I really enjoyed this book, it had a great story line and good characters. Like the first book by this author it is set in Hampshire and it was interesting to read a book featuring places that I know. Definitely recommend this book.

Fantastic book that works as a standalone so there’s no need to have read the previous book. This was fast paced throughout. Although I’d pretty much worked out who was guilty it was cleverly done to make me doubt others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I've never read anything by this author before. I loved this book, loved the characters and the plot. Lots of twists and turns. Loved it. Will definitely read more from this author.

I didn't realise this was book 2 in a series and enjoyed it as a standalone novel, although I will now read the first book in the series as I did like this one. I was hooked in right from the start and kept reading as I had to know what had happened. Well plotted and well written the twisty tale unfolds at a perfect pace.

I am looking forward to reading more from Gytha Lodge.

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

Having read She Lies In Wait, I already knew the recurring characters, but the book was a very good standalone book, with plenty of background information about Sheens and his team.

The plot was not a heart in mouth thriller but was a very enjoyable mystery that kept me reading at a good, steady pace. There were plenty of suspects, each which a secret, and the final revelation was satisfyingly unexpected.

I hope that this series will continue.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started reading, it was a bit twisty and complex. The more I read though it got me hooked. A very good read. Would recommend. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read, although the book is already published.

Watching from the Dark is book two in the DCI Jonah Sheens series and ever since finishing She Lies in Wait I have been looking forward to catching up with Jonah and seeing what the next case has in store for him.

It’s safe to say that this story begins with a menacing edge as Aidan Poole skypes his girlfriend, Zoe and stumbles across something terrible happening in her flat. However Aiden hesitates and doesn’t reach for the phone to dial the police, the question is why? This sets the scene for a number of questions that will be raised throughout this book. I enjoyed the fact that I was shown both the past and present getting to see Zoe live her life before that night. It really was a great way to get to know the characters especially Zoe and to keep me on my toes wondering where I was being taken. Let’s just say that this investigation is pretty difficult for Joanh and his team!

The plot moves steadily throwing plenty of questions into the mix along with seeing the fall out of secrets being revealed. You see relationships form and friendships tested all while knowing that the truth is hidden somewhere amongst all the secrets and lies. I have to say that one of the best things about this book was that I suspected everyone. It seems as if there were secrets in all of the characters lives but I could never quite work out who was truly behind it. I admit to changing my mind numerous times, never quite able to make my mind up. Being kept in the dark until the very last moment made the story even more compelling for me!

Watching from the Dark is a twisty slow burner of a story, one that will make you question everyone and everything!

The crime is the start of the book which is good and the revealing of the who and why is cleverly told. The characters of both suspects and police are developed quite well with the police team obviously available for future books.
I appreciated the attention to detail in police procedure and the story unravels with not many shocks but is well done nevertheless. I wouldn’t call it a thriller but a crime story and I found the lack of drama sometimes made the plot drag along a little. My only other small complaint would be I prefer it when authors keep to using either a first or second name for a character and avoid alternating them too much. A small personal issue I know!
I really enjoyed this book and would be happy to recommend it. I am going to check out Gytha Lodge’s other works now.
Thanks to #netgalley and #penguin UK Michael Joseph for my free copy in exchange for this honest review.

As someone who reads many, maybe too many thrillers, I always appreciate a novel that keeps me on edge the entire time and the new novel by Gytha Lodge certainly delivers.

Watching From The Dark starts with a man skyping his girlfriend and watching helplessly as someone kills her. Who killed her? Also, why didn’t he call the police right away? And why, when he finally did call, he didn’t give his name or where the police could find his murdered girlfriend? To answer all these questions the author brings back DCI Jonah Sheens and his team who we already met in She Lies in Wait (if you haven’t read it, do it… it’s brilliant!). The more they investigate, the more the list of suspects grows, from her boyfriend to her closest friends and her landlord, everyone seems to be hiding something.

