Another fabulous read by a new author to me. I loved solving the crime and finding out the culprit at the end. I loved the writing style and felt I was there in the story with the characters as the story unfolded.

When we were children, my friends and I were all afraid of the Boogeyman. Before us, our parents were afraid of the Boogeyman. But have you heard of Woodsman?

He lurks in the woods, waiting for pairs of children to come in search of him, hoping to prove that he doesn't exist. Then, he proves them horribly wrong, releasing one child, but disappearing with the other.

The ​Patchetts lose both of their girls to the Woodsman one Saturday, and then the youngest returns. The oldest child remains missing. Then, other disappearances occur. In book #18 of the Josie Quinn series, Josie and her team are determined to prove there's no such thing as monsters while battling personal demons of their own. The unknown monsters prove to be the most dangerous. Josie knows the most important piece of the puzzle is the first child that went missing, and she won't rest until she finds her.

This latest installment proves masterful. Lisa Regan has given us another visit with old friends, under the worst of circumstances, with an ending that none of us could predict.

This is another amazing story in this series. As an adult, we know there is no boogeyman in the woods even though a rumor about "The Woodsman" is spreading through all of the schools. But the fact is that someone is killing teenagers during the night after they've gone into the woods. And it gets even more ominous when Josie learns this has happened in two other counties.

While Josie and her team follow the clues, they are also having to deal with the recent loss of one of their own. This story will hold you captive as Josie's team undercovers what has happened, Josie deals with trauma brought up by some of the locations they investigate, and the surprising twists along the way.

My Child is Missing is the 18th book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. I am so disappointed that I missed the books in between 14 and this one. I love this series. This can be a stand-alone book, but the series is so good that it is worth reading every single one.

The Woodsman tale is circling through the schools. "Two go in the forest and one comes out."

This one picks up shortly after Mettner, Josie's friend and colleague has died. Josie and Noah are at a baseball game when they get a call that two girls are missing. Josie and Noah race to the address to speak to the parents. As they try to talk to the parents, the husband is agressive and angry with Josie and Noah. They ask the parents questions and are told the girls went into the forest and left a note. The parents searched the neighborhood but were unable to find them. Luke and Blue, a search and rescue dog, are called in to search for the two girls. After following the scent Blue finds the youngest sister, Savannah, dirty and scared, hiding in the dense ground cover. When she finally speaks, she says “He took her!” “He took my sister!” Josie asks who did it, she replies "The Woodsman." Josie tries to explain that there is no such thing as The Woodsman, but she insists it's true.

Rumors are spreading quickly about the tales of The Woodsman. Local teenagers are daring each other to walk into the woods at night in pairs to see if it is true.

All of Josie’s leads do not bring her any closer to finding Kayleigh. Blue follows Kayleigh's scent into the woods to a cabin, but the man has an alibi. They keep him on the list of potential suspects due to his past.

Shortly after another pair of teens have gone missing. They are both found with the boy standing over the girl covered in blood. As Josie follows the clues of the new girl, she finds that they intersect and now has more promising leads. Josie will begin to see a pattern and will have to work to get the others to believe in her new theory about the killer.

This is a roller coaster of a ride. It is extremely intense, and a riveting page turner. I could not put this one down. The characters are very believable. Josie's team works well together and are very likeable. I had a little inkling of who the killer might have been but wasn't sure until then end. Each book in the series I have had the pleasure to read was so good. I hope to read more in the series starting at the beginning, and hope this was not the end of the series.

I love this series and this is another great read.
Josie is still not sleeping following recent events but is soon knee deep in an investigation when two girls go missing in the woods.
The younger sister is found hiding and is in shock as she saw her sister get taken by a man. There’s a rumour going round the schools that the ‘Woodsman’ is taking children but Josie and the team know this is a myth and the person taking the children is very real.
Soon a girl is found murdered in the woods and Josie and the team try everything possible to find the killer before they strike again.
This is a clever crime thriller and it was a great conclusion as I’d never have guessed the killer’s identity.
Highly recommend this book and the whole series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5⭐
Never has the lyric "if you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise" been more true than in Lisa Regan's latest cracking instalment of the Detective Josie Quinn Series. 

As Josie and her team still reeling from the shocking events in Close Her Eyes are tasked with finding missing sisters Kayleigh and Savannah and catching a dangerous killer.

After a silly rumour of a woodsman who lives in the woods surrounding Denton and never returns children to their mums gains traction. And has, the younger kids terrified and the older kids daring each other to spend a night in the woods to prove they can survive the woodsman.    

And when the parents of sixteen-year-old Kayleigh and her much younger sister Savannah come home to find a note saying they've gone for a walk in the woods they are rightly worried. After all Savannah has been having nightmares over the woodsman for months.

