Where do I start? We're 15 books deep into the Josie Quinn series and you'd think Lisa would have nothing left to surprise me with, but that is never the case. No matter what I'm expecting, she flips me on my ear almost from the get-go, and in the case of Local Girl Missing, it was from the first paragraph. Like a steamroller, one page morphs into the next and you can't put it down.
Josie and Noah are returning from their honeymoon (Finally!) when a case literally falls into their lap, or in this case, streaks past them like a shrieking banshee. Bewildered, Josie and Noah pull over to offer aid, but the girl has gone missing.
I know what you're thinking, another book about a missing girl, but it's so not about just a missing girl. She's barely the tip of the iceberg. An iceberg that simmers below the town and lives of the people of Denton. Those who know, know, but those who don't are in danger of running afoul of some not so, shall we say, generous men. These men aren't afraid to kill for what they want and Josie and her team are on the chopping block. If they want to save themselves, they're going to have to find the missing girl.
Alison knows things she shouldn't. When those things get her friend killed, she's not going to put herself at risk by showing back up on the radar. If she wants to be free, she has to figure out a way to get the men what they want, even though she doesn't know what they want or where it is.
The cast of characters in Local Girl Missing is vast and varied, but there is one old character you'll remember from Josie's childhood. I absolutely love it when Lisa throws someone in from Josie's past to see how she reacts to the person now that she's an adult. Sometimes, I am disappointed by Josie's reaction, and sometimes, like in this case, I'm thrilled to see her mature and grow and approach the person through different colored lenses. Maybe it's the strong, consistent love she has with Noah now or maybe it's the lessons she learned from losing Lisette, or both, but Josie is changing and it's for the better.
Josie, Noah, Gretchen, Mett, and the Chief are on their game with this case and they're not leaving any stone unturned. They suspect they're dealing with a criminal unlike any they have before and their ducks must be in a row if they all want to survive to see Harris's sixth birthday party.
Book 15 has so many plot twists and shocking reveals that going into too much detail in a review will spoil one of them, no matter how hard I try not to. So I won't, but I will say, technically, this book is flawless in its twisting and winding plot from page one to the last. Josie and Noah are growing and changing in their relationship and starting to take much-needed breaks TOGETHER rather than apart. The chief is continuing on his journey of self-improvement since book 14 and I'm excited to see if his new plan gets off the ground for the Denton PD! If it does, we might have the addition of some new characters before the end of this series. Don't walk, run to your favorite retailer and grab Local Girl Missing, but be prepared to keep turning the pages because just when you're ready to take a break, Lisa will hit you will a twist that will keep you reading long into the night.