Emma (SCR)'s Review of Her Deadly Touch (Detective Josie Quinn, #12)

by Lisa Regan

The woman is kneeling at a gravestone, her hair blowing in the breeze, a bunch of wilting yellow daffodils on the grass beside her. Her eyes are fixed on the ground and her mouth is parted in a silent prayer. But the wax dripping from her cold blue lips means it’s already too late to save her…

On her first day back with the Denton PD after a major trauma, Detective Josie Quinn is on the hunt for a missing woman, Krystal Duncan, the mother of one of five children killed in a devastating school bus crash. Hours later, Josie finds Krystal’s body beside her daughter’s grave, her lips sealed together forever with wax.

Forensics match the wax to one of the candles lit in memory of the sweet little souls who died, giving Josie her first lead to a support group made up of the parents who lost children in the crash. Painstakingly dissecting the lives of these grieving couples, it’s clear to Josie that each of them is hiding something about the day of the accident—but whose secret is worth killing for?

The case takes an agonizing turn when the body of another young mother is found near the site of the bus crash. Someone connected to the accident is out for revenge. As the members of the support group are picked off one by one, every second counts for Josie to save the lives of these loving parents who have already suffered the loss of those they treasured most…

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via NetGalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the 12th book in the Josie Quinn series but all books can be read as standalones. I would however recommend you read at least book 11 before this one as there are some personal aspects that carry over into this book. This book is set 4 months after book 11.

Josie Quinn is one of my favourite detectives. She was one of the first crime series I started reading back in 2018. Josie has grown a lot over the years but she is still one kick-ass detective. If I needed a case solving Josie and her team would be top of my list. I liked that we got to see more of the person behind the detective in this book. I won’t give any spoilers for those who haven’t read all the books but Josie is going through a lot right now and I thought it was good that we saw how she felt about it.

The case of Krystal Duncan and the bus crash victims was such a sad one. I was hooked from the very first chapter. As usual, Lisa had me turning page after page needing to know what was going to happen next. I didn’t guess who the killer was but I really should have. It was obvious once it was revealed.

This was a great story full of secrets and lies. Lisa drip feeds you just enough to make you want to read one more chapter until before you realise it you have finished the book. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Reading updates

11 August, 2021: Started reading

13 August, 2021: Finished reading

15 September, 2021: Reviewed