In 1983, seven teenagers go into the wood and only six come out. Thirty years later, a body is found and DCI Sheens instantly realises it must be Aurora, the teenager who disappeared all those years ago, but who was never found.

Aided by his small team, including the novice DC Hanson, we revisit the characters thirty years on. Did one of them do it? Are they covering up for one another?

Set in and around Southampton and the New Forest, this is a page-turner, with the narrative flipping backwards and forward between 1983 and the present day, as we learn more about the teens and their lives and friendships from the time.

The dynamic between Sheens and Hanson is interesting and unusual. Is Sheens, who went to school with the victim, covering something up himself? The distrusting Hanson has some issues her life too.

Gytha Lodge has created a story with some all-too relevant themes, with characters who exhibit some of the complexities and contradictions that people do have.

Overall, an intriguing tale, that kept me gripped until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for my ARC..

‘She Lies in Wait’ is the debut novel from new British crime writer Gytha Lodge. It’s released on 21st March 2019 and the first book in a 3-book deal she has signed with Penguin. If you’re a crime fan I strongly suggest you put that date in your diary, because this is a solidly entertaining whodunnit.

The books opens with the discovery of the corpse of a young girl who has been missing for 30 years. The plot that follows isn’t desperately original, but it is satisfyingly told. Protagonist DCI Jonah Sheens is a strong central character, flawed enough to be interesting without those flaws ever overwhelming the story. The supporting cast of characters are satisfying too. On the one hand Sheens’ team are varied and interesting - a rebellious ex-soldier, a by the book nerd and an unsure, newly promoted female detective. On the other, the six suspects are distinct and memorable. The fact that Sheens was at school with them and the victim adds a lot to the story and Lodge manages to keep it interesting without ever making it feel like a gimmick.

She tells the story through chapters detailing the investigation intertwined with flashbacks to the night of Aurora’s death. This is a tried and tested method of keeping things interesting and can feel hackneyed, but here it works really well. The scenes of teenage hedonism in the 1980s are convincing (and dare I say it, familiar), whilst the investigation Sheens leads has a convincing shoe leather to inspiration ratio. Lodge makes good use of both period and location. The result is a thoughtful musing on the difference between our teenage and adult selves and on the way some families can dominate a small town. The examination of male exploitation of and aggression towards young women is similarly interesting and admirably even handed. None of the male characters are free from suspicion and that fact looms darkly over the proceedings at times. Ultimately though, there is a recognition that not all men are aggressors and the end result feels well balanced.

The intelligent handling of the themes at the heart of the book is evidence of Lodge’s talents as a writer. She is also an adept storyteller, with the mystery carefully unveiled in a way that kept me gripped and fascinated. The plot ramps up gradually to a really thrilling climax which had me clandestinely reading the book at my work desk. It was the characterisation that impressed me most though. These really do feel like real people and I ended up caring enough about them that I couldn’t imagine not reading the book to its conclusion.

In summary, this is a fairly traditional mystery told with heart and skill. On paper it might seem similar to Peter James’ Roy Grace series, but I’ve always found the Grace books a little plodding. ‘ She Lies in Wait’ has a lightness of touch and a depth that can be missing from modern crime fiction. For me it’s the best crime debut since Jane Harper’s excellent ‘The Dry’. I recommend it wholeheartedly and can’t wait to read Sheens’ next case.

This one will leave you guessing, a page turner with so many twists and turns you will need your back massaged before you finish. 7 Teens go camping and one the youngest a 14-year-old girl called Aurora doesn't survive the weekend. It takes 30 years to finally find her and it's not good news. What follows is the investigation that seeks to find the truth and the things teenagers hid rather than admit to at the time. It's one of them the killer or was there someone else in the woods that fateful night over 30 years before.
It's a child out camping with her mum and dad in the New Forest this time time finds a finger that turns out to be Auroras and the rest of the body plus the hidden drugs. So CID from Southampton with new recruit Hanson set out to find the truth and troll through the evidence from the last 30 years, plus all the new info from the current set of interviews.
I really enjoyed this book loved it in fact and hope you do it has me hooked and thinking trying to work out where each page fitted into the truth as i guessed my way to the wrong conclusion. The way Gytha Lodge (what a great name) captured my imagination and kept me entertained as only truly wonderful authors can. I hope you love it as much asi did andi hope you but it becausei don't think you will want to miss out on this year for your eyes and mind.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a great story line and good characters. The fact that it is set in the New Forest made it quite relevant as I live in Hampshire. I look forward to finding out more of the back stories of the detectives in this series.

This is really one to keep you on your toes., every scenario passes through your mind and each bit of behaviour makes you second guess and question everyone potentially involved.... Well worth every moment of this story!

An intriguing murder mystery that spans the decades after a teenage girl goes missing and the secrets and lies a group of friends have been keeping ever since. I was kept guessing till the every end.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it very gripping. I loved the character of Jonas and would really love to read more about him and see him develop. I had a love/hate relationship with Hanson at times I wanted to knock sense into her. Aurora just seemed like such a lovely young girl who was at the wrong place. I loved JoJo I thought she was brilliant and would love to read more about her. I did work out who the killer was but it in no way spoiled my enjoyment of this book. Will definetly be reading more books by this author. Thouroughly enjoyed it.

"She Lies In Wait" proves to be a very clever title in that this book is a bit of a sleeper. It starts out as a fairly standard police procedural, heavy on the procedural, but builds into a tense and powerful mystery. Just before halfway through the whole mood just shifts, suddenly every character acquires a dozen extra layers and becomes enjoyably more complex. And towards the end, it becomes one of those books you need to finish. And when the resolution comes in the final pages there's a sense of release, as with the characters.

That craving for a conclusion is inevitable really. The story traces the disappearance of a barely teenage girl and the discovery of her body some thirty years later. It follows both timelines, the investigation takes centre stage, but woven between are the events of the camping trip where she had last been seen. The more we learn, the more the tension builds, the more invested you become. Without realising I had been sucked deeper and deeper into the mystery, and the more I wanted to know that the puzzle of Aurora's death was solved.

The double timeline meant we got to see additional facets of the characters. How they'd changed over the years, and why, became mini-mysteries in their own rights. It was a great way of humanising people I didn't always feel I'd like otherwise. I may not have warmed to them all, but I could feel for even those who I would want to avoid. Although Lodge clearly doesn't need whole books to make her characters that interesting, some of the smallest roles have a huge impact in a small space. And as much as Sheens and Hanson bring the police to life, other officers are slightly muted, allowed the best parts of the story to shine.

As for the mystery itself? You can't ask for much more. It tantalises and teases you. It will also slap you round the face at times. And it's all the richer for everything it offers. This is a stunning debut, and one that really merits the time to read it. It's worth carving out a little solitude to settle down and read. I'm sure you can read it on the train to work and it'll be fascinating, but in those quiet times with this book, I found it took on another dimension, The music playing along would fade as I got lost in the story, with so many remote locations it felt like a luxury to read it in peace. It felt more nuanced when I could shut everything else out.

Steel yourself for a ride and dive in. This is a gem waiting to be discovered.

This is being billed as " upmarket crime fiction" and I have no idea what that means. It's set in the New Forest and involves a group of teenagers. One is called Aurora, the other called Topaz so maybe that's the upmarket, off to public school bit? ;)

Anyway, back to the plot. I'm afraid I didn't like this at all. It felt very flat to me from the beginning and I wasn't invested in any of the characters I'm afraid. The teenagers in a wood scenario did feel as if it should have been much more dramatic and chilling, but they just went for drink and drugs. The eerieness of the woods and the unknown dangers weren't there, it was just the other kids you had to look out for and I'm afraid I got bored quite quickly.

The book read very linear despite the dual timeline and I'm afraid it just wasn't for me.

I was intrigued from the start by this novel . It begins in the modern era with the discovery of a body near a camp site in the woods, in the New Forest.

