She Lies in Wait is a very accomplished detective thriller with all the necessary elements of mystery, danger and tension. The characters were particularly well drawn and I found I could believe in them. The author created an interesting team of detectives each of whom had particular issues relating to their personality and personal lives.

Throughout the book, I was kept guessing as to who had been responsible for the historic murder and, when it was all rounded up, I was satisfied that the ending was plausible.

I’d love to read more by this first time author, Gytha Lodge and am wondering if she is planning more based on the team of detectives.

When the remains of a body are found in the woods, DCI Jonah Sheens knows the identity of the victim before forensics are able to formally confirm it. Thirty years earlier he'd also become consumed by the search for fourteen-year-old Aurora Jackson but despite a massive search for the missing teenager, she remained hidden until now. Her last moments were spent with her wild older sister, Topaz and her tight-knit gang of friends who for a time were the coolest group in school; fiercely anti-establishment yet talented, intelligent and wildly popular. In contrast, Aurora was still naive and innocent, they should have protected her but something happened on that fateful trip and she never came home.
The location of her body strongly suggests that at least one of the six must have known how she ended up there but they have spent many years protecting each other's secrets; Sheens and his team face the task of breaking what appears to be their impenetrable bonds to discover the truth. Sheens, however, was a few years above the group at school. He is haunted by his own secrets and memories of that time and is terrified that he will end up being linked to the investigation. He's a fascinating character - driven by a decades-old determination to find out what really happened to Aurora but sharply aware that it might mean the shame he has been carrying for so long is exposed. His new DC, Juliette Hanson is particularly tenacious and she can't help suspecting that her boss knows more than he's letting on.
She Lies in Wait explores the dynamics between two separate groups over the course of the book - the six suspects and the officers assigned to the case. The story mostly set in the present day and follows the investigation into Aurora's death but interspersed throughout are chapters sent in the past which slowly - and with a horribly poignant inevitability - reveal what happened on that fateful night. Sheens' established team consists of Ben Lightman, rigorously meticulous and analytical but apparently emotionless despite his movie star good looks and Domnall O'Malley, the unlikely former military man with a tormented past who prefers to rely on his instinct and fierce intelligence. Juliette is welcomed onto the team but needs to show them and prove to herself what her strengths are. She proved to be one of my favourite characters, as she becomes increasingly suspicious of her boss, there's the constant question as to where her strong sense of right and wrong will lead her and a face from her past makes an unwelcome return to her life too.
We discover that the six friends - Benners, Topaz, Connor, Coralie, Jojo and Brett were changed forever by Aurora's disappearance, foregoing their previous gregariousness to become private and shut off from the attention of others. Their relationships with one other have evolved over the interim period but they have remained close and are drawn together to protect their secrets once again. The engrossing narrative switches between showing us their current responses to the investigation and their actions back in 1983 meaning that I genuinely had no idea which - if any - of the group were responsible for Aurora's death and as the story unfolds I found myself suspecting each of them at one point or another. When the truth is eventually revealed, it's both shocking and yet somehow bleakly inevitable.
She Lies in Wait is a superbly constructed thriller which really got under my skin and ensured I couldn't stop thinking about the book and its irresistible cast of characters even when I wasn't reading it. Dark, gripping and piercing examination of trust, betrayal and loss, it's hard to believe that this accomplished novel is Gytha Lodge's debut. I loved it and look forward to her next book with eager anticipation.

In what is already proving to be a vintage year for debut novels in the crime genre (Harriet Tyce and Alex Michaelides spring to mind), here is another cracking first novel, this time from Gytha Lodge. Although the trope of a group of youngsters carrying the secret of a dastardly deed into adulthood is not uncommon in Crime Fiction, this tale is told in such a refreshing and fluent way that it scarcely matters. The events of thirty years ago are narrated alongside the testimonies of the protagonists a generation later, and it works very well indeed!

There’s something about a cold case in a story that instantly sparks my attention. I love getting to relive the past along with seeing secrets and lies exposed in the present. In She Lies in Wait the discovery of a body sets off a dark and twisty set of events as the reader sees everything play out in the past along with experiencing the investigation in the present. As we see this group of teenagers meeting in the woods and then seeing the truth slowly but surely emerge. If I had to pick a favourite between the two timelines it would have to be the past as I loved seeing everything from Aurora’s perspective. Getting to know Aurora added an extra emotional layer especially knowing how it would all turn out.

You really do get the best of both worlds seeing the investigation play out but also see this group deal with the fallout from the events in the eighties. I have to say that pretty much all of the characters were flawed but this is never a problem for me. It made them all the more interesting and in a way helped to set Aurora apart from everyone else. Put it this way I think I ended up suspecting everyone at one point or another!

I felt as if all the information was there at my fingertips but I just couldn’t quite seem to be able to piece it all together. With plenty of suspects to choose from it made it just that little bit more complicated. DCI Jonah Sheens was also an interesting character and I think this book was great at building his character up along with showing he had secrets too. I think that as the reader we only got a look at the surface when it came to his character so it will be interesting to see where the series goes next.

Overall I found the plot pretty addictive, I just had to know what had actually happened and I couldn’t stop reading until I found out! She Lies in Wait is darkly addictive with plenty of twisty secrets lurking just below the surface!

I enjoyed this book about a missing teenager whose body was found 30 years on. A murder investigation was commenced and ultimately the murderer was found. There were twists along the way to keep you guessing and the story was well planned to keep you in suspense,

A debut novel and a very exciting new author. I was hooked from the first page, tapping my kindle faster and faster.
Seven teenagers go camping and only six return. What happened to Aurora Jackson and who was responsible ? Fast forward thirty years and her remains have been unearthed. This was a cold case and now has been given a high profile case status. It is now upto DCI Sheen and his team to solve it. There are so many twists and turns in this book, taking the reader in the wrong direction. So many secrets and lies OMG I thought my head was going to explode. This book got my heart racing and and reading late into the night. This book should come with a warning YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE DISTURBED WHILE READING THIS BOOK!!!!. This is one hell of an explosive read and certainly lives up to the hype and blurb for this book. I can't wait to read more from this author. So highly recommended and an easy five stars.
I would like the author, Penguin U K and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the advanced copy in.

She Lies In Wait is a gripping, twisty crime thriller which is one of the best books I’ve read for a while.

The story is told in two timelines, one follows Jonah as he tries to piece together clues from the case that has haunted him for years. The other follows murder victim Aurora’s story from 1983 and the events that took place the night of her disappearance. This is exceptionally well done with the author slowly revealing little bits about each of the characters and clues about what happened the night of Aurora’s disappearance. Through doing this the reader quickly realises that everything isn’t quite a simple as they first seem making the whole scenario very intriguing and ensuring that I was thoroughly gripped. The book reminded me a little of the film Stand By Me as it had, especially at the beginning, a nostalgic quality of childhood friendships.

The setting of the woods is one that the author uses to her full advantage and helps add to the creepy feeling of the book. I felt that anything or anyone could be hiding in the woods and the synopsis for the book obviously hints that something might be. I physically jumped on a few occasions when something happened and found myself on edge when one of the characters, especially Aurora, drifts away from group. The tension and anticipation slowly increases as the book goes on making the book hard to put down.

It’s hard to say much about this book for fear of giving too much away but needless to say it is brilliantly plotted and as the two timelines continue the book becomes incredibly gripping and tense. I think I suspected all six of the suspects in turn throughout the book as what happened is slowly revealed which is always a sign of good writing. The twist at the end was exceptionally well done and took me by surprise which I always love!

This unbelievably is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read anything she comes up with next. If you like tense, gripping and twisty crime novels that keep you guessing then you’ll love this book. It’s definitely one of my favourite books this year.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt from Michael St Joseph’s for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Although I was gripped by the beginning but I found my attention wavering, during the second half the book just seemed to loose momentum. Maybe it’s just my reading mood that I struggled with this book as there are some really great reviews for this book. It just wasn’t for me.

A compelling debut novel by Gytha Lodge. I was drawn into this absorbing mystery from the start. With well written characters I enjoyed the author's style of writing. Twists and turns throughout, I couldn't work out what had happened and who was the killer. A well paced, good story with a satisfying ending.

I look forward to reading the next story in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great plot, with twists all over the place. The characters were great. I liked the fact that it swapped between past and present. Sometimes this can be annoying when you're reading a book, but the the author actually did this very well, and it didn't detract from the story line but actually added to the suspense. A great plot which is an an excellent debut for the author. Enjoyed it!

A gripping read which kept me guessing throughout.

