Vanishing Girls by Lisa Regan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Plot. The Detective Josie Quinn series consists of several police procedurals, most involving missing or murdered women or girls. The setting is a small town in Pennsylvania. Josie’s childhood trauma is interwoven into each story; we watch her character struggle with her job, love life, and the brain-twisting murders traversing the series.
Liked, Characters. Stories are initially straightforward who-done-it murders that morph into complex mysteries to enjoy. Josie’s circle of friends consists of her fellow cops, the medical examiner, and her boss, each with a unique personality. Her family is initially small, but you’ll see it expand as the stories progress. Not too many characters to keep track of – as they are integrated into each story. You’ll have fun getting to know the characters and puzzling solutions. You’ll find yourself muttering, “Wait … what?” near the end of most books as the plots twist and surprises abound.
Not so hot. The first three books were poorly narrated by Eilidh Beaton as diction and child-like pronunciation were annoying. But stick with it as the rest are well read by Kate Handford. Production is fine, bumped speed to 1.4 – a preference, not a criticism.
The series is written by Lisa Regan and released from early 2018 through today. Bookouture published iinitially, later picked up by Hachette.
Recommended murder mysteries.
