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Detective Josie Quinn #19
Affronta la tua paura (Detective Josie Quinn Vol. 19)
Il sangue rimbomba nelle orecchie di Josie mentre girano intorno all’albero, immersi nella neve profonda. Una donna giace immobile sul terreno gelido. Il vento ululante solleva gli ultimi fiocchi di neve che le si aggrappano al viso, rivelando i suoi tratti delicati, congelati in un sonno eterno.
La Detective Josie Quinn si sta ancora riprendendo dalla perdita di un membro amato del suo team, quando lei e suo marito Noah ricevono un’altra notizia devastante. Vicina al punto di rottura, Josie si dirige verso un ritiro specializzato per traumi, situato in un gruppo isolato di baite di legno nelle montagne della Pennsylvania. Ma la paura la segue da vicino. I cinque pazienti che condividono con lei il ritiro sembrano tutti nascondere segreti più oscuri dei problemi che li hanno portati lì, mentre si avvicina una tempesta: la neve scende fitta e veloce, isolando le baite dal mondo esterno.
Poi, una mattina, Meg Cleary scompare. Dopo aver trascorso anni vivendo nel terrore di uno stalker, Meg era venuta al ritiro per cercare di ricostruire la sua vita. Ma ora la sua baita è vuota, non ci sono tronchi che bruciano nel camino e nessuna traccia nella neve conduce da o verso la sua porta. Organizzando rapidamente una ricerca, il peggior timore di Josie si concretizza quando trova il corpo di Meg disteso nella neve, con segni attorno al collo che rivelano che la sua morte non è stata un incidente.
E questo non è un caso normale, poiché Josie è bloccata senza la sua squadra, senza segnale telefonico e senza alcuna autorità legale per condurre un’indagine. Quando scopre che qualcuno ha nascosto telecamere all’interno degli edifici del ritiro, il terrore di Josie cresce con la consapevolezza che l’assassino è tra di loro.
Poi un altro paziente scompare. Con le scorte di cibo che si stanno esaurendo e nessuna possibilità di fuga, Josie sa di trovarsi nel più grande pericolo della sua vita e che solo lei ha la possibilità di identificare il killer e salvare il resto del gruppo prima che sia troppo tardi…
La Detective Josie Quinn si sta ancora riprendendo dalla perdita di un membro amato del suo team, quando lei e suo marito Noah ricevono un’altra notizia devastante. Vicina al punto di rottura, Josie si dirige verso un ritiro specializzato per traumi, situato in un gruppo isolato di baite di legno nelle montagne della Pennsylvania. Ma la paura la segue da vicino. I cinque pazienti che condividono con lei il ritiro sembrano tutti nascondere segreti più oscuri dei problemi che li hanno portati lì, mentre si avvicina una tempesta: la neve scende fitta e veloce, isolando le baite dal mondo esterno.
Poi, una mattina, Meg Cleary scompare. Dopo aver trascorso anni vivendo nel terrore di uno stalker, Meg era venuta al ritiro per cercare di ricostruire la sua vita. Ma ora la sua baita è vuota, non ci sono tronchi che bruciano nel camino e nessuna traccia nella neve conduce da o verso la sua porta. Organizzando rapidamente una ricerca, il peggior timore di Josie si concretizza quando trova il corpo di Meg disteso nella neve, con segni attorno al collo che rivelano che la sua morte non è stata un incidente.
E questo non è un caso normale, poiché Josie è bloccata senza la sua squadra, senza segnale telefonico e senza alcuna autorità legale per condurre un’indagine. Quando scopre che qualcuno ha nascosto telecamere all’interno degli edifici del ritiro, il terrore di Josie cresce con la consapevolezza che l’assassino è tra di loro.
Poi un altro paziente scompare. Con le scorte di cibo che si stanno esaurendo e nessuna possibilità di fuga, Josie sa di trovarsi nel più grande pericolo della sua vita e che solo lei ha la possibilità di identificare il killer e salvare il resto del gruppo prima che sia troppo tardi…
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2024
2332 people are currently reading
1406 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Regan
35 books3,807 followersLisa Regan is the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series as well as several other crime fiction titles. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University. She is a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Crime Writers’ Association, and International Thriller Writers. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 364 reviews
January 30, 2024
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
I absolutely loved this book! Yes it’s different from the usual police procedurals but I think the author had a reason for writing this plot as she did. I think it was to let us get to know Josie better!
Josie is at a retreat for victims of trauma - she had a horrific childhood and also has recently lost her grandmother and a beloved team member, Mettner.
In this novel we learn even more about her childhood trauma and also a new disappointment that she and Noah have just found out about.
This novel was a bit slower to take off, but the characters all had to be introduced and we need to know at least a little about each of them. There is also the team retreat leader, Sandrine, who has secrets of her own.
I continue to be a fan of each book Ms. Regan has written. I really enjoyed getting to know Josie more in this novel where she had to “Face Her Fear” on many occasions during the story.
When a member of the group is found murdered - the story really takes off. Yes there is a snowstorm which was a little predictable. However the fact that Josie was stranded on top of this mountain with no help in sight, made her trust her instincts and decide who she could trust.
A great addition to the series. I bumped this up to a 5 because of how much I enjoyed it. Lisa’s writing is always stellar and this one was special.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
This installment is set to publish on January 30, 2024.
I absolutely loved this book! Yes it’s different from the usual police procedurals but I think the author had a reason for writing this plot as she did. I think it was to let us get to know Josie better!
Josie is at a retreat for victims of trauma - she had a horrific childhood and also has recently lost her grandmother and a beloved team member, Mettner.
In this novel we learn even more about her childhood trauma and also a new disappointment that she and Noah have just found out about.
This novel was a bit slower to take off, but the characters all had to be introduced and we need to know at least a little about each of them. There is also the team retreat leader, Sandrine, who has secrets of her own.
I continue to be a fan of each book Ms. Regan has written. I really enjoyed getting to know Josie more in this novel where she had to “Face Her Fear” on many occasions during the story.
When a member of the group is found murdered - the story really takes off. Yes there is a snowstorm which was a little predictable. However the fact that Josie was stranded on top of this mountain with no help in sight, made her trust her instincts and decide who she could trust.
A great addition to the series. I bumped this up to a 5 because of how much I enjoyed it. Lisa’s writing is always stellar and this one was special.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
This installment is set to publish on January 30, 2024.
December 28, 2023
Another gripping and thrilling installment in the fabulous Detective Josie Quinn series! Woohoo! Lisa Regan uses a new approach in this book. The previous books are all police procedurals while Face Her Fear is more like a locked room mystery. It has the element that I love in books, snow filled environments that produce that trapped feeling.
Detective Josie Quinn has not had an easy life. She suffered greatly in her childhood and is currently reeling from the loss of a respected and beloved team member. She finally decides to take some time for herself and goes to a trauma retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There she will take part in individual and group sessions hoping to address the many traumas she has experienced and learn some coping skills. There are others there as well, working on their own personal traumas.
As the snow begins to fall heavily, they find that one of the group members is missing. After a search, her body is found with signs that she has been murdered. With no one being able to get on or off the mountain, it is evident that one of them is a killer. As their supplies dwindle, the danger mounts, tension rears its ugly head, and the group’s suspicions kick into overdrive.
This was a gripping and engaging book which had me guessing and lining up my suspect list. I guessed one thing but did not come close to figuring out what the other reveals in the book. This book mainly focuses on Josie, but we do see Noah doing his best to get to get to Josie and those stuck on the mountain with her. Gretchen also has a minor part, but this book is mainly Josie doing what Josie does best.
Lisa Regan kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. I enjoyed that she had Josie addressing her past traumas while having her work at not only surviving but solving the case. Throw in a huge black bear and you have yourself an engaging tale of survival, wits, danger, and resiliency.
As with the other books, I loved the writing, the pacing, and the detective work. I found this book to be well thought out and riveting. Plus, the snow-covered mountain provided atmosphere while at the same time creating a trapped and chilling feel to this book. I did miss the teamwork but look forward to getting back to that in the next book. Another thing I appreciated was that Regan has Josie and Noah dealing with a real-life issue that affects many in real life.
I am always over the moon when I see that Lisa Regan has a new book coming out in this series and this one did not disappoint! I'm already looking forward to book #20, thankfully Regan is a fast writer.
Atmospheric, gripping, hard to put down page turner by Lisa Regan!
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Detective Josie Quinn has not had an easy life. She suffered greatly in her childhood and is currently reeling from the loss of a respected and beloved team member. She finally decides to take some time for herself and goes to a trauma retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There she will take part in individual and group sessions hoping to address the many traumas she has experienced and learn some coping skills. There are others there as well, working on their own personal traumas.
As the snow begins to fall heavily, they find that one of the group members is missing. After a search, her body is found with signs that she has been murdered. With no one being able to get on or off the mountain, it is evident that one of them is a killer. As their supplies dwindle, the danger mounts, tension rears its ugly head, and the group’s suspicions kick into overdrive.
This was a gripping and engaging book which had me guessing and lining up my suspect list. I guessed one thing but did not come close to figuring out what the other reveals in the book. This book mainly focuses on Josie, but we do see Noah doing his best to get to get to Josie and those stuck on the mountain with her. Gretchen also has a minor part, but this book is mainly Josie doing what Josie does best.
Lisa Regan kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. I enjoyed that she had Josie addressing her past traumas while having her work at not only surviving but solving the case. Throw in a huge black bear and you have yourself an engaging tale of survival, wits, danger, and resiliency.
As with the other books, I loved the writing, the pacing, and the detective work. I found this book to be well thought out and riveting. Plus, the snow-covered mountain provided atmosphere while at the same time creating a trapped and chilling feel to this book. I did miss the teamwork but look forward to getting back to that in the next book. Another thing I appreciated was that Regan has Josie and Noah dealing with a real-life issue that affects many in real life.
I am always over the moon when I see that Lisa Regan has a new book coming out in this series and this one did not disappoint! I'm already looking forward to book #20, thankfully Regan is a fast writer.
Atmospheric, gripping, hard to put down page turner by Lisa Regan!
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 18, 2024
Detective Josie Quinn was on a week long specialist retreat, high up in the Pennsylvania mountains, along with the coach and five others. The object was to teach each person how to go deep inside to where the traumas they had all faced were, and learn how to cope when something triggered those memories. Josie was still grieving the loss of one of their team, plus her traumatic childhood still needed attention. But in a matter of days, one of the women disappeared. Meg had faced a stalker who'd escalated and her escape to the retreat, and hope to put her life together, was something they all knew. As Josie organised a search, the bitter cold and snow flurries meant they needed to find her quickly. But it was her body they found...
With Josie's phone signal patchy at best, she tried to contact Noah and her team. She was aware of the danger surrounding them - the killer had to be one of the remaining few. How would she find out? She had nothing and no one to back her up - and then a second woman went missing. They were all in panic mode, and all Josie could do was keep them together - safety in numbers. But when a huge blizzard hit, their generator was almost out of fuel, the food supply was low and the bitter cold threatened to freeze them to death, Josie knew great fear. Would they be rescued before it was too late?
Face Her Fear is the 19th in the Detective Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan and I loved it! Completely different to Josie's normal situations, cleverly plotted and written, I couldn't stop reading until I turned the last page! A deeply compelling read; I'm looking forward to #20 very much! Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
With Josie's phone signal patchy at best, she tried to contact Noah and her team. She was aware of the danger surrounding them - the killer had to be one of the remaining few. How would she find out? She had nothing and no one to back her up - and then a second woman went missing. They were all in panic mode, and all Josie could do was keep them together - safety in numbers. But when a huge blizzard hit, their generator was almost out of fuel, the food supply was low and the bitter cold threatened to freeze them to death, Josie knew great fear. Would they be rescued before it was too late?
Face Her Fear is the 19th in the Detective Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan and I loved it! Completely different to Josie's normal situations, cleverly plotted and written, I couldn't stop reading until I turned the last page! A deeply compelling read; I'm looking forward to #20 very much! Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2024
** Happy publication day **
This is a huge change of pace from what I've grown to expect from the Josie Quinn series and in the end, it only made me respect Regan as an author even more.
I've been torn between a 3.5 or 4 star rating for days.
I wouldn't call this a police procedural, it's more of a "locked room" mystery with a bit of off the job police work.
Josie goes to a retreat in the mountains with five other strangers who are all there to be treated for PTSD or the likes. One patient goes missing, they're caught in a blizzard, and... I'll say no more because it feels spoiler-y (even though the synopsis does!).
Setting the scene was done well, starting things off slower than I'd grown used to in this series but as things developed the pace picked up. As soon as I realised we were in for a different kind of ride, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I wish I knew before going in this was a different style, because I started out a teeny tiny bit disappointed for change (a me issue, not the book) but now I'm more so just impressed.
However, the ending was way to rushed for me. I feel like we missed a huge part of the would be story jumping from A to Z. It's not often I wish a book was longer, but here I think we needed more. This is why I'm grappling with my rating.
If you're a Josie Quinn reader, you'll be holding on to the edge of your seat or biting your lips. This is a quick suspenseful mystery. I'll be looking forward to book #20!
⚠️ Please check TWs online ⚠️
Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This is a huge change of pace from what I've grown to expect from the Josie Quinn series and in the end, it only made me respect Regan as an author even more.
I've been torn between a 3.5 or 4 star rating for days.
I wouldn't call this a police procedural, it's more of a "locked room" mystery with a bit of off the job police work.
Josie goes to a retreat in the mountains with five other strangers who are all there to be treated for PTSD or the likes. One patient goes missing, they're caught in a blizzard, and... I'll say no more because it feels spoiler-y (even though the synopsis does!).
Setting the scene was done well, starting things off slower than I'd grown used to in this series but as things developed the pace picked up. As soon as I realised we were in for a different kind of ride, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
I wish I knew before going in this was a different style, because I started out a teeny tiny bit disappointed for change (a me issue, not the book) but now I'm more so just impressed.
However, the ending was way to rushed for me. I feel like we missed a huge part of the would be story jumping from A to Z. It's not often I wish a book was longer, but here I think we needed more. This is why I'm grappling with my rating.
If you're a Josie Quinn reader, you'll be holding on to the edge of your seat or biting your lips. This is a quick suspenseful mystery. I'll be looking forward to book #20!
⚠️ Please check TWs online ⚠️
Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 11, 2024
Lisa Regan surprises and delights me yet again and continues to defy expectations, leaving me in awe once more. In a departure from her well-known "missing or murdered girl" trope, she delivers a thrilling locked-room mystery, showcasing her versatility as a storyteller, earning her the title of a word witch.
Through the 18 books, Detective Josie Quinn has experienced plenty of loss and Josie is taking some time to address the losses in her life as well as her childhood trauma. Josie's home town Denton and the area have become quite a dangerous place and it's nice to see a fresh setting. The refreshing shift takes us out of Denton in focus and takes Josie to a hunting Lodge in the mountains used as a trauma retreat. However, once again, a dead body finds Josie, presenting her with another mystery to solve. This time, it's not just about the dynamics between the characters that I love so much. Josie is on her own with a few suspects and must navigate the investigation without Noah and her team by her side.
Joined by a cast of characters, each harboring their haunting scars, the retreat transforms into a gripping crime scene, where secrets are revealed and intensifying the suspense. Lisa Regan intricately weaves together elements of suspense, psychological depth, and atmospheric tension, focusing on the intricate dynamics of the characters, the unexpected twists and turns, and the enthralling journey of unraveling the truth and motives behind their presence at the retreat. The isolated and eerie setting of the retreat added layers of complexity to the unfolding drama. With each startling revelation, the strands of this captivating tale intertwine, holding me spellbound until the climactic and riveting conclusion.
Witches Words read.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley
.
Through the 18 books, Detective Josie Quinn has experienced plenty of loss and Josie is taking some time to address the losses in her life as well as her childhood trauma. Josie's home town Denton and the area have become quite a dangerous place and it's nice to see a fresh setting. The refreshing shift takes us out of Denton in focus and takes Josie to a hunting Lodge in the mountains used as a trauma retreat. However, once again, a dead body finds Josie, presenting her with another mystery to solve. This time, it's not just about the dynamics between the characters that I love so much. Josie is on her own with a few suspects and must navigate the investigation without Noah and her team by her side.
Joined by a cast of characters, each harboring their haunting scars, the retreat transforms into a gripping crime scene, where secrets are revealed and intensifying the suspense. Lisa Regan intricately weaves together elements of suspense, psychological depth, and atmospheric tension, focusing on the intricate dynamics of the characters, the unexpected twists and turns, and the enthralling journey of unraveling the truth and motives behind their presence at the retreat. The isolated and eerie setting of the retreat added layers of complexity to the unfolding drama. With each startling revelation, the strands of this captivating tale intertwine, holding me spellbound until the climactic and riveting conclusion.
Witches Words read.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley
.
February 13, 2024
By this 19th instalment in the Josie Quinn police procedural series, Josie, our heroine, has gone through many traumata: The death of her ex-husband, the shooting of her grandmother, and the death of a colleague - things have amassed and despite being in therapy, Josie suffers from severe insomnia and now there’s bad blood between her husband Noah over… something new!
No wonder Josie follows her therapist's advice and goes on a retreat with a renowned trauma therapist in a remote, isolated location in the wilderness - what could possibly go wrong?!
In a setting that reminded me of Agatha Christie’s classic “And Then There Were None”, Josie faces her fear(s) when one of the other participants is murdered… A wild bear also makes an appearance and to top things off, a snowstorm suddenly starts and causes everyone to hole up together - a murderer among them!
Without her team, Josie must not only work on her mental health but also find out who killed the victim. A very dense story unfolds brilliantly with a very interesting cast of characters, some chapters from Noah’s perspective who involuntarily approaches the case from another angle, and breathtaking descriptions.
Investigating without her team, without contact to anyone but the therapist and the other patients around, we get to spend a lot of time in Josie’s head. Her thought processes are clever, a delight to read and mostly very plausible. At other times, the action happens at breakneck speed but Regan manages to always find a fitting pacing and blend from one state to the next.
Even though the area Josie and the others are confined to is very small, Regan masterfully uses every nook and cranny to weave a strong and complex web about murder, guilt, abandonment, child abuse and much more. We dive deep into the past of most of those at the retreat and, of course, especially the much-bemoaned dead granny and the posthumously-sainted colleague take some room - the latter as a “ghost voice” in Josie’s head and in the narration. This is reminiscent of the previous novel during which mourning the dead relegated the actual mystery to the lower ranks. Thankfully, it’s by far less prevalent here.
And while I hate the despicable abomination of a word, this novel for me was basically “unputdownable”. I’m still on sick leave after surgery, so I had ample time to read and this novel was devoured in six hours and 44 minutes.
The usual niggle with these novels is that they contain about 85% actual content and the remaining 15% consist of advertisements for and excerpts from Regan’s other novels. This is annoying and leads to the subtraction of one star from this unusual but very thrilling and satisfying read!
Four out of five stars.
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Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
No wonder Josie follows her therapist's advice and goes on a retreat with a renowned trauma therapist in a remote, isolated location in the wilderness - what could possibly go wrong?!
In a setting that reminded me of Agatha Christie’s classic “And Then There Were None”, Josie faces her fear(s) when one of the other participants is murdered… A wild bear also makes an appearance and to top things off, a snowstorm suddenly starts and causes everyone to hole up together - a murderer among them!
Without her team, Josie must not only work on her mental health but also find out who killed the victim. A very dense story unfolds brilliantly with a very interesting cast of characters, some chapters from Noah’s perspective who involuntarily approaches the case from another angle, and breathtaking descriptions.
Investigating without her team, without contact to anyone but the therapist and the other patients around, we get to spend a lot of time in Josie’s head. Her thought processes are clever, a delight to read and mostly very plausible. At other times, the action happens at breakneck speed but Regan manages to always find a fitting pacing and blend from one state to the next.
Even though the area Josie and the others are confined to is very small, Regan masterfully uses every nook and cranny to weave a strong and complex web about murder, guilt, abandonment, child abuse and much more. We dive deep into the past of most of those at the retreat and, of course, especially the much-bemoaned dead granny and the posthumously-sainted colleague take some room - the latter as a “ghost voice” in Josie’s head and in the narration. This is reminiscent of the previous novel during which mourning the dead relegated the actual mystery to the lower ranks. Thankfully, it’s by far less prevalent here.
And while I hate the despicable abomination of a word, this novel for me was basically “unputdownable”. I’m still on sick leave after surgery, so I had ample time to read and this novel was devoured in six hours and 44 minutes.
The usual niggle with these novels is that they contain about 85% actual content and the remaining 15% consist of advertisements for and excerpts from Regan’s other novels. This is annoying and leads to the subtraction of one star from this unusual but very thrilling and satisfying read!
Four out of five stars.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Mastodon | Instagram | Pinterest | Medium | Matrix | Tumblr
Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam
April 30, 2024
4.5★s
Face Her Fear is the nineteenth book in the Detective Josie Quinn series by best-selling American author, Lisa Regan. Plagued by insomnia since the death of her close colleague, Finn Mettner, Josie agrees to go on a therapy retreat at a mountain hunting lodge in Sullivan County with psychologist Sandrine Morrow and five strangers. Perhaps it will help her overcome the trauma she has been carrying from her troubled childhood and also cope the grief over the death of her beloved grandmother.
Sandrine aims to provide a safe space for all of them and offer multiple ways in which they might process some of the life trauma they’ve all endured. She engages her clients in a number of therapies, about most of which Josie is rather sceptical: her insomnia hasn’t really improved much. She’s also troubled by the tension that ensued, just prior to leaving, after she told her husband Noah the result of recent medical tests.
But most concerning: it’s December, the lodge is isolated, there’s no wifi and very patchy reception for the cell phone she snuck in, and a snowstorm is threatening to cut them off from civilisation when their supplies of food, wood for the fires, and fuel for the generator are all running low.
And even that might be OK were it not for five other troubled souls processing extreme trauma, whose psychological issues are now perhaps distilled by Sandrine’s techniques and therapies: guided meditation, body scans, rage room sessions, yoga, flashback halting, to name a few. Or perhaps the fact that more than half of those present have not been honest about who or what they are.
Because on day six, with the caretaker off down the mountain to get supplies, one of the attendees is missing, and a search finds her halfway down the mountain, in the snow, dead. Josie can’t help but go into detective mode. She manages to get a few messages out to her Denton colleagues, and learns that Noah is already on his way.
With a blizzard in progress, Noah is determined to bring Josie to safety, but the challenges he faces include more than extreme weather: he’s unaware that there’s been an unexplained death on the mountain, and that the dangerous stalker of one of the women on the retreat is on the loose.
As well as improvising to try to preserve the scene, Josie doesn’t know who can be trusted: has she picked the right person in whom to confide? As she turns it over in her head, speculating and second guessing and theorising, she hears the voice of her late colleague, Finn advising, admonishing and encouraging her.
This instalment certainly provides quite a bit of tension, action, drama and several twists before the final reveal to keep the reader engaged, while the colleague newly installed in Finn Mettner’s desk promises to provide a bit of friction in future instalments. Another Lisa Regan page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.
Face Her Fear is the nineteenth book in the Detective Josie Quinn series by best-selling American author, Lisa Regan. Plagued by insomnia since the death of her close colleague, Finn Mettner, Josie agrees to go on a therapy retreat at a mountain hunting lodge in Sullivan County with psychologist Sandrine Morrow and five strangers. Perhaps it will help her overcome the trauma she has been carrying from her troubled childhood and also cope the grief over the death of her beloved grandmother.
Sandrine aims to provide a safe space for all of them and offer multiple ways in which they might process some of the life trauma they’ve all endured. She engages her clients in a number of therapies, about most of which Josie is rather sceptical: her insomnia hasn’t really improved much. She’s also troubled by the tension that ensued, just prior to leaving, after she told her husband Noah the result of recent medical tests.
But most concerning: it’s December, the lodge is isolated, there’s no wifi and very patchy reception for the cell phone she snuck in, and a snowstorm is threatening to cut them off from civilisation when their supplies of food, wood for the fires, and fuel for the generator are all running low.
And even that might be OK were it not for five other troubled souls processing extreme trauma, whose psychological issues are now perhaps distilled by Sandrine’s techniques and therapies: guided meditation, body scans, rage room sessions, yoga, flashback halting, to name a few. Or perhaps the fact that more than half of those present have not been honest about who or what they are.
Because on day six, with the caretaker off down the mountain to get supplies, one of the attendees is missing, and a search finds her halfway down the mountain, in the snow, dead. Josie can’t help but go into detective mode. She manages to get a few messages out to her Denton colleagues, and learns that Noah is already on his way.
With a blizzard in progress, Noah is determined to bring Josie to safety, but the challenges he faces include more than extreme weather: he’s unaware that there’s been an unexplained death on the mountain, and that the dangerous stalker of one of the women on the retreat is on the loose.
As well as improvising to try to preserve the scene, Josie doesn’t know who can be trusted: has she picked the right person in whom to confide? As she turns it over in her head, speculating and second guessing and theorising, she hears the voice of her late colleague, Finn advising, admonishing and encouraging her.
This instalment certainly provides quite a bit of tension, action, drama and several twists before the final reveal to keep the reader engaged, while the colleague newly installed in Finn Mettner’s desk promises to provide a bit of friction in future instalments. Another Lisa Regan page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.
June 11, 2025
Safe
Love Noah and Josie
The stories keep getting g better
Wish that Josie got more mental health help
Noah is so good for Josie and he is so sexy
Audio books are good
Love Noah and Josie
The stories keep getting g better
Wish that Josie got more mental health help
Noah is so good for Josie and he is so sexy
Audio books are good
July 27, 2025
At the request of her therapist, Detective Josie Quinn has finally decided to attend a week-long trauma retreat to deal with her PTSD. She, along with five other patients, talked to the counselor about their problems and what has brought them to this point. As the week goes on, the weather turns nasty, and the snow begins to fall at their mountain retreat. Suddenly, one member of their party is missing. With a snowstorm blowing in, Josie and her fellow patients search for Meg Cleary, only to find her body buried in the snow. A quick look at the body shows that she was murdered. Now the snowstorm has turned into a blizzard. They are stuck at the mountain retreat with no vehicle, unpassable roads, little food, and no cell signal. Josie is on her own to identify the killer before they strike again.
This was a great addition to the series. It was more or less a locked room mystery since there were a limited number of suspects who were stuck together. I was totally pulled into this story and couldn't put it down. At one time or another, I had every suspect on my list as possibly being the killer. This one was hard to figure out and I loved it. My rating: 5 Stars.
This was a great addition to the series. It was more or less a locked room mystery since there were a limited number of suspects who were stuck together. I was totally pulled into this story and couldn't put it down. At one time or another, I had every suspect on my list as possibly being the killer. This one was hard to figure out and I loved it. My rating: 5 Stars.
January 2, 2024
This book - the 19th in the series - is a bit of a departure from the usual case-solving procedural featuring Denton Police Department Detective Josie Quinn. Here, she's more than a little bit out of her usual element, taking part in a trauma recovery program at an isolated Pennsylvania retreat after losing a dear friend and colleague and having a meltdown of sorts that involves her husband Noah.
There are six participants in all - five women and one man - led by a Zen-like therapist named Sandrine, who organized the retreat and loves helping everyone get in touch with their feelings. Everyone there is a victim of some kind of trauma, which they're invited to share either in group sessions or with Sandrine privately. To spook things up a bit, no cell phones, laptops or other communication devices are allowed, nor is Josie allowed to bring a weapon - she's not there as an officer of the law, and besides, she's no longer within her jurisdiction. Amid all that, a huge snowstorm appears out of nowhere (with all of today's technology, I must say I found it implausible that any meterorologist worth his or her salt could possibly have missed a storm of that magnitude, but hey).
In really short order, everyone becomes snowbound and virtually unreachable on a mountaintop with enough food, burnable wood and generator-produced electricity to last the week - if they're prudent. By now, you know what's coming next: one of the participants, a woman named Meg, is found dead in the woods; and although Josie knows Meg was murdered, she has no authority to investigate - and worse, no way of contacting anyone in the outside world.
From that point on, Josie tries to put her crime-solving skills to work while knowing there's little she can do even if she does identify the killer - one who almost certainly is among them. Problem is - at least for me - she just can't seem to get her own act together; much of her time is spent amid self-doubt and unfounded speculation. While I understand her personal conflicts and the reasons she's at the retreat in the first place (well, except for her knee-jerk interaction with Noah, which I honestly couldn't relate to at all), that constant second-guessing didn't grab me much. Happily, enough facts and hard evidence were interspersed to keep things interesting and hold my attention throughout (to that end, another of the retreat participants turning up missing and Josie's revelation that cameras have been hidden throughout the buildings certainly helped).
By the finish line, everything gets resolved, and although it's no secret to series followers that Josie will live to see another installment, exactly how it all comes together is for me to know and other readers to find out (yes, there are a few surprises). All in all, an entertaining read once again - for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the pre-release copy.
There are six participants in all - five women and one man - led by a Zen-like therapist named Sandrine, who organized the retreat and loves helping everyone get in touch with their feelings. Everyone there is a victim of some kind of trauma, which they're invited to share either in group sessions or with Sandrine privately. To spook things up a bit, no cell phones, laptops or other communication devices are allowed, nor is Josie allowed to bring a weapon - she's not there as an officer of the law, and besides, she's no longer within her jurisdiction. Amid all that, a huge snowstorm appears out of nowhere (with all of today's technology, I must say I found it implausible that any meterorologist worth his or her salt could possibly have missed a storm of that magnitude, but hey).
In really short order, everyone becomes snowbound and virtually unreachable on a mountaintop with enough food, burnable wood and generator-produced electricity to last the week - if they're prudent. By now, you know what's coming next: one of the participants, a woman named Meg, is found dead in the woods; and although Josie knows Meg was murdered, she has no authority to investigate - and worse, no way of contacting anyone in the outside world.
From that point on, Josie tries to put her crime-solving skills to work while knowing there's little she can do even if she does identify the killer - one who almost certainly is among them. Problem is - at least for me - she just can't seem to get her own act together; much of her time is spent amid self-doubt and unfounded speculation. While I understand her personal conflicts and the reasons she's at the retreat in the first place (well, except for her knee-jerk interaction with Noah, which I honestly couldn't relate to at all), that constant second-guessing didn't grab me much. Happily, enough facts and hard evidence were interspersed to keep things interesting and hold my attention throughout (to that end, another of the retreat participants turning up missing and Josie's revelation that cameras have been hidden throughout the buildings certainly helped).
By the finish line, everything gets resolved, and although it's no secret to series followers that Josie will live to see another installment, exactly how it all comes together is for me to know and other readers to find out (yes, there are a few surprises). All in all, an entertaining read once again - for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the pre-release copy.
December 15, 2023
Still dealing with the trauma of her colleague Mettner’s death as well as her grandmother’s murder, Josie and five other participants attend a retreat at a remote, mountainous location in Pennsylvania. Focused on treating PTSD, it is lead by a New Agey therapist. Josie has had a falling out with husband Noah, so is also carrying that baggage. When a blizzard traps the attendees in that isolated, hard to reach locale, with diminishing supplies, poor phone reception and then one of the participants is found murdered, Josie attempts to preserve the evidence while figuring out just what is going on, who is hiding some secrets, and trying to protect the others from peril. This is not Josie’s usual environment and she has to improvise. Ever faithful Noah sets out in an effort to rescue Josie but puts his own life in danger.
