Detective Josie Quinn is keeping secrets, she knows her boyfriend Noah is worried about her and the nightmares that plague their nights but she can't bring herself to open up to him again, not when so many other things need her attention. Not least of these is the search for the killer of a young couple found dead in an isolated part of the forests which dominate the area around Denton where she and Noah work for the local police department. When you add the danger caused by the adverse weather conditions, a missing person case and the boss all of her team are still unsure about and anything else on Josie's mind will have to wait in line.

This is a fast paced, exciting, thriller which has a great cast of familiar protagonists who are regularly up against original and well written bad guys you know will cause no end of problems, who aren't who they purport to be and are never simple to deal with. In this case I felt there were a few things which took over too much and although the storyline was excellent it would still have been so without the amount of detail and explanation in some of the latter chapters.

That said the characterisation of Josie and Noah was, once again, brilliant and engaging. There is enough mention of their previous stories to help new readers but no spoilers. The rest of the team slot into place as seamlessly as ever and although maybe a little stereotypical in places so do the antagonists who are many and varied in this book.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who already enjoys this series of books, you won't be disappointed. Anyone wanting to dip into a fully formed world with well written and believable characters this is a very good place to start.

COLD HEART CREEK by Lisa Regan is the seventh book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. This book worked well as a standalone novel for me, but the previous books would likely add more background and show character evolution over time.

This story takes place in and around Denton, Pennsylvania. When a park ranger finds two bodies near Cold Heart Creek, Detective Josie Quinn and her boyfriend, Lieutenant Noah Fraley and many others from the Denton police force work the case. When combing the area, a third sleeping bag is found and the team is not only looking for cause of death for the couple, but looking for the third person that was camping with them.

Josie and Noah are compelling characters and someone you can root for. They felt real and three-dimensional and definitely had both flaws and virtues. Their motivations were believable and the secondary characters were well-rounded and contributed to the story rather than detracting from it. There were plenty of plot twists and turns as well as red herrings. While the romantic relationship between Josie and Noah was weaved into the plot, it did not detract from the story line.

Themes weaved into this novel include domestic violence, PTSD, a strange commune, murder, caverns, heat, rain, kidnapping and much more. This was a complicated case and Josie and the team had to cut through the lies in order to find the truth.

Overall, I was hooked immediately in the first chapter and the pages kept turning. The novel kept me engaged throughout. I recommend this book to those that enjoy thrillers, great police procedurals and those that enjoy this series. While not absolutely necessary, I would recommend reading the series in order to gain more insight into the characters. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to Bookouture and Lisa Regan for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Cold Heart Creek, the seventh novel to feature Detective Josie Quinn of the Denton, Pennsylvania Police Dept.

When the bodies of two campers are found in the woods Josie and the team are called in to investigate. Not only do the deaths look suspicious but there is evidence of a third person who is now missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Heart Creek which is an action packed investigation with plenty of twists and turns. Does it bear any relationship to reality? No, but it’s an exciting read and held my attention throughout. It is told entirely from Josie’s point of view so there are no distractions and the reader is easily able to slip in to her thoughts and actions and identify with her. It makes for a good read. The plot has two major strands, the hunt for the missing person and a subplot about a mystery woman. I found both absorbing and interesting up until the explanations at the end. I’ll admit to being tired when I read them but while they tie everything together they didn’t seem particularly likely to me and I was left shaking my head - so much adrenaline ending in lameness.

Josie is battling with herself over her abusive “mother” who is dying of cancer and wants to see her. The whole novel is peppered with her nightmares of past mistreatment. In places it seems gratuitous but serves as an illustration of why she is such a dedicated detective.

Cold Heart Creek is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Book 7 in this series and I’m still hooked on following Josie's turbulent life, and although sometimes too outlandish to believe I still want to read more.

