I have always liked this series and this author, but I wasn't as enthralled with this addition as previous ones. Josie's continuous nightmares were a bit too much. I understand that if someone had gone through such a horrendous childhood, they certainly could be expected to have nightmares and much more, but every time Josie went to bed you knew what was going to happen. Once again, we were going to read about another horrible nightmare. It was predictable and after a while, boring while lending nothing to the story. I wondered why Josie's superiors wasn't pulling her off duty and sending her for help. I certainly wouldn't want a sleep deprived detective with a gun backing me up. For the first time in a Lis Regan book, I felt like I wasn't relating to the characters or getting caught up in the storyline at all. I was really surprised this happened. ( )

Two dead bodies, camping in the woods. A missing woman. A pregnant woman stumbling out of the woods on the road, and a "cult". Josie Quinn and her team race to find the missing woman, and come up with more questions. There was so much going on in this book. I didn't feel lost at all though. Another great installment. ( )

Phew, Josie is back! After having been disappointed by the previous instalment in the Josie Quinn series, this book brings her back on the right track.

This time, Josie investigates the murder of a couple and the disappearance of a friend of theirs, deep in the woods. A hermit, some creepy underground caverns and a strange cult feature prominently in this story and lend it a lot of atmosphere and, at least to me, a strong appeal.

Of course, “Cold Heart Creek” is the same literary junk food as its predecessors and, thus, you shouldn’t expect deep insights into the state of mankind, human nature or the question to 42 but if you - like me - enjoy a good thriller with likeable protagonists, despicable villains and some fast-paced action in combination with a good part police procedural, you can’t really go wrong with this book.

I have just one minor gripe: The resolution of a long-term dilemma of Josie’s is rather simplistic and, in my opinion, less than convincing.



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Cold Heart Creek by Lisa Regan
Detective Josie Quinn #7

Nightmares are plaguing Josie’s sleep making it difficult to get enough sleep. Having murders to solve and missing people to find seems to increase her stress and keep her nightmares coming. The fact that the woman she has believed was her mother is dying and wants to see her one more time only compounds the emotional issues she has to deal with while trying to solve the mystery of who killed a young married couple and what happened to the woman that was camping with them. Throw ins a crazy cult and you have the makings of an intense action-packed murder mystery that kept me reading throughout the day. This is the second book in this series that I have read and I had no trouble following without having read the entire series. I would at some point like to go back and read the first books to find out more about Josie and how she ended up where she is and how she and Noah ended up together.

What I liked:
* Josie Quinn – a woman who has suffered much but come through stronger in the long run. She has a wonderful job and warm caring boyfriend along with a support group that includes the people she works with as well as her biological family recently reunited with.
* Noah – Josie’s boyfriend is a warm, loving and caring man who is there for Josie through good times and bad.
* Josie’s team – such a wonderful group of people
* The story – the way it was written had me thoroughly invested and hoping for a good ending for those I grew to care for.
* The baddies were caught and put away

What I did not like:
* The baddies – definitely creepy and in need of incarceration
* How warped and twisted some people in the story truly were

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )