The Bones She Buried by Lisa Regan @lisareganauthor @lisaregan.bsky.social @katehandford @hachetteuk @hachetteuk.bsky.social @bookouture @bookouture.bsky.social #DetectiveJosieQuinn

the setup…
Detectives Josie Quinn and Noah Fraley have dated now for a year and it’s brought out the best in both. They arrive at his mother’s house for their monthly dinner and find a horrific scene with Colette Fraley face down in her back yard and non responsive. As Josie begins CPR, she discovers that Colette’s mouth is stuffed with soil. She continues the chest compressions until paramedics arrive and pull her away, pronouncing her death. This woman didn’t have a known enemy in the world so it’s already confounding. But when Josie later discovers a curious set of objects hidden away in the house, it sets her on a puzzling and dangerous path towards astonishing revelations.

the heart of the story…
The police procedurals here were excellent as starting only with an obscure set of clues around those objects was akin to working in complete darkness. With Detective Gretchen Palmer sidelined to desk duty, Josie is on her own with a partner who’s being groomed for promotion to detective. Noah is in shock and is resentful of Josie want to work the case. It’s another thorny situation for the department with a prickly new chief.

the narration…
Kate Handford is handily managing this series and I’m loving everything about her performance.

the bottom line…
I enjoy trying to solve these mysteries but had to admit defeat on this one. There was a plethora of suspects, all viable, but motive was elusive. Finally, I just relaxed and followed the procedurals, a satisfying consolation as Josie is clever and skilled despite the many obstacles. And Gretchen deftly worked the sidelines, staying inbounds to avoid trouble. The conclusion was riveting and plausible, taking a toll on Noah and Josie’s fledgling relationship. Still loving this series!

Book Info

• Release Date: March 27, 2019
• Series: Detective Josie Quinn #5
• Narrator: Kate Handford
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 36 minutes
• Publisher: Hachette UK – Bookouture

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