She Lies In Wait is a totally compelling and creepily atmospheric murder mystery.

This is a solid start to a new police procedural series and I enjoyed getting to know DCI Jonah Sheens, with his darker side and emotional baggage. I particularly liked DC Juliette Hanson; she is a really strong character with a credible attitude and personality. I will be happy to read more about how this team works together.

She Lies In Wait is also interesting from a psychological angle. All of the characters have their own drivers and motivations, their flaws and their good points, and each is well brought to life by Gytha Lodge. Aurora’s tale is completely heart-breaking and I really felt for her. The ‘suspects’ all had things to hide and I changed my mind about ‘whodunit’ at least a dozen times. And I was still wrong!

I was gripped by this story and read it quickly. I highly recommend She Lies In Wait, particularly to readers looking for a new procedural series to get their teeth into. Book 2, Watching from the Dark, is out next month and I am lucky to have a copy from the publisher so will be diving into that very soon.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

DCI Jonah Sheens is called fo investigate a body that was found and he knows immediately it’s of a young girl called Aurora who went missing thirty years earlier. Breaking down the stony walls of Aurora’s sister and her friends who were there the night she disappeared can Jonah catch a killer.

A slow start soon evolved into a gripping tale. I really enjoyed that the team of officers was only small so I could appreciate each character. Can’t wait to read the next one now.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In July 1983 6 teenagers go camping in the woods for the usual drinking and fun. Aurora Jackson is one of the group who is absolutely thrilled to be part of the cool kids and invited (as she's the youngest in the group). The next morning only 5 teenagers come out. Aurora is missing. There's a huge search for her, but nothing comes of it.

30 years later a family is camping in the same woods when the young daughter finds some bones when she's playing hide and seek. The police are quickly involved and DI Jonah Sheens is assigned to the case. Immediately he knows that it's Aurora Jackson, as he searched for her as a young man starting his police career 30 years ago and knew all of the teenagers (and Aurora) personally.

Told between the 2 timelines (1983 and the present day) we see Jonah put the pieces together to what actually happened that night and to Aurora. We get to see how the group have changed and evolved over the 30 year period and learn that all of them have secrets to hide...including Jonah.

I really wanted to find out what happened to Aurora, who was such a likeable character. The rest of the group weren't all that likable but I was intriuged as to what had happened.

The premise of this book had me hooked. I have to admit that it was a little drawn out for me. It felt like the build up went on a little long and my interest started to wane. It wasn't that the writing wasn't any good, as it was, it's just a little editing would have made the story a little more fast paced.

I did guess who the killer was quite early on and I would have like a little more mystery.


However it was a good solid read, just a little long for me. A 3 star read.


I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

#SheLiesInWait #NetGalley
An ok read.
30 years ago you believed you were telling the truth about a missing friend.
But now the body's been found - and it's murder.
A GP goes to picnic in the woods with his family where his daughter finds the body hiding somewhere in the woods. The police has been called and they investigatd it and declared that its of a girl and is years' old. Thirty years ago seven friends went there to enjoy but only six of them came back. And now the body is found. Who did it and why?
Characters were ok and sometimes boring. I didn't feel connected with them. I didn't care what's going on in the story. Sometimes i felt that it was dragging.
Narration of the story is so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for giving me a copy of this book.

A dark thriller with so many suspects. An edge of your seat read. It has to be one of the friends , but which one. A compelling read .

In the 1980’s Topaz and a group of her friends plan a camping trip in the woods that includes plenty of drugs and alcohol. Topaz’s sister Aurora tags along, but the morning after the big party, Aurora has disappeared, leaving no trace behind. And no one who was at the party offers any clues, they all claim to know nothing. Thirty years later, Aurora’s remains are finally found, lying near a stash of drugs. DCI Sheens must tease out the truth from the lies to discover what really happened all those years before. I really enjoyed this book, even though it was a little longer than necessary.

This was an ok read, but in a market saturated with similar stories, it just didn't stand out for me.

A new Author a début Novel and a cracking good read.

She Lies In Wait By Gytha Lodge tells the story of six teenagers that go on a camping trip in 1983 to the new forest but only 5 come out, 30 years later and the remains of a body are found.

The story unfolds in two timelines the present and that fateful camping trip in 1983 through the eyes of Aurora Jackson's as we the reader follow DCI Sheens as he attempts to uncover what happened.
The story is well written and focuses on trust and friendship of those 5 friends that came out of the forest all the characters here are well written and believable DCI Sheens and his team of detectives he surrounds himself with are all likable and all given good back stories as this appears the start of a new police procedural series.
The pace is well handled as Lodge slowly peels away the layers to uncover what happened that night in 1983 and I was kept guessing right up till the end, she throws a few red herrings in here and there but overall I felt the story was well done.
Overall this was a very satisfying read and one for the pool in summer.

Well worth your time and hard-earned-cash.

She Lies In Wait is a well thought out story that kept me pointing fingers throughout.
A group of teenagers, including Aurora, the younger sister of Topaz had a night of hard partying in every respect. The next day they wake to find that Aurora is missing, and her sleeping bag is cold.
With a dual time-line that covers the time before and around the teens camping trip and then to the present day, with the discovery of Aurora’s body and the police investigation that follows.
I mostly liked the pace of this thriller, but at times it dropped off lagged a lot and I almost gave up. I stuck with it and I am glad that I did. While there were a whole lot of characters that I disliked, there were a wealth of well-developed characters.
I liked the story well enough, and I am glad that I read it, but I wouldn’t buy it again.
This genre has some amazing authors and if you want to stand out then your story must be spectacular. She lies in wait was good but not spectacular. Having said Gytha writes a good plot and makes you need to know what happens next..

