Freeing Nicole: A twisty whodunit

Let me just pick my jaw up off the floor before I continue. If you're a fan of twists, turns, and whodunnits, you need to get your hands on this baby when it is released on 10/1 (or 1/10 for my non-US friends). Maughan has done it again and struck gold with a story that feels tragic, funny, and deeply personal all at the same time.

A local high school's special education class is putting on a production of the Phantom of the Opera. All the students have roles and the stage is perfectly set. However, during a performance something goes horribly, terribly wrong. Blood pools. A body drops. A web of lies and secrets is all that is left.

Enter Detective Joyce Powers and Detective Hank Gardener (previously introduced to us in the amazing novel, Idaho Fall). If anyone can unravel the lies and find the truth, they can. It won't be easy. Everyone has dark secrets and nothing is ever as it seems. As the detectives scramble to solve the tragedy, it's very clear things will never be the same again in this small town.

This book had me in a chokehold from the first page and I was absolutely thrilled to see my favorite detectives back again. As they worked through the clues, I felt like I was part of the team and helping to uncover the truth behind it all.

Absolutely recommend this book to everyone!

Reading books that have that personal, emotional, genuine, real life touches leaves those ever lasting impressions. Freeing Nicole is such a wonderfully written thriller. D.J brought everything to the table here. The overwhelming exhaustion Sherry feels but also that deep love a mother carries. The feeling of being strong, never showing your emotional exhaustion to your children, being their rock when you need one yourself sometimes. I am grateful to be an ARC reader for D J this one is fantastic. Hank and Joyce are such a dynamic duo and I love their continued bantering. Pick this one up and read through the very very last page. Nicole sounds like such an amazing young woman who brightened the world, even though it was only a short time.

Freeing Nicole is equal parts heart-wrenching and edge-of-your-seat suspense. D.J. Maughan takes a small-town tragedy and layers it with secrets, danger, and raw emotion. Nicole’s silence is chilling, the mystery is twisty, and the stakes never let up—a story that makes you hold your breath and race through the pages!

“Freeing Nicole” by D.J. Maughan is an emotional, twisty whodunit that hooked me from the start and never let go. The slow reveal of Nicole’s secret amped up the suspense, and once it hit, I couldn’t stop reading. The dual perspectives of Sherry and Hank worked well, though I found myself more deeply attached to Sherry (and even Joyce) than to Hank. Sherry’s storyline was emotional and relatable—I cried more than once. Knowing the author shared part of their own story only deepened the impact—you can feel the love and care woven into the narrative.
“Freeing Nicole” is exactly what it claims to be: a twisty whodunit, layered with emotional depth, lovable characters, and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.