Josie Quinn is back in her newest adventure, and honestly, I think this is one of the best yet!
Detective Josie Quinn is headed to see her brother on campus at Denton University, wearing a bright pink uniform shirt (formerly white!), courtesy of a new red t-shirt her brother left in her washing machine. She’s also taking young Harris and his mother Misty to drop Harris off for his first day of preschool, and to assess the safety of the environment herself. After a quick meet and greet, Josie heads off to the campus gymnasium where Patrick is working.
As she jokingly berates Patrick for pink shirt fiasco, she suddenly spots a young female floating face down in the pool water. As they bring the body poolside and attempt CPR, Josie is already in cop mode, and soon her colleagues and campus police arrive on scene. The building security identifies the deceased as Nysa, the star of the collegiate swim team. But how does a star swimmer drown?
As Josie and her team begin to interview Nysa’s teammates and friends, they also begin to trace her steps, and learn from her roommate that Nysa hadn’t come home the night before. Josie, by chance, finds her backpack tossed in the woods, which yields few clues. The medical examiner confirms death by drowning in an otherwise healthy individual, and the only finding was chocolate in Nysa’s stomach. That finding, along with a bag tucked into Nysa’s backpack that contained crumbs, has Josie wondering…
The next day, Josie chances upon a fully involved house fire and stops to assist, narrowly escaping injury as she rescues a young child. The homeowner is a local celebrity and newly retired firefighter. As Josei interviews the young child, she gets a chill when the child tells her that her grandfather started the fire intentionally while chanting, ‘I am the match’.
As the investigation goes into high gear, a couple of other puzzling events occur, one involving a fellow officer. Josie also learns of a college prank that happened in the past, where a student claimed to be able to control his victims by command, with video’s being emailed to persons on campus. Sensing a connection, Josie and her team dig deep, not realizing just how close to a loved one the killer may be…
I have to say, Lisa Regan and her Josie Quinn character were Netgalley.com finds for me, and I have LOVED every book that I’ve read! Josie and her group are spirited, strong characters, with background stories that evolve as the series goes on. While each can be read as a standalone, the storylines all come together nicely when read as a series. Great mysteries, fast paced, action packed – I can’t wait to get discover the protagonist, but yet I hate when the last page is turned!!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com, create your profile, and start reviewing books today!!
Tropical Delusions...... 