Where the Blame Lies
Mia Sheridan

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Release Date September 15, 2019

Abducted.

Terrorized.

Imprisoned.

At nineteen-years-old, college student Josie Stratton was kidnapped by a madman and held shackled for ten months in an abandoned warehouse before she finally escaped her hellish prison.

Eight years later, when the body of a young woman is found chained in the basement of a vacant house, Cincinnati Police Detective Zach Copeland is instantly reminded of the crime committed against Josie Stratton. Zach was just a rookie on the perimeter of that case, but he’s never forgotten the traumatized woman with the haunted eyes.

As more information emerges, the crimes take on an even more sinister similarity. But Josie’s attacker died by suicide. Does the city have a copycat on its hands? A killer who picked up where the original perpetrator left off? Or are they facing something far more insidious?

Josie has spent the last eight years attempting to get her life back on track, but now there’s a very real chance she could be the unknown suspect’s next target. As Zach vows to keep her safe, and Josie finds herself responding to him in a way she hasn’t responded to any man in almost a decade, the investigation takes on an even more complex edge of danger.

As past and present collide, Josie and Zach are thrust toward a shocking and chilling truth. A revelation that threatens not only Josie’s life, but everything she’s been fighting so desperately to reclaim.

Whoa! This is a departure for Mia Sheridan but still has her captivating writing style, stellar character development, layered plot, and strong connections. But it adds a more raw and grisly danger, mystery, and suspense component. 

Josie Stratton's life changed in an instant and took her into a darkness she was not sure she would ever escape...but she did. And the perpetrator supposedly died. She has been trying to find a new normal and get her life back, but eight years later it is all going to come up again.

Zach Copeland is a homicide detective working on a new case he remembers to be very similar to Josie's. He was only on the periphery of her old case, but still knows enough to link them. And now he is looking for answers and hoping to keep it from happening to anyone else. He is smart, protective, and determined to find answers.

What is really going on now? Were there more people involved in the past? Is this a new copycat? The plot thickens. Past and present are colliding. Puzzle pieces are not fitting. There are more and more questions and few answers.  Danger could be lurking around every corner.

And as Josie begins to spend more time with Zach during the investigation, it stirs up emotions she never expected. And Zach is determined that this time he will personally keep Josie safe. But they are up against an unpredictable foe.

This mystery had me guessing and second-guessing. I would think I had it figured out and then another twist would come. It had me full of tension and totally captivated. And through it all, I loved Zach's calm presence and protective instincts. Josie was a strong woman that had endured terrible things and was vulnerable, but still managed to have such a strong spirit. This story brings a gradual building of much-needed hope, faith, and the possibility of a brighter future if they can just get through this newest dark part. 

Mia Sheridan is so talented that she can change genres seamlessly and my heart is just as invested. 

Josie survived 10 months of being kidnapped and held, shackled to a wall in fear and hunger. By the time she breaks out of her prison, justice and peace is stolen from her. The man she identified as her captor kills himself.

Years later, there is a copycat on the loose. There are certain similarities that have the detectives in charge comparing the new cases to Josie’s case. Zach Copeland was a rookie when Josie’s horror took place, but he has never forgotten the look in her eyes while she was in the hospital recovering. Now he is in charge of finding the answers to the current crime spree. Working together may be the only way to get to the bottom of what is happening, forcing Josie to face the horrific memories to find the missing link between the crimes.

This was such a fascinating read. As clues in the new cases line up with Josie’s experience, I began to question everything we knew about both Josie’s case and the cases in the present. Everyone was a suspect and it became a puzzle to figure out how the two timelines fit together. Every new twist had me reconsidering even the smallest details to try to find what was hiding.

I loved both Zach’s calm understanding, and Josie’s strength in facing her memories. Neither one have an easy go in this book and their characters shine even in the darkest moments. Josie’ had spent the years in between trying to move past her victim status but as she has to comb through memories again, it becomes clear that she has buried her past rather than work through it. Processing her ordeal at the same time trying to find a connection only made her inner strength stand out further. Zach was so patient and calm helping her process. He knew when she needed space to heal and when she needed a gentle prod, and he was there to support her the whole time. They may not have had a traditional romance, but their bond was solid and they made a great team.

Mia continues to surprise me with her range of writing as she stretches beyond the types of books she started writing and the variety she has put out in her last few titles. Where the Blame Lies is a twisty, suspenseful tale that kept me guessing and questioning at every turn of the page.