The suspense and the tension skyrocket in this novel. Each suspect is hiding a secret (or more than one) that the author unravels bit by bit so that when you think you have figure it out, another truth comes out and suddenly someone else becomes the suspect number one. And this happens over and over again, so that I had to wait for the big revelation at the end. The twists just keep coming and the different timelines and multiple perspective add a lot to the suspense.

I was happy to see again the characters that I first met in She Lies In Wait. DCI Jonah Sheens and his team of hardworking detectives, Domnall O’Malley, Ben Lightman and Juliette Hanson are very likable and well-developed characters. Their personal lives combine well with the murder mystery at the center of the story and I am really looking forward to reading more about them.

Watching From The Dark is a story of jealousies, secrets, and obsession and I devoured in two days. It is addictive, dark, and impossible to put down and now I have the certainty that Gytha Lodge is one of those authors whose book I will buy as soon as it comes out, no matter what.

Zoe an art student is found dead after her boyfriend Skyped her and may have witnessed her murder but who killed her? Can the police figure out this twisted story and find the killer.

This was an interesting crime thriller that kept you guessing as to who was behind it. There were many twists but ultimately I figured out the killers identity. I liked that each suspect had a possible motive and you couldn't be sure of their role especially Aidan. The ending was cleverly done and I liked the open hint about future books. This is book 2 in a series and I havent read the first but picked up enough details as the murder itself was a standalone. I am interested to read more in the series though following on from this. A good crime/thriller.

This is a great crime thriller with a really original murder at the start of the book.
Zoe is in the bathroom and Aiden is waiting on his laptop to see her, but then he sees someone come into the flat and then hears a struggle. He never sees Zoe again so calls the Police as he’s very concerned. However, he only gives them a small amount of information so she’s not found straight away.
It comes to light, through flashback chapters how Zoe and Aiden met and we also hear about her friends, who all seem guilty of something.
DCI Jonah Sheens and the team have a tough time trying to get to the truth as the group of friends were close to Zoe, but he wonders if they really knew her.
This is a gripping crime thriller that had me hooked throughout.
Thanks to Penguin UK Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

An excellent sequel to 'She Lies in Wait'. We are back with DCI Jonah Sheens and his team. Their stories are still developing, we are given glimpses into their lives and hints of turbulent past events but the focus is securely on the murder of Zoe.

Again the author has a knack for weaving the victim's story throughout the investigation seamlessly. We live her last year with her, she’s written in such a way, the reader can’t help like and care about her death.

Even the police are fooled by the leads they follow. Credible, partial reports and information help us understand just how difficult and thorough they have to be to find the truth.

It's all about context. It's a guessing game for the reader. I didn't even realise how far I was into the book, it's so engaging and easy to read. I could see this series being my next addiction.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com for my fair and honest review.

This is the second book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series, however it can definitely be read as a stand alone. Having read the first in the series I was not disappointed with this new addition.

Aidan is waiting to Skype his girlfriend Zoe late one evening, when all of a sudden he is connected to her computer but she is nowhere to be seen. All of a sudden a figure appears in Zoe’s flat, he hears a struggle and realises that Zoe is being attacked in her own bathroom. What should he do ? Why is Aidan hesitant to call the police ?

DCI Jonah Sheens is allocated to the case of Zoe’s attack and subsequent murder. During his investigation he finds that everyone loves Zoe and she is always helping people out, so why would someone want to murder her ?

This is a great police procedural story with a great host of characters, which all seem to have something to hide. If you loved the first in the series you won’t be disappointed with this one !!

Thank you to Penguin UK Michael Joseph and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

