Little Sister is the new novel by Gytha Lodge and the fourth book featuring DCI Jonah Sheens and his team of detectives in Southampton. I have been reading this series since the beginning, I’ve never missed a book (and case), but I think that this latest one is my favorite so far. I really liked the characters and the suspenseful plot that kept me on edge of my seat and I enjoyed this book so much that I hated that I had to interrupt my reading for things like sleeping and work.

The story starts with Jonah Sheen trying to enjoy a relaxing Sunday in a pub with his family – despite the lack of sleep caused by his new-born baby – when a teenage girl stumbles in, covered in blood. The girl’s name is Keely Lennox and she and her younger sister Nina have been missing for a few days. Keely promises Sheens to tell him where her sister is, but first he must listen to her story. The story of how everything began.

Keely’s tale is dark, chilling, and disturbing, but some things don’t seem to add up. As her past is slowly revealed, I couldn’t help but wonder: can we trust her? Is she telling the truth? Is she a victim or a psychopath? That’s what DCI Sheens and his team must figure out in a race against time to find Nina before it’s too late.

The plot is very well-thought and intriguing. It is told from different perspectives, but I found Keely’s narrative the most fascinating. The way she tells her story kept me glued to the pages. While I was completely engrossed in the mystery of Keely and Nina’s disappearance, I also enjoyed reading about the detectives’ personal lives. DCI Jonah Sheens is struggling with a new-born baby and worried about his partner, while DC Juliette Hanson is worried about DS Ben Lightman who seems to be the one more affected by the case, while DS Domnall O’Malley is his usual relaxed himself.

Little Sister is a gripping story full of twists and surprises and I loved it from the first to the last page. I really love this series and I am already looking forward to reading book number 5!

DCI Jonah Sheens is sitting outside a pub enjoying a quiet drink on his day off, having taken his baby daughter out to give his partner a break. