A very twisted thriller!

Aidan Poole is waiting for his girlfriend, Zoe Swardadine, to turn on Skype. He’s shocked when it does and he sees her being attacked in her bathroom. He immediately reports his concerns to the police. Unfortunately, he cannot supply her address.

DCI Jonah Sheens sees the report of this missing girl and something makes him interested enough to ring Aidan to find out what he saw. He is also somewhat dubious about the report but decides to investigate. Soon, he and his team based in Southampton are involved in trying to understand if Aidan could have murdered his girlfriend and made the excuse that he only witnessed the incident on Skype.

Gwytha Lodge has excelled herself in this her latest novel. It’s fast paste and full of red herrings. Trying to discover who the real killer is going to take a huge amount of effort and second guessing all the suspects.

Brilliant Gwytha! This is truly a masterpiece!

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A great, thrilling read, which will keep you entertained throughout. A good one sitting read, get the nibbles ready, close the door, and read!

While Skyping his girlfriend late one evening, Aidan Poole watches as someone enters her apartment and apparently kills her while she is in the bath. He sends an email to the police providing them with as many details as he can. But he can’t provide them with the most important: Zoe’s address, so they can check that she is ok. When the call lands on DCI Jonah Sheens’ desk the following morning, something doesn’t feel right and, despite the fact that his team are flat out investigating a major blackmail case, he decides to follow up. When Zoe’s body is found in her bath, Aidan Poole is the first person Sheens wants to talk to, but Zoe’s seemingly perfect life, and the relationships with the people around her, aren’t always exactly what they seem.

Jonah Sheens and his team first appeared in Gytha Lodge’s 2019 debut, She Lies in Wait, which introduced not only the characters, but an excellent new voice in British police procedurals. With Watching from the Dark, Lodge proves that the characters, the voice, and her excellent procedurals have legs, and that Lodge and Sheens is a partnership that’s likely to be around for some time to come.

As with her debut, Watching from the Dark focuses very much on the details of the investigation: the legwork required to investigate a case; the hours of interviews, the volumes of documentation; the red tape that stands between the investigating team and a successful conviction and the constant pressure on the investigating team – and, in particular, the lead investigator – from higher up the chain, and from the public. Sounds boring, right? Far from it. Lodge’s characters are fully formed and never less than believable, and we find ourselves fully invested in them from the moment we meet them. Viewing the investigation through their eyes provides us with an in-depth look at the procedure, while never sacrificing the human element: the thrill of the chase, the disappointment when a suspect walks free or a lead fails to produce the desired result. We want Sheens to succeed, and so we experience the ups and downs along with him and his team.

In the death of Zoe Swardadine, Gytha Lodge presents us with an excellent puzzle that gets our brain working, and keeps us guessing until the final reveal. We know what we’ve seen through the eyes of Aidan Poole: someone entered her apartment, managing to avoid the Skype camera and seemingly murdered the young lady in the bath while her boyfriend watched an empty screen and heard the sounds of struggle off-camera. Aidan Poole himself presents something of an enigma: he’s a married man seemingly involved with Zoe, despite the fact that he doesn’t know where she lives, or that all of Zoe’s friends are convinced that the pair are no longer together. Within the circle of friends, Sheens encounters a handful of potential suspects, including a jealous friend suffering the pangs of unrequited love, and an older man who seems to have designs on the younger woman and who isn’t quite what he initially seems.

The story alternates between the present day, and various points in time over the past year and a half, as we get to know Zoe, and the group of people with whom she surrounds herself. In the present day, Lodge develops the returning characters from the first book: Sheens, Hanson, Lightman and O’Malley, the intrepid investigative team tasked with finding the truth behind Zoe’s death. These are characters we care about, characters whose company we enjoyed in She Lies in Wait, and who we’re glad to see back for another brief visit (and, let’s face it, who we’re already looking forward to spending more time with should a book three make an appearance). Their humanity is an important factor in what makes us want to spend time with them, and Lodge perfectly manages the balancing act between giving us enough to help us understand who these people are, and keeping the suspense alive, and the story moving forwards at all times.

Cementing her position as one of Britain’s finest crime writers, and a master of the police procedural, Gytha Lodge’s Watching from the Dark is a welcome return for DCI Jonah Sheens. Slick plotting, cleverly-constructed mysteries and believable, identifiable characters combine to produce an excellent addition to Lodge’s nascent canon and one of the best murder mysteries you’re likely to read this year. If you’ve read She Lies in Wait, then you’ll know what to expect. If you haven’t, now is a good time to discover this excellent author before you have too much catching up to do.

I struggled with this book after really liking the first one. I think I’d forgotten important parts from book one, which made this one hard to read. Still a good book with good writing, just wish I’d read it sooner and hadn’t forgotten parts.

A fantastic read, I couldn't put it down! Really tense and some great twists and turns. I didn't see the reveal coming either. That was a big surprise.

I'm pretty certain I've read other books by Gytha Lodge, but I can't remember. Regardless, I enjoyed this right from the very first page.

