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The Secrets They Left Behind

Lissa Marie Redmond (Goodreads Author)

3.79 · Rating details · 473 ratings · 165 reviews

Three missing girls, no leads, a vault of dark secrets, and a case that's getting chillier by the minute, set the stage for this nail-biting procedural from former cold case homicide detective and acclaimed author Lissa Marie Redmond.

Three college freshmen go missing from their rural hometown of Kelly's Falls while on Christmas break. Their cell phones, coats, and purses a ...more

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Hardcover, 304 pages

Published April 7th 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

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Mystery & Thriller 2020

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Psychological Suspense for 2020 (U.S. Publications Jan-July 2020)

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May 24, 2020 Luvtoread rated it really liked it

Shelves: detective-mystery, psychological, romantic-suspense

Baffling Crime Mystery!

Shea O'Connor is a twenty-three year old policewoman in Buffalo NY and looks like a teenager and that's why she has been chosen by the FBI to work undercover as a student in a small town where three college freshman girls vanished from one of their homes on Christmas vacation without any clues left behind. Shea's job is to become friends with any of the people who were close to the girls and find out some of the secrets these girls carried because someone knows something a ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Kristy rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, read-in-2020, mystery, thriller, arc, ebook

Shea O'Connor is twenty-three, working as a patrol officer in the City of Buffalo Police Department. She's gone undercover successfully before for the FBI and that's why she's called on again when three girls go missing in the small town of Kelly's Falls, New York. Three college freshmen have disappeared, leaving behind their phones and purses. As weeks turn into months without a lead, something needs to change. So the youthful-looking Shea is planted undercover as a transfer student at Harris C Shea O'Connor is twenty-three, working as a patrol officer in the City of Buffalo Police Department. She's gone undercover successfully before for the FBI and that's why she's called on again when three girls go missing in the small town of Kelly's Falls, New York. Three college freshmen have disappeared, leaving behind their phones and purses. As weeks turn into months without a lead, something needs to change. So the youthful-looking Shea is planted undercover as a transfer student at Harris Community College, arriving in town as the "niece" of the local police chief. But Shea quickly realizes Kelly's Falls is full of secrets and whomever is responsible for the girls' disappearance will do anything to keep those secrets hidden.

"Three young girls, all college freshman, just disappeared. No clues. No traces. They just went to one girl's house after a party and vanished."

At first I was disappointed this was not one of Redmond's excellent Cold Case novels featuring detective Lauren Riley, whom I love, but that disappointment was short lived. I quickly took to Shea O'Connor, a young but feisty and enjoyable officer who will stop at nothing to solve her case. We realize that Shea clearly had a close call with a serial killer the last time she was undercover and she's still recovering from those wounds. Our girl is hurting, but she's also focused--Shea will do anything to find those girls.

Shea is in a tough spot. She's a young, female officer in a male-dominated profession, and she's often mistaken for a teen. However, her youthful appearance pays off undercover. But is the FBI using her? There's more than a simple mystery to solve here, as we must unravel if Shea can trust those around her.

The central mystery itself, of the girls' disappearance, is engaging and fascinating. I had a fairly good inkling early on who might be involved, but it didn't stop my interest, and I flew through the book. There are, of course, plenty of dirty secrets in Kelly's Falls--as in most small towns--and Shea digs up plenty of them. There's also an interesting angle where she becomes close with one of the missing girl's brother. Shea excels at immersing herself in her undercover role, and it was fun to see her play the young, naive college student (with a knife hidden in her back pocket).

The writing is a little simplistic at times, but overall this is a compelling thriller with an engaging protagonist. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 here. I'd love to see another book featuring Shea.

I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in return for an unbiased review.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Katie B rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, arc, mystery, fiction, read-in-2020, new-york, police

3.5 stars

I'm pretty much always game for a mystery and I thought this one had an intriguing premise. This wasn't just an ordinary missing person case instead it involved three college age females. They are friends with each other and all 3 vanish without a trace on the same day. What's going on? So right away I was interested in finding out what happened and while I wouldn't say this ranks among my favorite mysteries, it still is a fairly decent one in the genre.

Twenty-three year old Buffalo pol 3.5 stars

I'm pretty much always game for a mystery and I thought this one had an intriguing premise. This wasn't just an ordinary missing person case instead it involved three college age females. They are friends with each other and all 3 vanish without a trace on the same day. What's going on? So right away I was interested in finding out what happened and while I wouldn't say this ranks among my favorite mysteries, it still is a fairly decent one in the genre.

Twenty-three year old Buffalo police officer Shea O'Connor has worked with the FBI before in helping solve a high profile case. Given she can pass for an 18 year old, the FBI wants her to go undercover and pose as a college student in the town where the three women went missing. By infiltrating herself among the women's family and friends, Shea might be able to help crack the case. The pressure is on to find the truth.

Shea was an interesting character but at times I thought she lacked a bit of maturity and was naive. However, I have now come around on my opinion of her and can appreciate she isn't a police officer that is wise beyond her years and can handle every situation perfectly. The author gave her a meaty backstory which you gradually learn about throughout the book. A few times I actually questioned if this was a second book in a series instead of a standalone novel. Definitely not unusual to throw in some character history into the present story, but there was just something about how it was inserted into this book that made me wonder if this was more of a recap and the previous FBI case was featured in an earlier book. I checked and this book doesn't appear to be a part of a series.

In terms of the mystery for this book, I thought it was above average but didn't hit spectacular level. In my opinion the author didn't make it super obvious what had happened until the big reveal although maybe other readers will disagree. I'll admit I had a smirk on my face when my theory started to finally play out but it was quickly erased when I was proven wrong. The writing at the end is probably the weakest of the book and there is a scene that ventures into bad soap opera territory. But overall I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't perfect. If you are in the mood for a mindless but fairly entertaining read, consider checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 Marialyce (absltmom, yaya) rated it liked it

2.5 stars

I did like the story line of three missing college age students whose disappearance was to be investigated by an undercover student. Shea O' Connor, a twenty-three year old homicide detective is called into action. Shea herself suffering from the scars, both external and internal from her brush with a serial killer, is sent in as an eighteen year old student, pretending to be the niece of the current sheriff. She needs to infiltrate the small town, its people, and the girls who knew an ...more

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Jun 20, 2020 Samantha Gonsalves rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-2020-reads, 2020-reads, netgalley

I loved this book. Going by the other ratings & reviews I put off reading this, but I shouldn't have because I ended up loving it! This was a good refresher from the police procedurals I generally read. The book started with a chapter that left me a bit confused, nonetheless on proceeding it got suspenseful & exciting. The Secrets They Left Behind is a good suspense book.

I liked the character of Shea O'Connor. The fact that the author is a former cold-case homicide detective made it feel all the ...more

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Apr 04, 2020 Amanda Hupe rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, netgalley

Thank you, NetGalley, Lissa Marie Redmond, and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this book!

The Secrets They Left Behind by Lissa Marie Redmond introduces Shea O’Conner, she is a young beat cop that just finished an intense undercover investigation that left her with P.T.S.D. The FBI contacts her about another undercover assignment. In a small town, three young women have vanished. It is up to her to help the local law enforcement by going undercover at the local junior college to find out everyth ...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Farshana ❤️rainnbooks❤️ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

Earlier, when one reads a detective novel, there were parts in the story that kind of feels like 'suspension of disbelief' Like a simple thought, huh, does that really happen? But now-a days as the authors are going into such detail into their work that it doesn't feel like fiction at all. Lissa Marie Redmond has the added advantage that she's a retired cold-case detective with superb writing skills that her books have that innate quality of UNPUTDOWNABLE.

Three girls have gone missing after a p ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Shalini rated it really liked it

A fun read was this book. Three lost girls and an undercover agent, the investigation rolled on.

My first book by this author, the story moved swiftly. I liked how Shea did her investigation. She was brilliant in her role and I found myself hooked to the book. The twists were quite unexpected, I liked how the author knew where to insert them to keep the plot intriguing.

The writing captured the chilling atmosphere, the subplots were certainly suspenseful. With a dash of romance and great dialogues ...more

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Apr 23, 2020 Wrenn rated it really liked it

Three college freshman girls vanish one night from their small country town of Kelly's Falls after attending a party.
Leaving behind their cell phones, and no clues as to why they disappeared.
Shea O'Connor is a twenty three year old Buffalo police officer. She had worked with the FBI previously to help catch a serial killer.
Now they ask her to go undercover, posing as an eighteen year old student to gain access to family and friends. She gathers clues to find out what happened to the girls.
Only t ...more

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Nov 06, 2019 Ludwig Reads rated it really liked it

Upon coming across the title “The Secrets They Left Behind”, this book immediately felt like the perfect Fall read to me – a title I thought suited the the cover perfectly. The premise also sounds extremely original – a 23-year-old female undercover officer with a dark past (escaping a serial killer…) investigating three college freshman girls who vanished in a small town one night without a trace? How chilling does that sound!

The Secrets They Left Behind is the perfect read to cozy up with unde ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Alexa rated it liked it

Shelves: thrillers

3.5 stars. A straightforward suspense novel that will appeal to fans of procedurals/undercover tropes/small town secrets. Might have crossover appeal to YA fans, as the MC is 23 pretending to be 18, and the missing girls are 18/freshmen in college. That said, some of the young adult characters read as a bit older than they are supposed to be at times.

I'm a bit mixed on this one, though I did enjoy my reading experience. It hits on tropes I really enjoy, including small town secrets and secret id 3.5 stars. A straightforward suspense novel that will appeal to fans of procedurals/undercover tropes/small town secrets. Might have crossover appeal to YA fans, as the MC is 23 pretending to be 18, and the missing girls are 18/freshmen in college. That said, some of the young adult characters read as a bit older than they are supposed to be at times.

I'm a bit mixed on this one, though I did enjoy my reading experience. It hits on tropes I really enjoy, including small town secrets and secret identity. I liked the set-up a lot--a 23-year-old, baby faced police officer is recruited by the FBI to go undercover as an 18-year-old community college freshman in order to find out what happened to 3 missing girls in a small town. The set-up was strong, with some issues on execution that kept me from this being an unequivocal 4 or 5 star read.

Many sections rely heavily on narration/summary/time skipping/telling rather than dramatization/showing, and thus I felt some distance from the plot and particularly the characters. Ultimately that was I think the thing for me: distance from characters/many of them feeling like walking tropes/not the right age.

Shea the 23-year-old doesn't really feel realistically 23 NOR 18--she feels like a much older character for many reasons. She's a little too polished in places, including her almost motherly dedication to "finding those girls"--those girls would be a peer to a 23-year-old, even if she's a cop (I personally didn't start to feel motherly/mentorly toward teens until I was closer to 30). There's a bit of teenage girl soup: we have 3 missing girls who are only on the page in a 1 chapter prologue, 3 teen girls who were also friends with THOSE teen girls, whom the MC befriends, plus mean girl & friend, and then a small collection of tropey teen boys. Most of these characters weren't distinct enough to grasp onto or remember. In the original trio, Emma in particular is under characterized, and in the "present" trio the only difference between Jenna and the M one whose name I can't remember is the latter likes Nick. Can't tell you much else about them. So it's a tricky balance between enough young people to feel realistically like college and too many who are under-developed. They party and drink like young people but otherwise I felt a layer of separation from the narrative.

I liked Shea herself a lot. Other than the aforementioned small issue with her feeling too mature at times, she was compelling enough and easy to follow. Her backstory was really interesting--I would have loved more flashbacks! Really more about Shea as a cop and young woman would have been welcome. I cared for her a lot less within the context of the romance, partly because I didn't like the romance. And the romance accounted for a solid 50% of this book. It comes down to my personal taste, though what bothered me will likely bug others. This book has some very regressive gender roles/romance tropes that aren't adequately challenged, as I expected them to be by Shea specifically. Don't give me a tough-as-nails woman cop born in the 90s, coming of age in 2019, and NOT pushing back against patriarchal/misogynist bullshit. Nick is a jealous, possessive alpha male type... but only once or twice; the rest of the time as it suits the narrative he's a Sweet Awesome Teddy Bear! But those few times he's RIDICULOUSLY jealous and possessive, it's not challenged at all, and Shea in fact BEGS FOR HIS FORGIVENESS!!! I was just. Turned off. One big aggressive jealous scene and it ruined the character for me, and ruined the romance. Hugely disappointing. And Nick, of course, is contrasted against the Garbage Bad Boy Who Sexually Assaults Shea And Nick Gets Jealous About It. Like seriously: she's ASSAULTED and Nick loses his shit and Shea doesn't even defend herself or call him a dick?! Also Nick, a 21-year-old in the year 2019, also says his mom would "have a cow," so that made me do a double take. Has anyone said that since the 90s?