Once again, Lisa Regan has written a compelling book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. At the opening, we learn that Quinn and her boyfriend, Noah, have moved in together and struggling with the details of merging two adult lives. In addition, the woman who kidnapped Josie as a child and abused her has a dying wish for Josie to visit her in prison. This has caused the nightmares about her childhood to return, and Josie is desperate to find some peace. With a new case to solve, involving 2 murdered campers and a missing third, Josie & her team being the process of unraveling the mystery. Then, Josie & Noah almost run over a woman who comes stumbling out of the woods near the crime scene. It turns out that this woman was declared dead a few years ago, after a camping trip in the same woods. Now there are two cases to chase, and when a strange commune, The Sanctuary, seems to factor in both, a full surveillance is set-up to look for a possible suspect thought to be in the commune. When one of the team members gets kidnapped, survival becomes the primary focus, with hopes of untwisting the many strands of both cases. We must wait to see how the future plays-out for Josie and Noah.

I've been reading Lisa Regan's Detection Josie Quinn series since the first book, and each new book brings with it new heights of thrill, psychos and mysteries.


Cold Heart Creek was yet another amazing mystery, with chilling murders and curious suspects. I took me less than a whole day to complete the book because I just couldn't put it down.


Josie Quinn is one of my favourite literary detectives and I love how well Lisa manages to merge Josie's private struggles with the cases she solves.


I'm now on the lookout for the next book!

Detective Josie Quinn has her hands full when she is called in to investigate the discovery of two bodies found at a campsite by a creek. Evidence shows that there was a third person there, a woman, so a desperate search is under way. Meanwhile, Josie is grappling with the fact that her dying mother wants to see her once last time.

Josie came from a dark and disturbed past. The woman she called her mother is actually a woman who kidnapped her, only to brutally abuse her for years. Josie has come a long way since then. She had since been reunited with and drawn close to her birth family. She has moved in with Noah, another detective, and they are thriving. However, with recent request to visit her mother in prison, Josie has been having horrid nightmares.

Meanwhile, the search for the missing girl, as well as to identify the cause of death of the two victims, leads Josie and team deep into the forest. They discover a farmhouse where several people reside. One such girl is someone Josie is desperate to help, but penetrating this group of people is not easy. Josie wonders if this group of people and the missing girl could possibly be connected.

There are several threads in this thrilling story. Cold Heart Creek is the 7th book in the compelling Detective Josie Quinn series. I have read most of the books in this series and have loved to see Josie shine above her tragic past and being able to remain focused and professional despite her personal drama. This is a well-written, captivating story that I read in one sitting. Let's hope we see Josie again real soon.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cold Heart Creek ( Detective Josie Quinn Book 7) by Lisa Regan

Police detective Josie Quinn is one hundred percent dedicated to her job. In this finely crafted mystery, Josie and her police lieutenant boyfriend,Noah, are confronted with a curious case.

There are dead bodies, people showing up and disappearing, and a strange group of seeming misfits in the Pennsylvania woods. What is all of this about? Putting herself at risk, Josie is determined to find out, though dealing with her own baggage from a difficult childhood could interfere with her job.

Lisa Regan has hit the right amount of tension, which is always needed in a good mystery. Who is to be trusted, who is lying and covering up? All of this remains to be seen unless Josie can solve the case. My first Detective Josie Quinn book gets four stars from me!

Many thanks to #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC for my review.

This is the 7th book in this series. I have really enjoyed this series. This book is full of twists and turns but also a lot of emotion as she has to face her past. Some of the story was a little far-fetched but I still liked the story and characters

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book in a great series

two bodies are found in the woods under suspicious circumstances, they are found to be poisoned, and strangled.... the woman victim was found to have a black walnut necklace in her throat....

there is also signs of another person that was camping out with them but they have disappeared...the trail leads to the mysterious group or cult that is hidden there, deep in the woods

on the way back to town josie and her partner nearly run over a pregnant woman who staggers out of the woods...is she the missing person...she is about to give birth....

this book is high octane...and fast along with the missing person josie also has to deal with personal issues in her life...the woman that abducted her when she was very young and bought her up as her own is dying and wants to see her...

lisa regan knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat, this held me captive right to the end and that ending was brilliant...

cant wait for the next one in this series...

4.5 stars for me

Book 7 in the Josie Quinn series and each book gets better than the last !

Josie and Noah are investigating the death of 2 campers and disapperance of another. The case leads them a cult which results in not one or two but many suspects.

The pages turn quickly and I never saw the ending coming . Twists and turns will keep you reading.