And as a search gets underway, Josie her husband Noah and Luke along with his K9 Blue follow a trail deep into the woods and stumble upon traps and eventually a terrified Savannah who claims the woodsman has got Kayleigh.

But Josie and her team know the woodsman is a myth and a real person is responsible. One they are determined to catch.

And all signs lead to Henry Thomas.

Yet, Kayleigh is not in his cabin or nearby and he claims not to know her.

But is he telling the truth?

And as time runs out and more kids enter the woods. The danger mounts until Josie realises they are focusing on the wrong person. And the killer might just be the one they'd discounted at the very beginning.

And with twists, shocks and surprises. This was a fabulous addition to the series, and I can't wait to read more.

I would thoroughly recommend this series and story to all. As you really don't need to have read the previous ones to love it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is a head spinning thriller! Detective Josie Quinn and her team are still reeling from Mettner’s death when they get a horrific case dubbed “The Woodsman”. Horrific tales of children being taken in pairs and only one returned alive…permeates the small town and the elementary age children are so frightened they are having nightmares. When a couple of local children go missing, the team goes all in to find them. There are so many twists to this story, it will keep you enthralled to the very last page. I can’t wait to see more of this series.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." eARC provided NetGalley

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this jaw dropping book

the woodsman...is he real or a myth

a dare to spend the night in the woods with a friend

when the call goes out that two sisters are missing in the woods josie and her team call in the k9 unit to help with the search as the woods get darker and the search goes on they can only hope that they will be successful

oh my goodness me this story has it all mystery suspense and gruesome murders and it was great to catch up with josie and her team to see how they are coping with the aftermath of losing one of their team

cant wait for the next book in this brilliant series

The Bogeyman, the Woodsman. Who is skulking in the woods, capturing teenagers and bashing them over the head?? I always get a tingling sensation when I begin a new Josie Quinn case.
I couldn’t crack the case until 3/4 of the way through, there is a huge twist in the story that is simply brilliant! I gasped out loud and said Wow!! Totally unexpected and perfectly chilling.
I didn’t see that change coming at all!
The loss of Mettner is still interlaced with Josie and it’s so sad. Why did Finn have to go??
I mourn Mettner but look forward to #19!

My Child is Missing is a whopping number eighteen in the Detective Josie Quinn series and is better read as part of the series. Josie is still reeling from the death of her friend and fellow officer in the last book when she is called to investigate a missing pair of sisters. The story of the Woodsman is circulating through the local schools, a monster who takes you in the woods and you never return. As other girls go missing and the body count rises, Josie is in a race with the clock to stop killer yet again in Denton. Twisty and adrenaline fueled, the story is another fast paced thriller with memorable characters. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I can't believe that this is the eighteenth book to feature Josie Quinn and her team and OMG what a read. The Woodsman is an urban legend. The story goes that two children walk into the woods but only one returns. Josie refuses to believe this nonsense. Until in a nearby town two children went into the woods and only one returns. Josie and her team are now hunting the Woodsman. Another action packed, heart stopping crime thriller from one of my favourite author's and another fantastic five star addition to this gripping and very addictive series. Absolutely loved it!!!!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

What a captivating story. I will say I knew something was going on with Kayleigh from the very beginning, but I did not expect everything we learned. I loved Blue (K-9 unit) . He was amazing, he knew what was going on. This book is action packed with a lot of mystery. Josie has a lot to discover. I highly recommend you read it, the characters are so well written they will draw you into the mystery. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Another great visit into the world of Denton with Josie, Noah and the rest of the characters we’ve come to think of as friends.
Still reeling from Mett’s death the team are called in when two sisters go missing in the woods surrounding Denton. Rumour has it they’ve been taken by The Woodsman, the urban myth that’s haunting young children and providing a dare for teenagers. One of the best ‘twists in the tale’ I’ve ever come across follows as the truth behind the legend is revealed

Another great book in the Josie Quinn detective series! In this book Josie is searching for a missing child and Josie also grapples with the idea of being a mom. As with every book I’m this series, I enjoy how the characters develop along the way and we learn more about each one as we go! I am really glad this series was extended and am already looking forward to the next release! Lisa Regan’s writing style is great! Easy to follow and not repettitive..

Detective Josie Quinn - my favourite detective and mystery/crime series, by my very favourite mystery and crime fiction author, Lisa Regan. If you haven’t discovered this incredible series yet … you’re missing out on the very best out there!

Book 18 - I’ve read this whole series and have a couple top faves within the series, and now this one is up at the top! I’m still reeling from what Regan did to us in book 17 (she did the worst thing an author can do to her readers), and it’s highly mentioned throughout this one, but book 18 takes us in a whole new direction with a seriously twisted crime of missing children and an urban legend about the Woodsman who steals kids who enter the forest around town.

