I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

23 year-old police officer Shea is asked by the FBI to go undercover as an 18 year-old college student to try to get to the bottom of the disappearance of three female students. This is the second time Shea has gone undercover for the FBI and we hear all about her previous exploits by way of flashbacks and nightmares.

This was a quick and easy read. Shea read more like an 18 year old student than a 23 year-old police officer to be honest, and the writing in general felt very young adult to me. The plot was coherent, although not a lot really happened for a while apart from Shea having sex with the brother of one of the missing students, (for which I feel she should have been fired, although we were clearly supposed to find it terribly romantic).

The solution to the mystery was fairly satisfactory, although it did seem like something which could have been cleared up much earlier with rather more rigorous investigation and questioning.

I think this would suit a much younger reader than me better.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, both as a police procedural and an intriguing mystery. I did feel like I must have missed an earlier book laying out Shea’s backstory, but this appears to be a stand-alone or the first in the series. I look forward to going back and reading more of Redmond’s books!

I loved, loved, loved this book. As soon as I got into, I could not put it down and ended up reading it in a day. It's about a 23 year old woman police officer who goes undercover as a college student to try to find out what happened to 3 missing girls. I loved the main character and I just loved this book so much.

Shea O'Connor is a 23 year old cop from Buffalo. After having closed a major case involving the murder of three high school students, she is assigned a new case in Kelly's Falls where three high school girls have mysteriously disappeared. Her youthful looks allow her to be a perfect fit to go undercover as a student at the local community college in order to gain intel into the lives of the students both on campus and those missing. She is to pose as the niece of police chief Roy, having moved in due to an accident that claimed the lives of both of her parents.
The ruse seems to work. She is quickly able to make friends with several students including those suspected in the disappearance of the girls. However, Shea also unexpectedly falls in love along the way, knowing that she is lying to him about everything related to her life.
When all of the suspects remain such no longer, she is forced to take a long hard look at another angle, and it is one that both Shea and the town of Kelly's Falls are completely unprepared for (no spoilers!)

“If I had known the best thing that was going to happen to me that day was a black eye, I would have called in sick.”
-Shea O’Connor

First sentence:

Christmas Break - Skyler slammed the front door behind them as they rushed in against the biting winter wind.

When three college girls disappear over Christmas break, Boston police officer, Shea O’Connor is asked by the FBI to go undercover and infiltrate the college. Purposely involving herself in the lives and friendships of the three missing girls, Shea struggles to keep up with her undercover persona and the lies she has to tell to people she’s beginning to like and see as friends.

Shea is not a stranger to undercover work; she’s still suffering the trauma of the first case that FBI agent Bill Walters assigned her to. Nobody, including her fellow officers, know that Shea was the turning point in the arrest of a brutal serial killer in her first undercover case. Shea is a wonderful protagonist. She’s witty and clever with just enough snark to keep her interestingly likeable!

The Secrets They Left Behind is great suspenseful mystery with a complex story-line and just enough red herrings to keep me guessing and ultimately, surprised at the ending. I’ll be reading Ms. Redmond past and future work from now on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with this title to read and review!

A great story! Three college freshmen girls have disappeared. Local police have been unable to even find a clue, much less a lead, on the incident. The girl's purses, cell phones, and coats were found - yet not so much as a drop of blood left as to their whereabouts. Now it is 2 months later...

Having done work with the FBI prior to this, Shea O'Connor, a policewoman from Buffalo, NY has been summoned. This, once again, by Bill with the FBI. Shea is 23 years old but can pass for a college freshman. She goes undercover in the small town of Kelly's Falls, NY. There, Shea must mix in with the community college crowd completely yet be completely undercover. Her only back-up there is the Chief of Police - Roy Bishop. She plays his niece who had to move there after her parents died in a car accident. Roy and Shea have opposite poles of thought about her undercover procedures.

Nick, brother of one of the missing girls, mesmerizes Shea. They date. Whereas, Joe - their town dropout druggie - was a sure thing to be implicated for the 3 girls disappearance has a tight alibi. Still - he has the hots for Shea. His girlfriend, Amber, who is very jealous comes into question.....

And then the fun begins! A twisty story about undercover work in a small town. Very Suspenseful. A delight to read!

Many Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a great read!

Everyone knows that no college aged girl would leave her cell phone and purse behind, but three college girls home for Christmas break have done just that. It’s immediately obvious they didn’t leave of their own free will, but police find no leads and the case grows cold. Police officer Shea O’Connor is tasked with going undercover to try to scare up new leads. She enters the missing girls’ college as a student, but as she traces the missing girls’ movements, she’s being watched. If she’s not very careful, Shea may be the next woman to disappear.