Freeing Nicole

Freeing Nicole by D. J. Vaughan was a beautifully written novel about a student with special needs who is accused of murder during a school play that he is part of.
Nicole, who also has disabilities and recently lost her father and is also losing her grandmother, watches the death happen and as the investigation is underway, we find out Nicole has lots of secretes.
This was a great book with the character of Nicole being based on the authors sister. After the story, you read about the real life Nicole.

Nicole, a special education student, witnesses the tragedy of her classmate up close. Detectives Powers and Gardener are on the case. Getting to the truth means uncovering secrets. One's that some are willing to do anything necessary to keep buried.

There are many layers to this story a mystery, trauma, and family dynamics to name a few. D.J. blesses us with using his sister Nicole as a character. You get to learn all about her at the end of the book.

Nicole was my absolute favorite character. She has a spunkiness that people seem to take for granted. Of course I love Powers and Gardener. Their relationship goes from joking to serious depending on the situation. This has become my favorite book D.J Maughan has wrote.

D.J., I want to personally thank you for allowing us readers to meet Nicole. She truly was an inspiration. Those around her were very lucky to be graced by her presence.
“A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.”
— Isadora James

Thank you for allowing me to read as an ARC for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

I really enjoyed this murder mystery and binged the majority of it in one sitting. The tension is steady, the characters are good and I did not predict the baddie. And I did very much appreciate the Simpsons references lol.

I felt like the last few chapters abruptly lost steam though and wasn't as organized as everything leading up to that point, which is why I knocked it half a star. (I can't really give examples without spoilers but it felt as though the author had purged himself of all the tension and emotion a few chapters before The End and was too exhausted afterwards to really stick the landing lol).

But overall, a really good read

Freeing Nicole is an original thriller, I’ve not read one like it. A student is murdered during a high school play, performed by the special needs class. Was it on purpose? Was it an accident? Why? There is definitely more to the case than meets the eye. I enjoyed the entire novel, it was paced well, didn’t contain unnecessary fluff or filler, and all of the characters were relatable and likable. I will continue to read D.J’s books as they are released.

Freeing Nicole releases early next month, and will be available on kindle for $3.99

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!

“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.

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!