“She lies in Wait” is a well- crafted dark psychological thriller centered on a group of six teenagers and later adults, set in two time zones, 1983 and the present, with alternating chapters, another one of my summer reads.

Aurora Jackson, the youngest of the group, vanishes without a trace when the group of friends is out on a camping weekend experimenting with drugs, alcohol and sex in 1983. When they all wake up the next morning, Aurora’s sleeping bag is empty and she is gone. A then rookie DJ Sheen takes part in an extensive search for Aurora who remains lost. Despite some suspicious evidence pointing towards two of the male teenagers, there is never enough to nail them down and the body is never found. 30 years later the body is finally discovered, hidden in a hollow close to the river with a stash of drugs. DJ Sheens reopens the cold case and what follows are fascinating interview dynamics between the DJ and the group of friends who all claim to be innocent but who obviously have a lot to hide particularly since some of them have become wealthy and well known in their community. And one of them is obviously guilty.

The novel takes many twists and turns, you keep on guessing as if you were the detective in the case and the ending is very realistic. My only criticism is that it took too long for my taste, 400 pages could have been edited down somewhat. But that is probably the publishing professional in me speaking….
A captivating holiday read or for a rainy weekend.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and the author Gythia Lodge.
A pretty run-of-the-mill murder mystery, and easy beach read or for a holiday, but nothing particularly groundbreaking.
Enjoyable, but won't leave you with any profound feelings! 3 stars.

Excellent book that keeps you guessing right to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to those readers who enjoy reading this type of detective story.

Great whodunnit style of thriller. Focus is on a group of teens camping in the 1980s when one disappears. It follows them into adulthood and covers the secrets and lies they have told.

Disappointing police procedural/ crime thriller. I cannot understand how so many people have given it high ratings.
30 years ago 14 year old Aurora Jackson went missing after a night camping with her 15 year old sister, Topaz, and Topaz’s best friend Coralie, the gorgeous 18 year old Brett, Benners and Connor (later to become Topaz’s husband).
DCI Jonah Sheens, who was a 19 year old officer at time of Aurora’s disappearance, is in charge of the murder investigation when Aurora’s body is discovered 30 years after she disappeared.
Although the synopsis clearly states one of the six must be the murderer, so much time is spent investigating Aurora’s teacher, who was present on the night. Why bother, we know he didn’t commit the murder. Further, he is not arrested, and yet he is ‘held’ at the police station and reference is made to the fact he can only be held for 48 hours. Well this is just sloppy. If he is not arrested he is free to leave at any time, and there is no time limit of 48 hours, even when one is arrested it is either 36 (or up to 96 with Magistrates Court extensions) for a case of murder. I know it is fiction - but for a police procedural such basic information should be correct!
However, where this book really falls down is with the weakness of characterisation - none of the characters are given any substance whatsoever. The main investigating officer does not have anything to grab one’s attention, he has one matter to hide and when revealed it shows that he is actually a repulsive person. It is ok for the to have a dark secret, but he had no substance behind him to make him in any way redeemable (if such a matter could be redeemed).
The six suspects are also not given enough attention to build up their characters.
A wholly disappointing read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

6 friends goes for camping decades ago but only 5 of them come home. Aurora Jackson disapears and later they close the investigation based on missing evidence or lead. After 30 years Aurora have been found by a girl who is camping with her family.

The story is new for me and the idea is great. DCI Sheens has secrets and those are colouring the book and the story. Gives the idea, actually he is not as good as we would like to believe in.

As the story goes along, there are many characters who gets into suspecios situation and the reader start to think it is actually the outcome of the book.
Do not get too excited though. The twists and turns in the book are amazing and it is rich in emotions and details.

I really loved the book and I am looking forward if there will be any following from the author. Maybe a second book for DCI Sheens.

What a debut novel this is. The characters were written in a thoroughly engaging, believable way,with plot twists and red herrings galore. Just when you thought you had the perpetrator nailed for the crime, more apparent evidence was thrown into the mix. Needless to say that I was wrong footed, and any suspicions I had about a number of the potential suspects was also wrong. The big reveal was as surprising as it was not, but that is easy to say when you then know who did it, and realise that certain pointers were there all along! I would thoroughly recommend this novel and would like to thank both Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity of reading this fantastic debut.

Superbly written and gets you from page one. I loved the plot and the characters. It kept m e on the edge of my seat with the suspense generated. A must read for sure!

Sooooo the book is about 6 friends going camping and only 5 returning!

30yrs later bones are found and an investigation begins with DC Jonah Sheen taking the lead role.

I really enjoyed the book to be honest and thought it was quite good for the first in a series, loved Jonah and thought the plot was one that held well and had you guessing until the end.

It’s told in the past and present (past is Aurora the girl who goes missing) present is DC Jonah, it’s a fantastic read and one I highly recommend. Hurry up with number 2!!!!

This is an excellent crime thriller that had me gripped from the very start. The story moves back and forth between 1983 when a group of young people went on an overnight camping trip and the present time when the remains of one of that party is discovered and a murder enquiry begins. There are so many twists and turns as different things come to light about the main characters who are all denying any knowledge of what happened all those years ago, any one of them could have been guilty and I changed my mind many times throughout the book. I would thoroughly recommend this book as well as the author – I look forward to reading her next book.