The Innocent Wife (Detective Josie Quinn, #16)

by Lisa Regan

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.It seems I have a penchant for picking up books that fall in the latter part of a series. The blurb for The Innocent Wife intrigued me and I was stoked to receive a copy for review purposes. Now at the time of submitting my request, I didn’t realise it was part of a series - much less the sixteenth book. Fortunately, I encountered no issues in following the story. After my experience with The Innocent Wife, I have a strong desire to read the previous books. In The Innocent Wife, Regan delivered a page turning edge of your seat read which keeps the reader guessing to the very end.

In the Innocent Wife introduces Claudia and Beau Collins. Claudia and Beau are ‘relationship experts’ who became famous after their book became a number one bestseller. Because of the fame, they now have their own television show and podcast. Things appear to be going great for this celebrity couple until someone murdered Claudia. The question on everyone lips centered around who would want to murder such a lovely lady. The thing that made the case intriguing was the calling card the murderer left behind, a puzzle box. 

Detective Josie Quinn and her husband Lieutenant Noah Fraley begin their investigation into murder and the significance of the puzzle box other murders occurred. The victims of these murders bore a connection to Claudia, and similar puzzle boxes were also found near the bodies.

As one goes deep into the story, one cannot help but wonder at the motive for the murders. Did it involve a disgruntled client, a jealous husband or did it have anything to do with the victims’ past? Throughout the investigation, events occurred which acted as a trigger for past trauma in Josie’s life. At this point, her vulnerabilities came to light. Also, her ex-fiancé assisting with the investigation provided insight into another aspect of her past.  

The Innocent Wife was a thrilling read from start to finish. Not an easy book to put down. There were so many questions and the need for answers kept the reader glued to the pages. With the presence of many suspects, lies told and plot twists, figuring out the identity of the murderer provided a challenge. One thing was for sure: revenge fueled the villain’s actions.

The story ended in a shocking but satisfying fashion. The fact that even after the story ended, I kept going over the events in my head showed how much of an impact it had on me. I truly enjoyed my introduction to the author’s work and look forward to reading more of her books. This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading