Where The Truth Lives
Mia Sheridan
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Release Date April 5, 2020

When the director of a local mental health hospital is found murdered and mutilated, Homicide Detective Reed Davies is first on scene. What was done to the body is gruesome. Inexplicable. But Reed is dealt another curveball when he finds that the doctor who discovered the victim is someone Reed is intimately familiar with—a woman with whom he shared one passionate night weeks before.

Dr. Elizabeth Nolan is somehow tangled up in the crime, and even while Reed must now question her possible involvement, he can’t help being drawn to the beautiful, enigmatic woman.

As more bodies appear and the devious killer terrorizes Cincinnati, a shocking connection begins to emerge, one that not only involves Dr. Nolan, but Reed himself. A connection more twisted and elaborate than he can imagine. Now Reed must hunt the monster down, a killer who will stop at nothing to see his diabolical plan to its final, deadly conclusion.

The follow-up to Where the Blame Lies— Where the Truth Lives is a gripping, page-turning, romantic thriller that will leave you gasping for breath. 

A chance meeting leads to a one night stand...and then to an unexpected murder mystery. 

Liza Nolan never expected to see the hot man she picked up at a bar again. But she also never expected the hospital she works in would soon become the scene of a crime. Her past is tragic and she has overcome a lot to get where she is. She is an empathetic psychologist but has her own demons and issues. She has anxiety, fears,  and considers herself damaged. 

Reed Davies is a detective on the case. His past is also complicated and violent through no fault of his own, but ultimately he found himself in a good place due to the love of his family. But he still keeps trying to be the good guy and give back to the community.  He is smart, sensitive, intuitive, loyal, and protective.

Their lives seem to keep getting intertwined as he searches for a serial killer. Connections are forming. Theories are evolving. A frightening picture begins to develop. But during the process, he is becoming fascinated by Liza's strength and bravery. She has never had someone to actually lean on and have her back like Reed does. It is not a good time to get attached, but it begins to happen all the same. But they are in the midst of a dangerous dilemma with an unknown predator and no idea why people are being targeted.

This is a romantic suspense thriller coupled with a love story based on hope, acceptance, and trust.
It is full of connections, twists, surprises, questionable motivations, and danger. It makes you think. It shocks you. And it also makes you feel. Not everything is always black and white and this definitely has some situations in the grey territory.

But at the core of the story is the healing power of love and support and the strength that it can provide. And these two need all their wits about them and tenacity to solve this case...and survive.

It does have some familiar characters and is a follow up to Where the Blame Lies but it can technically be read as a stand-alone as pertinent details are explained. But I think the flow of the stories and characters really does work best together. I love who the hero in this book turned out to be. And I also felt like I got some needed closure from the first book as well. 

This was an intense read that had me thinking and questioning constantly. Reed and Elizabeth are fantastic characters to carry this story. There are so many threads pulling all the pieces together. I loved the way the story and clues unfolded, constantly peeling back secrets and stories in the past and present.

Reed and Liza meet during what starts as a conversation at a bar, continues as an intense night of connection, and ends with Reed waking up alone. A one night stand wasn’t what he was hoping for, but it’s what he has to deal with. He certainly didn’t expect to run into her again at the scene of a grisly murder. But this one murder is quickly tied to serial killer and the details are enough to have Reed and his partner putting their all into finding the person responsible.

Reed is a good detective, honest and determined to do right. He cares about the citizens and looks at each case as a puzzle to solve, exhausting leads before discounting or proving them. His closeness with his family gives him the support he needs to face the darker side of his job. Liza is a strong woman, working to help others find their way. Her strength carries her through several harrowing experiences. She doesn’t have the close family ties that Reed has, but has had to forge her own way to where she is at now.

As a follow on to Where the Blame Lies, WTTL is fantastic. It continues the tension and suspense from WTBL and carries it forward into the future. The last thread of a question from WTBL is answered here and put to rest in a way that fits for all the characters involved and had me thinking about the contrasts and shades of grey throughout. But even though it is a follow on, it’s not a true “second book.” You could read this as a stand alone and not miss anything from this story. But I do think it stands stronger after WTBL because of what you learn about some of the characters before this story begins.

Where the Blame Lies

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Our 5 star reviews

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.