Abducted.Terrorized.Imprisoned.At nineteen-years-old, college student Josie Stratton was kidnapped by a madman and held shackled for ten months in an abandoned warehouse before she finally escaped her hellish prison.Eight years later, when the body of a young woman is found chained in the basement of a vacant house, Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland is instantly reminded of the crime … instantly reminded of the crime committed against Josie Stratton. Zach was just a rookie on the perimeter of that case, but he’s never forgotten the traumatized woman with the haunted eyes.
As more information emerges, the crimes take on an even more sinister similarity. But Josie’s attacker died by suicide. Does the city have a copycat on its hands? A killer who picked up where the original perpetrator left off? Or are they facing something far more insidious?
Josie has spent the last eight years attempting to get her life back on track, but now there’s a very real chance she could be the unknown suspect’s next target. As Zach vows to keep her safe, and Josie finds herself responding to him in a way she hasn’t responded to any man in almost a decade, the investigation takes on an even more complex edge of danger.
As past and present collide, Josie and Zach are thrust toward a shocking and chilling truth. A revelation that threatens not only Josie’s life, but everything she’s been fighting so desperately to reclaim.
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*4.5 Stars*
If I had not seen the author’s name on this book, I would not have guessed this was from Mia Sheridan. There is a love story within, but at the forefront is a suspenseful thriller. It’s dark and twisty and focused on the ‘what happened and who dun it’ rather than the romance of the main characters.
As always, the writing is superb and the characters are endearing.
I listened to the audio while driving to and from work until working from home became mandatory and I started listening on my walks. When I was at home, I switched to reading the story. Whispersync is amazing.
Highly recommend!
A well developed plot, and romance, like able, not so like able characters, suspense, intrigue and a very unexpected twist with excellent narration by Teddy & Callie.
I know I am in the minority here but I was disappointed in this book. I only read romance books and what little romance was in this book didn’t even start until around the 70% mark. When I finished the book there were too many loose ends that left me feeling WT…? Then you turn the page and discover that there is another book in the series which I assume will answer said questions? Not happy to find out I would need to read another book when I was disappointed in the first book. Needless to say I won’t be reading the next book.
Holy crap! This book was amazingly written. Definitely a psychological thriller and I couldn’t help but root for Josie!! Amazing book!!
I first got this boo because it takes place in Cincinnati and I live near there. I also love romantic suspense. This book will make me read her other books.
This book was just the something different I needed!
Ok, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a mystery/thriller but I am so dang glad I decided to jump back in with this one. This book had me spinning in circles! I literally had a chart of who was who and what was what. My husband told me I was crazy, I felt crazy! This story was heart wrenching, brutal, mind blowing…geesh it was just everything! I still can’t actually wrap my brain around the twists and turns that occurred throughout this book. This is a must read. Mia Sheridan just earned a new hardcore fan.
This was such a great book!
I loved Josie. She was such a strong and brave young woman. I cannot imagine how she survived. While the story takes place in the present, some alternating chapters go back to the time that Josie was held captive in that warehouse’s basement. It’s hard to imagine the fear, hunger and loneliness that she was forced to endure.
Zach was the absolute perfect man for Josie. Even though he was protective and focused on keeping Josie safe, he was also gentle and patient and knew just what Josie needed. Zach allowed Josie to feel safe and realize that she wasn’t as broken as she thought.
Where the Blame Lies is unlike any story I’ve ever read before. It’s classified as a romantic suspense/thriller and that’s exactly what this story provides. I was sucked in from the beginning and felt like I was holding my breath until the very last page. It’s a roller coaster of emotions that left me heartbroken and happy at the same time. Rosie and Zach are both selfless characters who reminded me of the beauty of love.
A tragic story of a woman held in captivity who survives only to find a few years later that the things she knew about her captor and his demise may not have been what she thought when another series of crimes that match hers are discovered. She has spent years looking for what was stolen from her ,trying to heal and move on. Life has not been easy, but she never expected what horrors were still out there and the evil that was still lurking in the shadows. With the help of a detective she has begun to trust and maybe feel something for she will fight for the truth and the women that deserve justice.
