Lisa Regan is a rising star in this genre and her depiction of a flawed but morally upstanding female detective has set her apart in the industry often overshadowed by male authors. No one tells a tale like Lisa Regan does. Cold Heart Creek is everything you expect from a Josie Quinn novel and SO much more. This is truly a walk through the dark side of humanity done in a way that never snuffs out the light completely. The verse, "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it" played through my mind while I read, but I inherently knew the darkness would not overcome HER.

Josie was dealing with a lot when the book opens. She's suffering from terrifying nightmares when confronted with the imminent death of the woman who she believed was her mother, but was actually a monster in the darkness. Not ready to deal with the past, Josie and Noah throw themselves into their new case; the deaths of two campers and the third one missing. What starts out as a straightforward murder investigation quickly spirals into a tale of twisted and depraved minds and lifestyles. The tales Lisa weaves are complicated and the tendrils are many, but there's one thing you can be assured of; she will unravel each thread slowly, precisely, and with the utmost suspense until you cannot think about anything else except finishing it and getting all the answers.

I'm not one to rehash the whole plot, but I will say, this is about more than a dead couple and their missing friend. This is about the demons we ALL fight and the different paths we choose to take in order to win the battle. Some choose wisely, like Josie Quinn, who in the end, shined brightly in the darkness because she is the light. Cold Heart Creek is a perfectly paced and plotted police procedural that you do not want to miss!