This is number nineteen in the Josie Quinn series. It is one of my top must read series. This is yet another exciting, page turning read; I did not want to put it down. Regan always grabs my attention and won’t let go. Although this one did stretch the imagination a bit, the plot was intriguing. I enjoy Josie. Despite all the travails she has met with in her life, she remains a strong, intelligent, though vulnerable, character. I also like all the repeating characters who surround her both in her personal and professional life.
A new character is introduced…the replacement for Mettner. As the book concludes, he seems to be off to a bad start with all of the team members. I’m looking forward to seeing what transpires with him.
This can work as a stand alone, but do yourself a favor and read at least some of the prior ones. There is a lot of history to Josie and the other players. Regan does a good job of trying to fill in the background stories, but it would be more satisfying to actually read those past histories.
If you like well written police procedurals/thrillers, I highly recommend this series. I cannot wait for the next one.
Thanks to #netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC.
This is number nineteen in the Josie Quinn series. It is one of my top must read series. This is yet another exciting, page turning read; I did not want to put it down. Regan always grabs my attention and won’t let go. Although this one did stretch the imagination a bit, the plot was intriguing. I enjoy Josie. Despite all the travails she has met with in her life, she remains a strong, intelligent, though vulnerable, character. I also like all the repeating characters who surround her both in her personal and professional life.
A new character is introduced…the replacement for Mettner. As the book concludes, he seems to be off to a bad start with all of the team members. I’m looking forward to seeing what transpires with him.
This can work as a stand alone, but do yourself a favor and read at least some of the prior ones. There is a lot of history to Josie and the other players. Regan does a good job of trying to fill in the background stories, but it would be more satisfying to actually read those past histories.
If you like well written police procedurals/thrillers, I highly recommend this series. I cannot wait for the next one.
Thanks to #netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC.
February 1, 2024
This one didn’t grab me as much as some others in the series. It felt more ‘drama’ than crime investigation. We also find Josie alone in solving the crime and trapped with all the suspects. I found that I missed the camaraderie of the other detectives. But, looking forward to where the series goes from here as Josie begins to ‘finally’ unpack some of her traumatic experiences.
April 11, 2024
This was a little different than the previous books. In this 19th installment, Josie is at a retreat to deal with her past trauma. There’s only seven of them there, in a very remote area. Of course, there’s a snow storm, trapping them there with no way to get out & limited supplies. Then someone dies (murdered?), and another goes missing. Josie fights for survival, fights to control her emotions, fights to figure out who she can trust, & fights to discover who is behind everything. This story is strictly Josie with few mentions of the others & a few chapters with Noah. This was reminiscent of a locked room story.
June 30, 2025
I can't say enough good about this series...every book is an action-packed, fast-paced thriller with dynamic, flawed characters. In Face Her Fear, Josie is cut off from everyone! Her team and Noah - on her own in a "locked room" type situation with a murderer in the small group of strangers. How can she unravel the mystery, unmask a killer, and get the rest safely off a mountain in a blizzard??! With no cell service, no contact with the outside world? Two people are dead, the clock's ticking. Highly recommended!!
January 28, 2024
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping book
well who wouldnt like a book about a retreat up a mountain and snow plus a grizzly bear....gripping stuff
josie has gone on a sabbatical, with others to help with her ptsd.... she has a lot of issues with the losses that she has had and is no longer able to function through lack of sleep
as the retreat gets underway with a specialist things start to wrong right away.... a snow storm is heading there way and one of the others on the retreat goes missing
its tense time all round and when a dead body is found its about to get a whole lot worse
a slightly different book than what we are use to with this series but man is it well worth reading as its on the edge of your seat stuff and you never know where the next action is coming from
this series just gets better and better cant wait to see how the new guy settles in either
well who wouldnt like a book about a retreat up a mountain and snow plus a grizzly bear....gripping stuff
josie has gone on a sabbatical, with others to help with her ptsd.... she has a lot of issues with the losses that she has had and is no longer able to function through lack of sleep
as the retreat gets underway with a specialist things start to wrong right away.... a snow storm is heading there way and one of the others on the retreat goes missing
its tense time all round and when a dead body is found its about to get a whole lot worse
a slightly different book than what we are use to with this series but man is it well worth reading as its on the edge of your seat stuff and you never know where the next action is coming from
this series just gets better and better cant wait to see how the new guy settles in either
January 18, 2024
Face Her Fear is the 19th book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. It's best to read the previous books before reading this one. After solving her last big case, Josie finally takes the time to go to a retreat to process the trauma that she has had in her life. Isolated at the top of the mountain with her therapist, the caretaker and five other patients, Josie fears there is a snowstorm coming and they will all be stuck . Then, one of her fellow patients goes missing and is later found dead. Now Josie has no way of getting down the mountain and may be stuck with a killer on the loose.
This is different that the others. It was more about Josie's emotions and how she is dealing with all the trauma in her life. Not as suspenseful as the other books but it was still a good read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lisa Regan for an ARC of "Face Her Fear" in exchange of an honest review.
This is different that the others. It was more about Josie's emotions and how she is dealing with all the trauma in her life. Not as suspenseful as the other books but it was still a good read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lisa Regan for an ARC of "Face Her Fear" in exchange of an honest review.
January 30, 2024
Detective Josie Quinn is always amazing! She didn't have her team close by to rely on like in the other books, which highlighted how resourceful she is. The setting & circumstances added even more tension and suspense.
January 29, 2024
This is the nineteenth book in the Detective Josie Quinn series but would be the perfect introduction if you're new to the series. The prior books in the series that I've read can be classified as "Procedural Thrillers", but this book is all thriller! Instead of working on a case with her team, Josie is on her own, isolated from her colleagues, which includes her husband, Noah. Josie and Noah are also going through something in their personal life which creates complications throughout the story.
Detective Josie Quinn has experienced extraordinary trauma in her life and decides to attend a special trauma retreat recommended by her therapist. Josie will be spending seven days in a secluded setting with five other people. There is no Internet and cell phone coverage is spotty which becomes a huge problem when one of the participants is found murdered. To make things worse, a blizzard hits, trapping everyone together with limited food and wood for heating. Only aware of the dangers posed by the weather and not the murder, Noah sets off to get to Josie, but runs into problems of his own. We get to see what Noah is going through from his point-of-view and those chapters are also very suspenseful.
I was a little hesitant when I saw that the format of this book would be different from other books in the series, but I worried for nothing. This is a wonderfully written, suspenseful thriller and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what would happen next! As the storm gets worse with no sign of help coming, the tension continues to build. Everyone including the retreat leader is keeping secrets so Josie doesn't know who to trust. I thought I had figured things out, but I only had half the story and loved the dramatic and surprising ending. I highly recommend this book for fans of this series and anyone who enjoys a suspenseful, "locked room" type of thriller/survival story. (4.5 stars)
Detective Josie Quinn has experienced extraordinary trauma in her life and decides to attend a special trauma retreat recommended by her therapist. Josie will be spending seven days in a secluded setting with five other people. There is no Internet and cell phone coverage is spotty which becomes a huge problem when one of the participants is found murdered. To make things worse, a blizzard hits, trapping everyone together with limited food and wood for heating. Only aware of the dangers posed by the weather and not the murder, Noah sets off to get to Josie, but runs into problems of his own. We get to see what Noah is going through from his point-of-view and those chapters are also very suspenseful.
