The Innocent Wife
Lisa Regan
394 pages
Bookouture
December 12, 2022
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About the book:
Candles are lit and their rich vanilla scent twists its way through the cabin. The table is set for a romantic anniversary dinner with fresh roses dropping crimson petals on crisp white linen. But the woman seated at the table is cold to the touch, and there’s blood trickling down her neck…
When Denton’s most loved TV presenter returns home to find his wife dead at the dining table, it shatters the close-knit community. Beautiful and absolutely besotted with each other, Beau and Claudia Collins were idolized for being the perfect couple. But the devastating scene Detective Josie Quinn finds in their remote hideaway has her asking what dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of this seemingly flawless marriage?
Beau is grief-stricken by the loss of his kind-hearted wife who gave so much to others as a therapist, but Josie needs to know the significance of the small wooden puzzle box found clutched in Claudia’s hand. A prop in a popular game Beau played with his viewers to test the strength of their relationships, is it a twisted calling card, or a challenge from the killer?
The broken body of one of Beau and Claudia’s assistants is found the next day, a matching little box left in the dirt beside her. It’s clear that if Beau doesn’t start telling the truth about the flaws in his marriage, those dearest to him will die.
Caught in a cat and mouse chase with disturbing revelations and a mounting body count at every turn, Josie and her team work night and day to keep Beau’s loved ones safe. What kind of calculating monster would do this? A faded newspaper article about a tragic accident is the break Josie desperately needs. But she may already be too late, an innocent child is in danger…
An absolutely gripping rollercoaster of a crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Guaranteed to have you sleeping with the lights on and shouting from the rooftops about the twists, it’s perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
My review
I can’t believe this is book sixteen. Every time Josie and the team come back in a new novel, it’s like catching up with old friends. And I love that at the very beginning of this book where the team works to solve multiple murders, there is a moment with Josie and Harris where he thinks that bacon shaped band aids are the perfect Christmas gift. A moment of innocence before all the ugly in the world.
While I am not sure I am ready to forgive Luke, I am a sucker for a search and rescue dog. They only play a small part in the book, but I like the full circle his and Josie’s story have taken.
But what I like most about the book is it is a lot about solving the crimes, but it is also about how the cases and the process affect Josie and how strong she is to work through everything to do what needs to be done. There were a couple of twists that I saw coming and a few I did not. I am not usually upset at seeing a twist before it happens as long as I can enjoy the story and that was the case here.
As with all the books in the series, this one can be read as a stand alone, but you won’t appreciate how Josie’s past plays into the story.
Author Bio:
Lisa Regan is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series. Lisa is a member of Sisters In Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. with her husband, daughter, and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip. Find out more at her website: www.lisaregan.com
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