TRIGGER WARNING: fertility issues, references to trauma
Detective Josie Quinn has gone to a retreat to try to retune her body and brain. But she struggles to prevent her detective side coming to the fore, and has no choice but to lead an investigation when one of the other attendees is found dead in the snow…
Face Her Fear is the 19th book in the Josie Quinn detective series set in America. The usual location is not used and Josie does not have her team around her as she becomes snowed in at a mountain retreat.
I have somehow managed to miss the last book in the series so was surprised to find that Josie and her husband Noah have argued about a sensitive topic. There are no spoilers about past cases but the continuance of personal plotlines makes me feel that the series is best read in order.
Josie has been through an awful lot of trauma and is finally seeking help. But she has secretly got her phone and finds it difficult to switch off. There are mentions of other traumatic events that have led to the characters seeking emotional support. The unexpected death of a fellow guest is clearly a murder so Josie does what is necessary to preserve the evidence and seek the truth.
I liked the additional tension of the restricted location and suspect range. Plenty of the characters are acting suspiciously and Josie has to keep her wits about her as she investigates. The dynamic was different in this book and there was also the contrast with Noah’s attempts to reach the retreat and atone for their disagreement.
Face Her Fear was a strongly plotted detective thriller.
Blood roars in Josie’s ears as they circle the tree in the deep snow. A woman lies still on the freezing ground. The howling wind lifts the last of the snow clinging to her face, exposing her lovely features, frozen in forever sleep.
Detective Josie Quinn is still recovering from the killing of a beloved member of her team when she and her husband Noah receive yet more devastating news. Close to her breaking point, Josie heads to a specialist trauma retreat,set in an isolated group of log cabins in the mountains of Pennsylvania. But fear is not far behind her. Josie’s five fellow patients all seem to be hiding secrets darker than just the problems that brought them there and a storm is gathering, with thick snow coming down fast, isolating the cabins from the world below.
Then one morning, Meg Cleary disappears. Having spent years living in terror of a stalker, Meg had come to the retreat to try to piece her life back together. But now, her cabin is empty, no logs are burning in her fireplace, no tracks in the snow lead to or from her door. Quickly organizing a search, Josie’s worst fear is realized when she finds Meg’s body lying in the snow, the marks around her neck revealing that her death was no accident.
And this is no normal case, as Josie is stranded without her team, a phone signal or any legal authority to investigate. When she discovers that someone has placed hidden cameras inside the retreat buildings, Josie’s terror grows with the knowledge that the murderer is among them.
Then another patient goes missing. With their food supplies running low and no chance of escape, Josie knows that she is in the greatest danger of her life, and that she alone has a chance to identify the killer and save the rest of the group before it’s too late…
A totally compelling and unputdownable crime thriller that will have you turning the pages late into the night, from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
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.
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