Then through a series of flashback chapters set in 1983, a back-story about a group of teenagers begins to unfold. The story is like a Blyton 'Secret Seven' but in the 1980s

Gytha Lodge has created and crafted two superb sets of characters in this fast moving crime thriller. I really liked the youngsters and the modern era detectives who are trying to unravel the complicated web of lies from thirty years ago.

There is a subtle complexity in this unfolding narrative which I really liked. As the novel moves towards its conclusion, there are some excellent touches of the police procedural aspects of the book which help to maintain interest.

Once through all the shoals of red herrings there is a conclusion. On the strength of this story I will look out for future books by Gytha Lodge. I wonder if these detectives will feature in future books? There are certainly some loose ends in their stories.

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK ( Michael Joseph) for a copy in exchange for this review.

A well written first book and an obvious series in mind with Jonah Sheens the DCI to follow. It seems a silly niggle but the character names drove me mad! It was as if a group of 12 year olds had all been given one character each to name. That said the story was solid and well paced and not lacking in twists turns and red herrings.

Overall this is a good read. It starts off slowly and then gathers momentum as it keeps going. There are some interesting characters and a plot that is full of lies and deceit. The plot was good. It was also sad. The death of Aurora is heartbreaking. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A 5 star book, enjoyed from the start to the end, a real page turner, very much enjoyed reading. An well written web of deceit and lies, will look forward to any future work by this author.

3.5 stars

Bit of a slow burner for me,but anything looking at a 30 year old murder is not going to be hugely fast paced.
Nice group dynamic,and interesting how each of them didn't exactly tell the truth.
Good setting up of characters,though I found the ex boyfriend storyline a bit pointless.
Tension built up nicely as the speed of investigation did,and it raced towards the reveal.
Overall an enjoyable read.

I love this story. Totally love how the characters come together piece by piece. Hope to see more of DCI Sheens story. His back story should be interesting.

Loved this book and could not put it down. A murder case reopened and everyone involved holding on to the lies and deceit for many years. Six friends, out camping and drink and drugs involved. The twist and turns in this dark thriller keep the reader on his/her toes. A great story, wonderfully written.

Interesting from page one. I enjoyed this very much, it flowed well with good characters. A family on a camping holiday, a young girl exploring accidentally finds skeletal remains while hiding. The policeman called to lead the investigation with knowledge of what happened as he himself was involved all that time ago.
Netgally review copy.

This is a well written,gripping story which gets on with the job and does not have unnecessary padding or description. The reader may try to guess the ending but that is not easy ! There are believable characters all carefully interwoven. It would be a very good television crime series. Read it! It is a must!

I enjoyed this book and I knew right from the start I would finish it, as I had to know what happened. The story is about a possible homicide.
A young girl of 14 has gone missing over thirty years earlier, she was camping locally with her friends, when they realise on wakening, she has gone.
Aurora was not found and the friends united in their grief stay close over the years. When the body is discovered and identified, the case is re-opened and it is fascinating to see how this group have been trusting in one another. Could one of them have been responsible for Aurora's death and who knew about it?
I had to ask myself, how much would I defend or cover up for my loved ones, or even stay close especially when in doubt and I can't answer that. It's easier when you know exactly what happened.
The book had a good pace and switched back thirty years in a timely way, this seemed to keep it all in perspective. I must look for more books by this author.

She lies in wait by Cynthia Lodge.
Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust?
"A dark, deep, terrific thriller and a scorching portrait of friendship and its betrayal" Nicci French
On a hot July night in 1983, six school friends go camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and young Aurora Jackson is dazzled to be allowed to tag along.
Thirty years later, a body is discovered. DCI Sheens is called to the scene, but he already knows what's waiting for him: Aurora Jackson, found at long last.
But that's not all. The friends have all maintained their innocence, but the body is found in a hideaway only the six of them knew about.
It seems the killer has always lurked very close to home...
This was a slow but good read.
This was a slow starter but then it became unputdownable. I wanted to know who the killer was. I liked some of the characters. There were some I didn't like. It wasn't who I thought it was. 4*.