Eight years ago Josie was kidnapped and tortured by a maniac who ended up taking his life right as Josie escaped from her prison. At the time Zach was a rookie police officer who was assigned to stand guard outside her hospital room. Now eight years later he is called to a crime scene that instantly reminds him of Josie and what she went through. He reaches out to her to see if her story can help catch what everyone thinks is a copycat.
I started this book as a part of a group read along. The only criteria was that it had to be a standalone and it had to be a romance. Imagine my surprise when it was not actually a romance book. It had been a long time since I had read a true suspense/thriller book and I was excited for it. I was supposed to read 7 chapters a day but I couldn’t do that. The first day I ended up reading through chapter 26 because I couldn’t put this book down. I was so engrossed in the story. It was a very well written story about a murder mystery that had a love story woven into it and normally it is the opposite way in romance novels. I am usually not a fan of books that are written in the third person but Where The Blame Lies was very well written and it didn’t bother me once. For as much as I love this story I am a bit bummed with how it played out in terms of the killer but if Josie thinks she has her peace then I can live with it. Very good book and I highly recommend it.
Il y a longtemps que ce roman est dans ma PAL et comme j’ai eu la chance de recevoir la suite en ARC, je me devais de le lire afin de tout saisir du prochain tome. Mia Sheridan nous a habitué à des romances intenses et émouvantes et ici , elle nous offre un thriller haletant et palpitant. Le doute est constant, la course aux indices incroyable et si au final une minuscule intuition a été la bonne, je n’avais évidemment pas tous les tenants et les aboutissants.
Josie Stratton est une miraculée de 27 ans qui a survécu à l’enfer sur terre. Lors des flashbacks nous ramenant quelques années en arrière, nous découvrons toute l’étendue de l’horreur qu’elle a vécue et qu’elle a supporté. Nous avons des échos de son kidnapping, de sa séquestration mais aussi des horreurs qu’elle a subies ! On se demande comment elle a pu survivre à tout cela et en sortir grandie. Quand nous la revoyons , c’est une femme plus ou moins épanouie qui se présente à nous. Elle essaie de remettre sur les rails la ferme qu’elle a héritée de sa tante Maeve. Elle espère y faire une auberge de jeunesse et elle y met tout son coeur pour y parvenir malgré des finances plus que basses. Elle devra faire face à la cupidité de son cousin Archie qui n’hésitera pas à tout mettre en oeuvre pour tenter de la déstabiliser. Il n’y parviendra pas mais l’arrivée du policier Copeland va faire resurgir son passé et sa peur.
Zach Copeland n’était qu’un simple agent quand l’affaire de Josie a éclaté. Il l’a aperçue à l’hôpital lorsqu’elle a été libérée . Cette affaire est restée ancrée dans sa mémoire par son côté sordide et très malsain. Aussi quand quelques années plus tard, il se voit confier une enquête du même acabit, il ne mettra pas longtemps à faire le lien . Avec Jimmy Keene , son collègue, ils travailleront d’arrache pied pour comprendre qui est derrière tout cela. Alors que Marshall Landish s’était suicidé avant qu’il soit arrêté , qui peut bien connaître des détails que seuls deux personnes pouvaient connaître sur l’affaire? Zach ne comptera pas son temps pour mener avec brio une enquête qui ira de révélations en révélations. De nouveaux liens vont être faits entre les nouvelles victimes et les circonstances du kidnapping de Josie et nous aurons de sacrées surprises.
Mais au delà de l’enquête c’est un autre lien qui pourrait se tisser entre nos deux héros. La romance est légèrement présente et Mia Sheridan a su formidablement bien doser cela dans son thriller. Etant donné les circonstances, nous ne pouvions pas avoir une romance classique. Il faut du temps au temps car Josie a vécu l’enfer et refaire confiance à un homme n’est pas une mince affaire. De même Zach a aussi son vécu et cela pourrait pencher dans la balance pour certaines occasions. Ce que j’ai aimé c’est la relation de confiance qui va se nouer au fil du temps. Elle sait qu’elle peut compter sur lui pour la rassurer , pour l’épauler ou pour accepter qu’elle vienne voir certains témoins. L’enquête va avancer pas au pas , au diapason des flashbacks et nous allons espérer une fin heureuse dans tous les sens du terme.
