case to distract her away from home since her new addition to the family. Wren has come to live with her and Noah, and Josie has been struggling to become close to wren. Noah has been trying to recover from the trauma of his last case, and Josie keeps trying to not push for his recovery to quick. Too much family dynamics for Josie to process, this case has provided her a welcome reprieve since solving cases are what Josie and her team do best. The twists and turns that follow keep us invested in the story to the very end of this complicated investigation.

The 23rd installment of the Josie Quinn series did not disappoint! Lisa Regan knows how to create a story you can't put down. I love all of the team that she has created, but Josie is the favorite. It's fun to see the growth of all of the characters and the family dynamics with Josie, Noah and Wren. I highly recommend this series which can be read as a stand-alone. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the Arc of this great story!

rounding up from 4.5 stars

Some series that go on this long have run their course long before getting to #23. Somehow Lisa Regan continues to keep me excited about each book and looking forward to the next one. I love her characters! Even the ones I don't like. She has the ability to make you invested in their stories and lives and keeps you wanting more. I can't wait to see what's coming next for Josie and her crew.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After that ending, I've been eager to discover what happens next with Josie and Noah. I couldn’t help but chuckle and have my heart strings pulled a bit with Wren. There are definitely some growing pains that will happen between Josie and Wren. The mystery in this one was thick with secrets and I was eager to follow along to see what happened to a happy couple that was recently discovered in a lake. The plot twist was wild and I didn’t see it coming at all. I was shocked once everything was revealed. To discover how far a murder will go to cover his tracks after all this time was very chilling. No one is safe in this story…especially when you get close to its secrets.

I started this book without having read the others in the series. However, I was instantly pulled into the story and felt swept up in the characters.

This is a really well done mystery and I loved unraveling the story to find out who did it and why. This author does a great job laying out the clues and taking us on a journey with Josie to wrap up the case. I enjoyed her character a lot and all of the layers to her.

I also really liked the character of Wren. I can't wait to hear more about her in future stories. There is so much potential there for character development.

I know that for those who have read all of the books in the series, this is going to have a greater impact on the personal side of the storyline. The author does a wonderful job of giving enough information to have a good experience with the story and connect to the characters for those who are new to the series and picked this book up first. It was so good that I am now compelled to go back to the beginning and read the others in the series!

Another smash from Lisa...kept me on the edge of my seat all the way throughout the entire book. I kept thinking I had it all figured out but then another twist would come. Compelling characters continue to enthrall the Josie Quinn fans. This one is destined to be a hit, fans new and old will devour this story. Can't wait for the next one!!!

Josie Quinn is an amazing protagonist, a detective with a troubled past and a determined work ethic and thirst for the truth.

In this book, number 23 in this excellent series, Josie and partner Gretchen are looking for the killer of a couple found murdered in a lake after being missing for many years.

Great characters and a thrilling plot, this is a fast paced read which can be read as a standalone but I would recommend starting with the 1st and enjoying them all to see the development of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Release date 9/1/2025

Book 23 in the Josie Quinn series. I loved every page!
I do not know how it’s possible for the series to keep getting better and better! Definitely another one that I could not put down.
This time Josie is working on a very cold case. On top of that, she is the guardian of a teenage girl.
If you like suspenseful cold cases with mystery. Then you will love this one.
This is a seven-year-old case when Tobias and Cora left a restaurant and it seemed like they just vanished! There were no clues no answers no leads. Now here we are seven years later, the water is down in the lake and a passer buyer sees the car underwater. Do you think Josie will be able to solve the seven-year-old case? All the while, trying to be a mentor to a teenage girl.
If you wanna edge of your seat, page turner, that’s going to keep your mind wondering this is the one for you.

Lisa Regan hits it out of the park every single time with each book in this series! I'm not only drawn in by the mysteries and plots, but also the characters, which, after 23 books, even the ones I love to hate, I can't wait to see what they have been up to since we last saw them!

This series is one of the only ones that keeps me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, and can break my heart and put it together again all in one book.

While this is book 23 in the series, Lisa Regan does a great job of recapping what you need to know so you don't feel lost if you haven't read previous books.

The latest installment of the Josie Quinn series is a grand slam!
I was hooked from the beginning.

Being new to the series, only having read the previous book, I was a little worried I would be lost. That is not the case at all.

Josie and her partner Gretchen are sent to case of a car found in the river. They arrive to find a mostly submerged car. Josie goes into the river to try to help. They are assuming it was recent. It turns out that it has been there for 7 years.

Josie and her partner need to figure out who’s car it was and how did it get there.

I was totally off on who did it! Ms. Regan did a great job at planting seeds of a few suspects.

This is a must read even if your new to Josie Quinn like I am. You won’t be disappointed!

This is my first book by this Author. I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing until the very end. I did not want to put it down. I enjoyed the female lead character of Josie Quinn. Since this is the 23rd book in this series, I will have to now start at book 1.

4.5 stars
I have read all but a couple of the books in this series and this is a great one! Detective Josie Quinn's home life with her husband, Detective Noah Fraley but a new case that comes in has to take priority. The case is actually a cold case, and I liked that element of the story. Remains of a couple who disappeared seven years ago are found in a lake. They are identified as a couple who had last been seen leaving a restaurant together before disappearing. I love how Josie and her team put everything into this investigation to find out what really happened to this couple. Josie works a lot with Detective Gretchen Palmer on this case and their rapport is fantastic and the seamless way they question a suspect together. Some clues were given, but I was surprised when the details of the case were revealed.

There is character development as the series progresses, but most of the books can be read out of order. However, I would recommend at least reading the book right before this one (Husband Missing) since a few things in Noah and Josie's personal life carry over from that book to this one. After a difficult case and some complex emotions from Josie and Noah, the ending of the case and the book are both satisfying. Even though this book was just released, I am already looking forward to the next one!

I received an advance copy of this ebook from Bookouture and NetGalley for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Lisa Regan once again wrote an incredible story. I loved seeing Noah and Josie step up in a parental role in this book. The case was intriguing from the beginning and I was surprised until the very end. Lisa is the master of twists and turns and keeping her readers at the edge of their seats. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a gripping mystery.