I was a little hesitant when I saw that the format of this book would be different from other books in the series, but I worried for nothing. This is a wonderfully written, suspenseful thriller and I couldn't read fast enough to find out what would happen next! As the storm gets worse with no sign of help coming, the tension continues to build. Everyone including the retreat leader is keeping secrets so Josie doesn't know who to trust. I thought I had figured things out, but I only had half the story and loved the dramatic and surprising ending. I highly recommend this book for fans of this series and anyone who enjoys a suspenseful, "locked room" type of thriller/survival story. (4.5 stars)
January 30, 2024
Face Her Fear will have your heart pumping from the moment you start reading it until you finish it! I read Face Her Fear in one day and I couldn't put it down! Face Her Fear is book 19 in the Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan. I am absolutely hooked on this series and look forward to each new entry. Face Her Fear is one of the very best in the series as the suspense never stops!
Josie is on a trauma retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania to deal with the many traumas she's faced lately and early in life. She is showing signs of PTSD and this retreat is supposed to help her with coping mechanisms to use. It doesn't help that Josie and Noah, her husband, had an argument before she left. Noah wanted to talk it through, but Josie did not. Now they're separated for one week while she's in the mountains. There's no wifi, no tv, and no electronics allowed while at the retreat.
Josie's cut off from her regular life for one week and she doesn't like it. The other five people on the retreat are also there to deal with their traumas. The doctor running the retreat is highly recommended with a good reputation. Josie doesn't like talking to doctor's about her most personal traumas, but she opens up here. She tells the therapist things she's never told another therapist. Josie has come to realize that she always feels the same whether she's doing something she loves, she's at work, or she's at the grocery store. She doesn't let herself feel things anymore. She hasn't since Mett died, one of her best friends and co-workers. His death brought Josie to her knees and she still hasn't recovered.
In group sessions, Josie gets to know the other participants in the retreat. When a huge snowstorm moves into the mountains, exiting the retreat is not possible. They wake up to a lot of snow and it's still coming down. One of the participants has gone missing as the therapist said she wasn't in her cabin. When Josie goes to check it out, her bed is unmade, her bags are still there, but she's missing. She's had a stalker after her and her fear was that the stalker would find her. Josie and the therapist head out into the snow to look for her. When Josie sees her coat lying in the snow she gets very concerned. They find Meg in the snow and she's dead. As Josie examines the body without disturbing the evidence, she notices her scarf is tied tightly around her neck. Meg was murdered and someone here must be the murderer!
Noah is trying to get to Josie once he learns of the blizzard in the mountains. He doesn't want Josie trapped there with no food, no transportation, no electronics, and possibly no power. Noah runs into lots of snow on the mountain roads and has to be helped out by the sheriff to get his truck free. It's so bad that even Noah's big truck can't handle the drive. Will Noah be able to get to Josie? As Josie is investigating the murder without being obvious to the others, she finds cameras have been placed all over the buildings at the retreat. Who put the cameras here? Why is someone recording this retreat? Why would one of these people kill Meg? What happened to Cooper, the man that keeps the buildings running, the wood stoves filled, and paths shoveled? He left to get information the night before but never came back!
When another participant goes missing and can't be found anywhere, a new level of fear sets in. Josie has been texting Gretchen back at work giving her information about what's going on. She's hoping Gretchen can get help to her before it's too late or at a least some useful information about the other people she's trapped up here with. Will more people die? Who is killing people and why? Is the therapist who she says she is? How come the married couple doesn't seem married? Are they who they say they are? Will Noah make it to Josie before it's too late? Face Her Fear is a book you can't put down! Prepare yourself for one of the most thrilling reads of the year! I rate Face Her Fear 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Face Her Fear in exchange for a fair review. #FaceHerFear
Josie is on a trauma retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania to deal with the many traumas she's faced lately and early in life. She is showing signs of PTSD and this retreat is supposed to help her with coping mechanisms to use. It doesn't help that Josie and Noah, her husband, had an argument before she left. Noah wanted to talk it through, but Josie did not. Now they're separated for one week while she's in the mountains. There's no wifi, no tv, and no electronics allowed while at the retreat.
Josie's cut off from her regular life for one week and she doesn't like it. The other five people on the retreat are also there to deal with their traumas. The doctor running the retreat is highly recommended with a good reputation. Josie doesn't like talking to doctor's about her most personal traumas, but she opens up here. She tells the therapist things she's never told another therapist. Josie has come to realize that she always feels the same whether she's doing something she loves, she's at work, or she's at the grocery store. She doesn't let herself feel things anymore. She hasn't since Mett died, one of her best friends and co-workers. His death brought Josie to her knees and she still hasn't recovered.
In group sessions, Josie gets to know the other participants in the retreat. When a huge snowstorm moves into the mountains, exiting the retreat is not possible. They wake up to a lot of snow and it's still coming down. One of the participants has gone missing as the therapist said she wasn't in her cabin. When Josie goes to check it out, her bed is unmade, her bags are still there, but she's missing. She's had a stalker after her and her fear was that the stalker would find her. Josie and the therapist head out into the snow to look for her. When Josie sees her coat lying in the snow she gets very concerned. They find Meg in the snow and she's dead. As Josie examines the body without disturbing the evidence, she notices her scarf is tied tightly around her neck. Meg was murdered and someone here must be the murderer!
Noah is trying to get to Josie once he learns of the blizzard in the mountains. He doesn't want Josie trapped there with no food, no transportation, no electronics, and possibly no power. Noah runs into lots of snow on the mountain roads and has to be helped out by the sheriff to get his truck free. It's so bad that even Noah's big truck can't handle the drive. Will Noah be able to get to Josie? As Josie is investigating the murder without being obvious to the others, she finds cameras have been placed all over the buildings at the retreat. Who put the cameras here? Why is someone recording this retreat? Why would one of these people kill Meg? What happened to Cooper, the man that keeps the buildings running, the wood stoves filled, and paths shoveled? He left to get information the night before but never came back!
When another participant goes missing and can't be found anywhere, a new level of fear sets in. Josie has been texting Gretchen back at work giving her information about what's going on. She's hoping Gretchen can get help to her before it's too late or at a least some useful information about the other people she's trapped up here with. Will more people die? Who is killing people and why? Is the therapist who she says she is? How come the married couple doesn't seem married? Are they who they say they are? Will Noah make it to Josie before it's too late? Face Her Fear is a book you can't put down! Prepare yourself for one of the most thrilling reads of the year! I rate Face Her Fear 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Face Her Fear in exchange for a fair review. #FaceHerFear
February 5, 2024
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Detective Josie Quinn series continues with Face Her Fear, book 19, which was yet another compelling and exciting read. I came into the series late, so I haven't read all the books. Still, I have liked the ones I have read so far, and Face Her Fear is now among them. The intriguing storyline and enigmatic characters of this atmospheric story kept me completely engrossed.
Despite childhood trauma and the loss of loved ones, Josie's strength never wavered. However, the recent death of a teammate and the receipt of some devastating news prompted Josie to take a week off work to attend a retreat. The retreat, which is being held in the remote Pennsylvania mountains, is designed for people suffering from PTSD. Only seven people attended the retreat, including Josie. Everything appeared to be going well until one of the participants died. To make matters worse, they were all trapped on the mountain due to a violent snowstorm.
Given that the incident occurred outside of her jurisdiction, Josie had to ensure that the proper protocols were followed for securing the scene and keeping the body safe while attempting to identify the killer. A task that proved difficult due to limited resources and adverse conditions. With only six people alive, the suspect pool was relatively small. Second, it was clear that each individual had secrets, rendering them untrustworthy. The secrets became clearer to me as I progressed through the story. However, determining the killer's identity had me stumped.
The plot for this instalment took a different turn than in previous books, and the pace took some time to pick up. However, the pacing increased after the discovery of the murder victim. The story kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out how it would end. Tensions rose throughout the story. The storm, dwindling supplies, a spotty phone signal, and a massive black bear all exacerbated the situation. Another participant went missing, complicating the situation even further.