The story flicks between the 1980's, when a group of teenagers discover Aurora,  the youngest member, is missing from their woodland camp in the morning, and the present day when police discover Aurora's body and an intense investigation begins to find out what exactly happened. In the 80's storyline we see the run up to Aurora's disappearance, slowly untangling what happened, and though I tried to guess I couldn't at all, but I loved trying to work it out.

Fronting the present-day investigation is DCI Jonah Hill, the main detective in this brilliant new series, and a really likeable character. I enjoyed reading about his relationships with other officers (and other characters from his childhood), as well as his faults and quirks; they all made him a much more interesting character. The teenagers in the historic narrative, and seeing how they 'turned out' in the present day investigation when Jonah tracks them down to interview them, is really interesting to read about (many of them are quite unilikable!)

I was so impressed at the writing in this book; it flowed so well that I didn't want to put this down. I think this is going to be a series I will be eagerly reading as soon as a new one is released - and it seems that Gytha has signed a 3-book deal, so we'll be seeing at least two more releases in this series (yay!)

The cover image is super creepy and attention grabbing and the blurb suggested that this would be right up my street. I have read a lot of books that are broadly similar to this with the present day story interspersed with the flash back chapters and find it works well for me as a reader, keeping me interested in both. I struggled a bit here as I didn’t seem to engage with the main police characters DCI Sheens and DC Hanson and had a few niggles with them just not feeling ‘right’. Of those two Hanson was more interesting and in my opinion a better central character. I wasn’t consciously aware that it was the first in a series but I did have the feeling of the groundwork being laid for future storylines. It’s a decent enough story but just didn’t capture me the way I had hoped.

A nice easy read that feels comfortable to read but that also gets your heart racing. Will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A gripping whos the killer thriller!
A group of teens go camping, the younger sister of one of the teens goes missing and then 30 years later her body is found. The plot was great, it flipped back and forth from the time Aurora went missing to her body being found. Strong characters that produce strong love hate emotions for me, I had many guesses as what could of happened that night. For a debut novel this was very well written. .

Unfortunately this book felt like an attempt to do a story which had been done many times before. The characters were bland and the writing was just okay. I didn't enjoy this i'm afraid and was just reminded of other books i'd already read which had done it better.

Thirty years have passed since 14-year-old Aurora Jackson vanished when camping with a group teenagers. But now, her body has been discovered by coincidence. She has been dead all the time, buried in the woods and her killer running free. What happened that night, when Aurora‘s sister and her friends had invited her in the woods? Obviously a lot of booze and drugs, but how come that one of them could have been murdered and the others remain silent for over three decades? DCI Jonah Sheens and his team have to face a group of friends who stand in line even after all the time. They must have to hide quite a lot...

Gytha Lodge‘s debut is a thrilling crime novel from the first to the last page. The plot offers many different side lines that could lead to the solution and the combination of having the story advance in the present and the flashbacks of the day in 1983 keep suspense high.

What I found most interesting was the dynamics between the friends. On the one hand, the group of six as teenagers where the cool ones lead and have their say, but also later as adults where they all found their place in life and in their small group. They made some wrong decisions out of fears that are understandable for teenagers, but they never corrected them as adults even though they had the chance.

Many twists and turns keep you guessing about what happened that night and in the end, it all is solved convincingly. For me, a perfect crime novel and a very entertaining read.

Really loved this book.. Such a page turner and a gripping read. Looking forward to reading more by Gytha Lodge. Well done on your debut novel!

Wow. I loved this book! I've felt every emotion reading it. Not until the end did I realise who the culprit was. Brilliantly written and very exciting I highly recommend

I am utterly amazed that this is a debut novel! It is so well written and once you pick it up there's no chance of putting it back down without completing it and finding out what happens. A truly superb debut and an author to watch.

This is a good mystery thriller which has you trying to work out the killer from the word go.
Aurora went missing thirty years ago and when a body is found, Jonah knows it’s her.
Jonah was a young Constable at the time she went missing, but remembers the search parties and devastation her disappearance caused.
Aurora had been at a party with a group of teenage friends but in the morning was nowhere to be found.
The group of friends are called in for questioning and gradually cracks start to appear in their stories.
Jonah and Hanson know someone is not telling the whole truth and have a challenge on their hands trying to find out who it is.
This is a great mystery thriller which I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Penguin UK Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.