I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

This series is a great police procedural
There are so many twists which will keep you entertained
The ending was done so well

What a great read - so well written, great storyline, great characters I just loved this psychological thriller. Highly recommend

Gytha Lodge is such a talent. Such good, clever crime writing that reminds me of Tana French. Loved it.

I’m reading these brilliant thrillers in entirely the wrong order, but loving them anyway. Gytha Lodge always starts with a bang, a really shocking opener that leaves your heart racing and your brain racing ahead, trying to work out how this has happened. Here we’re in bed with Louise and her husband Niall, and as she rolls across in the morning to greet him she realises she’s been in bed with a stranger. Even worse, the stranger is dead. Who is he? Where is Niall? Who killed him and will the cops think it’s Louise?
As expected I absolutely flew through this book to find the answers to these and so many other questions. Louise is hard to get a handle on as she’s so unreliable. She has a complete black hole over the night before, but this isn’t the first time she’s suffered memory loss. She’s struggled with alcohol in the past and there are times when I didn’t like her very much, but I love how Lodge leaves us so unsure. I wouldn’t have been surprised, during certain parts of the book, if she had killed him. It’s exciting to have absolutely no idea which direction the investigation might go in. It was great to learn a bit more about DCI Jonah Sheen’s team and I always enjoy spending time in his company. This was a fabulous mystery, full of atmosphere and managed to keep me on edge throughout. Loved it.

This was another great thriller from this author, I enjoyed this as I have done the previous books. I found myself getting lost in the plot and thought it was very well written

Really enjoyed this book. The plot is so unique and it was a great case, with some interesting twists and lots of tension. Looking forward to more in the series.

This book was a great mystery and had me guessing all the way through. I thought I had it worked out a few times, but as soon as I did, there was a twist that mixed it all up again!

Really loved this. It went at a really good pace and I was gripped and just wanted to know who was guilty. I kept changing my mind as to who was guilty and I Di not guess who it was. Can't wait to read more by this author fab series of books.

DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are back. Louise wakes up after a night out with a man in her bed. He is dead, he is not her husband and she has no idea who he is or what happened. The team have to try and discover what happened when the possible murderer has no recollection and everyone around her and the victim are all hiding secrets.
This mystery has many twists, turns and red herrings along the way which I really enjoyed. The team themselves all have conflicts in their personal lives and this make you care for them on their journey. Once again it is a great read from Gytha Lodge.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an ARC.

Again I struggled with this one due to not remembering enough from book one. A good book and I like Gytha Lodge’s writing. Would be interested in reading standalones from this author. A good storyline with enjoyable writing. I can see why so many people love this series.

Gripping from the start!
The tension the needing to know what is going on meant this one was very hard to put down when life got in the way.

It lost a 🌟 because the ending felt a little rushed to me.

This book was a real whodunnit which had you guessing all the way to the end . Just when you thought you had guessed who it was another curveball was thrown in !

This is the third DCI Jonah Sheens book I'm reading, and I liked this one much better than the #2. I felt I was not as invested in Jonah's story as I thought I would, but apart from that, it was a good psychological thriller with good twists, and Louise's perspective was interesting to read.

Although this is part of a series, this book could easily be read as a standalone. A really tense and exciting thriller. Well worth a read.

This is a police procedural it’s part of a series Book three but you could read as a stand-alone though there is a lot of prior story threads concerning the officers involved so reading in order would probably give you more background and hence increase enjoyment.
I’ve actually read the first book but not the second.

It’s told from multiple POV’s and focuses on Louise a woman in an dissatisfied marriage who relies on alcohol as a crutch. After a night out with her friend April she awakens to find a dead man in her bed her memory of the previous evening a blank.

This had plenty of twists and turns and definitely kept you guessing it was well written and engrossing and I enjoyed it a lot.
I also liked how the life’s of the officers investigating were woven into the narrative it brought them alive in my mind. The main character Louise was very imperfect but oh so easy to relate to we’ve all been Louise at some point. I Definitely recommend if this is your bag it easily kept my attention till the very last page.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of lie beside me.

Wow, waking up next to a dead man in your bed is not a great start to the day, but this is what happens to Louise. The trouble is Louise has a drink problem and can not remember how this man got there. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.

Love the suspense in Lodge's books. IT starts from the first page and the tension continues with a good pace.
I like the detective in the series, and looking forward to continuing.
Loved this thriller!
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Lie beside me takes you on a twisted journey of intrigue, compelling you through the lies that need telling truthfully and the characters that have dug themselves so deeply into this story, you need to get to the end to find out how Gytha has woven this book.

Based in Southampton, DCI Jonah Sheens and his team of Juliette Hanson, Ben Lightman and Domnall O’Malley guide the investigation into the body of Alex Plaskitt being found in Louise Reakes Garden. Louise calls the police and swears she’s never met him. But of course, the police are trained to catch killers and thats what they set about doing. Its not easy, Louise swears she’s never met Alex, or has any idea why he’s in her garden.

Louise though has a drink problem, and a drunk version of herself if dark, mysterious and tells the story in a third party way, neither version of Louise/drunk Louise know how Alex got there. And her husband, Niall is not impressed either and accuses Louise of sleeping with him, being his back.

The more the police investigate, the more lies are uncovered and it becomes obvious, to them whats going on. During this though Hanson has her own issues to clear up in her private life, that have been plaguing her and the demons need to be flushed out once and for all.

All in all, this being the third of Gytha’s books featuring Sheens and Co. I hope we go on to read book four, book five etc… A Sheens is a great driving force for the team and the way her writing has evolved is proof itself that she’s very talented. The detail that in included in this series is intricate and its this that makes Gytha’s books stand out. Nothing is skimmed over, all the details are given as evidence, bring characters in, going back again to ask more questions, all perfectly executed and pieced together.

Suspenseful and demanding – More please!!

This is my first book by Gytha Lodge and I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read and follow, the characters were well thought out. Wonderfully written. Would recommend.