Deep breaths. I'm afraid I also had one other major issue, which is 100% a spoiler. So (view spoiler)

I don't mean to rag on the book! It was still a solid reading experience: I wanted to return to the book each evening, because I really enjoy small town secrets, and the set up of the undercover cop. There were a few very juicy entanglements, and even though I guessed the ending, the journey was still enjoyable. I just sincerely wish I cared about the romance and about more of the characters. ...more

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Oct 26, 2019 Kristi rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, crooked-lane-books, mystery, netgalley, thriller, 2020release

“If I had known the best thing that was going to happen to me that day was a black eye, I would have called in sick.”
-Shea O’Connor

First sentence:

Christmas Break - Skyler slammed the front door behind them as they rushed in against the biting winter wind.

When three college girls disappear over Christmas break, Boston police officer, Shea O’Connor is asked by the FBI to go undercover and infiltrate the college. Purposely involving herself in the lives and friendships of the three missing girls ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Dana rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways

The disappearance of three girls.

No clues.

Time is ticking.

The Secrets They Left Behind by Lissa Marie Redmond introduces us to Shea O’Connor, a Buffalo police officer who has nothing to lose and all to gain by solving this murder mystery.

Sought out by the FBI due to her youthful appearance, Shea is asked to infiltrate the town of the missing threesome and befriend (or not) those closest to them.

With all players on the board and every move significant, it is up to Shea to find out who is hiding s ...more

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Apr 30, 2020 Denice Langley rated it really liked it

While a cold case mystery/thriller about 3 missing college girls may not be an original story line, Lissa Marie Redmond has given her characters some unusual twists that add dimension and interest as our young policewoman works undercover to find fresh clues for the young women's disappearance. The story actually centers around the policewoman and her efforts to fit in while gathering information. She must decide where to draw the line as her investigation takes her closer to their class mates a ...more

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Jul 11, 2020 Aristotle rated it liked it

21 Jump Street

As i was reading this i kept thinking it looks like the author had a half written book in the back of her closet, dusted it off and finished it to cash in on the success of her past books.
So i read the acknowledgments and she tells us that the first drafts of this book were written while she was still in the police academy, the author is an ex detective. I was right.

Shea O'Connor a youthful-looking Buffalo police officer goes undercover at a college to investigate the disappearance ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, arc-drc, book-reviews, ebook, mystery-suspense, mystery, fiction, netgalley-edelweiss-challenge

Shea O’Connor is a young officer at the Buffalo Police Department who lives with her roommate Karen who is a trauma nurse at Erie County Medical Center. They met at the University of Buffalo. Although she’s 23 years old, Shea finds she is often not taken seriously as she appears much younger than her age. This actually worked to her advantage when she was asked to work undercover for Bill Walters in the FBI. She worked undercover to assist with the capture of a teacher Terry Roberts who was a se Shea O’Connor is a young officer at the Buffalo Police Department who lives with her roommate Karen who is a trauma nurse at Erie County Medical Center. They met at the University of Buffalo. Although she’s 23 years old, Shea finds she is often not taken seriously as she appears much younger than her age. This actually worked to her advantage when she was asked to work undercover for Bill Walters in the FBI. She worked undercover to assist with the capture of a teacher Terry Roberts who was a serial killer.

Just as Shea is slowly recovering from the personal trauma of that undercover case where she almost died, she receives a phone call from Bill Walters. Because Shea feels under appreciated at the Buffalo Police Department, she accepts another secret undercover FBI assignment. Again, she need to pose as a freshman at Harris Community College in Kelly’s Falls, NY as 18 year old, Shea Anderson.
Bill Walters has a cover story arranged with the chief of police, Roy Bishop.

Shea transitions into Theresa Parker’s boarding house posing as the chief of police’s niece who parent recently died in a car crash. She begins to befriend the other borders at the house and settles into her school routine. Her assignment is to uncover the mystery surrounding three missing college students last seen at a party. Shea is eager to emerge herself into the school’s social scene to learn what happened the night the girls went missing.

While Shea is strategically meeting key friends she is introduced to further people who knew the missing girls. Shea isn’t prepared for these relationships to become close and intimate. She earns the trust of Kayla Johnson who is the cousin to Nick and Olivia Stansfield. Olivia is one of the missing girls whose brother Nick, a senior at RIT in Rochester will stop at nothing to find his sister.

Soon, Shea is engaged in typical college life which seems to annoy Chief Bishop who resents her involvement in this cold case. Over time Shea is hanging out at Freddie’s Pizza with Rob, Tyler, Maddie and Jenna and going to parties. Things become tense when Shea becomes involved with Nick Stansfield who starts to develop feelings for her. As much as Shea tries to maintain her professional ethics undercover she can’t help but acknowledge her own growing feelings towards Nick.

As much as she feels guilty, Shea continues a relationship with Nick to gain access to people who know more than they want to admit about the missing girls. Along the way she attracts unwanted attention from Joe Styles who is a local with a reputation for trouble and a girlfriend, Amber Wray who loves to fight.

Just as Shea becomes close to solving the cold case, things explode and she finds herself fearing for her life once again.
...more

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Jan 14, 2020 ℳacarena rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery-thriller, reviews

~This ARC has been gently provided in exchange for an honest review~

Shea O’Connor is a twenty-three-year-old Buffalo police officer who has worked undercover for the FBI to help them catch a serial killer called Terry Roberts. After the traumatic events of this assignment, she has been mainly doing paperwork and patrolling the streets of Buffalo until Bill Walters -the same FBI agent who asked her to work in the “Roberts case”- asks her to go undercover again. She is reluctant at first, because ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 Linda Strong rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, netgalley-2019

4.5 STARS

Three female college girls go missing while in their hometown during Christmas break. he girls left behind their phones, purses, coats .... and there is no trace of them anywhere.

When the case turns cold, Police Officer Shea O'Connor is recruited to go undercover. Still bearing the emotional and physical scars of a previous case, O'Connor infiltrates as eighteen-year-old Shea Anderson, a college freshman and the "niece" of the town's police chief.

Shea is getting nowhere with her invest ...more

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Oct 25, 2019 Janice Lombardo rated it really liked it

A great story! Three college freshmen girls have disappeared. Local police have been unable to even find a clue, much less a lead, on the incident. The girl's purses, cell phones, and coats were found - yet not so much as a drop of blood left as to their whereabouts. Now it is 2 months later...

Having done work with the FBI prior to this, Shea O'Connor, a policewoman from Buffalo, NY has been summoned. This, once again, by Bill with the FBI. Shea is 23 years old but can pass for a college freshma ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Addie BookCrazyBlogger rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-s

I don’t know if it’s the quarantine that made my attention so bad or if I really couldn’t get into this book. Shea O’Connor was previously involved in an undercover case for the FBI, a case that is heavily referenced within the first 100 pages and confusing as hell, because there’s no previous book to explain the details of what happened. Based on her work with the case, she’s pulled back into undercover in rural town, Kelly Fall’s, where 3 girls have gone missing over Christmas break. Shea is t ...more

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Apr 16, 2020 Alix rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I’m probably being a little generous here because it’s not like this was an amazing novel, but nevertheless I loved it. It has some of my favorite things such as a cop going undercover at a school and a murder mystery taking place in a small town filled with secrets. Plus there was an illicit romance which I enjoyed as well. Even though some may roll their eyes and find it cliche, I dug the thrill and drama of it.

In terms of the mystery, this book actually pulled the wool over my eyes! I was at ...more

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Apr 25, 2020 Gennifer rated it really liked it

While this story is formulaic and not very original, I couldn’t stop reading. The writing is so fluid and the story really appealed to my inner college girl. A small town, an undercover cop, teen angst, a love story and good writing...I mean really what more could you want?

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Nov 17, 2020 Carolyn McBride rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this book a good deal more than I expected. Just when I thought I knew who the "bad guy" was...nope!
While I couldn't relate to the main character, me not being a 20-something cop, I was intrigued by her faux relationship to the Chief. It's an engrossing story with fairly well-drawn characters. Never boring, the action picked up in the last third, and I read the last half in one sitting. I rather enjoyed the ending too.
Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Perfect for who-dunnit fans! ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Christine rated it it was amazing

Twenty-three year old Shea O'Connor is an officer for the city of Buffalo, New York police force. Her youthful looks can be a disadvantage on the job, but allowed her to go undercover and help the FBI catch a dangerous serial killer who was working at a school. They are calling on Shea's help again when three college freshman from a nearby town disappear on their Christmas break. Shea goes undercover at the local community college to try to solve the mystery of what happened to the missing girls Twenty-three year old Shea O'Connor is an officer for the city of Buffalo, New York police force. Her youthful looks can be a disadvantage on the job, but allowed her to go undercover and help the FBI catch a dangerous serial killer who was working at a school. They are calling on Shea's help again when three college freshman from a nearby town disappear on their Christmas break. Shea goes undercover at the local community college to try to solve the mystery of what happened to the missing girls and to discover if other young woman in the town of Kelly's Falls are in danger.