Reagan delivered a compelling tale that fans of crime fiction would enjoy.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
Despite childhood trauma and the loss of loved ones, Josie's strength never wavered. However, the recent death of a teammate and the receipt of some devastating news prompted Josie to take a week off work to attend a retreat. The retreat, which is being held in the remote Pennsylvania mountains, is designed for people suffering from PTSD. Only seven people attended the retreat, including Josie. Everything appeared to be going well until one of the participants died. To make matters worse, they were all trapped on the mountain due to a violent snowstorm.
Given that the incident occurred outside of her jurisdiction, Josie had to ensure that the proper protocols were followed for securing the scene and keeping the body safe while attempting to identify the killer. A task that proved difficult due to limited resources and adverse conditions. With only six people alive, the suspect pool was relatively small. Second, it was clear that each individual had secrets, rendering them untrustworthy. The secrets became clearer to me as I progressed through the story. However, determining the killer's identity had me stumped.
The plot for this instalment took a different turn than in previous books, and the pace took some time to pick up. However, the pacing increased after the discovery of the murder victim. The story kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out how it would end. Tensions rose throughout the story. The storm, dwindling supplies, a spotty phone signal, and a massive black bear all exacerbated the situation. Another participant went missing, complicating the situation even further.
Reagan delivered a compelling tale that fans of crime fiction would enjoy.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
January 30, 2024
This book is unique in its setting but 100% quintessential Josie Quinn! The setting is a wilderness camp in the winter and Josie is there with a group trying to work through some mental health issues, along with a group of strangers there for the same reason and the therapist who organized the trip. Josie’s team is distant when one of the campers disappears and turns up dead, so Josie is basically on her own trying to survive in a winter wonderland without power and limited cell phone capability. I loved how the story switched between Josie at the camp and Noah trying to get to her, along with the underlying story that the two had a conflict before she decided to attend this retreat. Josie Quinn, detective extraordinaire, has to call on every internal gift she has for figuring out clues while also working on surviving the blizzard that engulfs them all. I loved the fast pace, the new characters who were introduced and the way that Josie methodically worked out the murder mystery. Josie called on the talents of her team remotely via cell when she could get a signal, but she was mostly on her own, so she is definitely front and center in this fascinating book of survival and police skills put to the test. There are red herrings and false trails all along the way, and those led me on a merry chase around the woods of Pennsylvania. I loved everything about this book, especially seeing how much love Noah and Josie share even when separated and how fierce and determined Josie can be. Great characterization, well developed and mesmerizing plot and a satisfying conclusion. One of the best Josie Quinn books out there and a must read for fans of police procedurals with a kick-butt protagonist who is as smart as she is defensive.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
November 12, 2024
change of style is super cool in this book. the plot twists weren't as effective as ones in the previous books, but surprising nonetheless.
i gotta stop reading these on the weekdays or else i lose a lot of work time 😭
i gotta stop reading these on the weekdays or else i lose a lot of work time 😭
January 18, 2024
I loved this book!
It’s a little different to other books in this series but Josie is still the main character.
Josie heads out to the mountains for a few days at a retreat to deal with her grief. When one of the other guests goes missing, Josie starts to investigate. She doesn’t expect to find a dead body and on closer inspection she realises she has been murdered.
On top of this a nasty snow storm hits and Josie and the others are left stranded at the retreat.
Josie manages to get a phone signal and asks for help but due to the location no-one can reach them in all the snow.
Soon another guest is missing and Josie is scared to ge left here but there is nothing she can do.
This is a gripping thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
It’s a little different to other books in this series but Josie is still the main character.
Josie heads out to the mountains for a few days at a retreat to deal with her grief. When one of the other guests goes missing, Josie starts to investigate. She doesn’t expect to find a dead body and on closer inspection she realises she has been murdered.
On top of this a nasty snow storm hits and Josie and the others are left stranded at the retreat.
Josie manages to get a phone signal and asks for help but due to the location no-one can reach them in all the snow.
Soon another guest is missing and Josie is scared to ge left here but there is nothing she can do.
This is a gripping thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
November 3, 2023
Lisa Regan does it again!!!!
*No Spoilers
As always, Lisa keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Josie Quinn is a badass
*No Spoilers
As always, Lisa keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Josie Quinn is a badass
January 18, 2024
Detective Josie Quinn is in Sullivan County. She is there for a week of respite and treatment as she is dealing with complex PTSD. There are only a handful of people at the Sacred New Beginnings Retreat. When one of them is murdered, and snow traps them for the time being, Josie does what she can to find the killer. She must do this while struggling to stay alive due to the elements - both weather-related, and where the killer is concerned.
Josie is married to Noah, who is part of Josie's
investigative team and they are currently dealing with a rift in their marriage. Josie tries not to think about Noah, instead trying to figure out why insomnia has taken over, and with a recent tragic loss of one of her team members, she is grieving badly.
Quite naturally, any mental health treatment is thrust aside as Josie knows there is a killer in their midst at the Retreat. On the other end, Noah is desperate to get to Josie, but the weather, and another danger, makes that impossible. Oh, the angst!
One thing that Josie learns quickly, is that everyone there is hiding something, and this makes it difficult to trust anyone there. Watching the snow fall persistently, they are stuck for an indeterminate amount of time.
With barely a phone signal and sometimes power, Josie is on her own. Even though she has taken measures, another patient goes missing. Again, who to trust in this precarious situation?
Although Face Her Fear is part of a detective series, there is definitely a locked-room edge to this book, a trope I have been reading often of late. I love how the different authors present the intrigue in these stories, keeping me guessing as to the killer's identity. That is exactly what Lisa Regan did with this book. Josie was on her own, and she never missed a beat.
I began this series with the third book, Her Mother's Grave , and have read and loved every book in the series since. Lisa Regan has done a fabulous job with Josie, Noah and other team members, and with this series as a whole. Bring on book 20. My Kindle is ready.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Josie is married to Noah, who is part of Josie's
investigative team and they are currently dealing with a rift in their marriage. Josie tries not to think about Noah, instead trying to figure out why insomnia has taken over, and with a recent tragic loss of one of her team members, she is grieving badly.
Quite naturally, any mental health treatment is thrust aside as Josie knows there is a killer in their midst at the Retreat. On the other end, Noah is desperate to get to Josie, but the weather, and another danger, makes that impossible. Oh, the angst!
One thing that Josie learns quickly, is that everyone there is hiding something, and this makes it difficult to trust anyone there. Watching the snow fall persistently, they are stuck for an indeterminate amount of time.
With barely a phone signal and sometimes power, Josie is on her own. Even though she has taken measures, another patient goes missing. Again, who to trust in this precarious situation?
Although Face Her Fear is part of a detective series, there is definitely a locked-room edge to this book, a trope I have been reading often of late. I love how the different authors present the intrigue in these stories, keeping me guessing as to the killer's identity. That is exactly what Lisa Regan did with this book. Josie was on her own, and she never missed a beat.
I began this series with the third book, Her Mother's Grave , and have read and loved every book in the series since. Lisa Regan has done a fabulous job with Josie, Noah and other team members, and with this series as a whole. Bring on book 20. My Kindle is ready.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
March 13, 2024
Josie Quinn has headed to an isolated trauma retreat located in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There, she and five fellow guests will stay for a week. But a snowstorm is moving in. Trapped on a mountain with no cell service and a roaming bear gets even worse when one of the guests turns up dead. Josie knows the young woman didn't die from hypothermia and they are now trapped with a killer among them.
This is the first Josie Quinn book I've read, but it didn’t take long for me to settle in and get an idea of who she is. The first part of the book introduces us to the characters and sets up the uneasy dynamic among them. Talk of bad weather soon leads to the real thing. A body is found and we're off in a race against time. Josie has to balance keeping everyone safe while preserving evidence and detecting a killer.
The tension and suspense is nonstop. You can really feel the cold and snow. The situation keeps getting worse and worse. You might wonder how someone can gather evidence and information in a situation like that but Josie can. There are twists as we learn who everyone really is and their personal reasons for being there. I guessed one small part but was wrong about everything else. I really enjoyed this action filled story and I plan on reading more Josie Quinn!
