‘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. A huge 5 stars for this.’ Bonnie’s Book Talk, 5 starsWhen Isabelle Coleman, a blonde, beautiful young girl goes missing, everyone from the small town of … young girl goes missing, everyone from the small town of Denton joins the search. They can find no trace of the town’s darling, but Detective Josie Quinn finds another girl they didn’t even know was missing.
Mute and unresponsive, it’s clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Josie can get from her is the name of a third girl and a flash of a neon tongue piercing that matches Isabelle’s.
The race is on to find Isabelle alive, and Josie fears there may be other girls in terrible danger. When the trail leads her to a cold case labelled a hoax by authorities, Josie begins to wonder is there anyone left she can trust?
Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses their life?
Utterly gripping crime for readers who adored Angela Marsons, Helen Fields and Robert Dugoni. You will be sleeping with the lights on once you discover the first in this unputdownable new crime thriller series.
What readers are saying about USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Vanishing Girls:
‘Brilliant just absolutely brilliant!! From the minute you turn the first page you’re hooked!! Such twists and turns that keep on coming right to the last page!!! Definitely a must read!!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Anyone who knows me gets that I really like a strong, female, kickass main character and that’s exactly what I got in Josie Quinn… The plot motors along at breakneck speed often leaving me holding my breath. I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next instalment.’ Angela Marsons, no. 1 bestselling author of Silent Scream
‘5 BIG Stars!!!!… This book is brilliantly paced… had me from the very first page and I could not put this book down.’ Open Book Post, 5 stars
‘Superb!! would give more than 5 stars if I could!… An action-packed, rollercoaster of a read that is thoroughly enjoyable and one you just can’t put down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘An adrenaline pumping action thriller! It gripped me from page one and didn’t let up for… hard hitting, full of suspense and literally had me holding my breath… The twist in the book was fantastic… This book left me wanting more’ Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘I loved this book. The plot, the main protagonist, the setting, everything… This book is brilliant. The story had me hooked from the start and kept me engrossed throughout.’ Nigel Adams Book Worm, 5 stars
‘Outstanding debut!… I didn’t want it to finish. I was gripped from page one and followed the protagonist Josie Quinn through every twist and turn of the story.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘It keeps you gripped page by page. It is a riveting read, I completed it in 3 days, totally absorbed…. I can’t wait for the next one in the series.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘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.’ Cindy’s Book Reviews
‘This book started with a bang! and kept me reading into the night… I was captivated from the first chapter and could NOT put it down.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 starsmore
I had the opportunity to read Vanishing Girls, so of course I took it! I love all of Lisa Regan’s books, as she writes very much like Mary Higgins Clark did in the 1990s, mind bending twists and turns to keep you turning pages late into the night! The Vanishing Girls is unlike anything she’s written before in its complexity and depth of storyline. There was so much going on in this book, but somehow, she wrote it in a way that it all flowed together like the bends, rapids, and soft rippling of a river.
Josie Quinn was a unique character for Ms. Regan in that she was less self-assured than any of her previous female characters. While a seasoned police detective, she was also a damaged woman who struggled with her past, and the things done to her, every day. Those things, and her driving need to protect other women from abuse, are what drives her to figure out what happened to Isabelle Coleman, even though she is suspended from the police department.
The story is so mind bending there is no way to detail the plot of this book without spoilers, and I don’t do spoilers. Lisa’s books are a work of art that should be experienced first hand only. Vanishing Girls is about just that, vanishing girls, and tied up in where these girls were and are is Josie’s past and future. She relies on one person, herself, to figure out the this thriller before anyone else dies.
You don’t want to miss Vanishing Girls, as it’s the first in the Josie Quinn series, and it’s a can’t put it down, up all night long, only break for coffee, kind of book!
Josie is not your typical cop. She’s harsh and undisciplined, and at first I wondered how she managed to get a spot on a police force with her pattern of erratic behavior that not only pushes ethical boundaries, it smashes them.
Still, there was something about her that kept me reading.
She is the heroine of the story, so I wanted to see how she was going to solve the case and save the girl who had been taken. Some of the steps Josie takes stretches believably, and there are a lot of “coincidences” in this book that make some things that happen come across as a bit implausible.
And still there was something about Josie that kept me reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed her relationship with her grandmother, Lisette, who was a big part of Josie’s life after her father died. Mother took to the bottle in her grief, hardly able to care for a young child, and, finally, when Josie was fourteen, she got to live with her grandmother full time. Lisette seems to be the one person who can pull Josie back to center when she threatens to spin out of control.
Josie’s convoluted relationship with Ray, her childhood friend who became her husband, and a cop, too, took up too mush space in the story for my comfort. But then, perhaps other readers will like knowing more of the details of the romantic part of her life. Shorter and less frequent glimpses into the love-triangle comprised of Ray, Josie, and her new love, Luke, would have been enough for me.
But still, there was always something that kept me turning another page to see what was going to happen.
This is a story that is very dark at times and has a gritty edge to it. If that is the kind of mystery/suspense you like to read, you will enjoy Vanishing Girls.
This was my first foray with Lisa Regan and the first book in the Josie Quinn series and I have to say I really like it.
Josie isn’t for everyone, but she is a kick-ass, take names later kinda girl who gets the job done anyway she can!
