#TheLostHours #NetGalley

The Lost Hours really is Susan Lewis back on top form. Perhaps it's about the crafting of this narrative or the way characters jump from the page into the crevices of your irritation, anger or empathy. Either way,
the book is is atmospheric, enigmatic and a mystery that feeds the reader's curiousity from start to finish.
Presenting the story of the seemingly accomplished, happy family unit of the Crayces, an old crime in the community rears its head and puts everything into question.
Wife Annie is left with a ream of unanswered questions and husband David teeters dangerously close to damning DNA evidence, pulling him into the role of suspect number one. Add to this complexities of family ties, in-laws, children and the longevity of childhood friendship, and you are already too far involved in this book to stop and walk away.
Lewis seems to, when one of her books hits home like this one, have the uncanny ability to write about the human condition in a way that is empathetic - even when there are acts of deceit or violent crime! Throughout the novel, uncertainty and twisting opinions of the main protagonists work together to keep a shifting undercurrent of secrecy. As readers, we are then left with unease about where the conclusion will fall.
The only lesser successful element in the constructions of the novel are perhaps the integrity of how peripheral characters are not drawn in as much depth, or given as much time to be fully understood. Consequently, at the latter quarter of the story questionable gaps remain. Then again, perhaps the surprise elements of the resolutions in the story would pack less of a punch without this veil of mystery - maybe that is a deliberate construct.

The best part of the book, and where Lewis' true writing skill shines, is in the depiction of the Crayces as a family unit, who are drawn initially within a hopeful bubble of love, affection and support, despite the difficulties they face. Parenting is adept and the couple remain strong, despite doubts cast because of the central mystery unfolding. Alongside this, The Lost Hours unfolds against cleverly placed jarring descriptions of the family shooting business, which Lewis uses to invoke a palpable sense of setting and place, from the short bursts of surprise when gunshots are heard in the background, to other key scenes.
The prose frequently returns to details of disturbance to nature, like how for Annie: '...as she got out of the car the crack of a gunshot rang through the skies, puncturing nature's benign tranquility like a wayward thunderbolt and echoing on for a moment or two into the silence. No birds stirred, nothing stirred at all. Two more explosions boomed into the stillness followed by two more, and yet more.'
What overrides the whole book is a threat of peace being disturbed, or the status quo being wholly, finitely disrupted - a metaphor if ever there was one, aligned with the essence of what the thriller element of this story does to the Crayce family.
The overall register of the book, adeptly ties some beautiful prose with the traditional thriller genre conventions, meaning that it is gripping and a joy to read from start to finish; leaving the reader to question: how well do they really know the ones they love?

This is one of those crime novels that Susan Lewis does so well as it portrays strong generational family bonds being tested. The story revolves around the 3 generations of the tight knit Crayce family but primarily on David, Annie and their 3 children.

Following a minor brush with the law Sienna, daughter of David and Annie has her DNA taken as a matter of course which results in a familial DNA match being made to her father to an unsolved 1999 murder of a local teenager Karen Lomax.

David had served in the military prior to the murder and had left the service suddenly having clearly suffered PTSD which led to him having a drink problem at the time of the murder and he has no recollection of any involvement with the victim.

The integration of the police investigation and the police characters themselves into the story is done particularly well.

I did work out who the perpetrator but it was not obvious and did not diminish the overall enjoyment of the book.

Susan Lewis knows how to enthrall the reader and draws you in fast to all of the characters.

I highly recommend this book and I would like to thank netgalley UK, the author and the publishers HarperCollins UK for a free arc copy of the book for a true and fair review.

From the outside it may look like David and Annie Crayce have the perfect marriage and family. Living a good life with a successful business, what will happen when their lives are turned upside down after their 16 year old daughter is arrested for stealing a stuffed toy.
The events that follow bring back to life an old murder case from twenty years ago, and David's DNA being discovered relating to the young victim.
Nothing is every as simple as it would seem, David has no recollection of murder or being with the victim, and there seems to be a lot of secrets in the family.

I found the book slightly slow to get going, but this was due to the information in the past and present that was described. The writing is very in depth and really had me thinking about the Crayce's when I wasn't reading the book. The twist! Well I'll let you discover that for yourself.

This is a brilliant example of a whodunnit! It is an excellent read that kept me guessing right to the very end. The characters were immediately relatable and interesting. I would highly recommend this book to crime-fiction fans.

Once again Susan has taken us on a journey between the past and the present
20 years ago 17year old Karen Lomax disappeared, her body eventually being found in a disused railway hut, no one was ever found guilty for her murder.
Fast forward 20 years and suddenly new evidence is found which could help the police to solve this long ago murder.
The way this story evolved was very well written, I felt at times that I very much disliked the main character and felt his guilt, there were other times when I was convinced of his innocence, but how could this be when the evidence was against him? This brings us to Natalie Rundle and her team of detectives as they investigate and build their case and the defence team working for the accused as they try to prove his innocence. Here we once again meet Andee Laurence a regular character in Susan’s books as she works with the defence team and the family involved.
I was Truely shocked by the outcome as that was not quite what/who I was expecting.
Well done Susan and many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was another good story by Susan Lewis. One unsolved murder twenty years ago and now by fate some DNA evidence has come to light which links three family members to the murder and their perfect lives are turned upside down very quickly.
I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I found it a bit eerie though when the virus is mentioned in the book, and the characters don’t realise how important it will turn out to be, that really was like real life!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early read of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once again Susan Lewis has kept me awake at night whilst I desperately tried to find out who did it! Annie thinks she has the perfect life a loving husband -David ,three children, a thriving business with a gorgeous home out in the wilds of Exmoor and extended family close by.. Until that is a piece of familial DNA turns out to be linked to a crime unsolved from 20 years ago. There can only be 3 people who may have committed murder David,his brother or his father.
Susan Lewis shows what happens when a close loving family gets torn apart by suspicion, lies and deceit. In the end it appears to boil down to a few lost hours -or does it. Once again you are left guessing and then completely blindsided by the ending. This may be may favourite story yet.

Dangerous secrets may lurk behind the facade of a perfect marriage - this is what I learned having read this amazing novel by Susan Lewis. An absolute treat of a book!

Another fabulous read.
I loved all the characters and the details of when David was in service was interesting and thought provoking.
I was surprised at who it turned out to be as at different points I had each one of the family being guilty
I love the way Susan puts so much reality into the story and I look forward to Susan’s next book.

Absolutely riveting!

Author Susan Lewis, is adept at taking a normal, everyday family, and placing them in EXTRAordinary situations, and in the case of Annie and David Crayce, and their extended family, it’s an absolute nightmare!

The unsolved murder of teenager, Karen Lomax, some twenty years earlier, has been all but forgotten, except for her devastated parents and friends, but when the police turn up at the Crayce’s door claiming to have found David’s DNA, linking him to Karen’s murder, secrets, suspicions and accusations are raised at three members of the extended family.

The new evidence came about, after Annie and David’s daughter, Sienna, had a minor brush with the law - resulting in her DNA being routinely run through police computer systems, linking it to the unsolved murder. And so, the nightmare begins!

OMG, what devastation for the whole family, it certainly keeps the reader hooked, trying to work out whodunnit. This is a well respected ( though not always likeable) family, and because we get to know them all intimately, it’s impossible to decide who the guilty party actually is. I certainly couldn’t decide! Don’t miss this one!

This is a story about a seemingly perfect family. Parents, Annie and David Crayce have three lovely children. They live in close proximity to the rest of the Crayce family, brother Henry who lives with his wife, Julia and father, Dickie and they all work together at a large, profitable shooting school. Their perfect lives are torn apart when David is accused of the murder of Karen Lomax, a seventeen-year-old girl. One of the twists in this crime is that it took place 20 years earlier and the Crayces get involved because DNA leads the police to realise that the murder must have been committed by a member of the Crayce family. At times the pace is slightly slow but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and particularly the character of Annie who appears to have good common sense in getting through the drama that unfurls. The story is also told through the narrative of Natalie, the police sergeant in charge of the case. Natalie has been through some difficult times herself which is tainting her ability to remain neutral in this murder investigation. I loved the fact that it was set on Exmoor close to where I live and I was able to recognise a number of places mentioned in this book. Overall, a good read – Susan Lewis is a reliable story teller and with a few twists and turns the book keeps you guessing until the end. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

I found this to be gripping and I'm sorry I've finished it. There's a twist towards the end which I never expected. My only criticism is I found David exasperating, but that's just how the character was. A great read, five stars from me, hope that says it all. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now, that was a psychological thriller and a half!
The disappearance and subsequent uncovering of the body of seventeen-year-old Karen Lomax, over twenty years ago has been forgotten by most. Unable to trace the murderer, or the events that led to her death, the case is closed.
Fast forward to the present day.
Annie and David Crayce seem to have it all. A wonderful marriage, three beautiful children, a hugely successful business, and a supportive family behind them.
Who knew that the chance arrest of their daughter, as someone just around when a crime was committed, could lead them to the turmoil of being in the middle of a reopened murder case?
Wow. Just Wow.
Susan Lewis, you have done it again, haven''t you? You reeled me in, and kept me hanging right til the very end! There were so many moments where I questioned my self as to who might have actually been responsible for the death of a poor teen, but the way the PTSD of war years was woven into it, as well as the thoughts and actions of the police involved, I was kept on tenterhooks.
And, yes, had it not been past 1 am last night I would have carried on reading to get to the end, but I had to put the book down.
Fantastic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Hours is yet another sensational read by Susan Lewis. I always try and delay starting a new novel by this author as I know once I start, I cannot put it down until I’ve completed it. This new novel did not disappoint. Annabelle Crayce, Annie to her friends and family, has everything she ever desired. A husband who loves her as much as she loves him, three beautiful children, a family business that she helped set up and a home built for them on the beautiful moors. Nothing could be more perfect, that is until daughter Sienna’s little brush with the law opens up the cold case murder of Karen Lomax. This seventeen year old girl goes missing in the August of 1999 to be later found raped, murdered and abandoned in a railway hut. Suddenly David, Annie’s husband is arrested and everything is turned upside down. Who killed Karen Lomax? Could Annie really be sure David wasn’t the rapist, killer? And,, if it wasn’t David, could it have been his brother Henry or father Dickie?

This is a thrilling read from start to finish. Susan Lewis writes characters with such depth that they feel like old friends. The plot so beautifully weaved that even when all is revealed, I felt as shocked as the characters on the page. During a global pandemic to read a novel that can take you away from the outside world, even for a short time, is definitely not to be missed.

Crikey, can Susan Lewis get any better??!! What a marvellous original story!! It had me engrossed so much, I had no idea what was going on around me when I was reading it!! I really didn't want to put it down, but obviously I had to!!
There was only one person I disliked right from the beginning and that was Natalie!! Her attitude was really irritating, and annoying!! She was hell bent on one person only, and to try and say she wasn't biased, because of her past, was obviously exactly what she was!! But then again, in a way, who could blame her? I even disliked her, more than the murderer, that's how much I disliked her!! But that's what makes a great story isn't it?
From a hard working family with a successful business, well liked in their community, to an utter nightmare!!
Absolutely fabulous, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! Thank you!!

A brilliant "who did it"! Excellent read that kept me guessing right to the very end. Characters that you immediately connected with. Reccomend highly !

Annie Crayce has it all the perfect family and the perfect life until the police come knocking after her husband David claiming they have DNA evidence linking him to a murder dated back to 1999.

Does Annie really know her husband?

Well this had me gripped I haven't read a book in a few hours for a good while.

The characters and storyline has so much depth to it you just didn't know what way this was going to go.

I really enjoyed this and is a real page turner.

Many thanks to Rachel at Harper Collins for sending the invite to read this gripping novel.

Another fantastic book from Susan. Yet again pulled in from the very first page and kept me hooked to the very last.

Another cracking read by Susan Lewis, this thriller is quite a different style but it made a refreshing change, a gripping read with a few good twists and turns.

What can i say. Another fab read by susan lewis. This book had me gripped from the off. Although the lay out threw me a bit with the dates etc i thoroughly enjoyed this book and did not see the end at all. would highly recommend as i would most of susan lewis books but this one for me was up there with my favourite reads from susan lewis.