4.5/5 stars
This is the first Josie Quinn book I've read, but it didn’t take long for me to settle in and get an idea of who she is. The first part of the book introduces us to the characters and sets up the uneasy dynamic among them. Talk of bad weather soon leads to the real thing. A body is found and we're off in a race against time. Josie has to balance keeping everyone safe while preserving evidence and detecting a killer.
The tension and suspense is nonstop. You can really feel the cold and snow. The situation keeps getting worse and worse. You might wonder how someone can gather evidence and information in a situation like that but Josie can. There are twists as we learn who everyone really is and their personal reasons for being there. I guessed one small part but was wrong about everything else. I really enjoyed this action filled story and I plan on reading more Josie Quinn!
4.5/5 stars
May 9, 2024
Slowly catching up with this series but this one was slightly different...Josie was on her own!! It felt very much like a locked room mystery because Josie was locked in the snow up a mountain.
So much to unpack with this one, but Mets...Oh, sweet Mets..... that's all I will say.
Noah and Josie have had a falling out - blasphemous indeed! She goes on a retreat but the snow comes down and then the bodies start to come out. Noah is trying to get to Josie, but he has been prevented... it was intense!
This had a different feel to it, Josie being secluded, forced her to look at things differently, and more into herself. This self-reflection is definitely what she needed. I re-read my review for Book 18 and I ended it by saying I hope Josie goes on her retreat, boy do I regret that now!!!
It was completely messed up, and I'm not sure we got all our answers but it was a sad tale, aren't they always? But riveting!
As always Kate Handford knocks it out of the park with her narration of everyone, and she amplifies the fear and tension as we are in a race against time with the elements! Boy did I feel it!
Not my favourite in the series but it was good for Josie to get Josie time and self-reflect and I am intrigued to see how this will change her!
Not a fan of the newbie either, but I do hope he turns that around!!!!!
So much to unpack with this one, but Mets...Oh, sweet Mets..... that's all I will say.
Noah and Josie have had a falling out - blasphemous indeed! She goes on a retreat but the snow comes down and then the bodies start to come out. Noah is trying to get to Josie, but he has been prevented... it was intense!
This had a different feel to it, Josie being secluded, forced her to look at things differently, and more into herself. This self-reflection is definitely what she needed. I re-read my review for Book 18 and I ended it by saying I hope Josie goes on her retreat, boy do I regret that now!!!
It was completely messed up, and I'm not sure we got all our answers but it was a sad tale, aren't they always? But riveting!
As always Kate Handford knocks it out of the park with her narration of everyone, and she amplifies the fear and tension as we are in a race against time with the elements! Boy did I feel it!
Not my favourite in the series but it was good for Josie to get Josie time and self-reflect and I am intrigued to see how this will change her!
Not a fan of the newbie either, but I do hope he turns that around!!!!!
October 30, 2025
La detective Josie Quinn si trova a dover affrontare la dolorosa perdita di un membro del suo staff.
Devastata da tale dolore si ritira in un rifugio sperduto tra le montagne della Pennsylvania specializzato per affrontare tale dolore, ma gli ospiti che condividono con lei il rifugio hanno tutti qualcosa da nascondere del loro passato.
Improvvisamente scompare misteriosamente Meg Cleary, un’ospite del centro. Il suo corpo sarà ritrovato esanime in mezzo alla neve.
Tutto però fa pensare che non sia un semplice incidente e Josie dovrà indagare sul caso senza riceve nessun aiuto da parte del suo teem.
Successivamente un'altro ospite scomparirà in circostanze strane..
La nostra detective è consapevole che anche lei e i rimanenti ospiti sono tutti in pericolo e che è l’unica a poter risolvere questo strano caso .
Il libro è come i precedenti: un bel thriller poliziesco, coinvolgente ed inebriante.
Dall'inizio alla fine si ha sempre il fiato sospeso talmente è ricco di suspence. Il tema principale è la paura, in tutte le sue forme.
L'autrice tiene sempre alta l'attenzione del lettore in tutte le sue opere, con un crescendo di pathos.
Libro consigliato agli amanti del genere che non ne rimarranno delusi .
Valutazione:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy:no erotico
Emozioni:💘💘💘💘💘
Recensione di Zappi Patrizia
strana family book blog
Devastata da tale dolore si ritira in un rifugio sperduto tra le montagne della Pennsylvania specializzato per affrontare tale dolore, ma gli ospiti che condividono con lei il rifugio hanno tutti qualcosa da nascondere del loro passato.
Improvvisamente scompare misteriosamente Meg Cleary, un’ospite del centro. Il suo corpo sarà ritrovato esanime in mezzo alla neve.
Tutto però fa pensare che non sia un semplice incidente e Josie dovrà indagare sul caso senza riceve nessun aiuto da parte del suo teem.
Successivamente un'altro ospite scomparirà in circostanze strane..
La nostra detective è consapevole che anche lei e i rimanenti ospiti sono tutti in pericolo e che è l’unica a poter risolvere questo strano caso .
Il libro è come i precedenti: un bel thriller poliziesco, coinvolgente ed inebriante.
Dall'inizio alla fine si ha sempre il fiato sospeso talmente è ricco di suspence. Il tema principale è la paura, in tutte le sue forme.
L'autrice tiene sempre alta l'attenzione del lettore in tutte le sue opere, con un crescendo di pathos.
Libro consigliato agli amanti del genere che non ne rimarranno delusi .
Valutazione:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy:no erotico
Emozioni:💘💘💘💘💘
Recensione di Zappi Patrizia
strana family book blog
January 24, 2024
Detective Josie Quinn returns in a cracking story. That takes on a different twist to the ones that have come before.
As Josie decides to head to a retreat for intensive therapy in the wake of learning some devastating news and dealing with the death of her beloved colleague.
But she doesn't count on a blizzard or a fellow attendee being murdered and no way to contact Noah or any of her team.
And as the snow hits the remaining attendees become more and more suspicious and supplies start to run low.
So Josie's only hope is her husband Noah someone she's refused to speak too for days.
But Noah knows something's not right and is determined to get Josie off the mountain before danger can strike. Only danger is much much closer than either of them could have ever of imagined.
And with a locked room mystery at the heart of this story. Not to mention twists, tension and intrigue. This was a cracking read. That I genuinely found hard to put down and it's a story I would happily recommend to all.
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of Face Her Fear. 😊
As Josie decides to head to a retreat for intensive therapy in the wake of learning some devastating news and dealing with the death of her beloved colleague.
But she doesn't count on a blizzard or a fellow attendee being murdered and no way to contact Noah or any of her team.
And as the snow hits the remaining attendees become more and more suspicious and supplies start to run low.
So Josie's only hope is her husband Noah someone she's refused to speak too for days.
But Noah knows something's not right and is determined to get Josie off the mountain before danger can strike. Only danger is much much closer than either of them could have ever of imagined.
And with a locked room mystery at the heart of this story. Not to mention twists, tension and intrigue. This was a cracking read. That I genuinely found hard to put down and it's a story I would happily recommend to all.
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of Face Her Fear. 😊
December 19, 2023
Wow and wow again what a superb read this latest book in the Detective Josie Quinn series is and it is by far the best one yet and yes I know I say that every time but I promise you that it really is a read that grabbed me from the off and never let go. I loved the way this book was slightly different from the previous ones in as much as it is mainly centred around Josie who is at a trauma retreat in a remote location when a blizzard hits and then a body is found and all it not quite as it seems!!
This was a read that had everything I love in a book a gripping story, super location, brilliant characters and wonderful writing from Lisa Regan as always, many thanks to her for a 5 star readI I absolutely loved . So please be sure not this miss this it’s as my dad used to say a real belter!
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was a read that had everything I love in a book a gripping story, super location, brilliant characters and wonderful writing from Lisa Regan as always, many thanks to her for a 5 star readI I absolutely loved . So please be sure not this miss this it’s as my dad used to say a real belter!
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
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