Dont miss this book or the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Cold Heart Creek.

Josie Quinn must deal with the imminent death of the woman who kidnapped her as an infant while trying to solve two intersecting cases; all in all, just a normal week in Josie's life!

Throughout the series, we've seen Josie change as a person and confront her past. She's mostly found her place but will always be scarred. Cold Heart Creek represents a major turning point in her life, and it was good to see her grow as a character.

Book seven in the Josie Quinn series and the writing is still as fresh as book one. This is well written and beautifully crafted depicting the dark side of humans but also the kindness. The plot is very dark but it sucks you in from the first chapter. Josie is struggling with her demons and when two bodies are discovered in the woods, her past comes back to haunt her. Lisa Regan can write a great tale and I would recommend this series from the first book with the believable characters and fantastic plots. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A fast paced story from this author. The suspense was well maintained and kept me turning the pages. The theme of the cult was far fetched. I have given 5 stars for the ending where Josie meets her mother and the chapters after that where she makes her choices. It was very well written.

This is Book #7 in this fabulous series. I recommend you read them in order for the entire horrible childhood Josie suffered. I love the characters of Josie and Noah. They are so good together. In this book they are called to investigate the deaths of a husband and wife found laying side by side holding hands at a campsite. Was their companion abducted or did they do the killing? You will have to read the book to find out. Thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book. I am ready for Book #8.

Josie Quinn continues to be one of the best, well written female protagonists in crime. The second i start reading i'm drawn in to the story and i can't rest until i finish. I loved seeing Josie's more vulnerable side as she was forced to face the demons in her past as well as investigating kidnapping, murder and a very creepy cult. This was absolutely amazing.

What can I say about Detective Josie Quinn that I have not said before? This series is just fantastic, always so much going on in both her personal and professional lives. Always pushing the boundaries to get the results. Josie cares about her victims, wants justice for their families and friends. She has her demons that she struggles to fight, especially in this book. This is a series that I always jump to read when a new one comes out, can't get enough.

This time there is twisty and complicated case. Josie and Noah have just moved in together and getting used to it. They have returned from a well earnt holiday together and are straight back into it when the bodies of a couple are found dead in the woods, On closer inspection there should be a third person. Whilst looking for them they almost knock down a very pregnant woman who then goes onto give birth in Josie's car. The excitement doesn't end there as they discover The Sanctuary - a place that is meant to look after people and be a safe haven but Josie feels that there is something more to it than that. All of this while she is trying to ignore the fact that her mother is dying in prison and wants to see her.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Cold Heart Creek was yet another wonderful addition to the Josie Quinn saga. Lisa Regan captures the reader's attention from the very first page as we entered one of Josie's nightmare's about her childhood. This book has a chilling mystery but also lets the reader get closer to Josie as she struggles with memories of her past as well as being able to share an apartment (and her life) with her boyfriend Noah. The mystery itself centers around the discovery of two bodies at a camp sight and the realization that there is a third person missing. In yet what seems to be an another possibly related mystery, a long missing woman is discovered in those woods. When found, she is in labor and about to give birth. Are the two cases somehow related? In the midst of this all is a commune that has its grounds in the woods. Are the people living on the commune sharing all they know. Their leader, Charlotte is chilling in a subtle way that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat! I definitely recommend this new installment! A very enjoyable read.

Wow!!! What a ride this book was!! So many different twists and turns - multiple mysteries and victims - are they related? I didn’t want to put the book down so I could figure it all out! Lisa Regan never disappoints and this book continues to deliver what I have come to love from her writing! Josie, the strong yet flawed female lead who continues to fight her own demons while also battling those out in the world! I am already anxiously awaiting the next book from Regan!

Thanks @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read one of my favorite authors next book. It did not disappoint. As always i adore the characters and the writing is spot on.
This suspenseful tale starts off as suspicious deaths in the woods with very little to go on. It quickly adds in a missing people, a possible cult and a long since missing person reappearing. Do these events all tie together? If so how? One thing is for sure nothing is as it originally seems.
I adore Josie Quinn and her team, this book was fast paced and a fantastic read. I highly highly recommend picking up this book!!