When Zoe dies, there is a question of whether it's suicide or murder and either way, who is responsible? Her married former lover or one of her friends?

To be fair, I figured out who did it before the big reveal, but I wasn't all that bothered because Lodge is such a skilful writer. Definitely one to watch out for.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I didn't realise this was part of a series so I missed the first book. However this was well written, good characters and I've found a new author.

This is my 1st book from Cynthia and it won’t be my last, what a good book, fast paced with plenty of twists I read on late into the night. Will look out for more from her for sure 😊

I read the first book and loved it and this is even better. Spent a whole day engorged in it. Love the characters and following them through the 2 books. Can’t wait to read more by this talented and exciting new writer.

I enjoy books by Gytha Lodge. This book was really good. I look forward to reading more of this author's books.

Unfortunately, I had not read the first book in this series, so I was rather blind to the plot and the characters. A little predictable, but a good read nonetheless.

Excellent, a page turner for sure. For anyone who likes to try to work out what coming and doesn't mind being stuck to a book!

When Aidan witnesses Zoe’s murder over a video call he is reluctant to call the police – but what does he have to hide?

I was a little apprehensive about reading this ‘anticipated follow-up to She Lies in Wait’ as I haven’t read the first book. I needn’t have worried however; although the detectives have their own issues, the crime presented here is very standalone and all of the characters are given enough of an introduction that you understand their backstories. I did however initially get a little confused as it jumped from the officers first names to surnames frequently which took me a little longer to get the hang of than if there had been some continuity.

The crime itself is a good one - there aren’t too many characters and suspects involved that you get confused with who is who but enough that you don’t automatically guess who did it. There are a lot of red herrings, some less obvious than others and you end up suspecting pretty much everyone by the end. There are a lot of twists and turns which keep up the suspense and its nicely paced to keep you interested all the way through. I liked the jumps between Zoe’s timeline which cycle from months before the murder all the way up to the day she was killed which is interspersed with the investigation happening in ‘present time’. I really felt invested in the crime as well which was nice, although less so with the police officers and their dramas. I didn’t really feel that the police characters were as fleshed out as they could have been really – they seemed to lack a bit of personality or interesting spark which I have enjoyed from other authors of the same drama.

I feel like my biggest grievance came from the end – without giving away any spoilers its quite a cliched ending which makes me a little sad for all the well-written twists on the way to it. If I was to describe the whole book and conclusion in a sentence, I think a lot of readers would roll their eyes!

Overall Watching From the Dark is a well-constructed thriller but had a sadly cliched ending and a main cast of characters I felt oddly disconnected from. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Extremely readable crime thriller, with a pretty shocking opening scene. Beyond that, it doesn't do anything particularly new or inventive with the genre but in some ways that's quite comforting, A satisfyingly twisty tale.

An enjoyable police procedural thriller, which kept me up at night until I’d finished it. Need to read the first in the series now - although this can be read alone I did get the feeling I was missing things in teh realtionships and back story of the police characters. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I didn't think this was as great as her first book, but still enjoyed it. It was set up perfectly to make your mind go one way but in fact, it's not the correct path to finding the killer. Had this one wrong...overall, disappointed in the killer, but that doesn't make the book any less suspenseful or good....just not who i wanted to be the killer!

A really good police procedural book with believable characters and a strong plot. Very enjoyable and well written. A strong four stars

This was a gripping police procedural story. Lots of twists and turns which kept me guessing to the end. Believable characters and a compelling story line.

To say I had high expectations for this one is actually underestimating things. I find the entire character of Jonah Sheens oddly endearing and can’t wait to see how his personal story develops in later books. I also absolutely love Juliet Hanson and her intriguing back story, some of which was explored in She Lies in Wait. Watching from the Dark focuses on the seeming murder of a man called Adam who calls the police claiming to have witnessed his girlfriend being murdered – by video feed. His story doesn’t seem to add up at all and he can’t provide them with any information as to where she lives or who could have killed her. In spite of this, the team look into it and discover that it is indeed the case that Zoe is dead – suspected suicide. Knowing that suicides can be made to look so, the team investigate and question all of Zoe’s close friends and family members, knowing that one of them is most likely to have killed her.The characters, barring the investigation team of course, weren’t particularly likeable, but that made the story all the more fascinating if I’m honest. Zoe’s friends were all problematic in their own ways and each had reason enough to kill her – Zoe herself didn’t seem like all that nice a person, all things considered, and needless to say, all of her friends were considered suspects at one point in the tale. I didn’t guess who was the actual perpetrator until the last moments before the reveal and I was really impressed with the way in which the story unravelled slowly but surely, until at last we were handed the final piece of the jigsaw. I must admit that I did prefer She lies in Wait in terms of the thrill and action involved, as this one was a bit of a slow burner but it was incredibly descriptive and I still enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. I’d definitely recommend giving this one a go if you’re a fan of crime fiction and fancy gaining a new literary crush in Jonah Sheens.