Hello?!? A new Josie Quinn novel, you better believe I was going to read it!

Ok, so, I’ve currently got a viral infection (Labyrinthitis) which is causing extreme vertigo among other unpleasant symptom’s. This viral infection has to be one of the worst I’ve ever experience. The vertigo alone is completely crippling. I’ve never had vertigo before. I have been given medication to take 3 times a day and let me just say that other than knocking me out completely, they have been giving me the most disturbing dreams that I’ve had in a while, including the resurfacing of something I thought was a fractured memory but turns out to be an old childhood nightmare.

I had already started reading this before I got the infection, but it’s been a great distraction this evening, trying to while away the hours till my next pill and whatever dreamscape hell I descend into.

If you’re a regular to this blog, then you know how much I love the Josie Quinn series by Lisa Regan. Her Deadly Touch is the 12th book in the series and by this point, I’ve seen the character Josie in every possible emotional and physical situation. I wish I had half the determination to live that Josie has.

There was a certain element to reading this book that was difficult because of the tragic ending of book 11. I was really unsure about what type of Josie I would meet. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to see Josie’s character continue to struggle throughout the entirety of this book. If you are a reader of crime in any fictional context, you’ll know of how often characters experience trauma and are seemingly over it in a matter of chapters.

Josie is not just a character, she manifests as a living breathing person and Regan puts as much of herself into the character as she does fictional qualities and I think that makes for a sublime combination of characteristics.

I will say, that this book does look back on a tragedy involving children – so if that is something that does trigger you, it might be worth skipping this particular book.

Now, it’s unusual that I am not theorising on who the killer could be. I usually have some theory or inkling on who it will be. Sometimes it comes as a complete surprise, which I always find thrilling.

In this book, I was SO focused on Josie and how her recovery was going and how she was managing in her new altered world that I kind of made myself unintentionally oblivious that I should be searching for a killer. Of course, Regan also writers her killers with a level of expertise I have come to love and cherish and I’m not sure whether, had I been more alert in creating theories, that I would have identified the killer.

The killer in this book was definitely a surprise and crafted in a rather interesting way.

Throughout the Josie Quinn series, we have seen different characters come to the forefront to have their stories told and that has been such an interesting and compelling concept within the series. This book turns outward to the citizens of Denton and weaves together a complicated web of lies, secrets, and conspiracies.

In the authors note, Regan mentions how she lost her own father while writing this book and that is very evident in the way that the story unfolds. There is a definite impression left by emotion.

Absolutely nothing and I find that fabulous. The Josie Quinn books never stagnate. They never stop moving and the characters never stop evolving. Each plot is cleverly thought out and depicted.

I always say that the Josie Quinn series is the perfect afternoon reading. It’s easy to swallow up the book in one sitting. Her Deadly Touch is only 301 pages – excluding author’s note and acknowledgements.

I give this book 5 Stars.