absolutely brilliant book. The plot was very engaging and the characters believable! I thought I had the ending figured out but of course I hadn't! Really enjoyed reading

Such a great read

This is my first book by this author and will not be my last it is a real page turner with great strong characters, this one was a really good mystery and kept me guessing at somethings but did get others didn't see that ending coming though.

I Lie In Wait is a great example of a book with so much potential plot-wise, which completely let me down structurally.

When I'm talking about the structure of the book (there may be a better word for it), I'm talking about perspectives, timelines, chapter length, pacing... I Lie In Wait I think tried to do too much for a story that was already very interesting and didn't need much flair.

We would be in the perspective of Amelia, and then suddenly whiplash into the past. When we return back to the present, we're probably in somebody else's perspective. It moves very quickly and is very hard to catch up with. It's definitely not a leisurely read for me, I found myself constantly reading back for character names and actions that I missed. 

That was the biggest let down for me, but I'm very confident if there was a total rewrite of I Lie In Wait it would be an easy 4-5 star book. I would recommend this if you're looking for a thriller that wastes no time getting into the story.

I suspect this novel would be most suited to readers of the ‘murder mystery’ genre, as it had a real ‘whodunnit’ vibe to it.

The story is narrated mainly in the voice of Amelia, a woman who has in the past year, lost her mother to terminal cancer, had a brother become paralysed and whose sister (Lark) has mysterious disappeared.  

Fast forward one year from Lark’s disappearance, and the family find themselves revisiting their fated holiday in the Scottish Highlands to look for clues as to what happened to Lark.  From here on in the bodies stack up as we find ourselves questioning who has a motive to kill and what that motive might be!

There is nothing pretentious about this story, it is a easy to follow, fun and entertaining read, at times reminding me of the teenage slasher movies of the early 90s with  its reference to mask wearing protagonists and grisly fates to those who deem to go out alone at night...

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

I Lie in Wait had me guessing the whole way through. The premise of the story is that Amelia’s sister Lark vanishes and on the year anniversary of her disappearance Amelia and he family head to Scotland to try and find her. While they are there people are murdered, a masked mystery person haunts Amelia and her family and you are left wondering which guest at the Scottish house is a killer....? 
I didn’t guess the ending or the final twist so for me this was a brilliant book. The book is written at two different times; a year ago and in the present so you get some confusing repetition at the start. Both the past and present are set in the winter, with the same characters and some of the same events so until you get a quarter through it can be a bit unclear as to which time you are reading in; although the chapters are headed with Now vs A Year Ago to try and help. Unpredictable and thrilling!

This is a real page turning read with strong characters, most of whom seem to have quirks that leave you wondering just what they know and what they are capable of. Telling it from several perspectives worked really well and although Amelia, the main character, seemed innocent Ruth, the manager, seemed a dubious character. I did work out some of what had happened but by no means all and the ending was fantastic.

Oh I really enjoyed this one and couldn’t put it down! What on earth had happened to Lark and was her stepfather, who disappeared at the same time, to blame? Her sister Amelia is heading back to the scene of the crime with her father, brother and his carer to search for clues on the anniversary of her suspected abduction. I was convinced that I knew EXACTLY what had happened to Lark but sadly I was so far away from the shocking truth that I’m ashamed to call myself a crime fiction fan!

Told in two timelines from a year ago and the present day, I Lie in Wait gradually introduces the suspects from the previous years devastation and then reintroduces them in the present day. Sadly, Lark and Amelias mother has since passed away without knowing the fate of her youngest child so it’s an extra difficult return to the beautiful Scottish Highlands for her family and friends as the memories return. But present day events start to overtake Larks abduction when another girl goes missing and it becomes clear that a murderer is on the loose…

I Lie in Wait is a twisty, edge of your seat thriller that had me hooked from the opening prologue. The themes of family and loss are unexpectedly poignant for a psychological thriller and I found the descriptions of Amelias relationships with the various members of her family very realistic and often moving. I loved searching both timelines (and that of a third narrative!) for clues as to what happened to Lark as everyone seemed to be hiding some very dark secrets of their own! I found it a very “visually” told book and could see the snowy highlands and the cottages where they were staying quite clearly in my mind which made me conclude that this storyline would transfer perfectly into a tv drama. I’d love to see it played out on the small screen-the creepy masks especially would make for some great scary moments for the audience to jump out of their skins!!

Fans of CL Taylor and Ruth Ware should hopefully have discovered Amanda Brittany by now but if not treat yourself to I Lie In Wait. I’ve enjoyed all her books in the past but this one is definitely top of my favourites now!

Amelia is depressed following a failed pregnancy and break up with her partner.  She needs comfort and support from her family, but discovers that they are revisiting the lodge where her sister Lark disappeared a year ago, and decides to go with them.
The setting is Drummondale Lodge in the snow-bound highlands of Scotland, and this is a chilling, atmospheric thriller.   Strange things start to happen, someone is murdered and another disappears. Fearfully, the family decide to return home.  However, with roads blocked, electric lines down and no internet connection, they are stuck at the lodge.  Each character in the book is well described by the author.  Ruth (the woman who runs the lodge), her son Ryan, and family members all have their story to tell giving insight and depth. 
Chapters are short and told by several characters – Amelia tells the main story, with Ruth and others giving their viewpoint.  Narration flips between present time and a year ago when Lark mysteriously disappeared.  The pace increases as the story unfolds, although it does seem to lose its way a little at times, the sense of threat keeps you absorbed in this gripping thriller.
A rollercoaster ride, with an unexpected twist at the end.

It wasn’t really my cup of tea although it was well written  I couldn’t wait to finish it as some chapters were a bit tedious and skipped a few and thought for goodness sake get on with it I must say I never guessed the ending which was very good.

This was a slow starter and a bit annoying in the first chapter. Yet again we have a female with secrets whose life has been a bit messy and who doesn't do obvious things that might help but instead continues on a downward spiral. There are multitudes of the same sort of character in numerous novels these days. I did think it strange that Amelia didn't let her widowed father know she was pregnant and subsequently had a miscarriage at five months and also didn't phone ahead to tell him that she was arriving for a visit, especially as Berwick on Tweed is a long journey from London in case he wasn't in. This was a man with a vusy social life. It was also a very bizarre occasion when her late mother, along with the mother's younger American boyfriend, Amelia's father, sister and brother all went on holiday together to Scotland. This was a sort of last holiday for the mother who was dying of cancer, but still strange. Along with them we had Rosamond, a close friend of Amelia's mother and her husband and step daughter.  Moving much further on to a year later, we have Amelia, her father, brother, and his carer going back to the Scottish complex where their sister and Mother's boyfriend disappeared, and guess who, Rosamond comes too with her step daughter.  I did think it equally strange that on the fist night Rosamond went over to the main hotel building for dinner leaving Elise, her step daughter behind, equally so at breakfast the next day. Having finished the book I can see why this was written in this way although it's far from true life. It also seemed strange to me that guests were staying in self catering cottages so why would you go over to the main hotel for breakfast at 8.00am when you are on holiday, maybe it's just me. Once Amelia was back in Berwick on Tweed who should she bump into but Julia, who lives in the Scottish town where they stayed and also Rosamond, did everyone live there and go on holiday to the same resort?I did scan quite a few pages and even though the ending was a classic denouement I was a bit past caring at this point. It wasn't a bad book, pretty good in some places but overall hard to believe.

A really good, fast paced read with an ending that you won’t see coming!

I really enjoyed this book and all of its characters. One of which, I was really intrigued by but sadly they didn’t last long! 

Set in a secluded holiday location amidst a snowstorm, strange things are happening. As family and friends come together to find out what really happened the year before. They quickly realise that maybe the past should be left well alone.

This book flips between events that happened a year before and present day. Told from different characters view points it’s like Cluedo in book form!

I admit that I thought the book lost its way slightly just after the midway point. It felt a bit jagged and inconsistent, I particularly disliked the characters ‘putting the kettle on’ not two minutes after a really traumatic event - so British! But then referring to the police as ‘cops’ - but more overseas.

Overall I really liked it and I would happily seek out another by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I Lie in Wait by Amanda Brittany has a very clever twisty  plot and a great denouement!! I did find Amelia’s character a little bit irritating, wondering what on earth she was wanting from her life and what steps she was taking to try to move out of what seemed to be her self absorption. Without minimising her incredible series of losses -her mum and her sister, a baby and  a boyfriend too but you get the sense that she didn’t spend much time with mum or sister when her boyfriend was on the scene? In any case she lines up as somewhat potentially suspect in Lark’s disappearance but then again so do each and every one of the other characters. There definitely is great character development throughout the book. The oddbod Ruth, moody watchful Finn, the brother whose foot is maybe twitching? Why did Dad want to return to the scene yet have no real plan? Etc etc - so much so that the ending was a total surprise. I keep wondering if I missed a vital clue but the downside of reading on the Kindle is the trickiness of going back to search so I might just have to read it all again- that wouldn’t be not too much of an imposition with such a twisty plot.  Four star read

This book is simply a must read . Thrilling , suspense at its best . I was up way past my bedtime and simply could not put it down . Highly recommend this book to my fellow book lovers !! Read it now !!

Once I got the many and varied characters and relationships straight in my mind this turned out to be a good mystery.
Flashing between the previous year and the present and told by a number of voices the book centres around the disappearance of Lark and her family's continued search for the truth. Their return to the scene of the disappearance and their quest for answers brings a host of strange folk out of the woodwork all of whom are suspicious.
With a nice twist at the end a book well worth reading.

Not sure if it was just me but I,struggled with this book.  I found it very confusing and at times wasn’t sure what was going on and who all the characters were.

This story is half flashback to the previous year when a tragedy struck the family and half a revisiting of this tragedy a year on in the present.
The family are still seeking closure after the dramatic event so the previous year and the death of a parent. The story looks back on the previous happenings and eventually solves the tragedy during an Agatha Christie like period where everyone is marooned in the snow and many of the players are killed by a mystery murderer!
I found the central character a bit of a moaner - in spite of the problems that she has to overcome. However, I did want to read on to find the murderer!

I finished this book this morning and I am still confused by it.  
Don’t really understand why it is called “ I Lie In Wait” and there are just too many people involved in what becomes two totally separate plots. It started OK but the confusing short chapters changing in timeline and the amount of characters just quickly became extremely confusing. Not one for me I’m afraid.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Stories for the ARC copy.

When Amelia returns a year later to Drummondale House with her Dad Robert, brother Thomas and his career, Maddie, they hope to find a clue into the disappearance of their sister, Lark. Instead they find heartbreak, betrayal and deceit. This book is a fabulous whodunnit which is fast paced with a surprising twist at the end. . I thoroughly recommend this book I found it hard to put down. 

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read an advance copy by Netgalley and HQ in return for my honest review.

MY goodness, Amanda Brittany writes a great murder mystery/psychological thriller. I Lie in Wait kept me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I have never been disappointed by any of her books and I loved this one too. It is a creepy and atmospheric story that definitely has Agatha Christie vibes.

A year ago Amelia’s sister Lark disappears without a trace. A year later she returns to the remote holiday location in the Scottish highlands with her family to see if they can remember anything else that might help them find Lark. But another girl disappears this time and that is just the beginning of their troubles. Heavy snow and power outages have them all fearing for their lives.

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

A fairly good idea for a story, however, it was poorly executed.
Part way through the tale becomes very ridiculous, with lots of un-answered questions, almost luke it was written in a rush.
I do hope that someone is going to proof read this before publication date, as there is a massive inaccuracy regarding family relations.
The best thing about this story is the twist at the end, however, a great twist does not equal a great book.