This book is either a standalone or the first in a series written by a retired Buffalo New York police officer. It sometimes reads like the second in a series with the frequent referrals to Shea's prior case. However, the flashbacks from the past case show the trauma she went through, but there isn't a previous book. The book has several elements of a procedural, but is more tense and suspenseful with the added element of Shea working undercover. Shea has to strike a balance between gaining the trust of the other students and getting the needed information for the case. I like that she feels uncomfortable making friends knowing she can't be fully honest about who she is. I've always thought that would be just one of the hard parts about working undercover and I am glad to see the author makes that an important part of the book.

I like Shea and although she sometimes acts impulsively, it's her instincts that make her so good at her job. She found a lot of clues as to what could have happened to the girls and although they didn't all pan out, she was determined to get to the truth and didn't give up. I thought I had guessed the solution and it wasn't until right before a dramatic scene involving Shea and someone very dangerous that things clicked into place for me. The solution was more shocking than I had expected and I loved the ending of the book. As someone who likes many different types of mystery novels, I really enjoyed the book. I also think it would appeal to fans of New Adult fiction since so many of the main characters are college students. I would give the book 4.5 stars and will look out for this author in the future.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Feb 11, 2020 Gloria rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Small towns can carry big secrets. When the FBI urges her to assist them with a baffling case, Buffalo NY Patrol Officer Shea O’Connor poses as college student Shea Anderson. Over holiday break, three college freshmen had disappeared, inconceivably leaving behind purses and cellphones. The tight-lipped town of Kelly’s Falls is heartbroken and fearful.

Twenty-three year old Shea recently completed another brutal assignment for the FBI that nearly killed her and is reluctant to take on another cas ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Christine rated it it was amazing

Shea O’Conner, a police officer who has helped the FBI before as an undercover officer, is called in on another case. She looks very young and can easily pass as a co-ed. Three female college students from a small town disappeared one night and the case has grown cold. So Shea is sent to be a student at the local Community College and become friend with the crowd those girls were part of. As she pursues the case it gets curiouser and curiouser.

I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I have vo ...more

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Dec 30, 2019 Johnna Whetstone rated it it was amazing

5 stars or more! What an excellent, unputdownable thrilling book! I picked it up and had the hardest time to set it down, even when my little monkeys needed help. The characters are well developed and the story is written in a superbly fast paced, and just one of those books that will absolutely have your mind reeling! It will absolutely chill you to the bones, blow your mind with twists and turns and shocks, and keep you wound up like a yo-yo with it’s suspense! Grab your copy today, as you do ...more

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Dec 08, 2019 Donna Hines rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, netgalley

When three freshman college girls go missing you do what you must to find them!
So it's no surprise when extreme measures are taken to infiltrate this inner circle and find the truths behind the mysteries.
Are these girls alive?
Where are they and how much time do they have left?
Time is not on their side but perhaps with Shea on the case he can stop this ticking time bomb before it all explodes.
What if those trusted with powers of authority are snakes in disguise?
What if the girls are in imminent d ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Cindy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Standalone murder mystery that has a 23 yr old Buffalo police officer going undercover as a 18 year old freshman in college to find out what happened to three college girls who just vanished.

This isn't Shea O’Connor first time going undercover for the FBI. Her previous assignment with them left her traumatized after bringing down a serial killer. Gonna be honest here I would have loved for this book to had been about that case!!

The story is fast paced and keeps you engaged till the very end. ...more

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Dec 03, 2019 Alexa rated it really liked it

Ok, This book was written by a former cold case detective which makes it a) pretty cool and b) super legit. (All my “does that really happen?” questioning was put to rest.)

2. I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I didn’t want to put it down until I solved the mystery (which was pretty close to the end).

3. The main character was lovely. The other (mini) story arc focusing on her personal life made her relatable.

Thank you net galley for the arc!

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Lissa Marie Redmond

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Lissa Marie Redmond is a retired cold case homicide detective. She handled a number of high-profile cases and has appeared on numerous television shows including Dateline, The Nightmare Next Door, and Murder by Numbers. She is the author of the Cold Case Investigation series. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers, she lives in western New York ...more