Blog Tour Review: The Couple’s Secret

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.

The Couple's Secret by Lisa Regan
Also by this author: Vanishing Girls, The Girl With No Name, Her Mother's Grave, Her Final Confession
Series: Detective Josie Quinn #23
Also in this series: Vanishing Girls, The Girl With No Name, Her Mother's Grave, Her Final Confession
Published by Bookouture on 1st September 2025
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 366
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle

The couple in the photo smile at the camera, arms wrapped around each other, faces alight with happiness. They were two people getting a second chance at love, trying to blend their young families and start a new life together. Until their smiles became frozen for the camera forever as their lives were cut tragically short by a horrifying act of violence…
Seven years ago, Tobias Lachlan and his fiancée Cora Stevens went out for a romantic dinner together. They left the restaurant smiling and holding hands, Cora sent a text message to say they were on the way home… but they were never seen again, leaving their family and friends with broken hearts and unanswered questions.
Detective Josie Quinn is shocked when she’s called to investigate the discovery of their bodies in a submerged car in the river just outside Denton. The medical report soon shows that Tobias and Cora were brutally murdered, sending shockwaves through the community and reopening the case that police thought had long gone cold.
With no obvious clues, and no sightings of the couple after they left the restaurant that night, Josie draws a blank. Tobias and Cora’s children, now grown, can’t imagine who might have wanted their parents dead. The discovery of a tiny old-fashioned key in the remnants of Cora’s purse could unlock the mystery, but no one knows what the key might open, and Josie can’t figure out what it meant to Cora. But secrets don’t stay buried forever, and if Josie knows one thing to be true, it’s someone always knows something. As she digs deeper, Josie finds evidence that this perfect couple might have been keeping secrets. Secrets from their children, and secrets from each other.
But then another body is found—another member of the family, tragically silenced forever. Josie’s investigation has stirred up more than just the river bed, and she knows that the killer is now even more desperate to keep their secrets hidden. Who is trying to rip this family apart, and can Josie find out before it’s too late?

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book from Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the twenty third book in the Detective Josie Quinn series. This book can be read as a standalone.

Josie and the team have caught another interesting case. This time Josie ends up jumping in the Susquehanna river where a car has been found. Unfortunately this car and the couple in it have been in the river for 7 years. The case has a lot of dead ends not surprising since the couple have been missing for 7 years. It’s scary how they just disappeared into thin air. It was tragic but I needed to find out what happened to this poor couple.

As well as the case Josie and her husband have a new challenge taking on Wren after her dad left them custody at the end of the last book. It was very interesting to see Josie and Noah figuring out how to juggle work and looking after teenage Wren. I really felt for all parties in this. Wren is terrified to open up in case she losses Josie and Noah just like she lost her parents. then Josie and Noah are trying to set firm boundaries while also show Wren that they are there for her. It’s a real tough situation all round. I always love checking in with the rest of the the regular characters in this series and it’s so lovely to see them all doing so well.

If you love a thrilling gripping crime story then this book is definitely for you.

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