There is a lot going on in this edge of your seat, page turning, murder mystery. Its filled with twists/turns, vanishing girls, good and evil characters, great secondary characters, murders, and a lot of guessing.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
#VanishingGirls #NetGalley #Josie #Ramona #Woods #LovedIt
This is the first book in a new series and the protagonist, Josey Quinn, is complex and real, a woman who has lived in her skin long enough to have both triumphs and regrets, admirable traits and relatable flaws. I loved her and think she’ll be a great protagonist moving forward through the series. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic relationship between her and her (almost) ex which spanned from childhood to the present. It was a messy relationship, as most are, and that made it oh-so-interesting. The plot was well drawn and logical and held twists that will delight. Well done!
Fans of Lisa Regan will be delighted to see a new series, featuring Detective Josie Quinn. If you haven’t read anything of this author, this would be a good place to start.
Detective Josie Quinn is a strong, independent woman, secure in her own skin and her job. That is, until she screws up and batters a woman in her custody. She’s on unpaid leave, waiting for a hearing to see if her career will stand.
Two girls have recently gone missing in recent time. They found one of the girls … a girl they hadn’t even known had been missing. Of the other girl, nothing has been seen since. Josie wants in on the search, but the Chief of Police has denied her request.
She’s been bugging Ray, her soon to be ex-husband and also a detective, for information. She also has questioned Luke, a State Police Officer and her brand new fiancee. They are all warning her to stay away, she can only hurt her own career by doing her own investigating. But she’s stubborn and one-minded and wants justice ….
“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?”
This is not my first book read by this author. I like her writing style and her story-telling abilities. Her characters are memorable, and more importantly, credible. I so enjoy the way her characters all interact with each other …. with love, anger, remorse, sorrow …. all the emotions are always exposed.
This new series has twists and turns that start to feel like being on a roller coaster. The plot is definitely an attention -keeper. The ending is exciting ,, maybe just a touch overblown, but riveting, nonetheless. I look forward to following more adventures of Josie.
Many thanks to the author / Grand Central Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
So excited I found a great book hope the series is as good as the 1st book
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.
I absolutely loved this book. It was like stepping into a hallmark movie. Quick, fast paced and sweet. Just what I needed. I love how this author writes, I felt as if I was strolling through this town with the characters.
A must read, you will instantly be in the holiday spirit!
Fascinating and haunting. I couldn’t put it down!
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 won’t be my last. Lisa Regan delivered an amazing thriller. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter all the way to the last chapter, when you’re not totally sure how it’s going to end.
Josie Quinn is a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners, yet relatable lead character. Even when you’re upset because she’s totally breaking the rules and doing something she shouldn’t be doing, you’re still able to relate to her. All of the characters are well fleshed out and easy to like, and/or hate, depending.
Looking forward to reading more about Detective Josie Quinn.
A great beginning to a series.
I love these books and found a new author! I originally read number three first, as I had gotten that one free from the publisher and knew I had to read the others. So I started out with the first one, and it was just as good as the third one! I love Detective Josie Quinn.
The Vanishing Girls gives a bit more background to Josie Quinn, so far I don’t feel you have to read them in order, but I would suggest it. This novel starts out with her in some hot water, but we are not yet sure from what- she is on a suspended leave and of course any crime that happens, she seems to be front and center. Is this a wrong place, at the wrong time coincidence or is this merely detective Quinn not listening to orders, and still trying to be detective on the rogue.
A girl is missing, and the whole town is on watch – then a strange shootout vehicle crash happens and Josie is wondering what is happening in her town. As she starts to do her own sleuthing under the radar, she finds another girl that went missing years ago and someone in this vehicle crash is tied to that missing girl. As she starts inquiring, doors are slammed in her face and she is repeatedly told to back down.
Is detective Quinn barking up the wrong tree, and trying to connect dots that are not there, or is this bigger than anyone could have imagined? More missing girls, a shooting and some shady characters arise to the forefront. This was a thriller of a first novel in the series, and I am so excited to read the rest of them.
Gripping, intense and hard-hitting. Love the relatable characters and story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Many more amazing books in this series!
Favorite Quotes:
Denton was roughly twenty -five square miles, many of those miles spanning the untamed mountains of central Pennsylvania with their one-lane winding roads, dense woods and rural residences spread out like carelessly thrown confetti.
We can keep arguing about this… but you’re never going to be right.
Whatever. Or is it whatevs? I heard Mrs. Sole’s great-granddaughter in here the other day and she said, ‘whatevs’. Is that the new thing? Young people are too lazy to even finish saying words?
My Review:
This was my first experience with the devastatingly talented Lisa Regan and I found her work to be breathtakingly well-crafted and brilliantly executed with crimes and behaviors that were deeply disturbing and found me cringing and flinching in distress. Her characters were complex, driven, and deeply flawed, yet compelling and vastly intriguing. I can’t wait to dive back in, I am greedy that way, I want all her clever arrangements of words.
This book is exciting and you cheer for Detective Josie Quinn to solve the mystery of the girl’s disappearance against all odds. Although part of a series of detective books, it can be read as a standalone. I’d give it 5 stars!
It’s seldom that you come across an author with this much skill! This book was so intense that I had to walk away from it for a few minutes several times. Whew. I was captured right from the start. The fear and the unknown just kept escalating throughout the entire book until it finally exploded! Lisa Regan is a new author for me and this is the first book of hers that I have read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series! She is at the top of my list of amazing authors. You definitely have t o read this book!
Great start to a great series. Josie Quinn rocks! And so does this book!
Fast paced page turner!
She is the best, I am on book 5 in her series, I( can’t put them down!!!!