When one of the missing kids appears turns up and information about a released criminal living in a remote area of the forest comes out, the team (minus one) goes on the search, and keeps searching and searching as more kids go missing…

This book has a twist I could never have seen coming - normally with mystery and thriller books I can typically figure out from the clues peppered through the book, most of the details before the big reveal, but this one definitely surprised me!

A definite recommendation from me, and absolutely one of Regan’s top, especially in the Josie Quinn series!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Bookouture, and this is my honest feedback.

This book is what all other thrillers aspire to be! It's just such a pleasure to read a well written, original, tense thriller that grips you by the teeth and doesn't let go right until the end! The twists were so well done, the writing style flows so easily, it's so fast paced and keeps you completely engaged throughout. I wish more thrillers were of this level! A must read

This is book 18 in the Detective Josie Quinn Series and it’s yet another entertaining read. As well as the main case which centres around the rumours of ‘The Woodsman’ who takes one child when two go together into the woods, we are treated to more about Josie’s personal life and in particular her battle over whether or not it’s right to bring a child into the world. This is a great series and Josie a great character who has survived some dreadful events in her past that have left her vulnerable.

Briefly, Kayleigh and her younger sister Savannah go into the woods and only Savannah returns. The investigation is going nowhere when another girls body is found in the woods after going in with a friend. But Kayleigh still hasn’t been found and it seems clear that this killer is responsible for two other bodies found in counties outside Denton. Who is ‘The Woodsman’?

Brilliantly fast paced this was a real page turner and I read it in a day. The author has come up with yet another brilliant plot and despite the clues I can now see the red herrings had me totally fooled and I was completely shocked when the killer was unmasked. A very enjoyable police procedural that had me hooked from the start. Excellent book.

The phone call to the Denton Police Department sent chills down Detective Josie Quinn's spine. The Patchett parents were distraught - their two daughters were missing after they had gone for a walk in the woods behind their house, and they hadn't returned. Kayleigh was sixteen while her little sister, Savannah, was eight. The Denton PD was immediately on the scene, throwing everything they could at the search, including Luke and his search dog Blue. The stories that had been circulating of The Woodsman were enough to terrify the people of Denton and surrounds, but adults knew it was only a kid's monster story. But when little Savannah was finally located, wide eyed and terrified, all she could say was "he took her, he took her"...

As Josie and her team continued their search for Kayleigh, secrets were coming to the surface. Two girls had been murdered not far from Denton, with The Woodsman being blamed. Exhaustion was dogging the team; sleeping in shifts to keep the case active twenty-four-seven was all they could do. And then another teenage girl was discovered dead in the woods - the race was on. Could they discover who the killer was before someone else died?

My Child is Missing is #18 is this fast paced and highly addictive series. Author Lisa Regan still manages to come up with fresh, new ideas for her Detective Josie Quinn series, and I'm loving it. Filled with excellent characters, tension filled pages, and electric twists and turns, I can't recommend this one (and the series) highly enough! Although I partially worked something out early in the piece, I was still wrong!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

An urban legend becomes very real when children go missing. Josie an the team are on the hunt for a real life boogeyman.
This was a gripping, edge of your seat read with a twist I never saw coming.
I like how some of the books focus more on the case and others delve further into the characters. The reader becomes invested in the characters and their lives. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘My Child Is Missing’, the eighteenth in the Detective Josie Quinn series written by Lisa Regan, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When a call goes out to Detective Josie Quinn and Lieutenant Noah Fraley of the Denton Police Department that two children are missing the rumour starts circulating that the Woodsman has taken them with his reputation for grabbing two children and releasing one. The youngest child Savannah Patchett aged eight is found safe but terrified whereas her sister sixteen-year-old Kayleigh is missing. As the days go by Josie is no closer to finding Kayleigh so they call in Luke Creighton and his dog Blue who leads them to the cabin of Henry Thomas who has a strong alibi for the time in question. Then Brody Hicks and Felicia Evans go missing and while Brody is released they’re still searching for Kayleigh.

‘My Child Is Missing’ is the latest brilliant thriller with Detective Josie Quinn and her dedicated and loyal team and I don’t think anyone would disagree when I say this series just gets better and better. This latest investigation proves to be a difficult one for Josie, Noah and Gretchen as the desk where their deceased colleague Mett once sat is still empty and Chief Chitwood is standing in for him. From page one there’s action-packed drama, suspense, heart-stopping twists and turns, and as they work day and night with little or no sleep Josie has a sudden flash of inspiration and realises what it is that’s been tugging at the edge of her consciousness. Every time I read a Lisa Regan thriller I say it’s the best one yet, but this really is and with the great detective work leading to a shock ending I’m left wanting more.