Bref, si vous lisez en VO et si vous aimez découvrir des thrillers haletants alors foncez. Mia Sheridan s’essaie à un nouveau genre avec brio et j’ai désormais hâte de me plonger dans Where the truth lives et découvrir le nouveau héros qui n’est pas un inconnu de ce tome là.
I don’t know how I missed this book when it first came out. I am so glad I got an ARC of Where The Truth Lives which prompted me to read this one. After finding it on Audible Escape I decided to listen to it. This book is absolutely phenomenal despite its subject matter being incredibly difficult and horrifying at times. It is unlike any romance novel I have ever read. The story is original and gorgeously written. The audio version is outstanding with narration from Teddy Hamilton and Callie Dalton. I absolutely cannot wait to read Where The Truth Lives. You absolutely don’t want to miss Josie and Zach’s story.
Chilling & gripping tale of victims and survivors. It sent shivers down my spine, I’m still reeling from its steely punches. It was nerve wracking as it sped along, bleakness everywhere, and truthfully I didn’t know how I would fare at the end. But Mia puts her healing words to work and even though there’s dark basements and rattling chains, there’s a tiny window of hope and a trickle of water to give me life. To say that the plot was jarring and scary, is to say the least. The fact that this could be and IS, true in so many instances, makes it all the more hair-raising and horrifying.
“Casus Belli: Where The Blame Lies”
It’s the distinction or I would say the similarity between victims and survivors. No victim is to be blamed for their ordeal, other than that they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“A series of choices—some bad, some good, some seemingly meaningless—could lead you places you’d never set out to go.”
Often the perpetrators being acquaintances or people you trust the most.
This is the central theme in his book. Trust turns into betrayal, friends turn into foes, life turns into death in a blink of an eye. It’s an alarming account of a girl kidnapped and held captive. Abused and starved, chained and raped like an animal and left to die. Her life during and after her ordeal and her courage to help the cops investigating a series of copycat abductions thereafter is the main story.
“People always said things like, “Everything will work out,” or, “That won’t happen.” But what about when things didn’t work out? Or when the unthinkable did happen? You had to walk around with the knowledge that life could sweep the rug out from under you at any moment. It could, because it had.”
I couldn’t and wouldn’t move my eyes from the first page to the last. Shocking twists kept slapping me left and right, sleep ran away and my body tensed with oncoming creepy revelations. Story changed at every turn, took a new route and arrived at a new location every chapter.
It’s was racy, thrilling and bone chilling at the same time. I’ve been Mia’s fan since Archer’s Voice days and since then her versatility has truly spread out covering various tropes.
Pick up this book and be amazed, I’m jumping into book 2!!
5 Eerie stars in the inky black sky
Fantastic! I am a thriller junkie and I really really love when a book surprises me. Well, this book did. Honestly, I had about three theories on what happened and NONE of them were right. HOW?
After being abducted, raped, trapped and terrorized by her captor, Josie escapes. Eight years later similar murders are happening, but they shouldn’t be, because her captor committed suicide when she escaped. Is there a copycat killer? What is the tie to all these murdered girls?
This story was deep. There are definitely triggers but they are done is such a way that you feel for everyone in this scenario, even Josie’s abductor. Maybe I have Stockholm Syndrome here and he fooled me too, but he was written in such a way that even when he was torturing her, you could tell he had a heart.
Years later, when the murders pick back up again, detective Zach Copeland takes on the case and feels such a fierce protectiveness over Josie. He has been with her case since the beginning. This man. Woah, talk about a savior. He is all the things. He will stop at nothing to find the person who is bringing the past back into the present and torturing Josie all over again. This book had me gripped from page one. I absolutely loved it.
5 stars!!
I am in love with this book. I am usually a romantic suspense kind of girl. I do love a good thriller but I’m picky. I get bored easy. With that said I will say I did not get bored at all with this book. Going from past to present kept it interesting.
Mia is one of my all time favorite authors. She tends to always pull emotions out of me I didn’t think I had. This book was no different. My heart still aches, feels hopeful, scared and scarred.
The words on these pages flow effortlessly and make you keep flipping pages. If I could have read straight through this I would have. The characters were complex and amazing.
I don’t know that I even have enough good words for this book. I am so glad I bought the paperback so I can read this book over and over. This is definite a MUST read!!
Mia Sheridan tries out a new genre and masters it perfectly.
WHERE THE BLAME LIES is a balanced mix between THRILLER and ROMANCE.
A fascinating, intriguing and thrilling story. And totally addictive! I’ve read it in only one day. I needed to know the answers to every question i had. I even wanted to skip chapters because of my impatience. The SUSPENSE is untenable.
The story? Kidnapping, chains, death, investigation, copycat, threats… It’s better you don’t know too much before diving in this unique fiction.
Mia succeeds in describing the terrible events in an well-founded way, but not dark enough to make us stop reading. The crimes are atrocious and it’s terrible to think things like that happen in real life.
The author convincingly captures the PSYCHOLOGY of the characters. The victim, the psychopath, the detective…
While reading we wonder who is the sadistic murderer. Each secondary character becomes a SUSPECT for us and we wonder what would be their motives. Mia is a genius!
JOSIE (a victim who managed to escape) is an admirable fighter. Love was her light, her reason to survive, her savior. She made mistakes, we learn why, we understand her. She changes and becomes one of the BRAVEST woman you’ll ever see in a book.
ZACH is a smart, sensitive and driven detective. A savior, a PROTECTOR. Him and one of his colleagues are the best cops you’ll ever see in a book.
Josie survived by herself but Zach helps her move forward.
Expect slow burn romance, sweet romance, admiration, respect, physical attraction, healing, LOVE.
The murderer… expect the unexpected ! But just FYI , Mia gives him depth and you’re gonna find him very interesting. As his motives… well done Mia!
Each secondary characters are useful for the story. It’s like a game of chess. BRILLIANT!
—> Conclusion : You should read it!!!
This is my second listen by Mia Sheridan and she did not disappoint. Where The Blame Lies is a multilayered thriller that had me guessing “who-dun-it” until the very end. Teddy Hamilton and Callie Dalton, both brought their characters to life in such a real and raw way that left me completely enthralled.
Loved this romantic suspense! The story was gripping and kept me guessing throughout. I did figure out some of the twists but they were such good ones that I wasn’t put out by it. My heart ached for Josie and what she went through. I could easily see this book as a movie, and would love to watch it if that ever happens.
Mia, you write so lyrically that author doesn’t really describe what you put on paper. The music I heard throughout this book spoke to my soul and ripped it to shreds and put it back together in an understanding that makes me feel changed. How is it that you can write about a woman who found hope in a situation created by a monster? Your words give the world all that is good. Thank you
Spoiler Free Review
My tags for this contemporary thriller are…
Unpredictable / Inspirational (Chapter 20, hello!) / Page-turner (absorbing listen) / Wonderful characters / Original / Twisted / Realistic / Haunting / HEA with a lovely epilogue
Format read: Unabridged Audiobook (Audible)
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton & Callie Dalton
Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
Release Date: 12-24-19
Publisher: Audible Studios
Writing style: Dual POVs (Josie Stratton’s & Zach Copeland’s)
Cover design: I really like how layered the graphics on the cover are. Excellent design choice!
Ratings
Overall
I actually didn’t read the synopsis for this one prior to diving into it. But right away, I was sucked in.
Performances each for Teddy Hamilton & Callie Dalton
They made an excellent narrating duo! I had zero issues with their vocal acting choices.
Story
Josie’s strength and courage was astonishing. Her determination to continue her personal search was understandable and admirable especially considering the police had had no leads for 8 years in a row. Zach’s determination to protect Josie and catch the copy-cat killer was nicely balanced with his growing awareness that he was attracted to this strong woman that he’d met originally under such dire circumstances.
The attraction between former kidnap and rape victim / survivor-warrier Josie Stratton and Detective Zach Copeland was a secondary aspect to the story and didn’t overshadow their efforts to solve the mystery of the copy-cat killings. I applaud author Mia Sheridan’s decision to make the mystery of copy-cat killings, the loss Josie experienced and whether or not Josie was now a target again the main focus of this thriller. This story telling style worked really well for me.
Final Thoughts:
It was a riveting thriller with just enough romance in it to please me. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of romantic suspense novels similar to my old favorites by Karen Robards, Linda Howard, Anne Stuart and J.D. Robb.