A good read but I thought that it was predictable and a bit slow in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The tantalising blurb for 'Watching from the Dark' made this novel a must read for me. It did not disappoint. From the evidence of this book, Lodge is a master of her craft. This is a compelling mystery with a killer premise that draws the reader in from the first page. Zoe is murdered while being Skyped. Aiden is her boyfriend and he witnesses the struggle, but for some unfathomable reason he is reluctant to call the police/ Why? Well, it is up to DCI Jonah Sheens and his team to find out, and then.... everything explodes in a fury of motive and counter-motive. Zoe Swardadine is an unlikely murder victim, so who would want to kill her? Whilst there is an eminently satisfying mystery at the heart of this story, what marks this novel out as a superior example of its type is the top-notch characterisation of its main protagonists. The fine brush-strokes Lodge applies to her fictional creations lend an authenticity to the narrative that is second to none. There is a huge swathe of humanity in this book - some good some bad - complex and compelling, but never boring, Lodge's characters drive the narrative forward like a heat-seeking missile. Of course, well-drawn characters are mere empty echoes in a void without a substantive plot to put flesh on the bones of the narrative. Lodge succeeds here, too, because nothing as it seems in the gloriously intriguing, 'Watching from the Dark'. With its slalom-like twists and turns and a palpable tension that oozes from every page, Gyntha Lodge has written yet another first-class mystery.

Pure Alchemy.

I was really excited to read this book, mainly because I’ve read the previous one in the series but also because the premise was interesting.

Here’s what I liked about this book:

- The premise. A young woman is murdered during a video chat. Intriguing.
- The beginning. I like that it actually starts with the video chat scene and from the witness’ perspective. It’s -unclear at this point how reliable the narrator is, which makes it even more interesting.
- The focus on the characters’ personal lives. It makes you wonder what else might they be hiding?

Now what I didn’t like as much:

- The pace. Somehow the pace dragged which completely ruined the suspense and mystery for me. The premise and the initial hook aren’t enough to keep me invested.
- Pretty much all characters were unlikeable.
- Unlike the last book in the series, I didn’t care as much for the detectives’ personal lives.
- The end. It was unexpected because it would’ve been so obvious otherwise. So it kind of disappointed me.

Overall, “Watching From The Dark” was a fun thriller read that just didn’t manage to keep me hooked.

Watching You From The Dark by Gytha Lodge was an intriguing read. It pulls you in immediately.

The plot was intriguing and different. I liked the several points of view, and how the story was set out. I liked how it was set out, and the eerie-ness did seem to be emphasised.

However, I found the 'it was them, it wasn't them' thing rather repetitive, and in my opinion, the ending, although really good, was rather predictable.

Overall, the book was really interesting and intriguing. It had plenty of plot, but the runaround seemed to annoy me a bit.

Watching from the Dark is the second instalment of the DCI Sheens series. There is a certain amount of continuity from the first book, but you could read this as a stand alone story. It has a great opening premise, and is a solid mystery. It has a good atmosphere. Lodge spends a lot of time telling you about the character's interior lives, and no one menber of the team is privileged over any other. This is very democratic, and it does mean there is no dominant personality like a Rebus or Morse.If there was a criticism, I slightly feel that the story is better than Sheens and his team.

What a opening scene! it dragged me straight into this great book. Plenty of suspects to keep you guessing, a fantastic 'whodoneit' book with amazing characters. I devoured this book in one sitting. I will be recommending this to everyone.

Hurrah for the return of DCI Jonah Sheens!! Having loved the first book (She Lies In Wait) I was delighted to read more about Jonah and his team. As before, this isn't a straight forward murder investigation, there are so many suspects and it appears any one of them could have been the killer.

The book opens with Aidan logging onto his computer to Skype with his girlfriend Zoe only to appear to witness her being attacked. For reasons to be revealed Aidan is hesitant to phone the police which leads to a delay in Zoe's body being discovered. Why has this much beloved young artist been murdered as it becomes apparent no one had an issue with her and if anything her loss has left a gaping hole in everyone's lives. Was one of her friends driven to murder? What exactly does Aiden have to hide?

The story is told over two timelines, the investigation of her murder and the months leading up to the event. We learn that Zoe Swardadine will do anything for anybody even if this means she suffers as a result. I really felt sorry for her and how much her friends put on her, chipping away at her kind nature. Had she not been murdered I wouldn't have blamed her for cutting them all out of her life!

I love that the author's books are so character driven, it really gives you an insight into each of them and an understanding of their subsequent actions/reactions. This series of books would make an excellent TV series, they have both played out in my mind and I could picture the scenes so clearly.

A fantastic second book and I can't wait for the next. No pressure!!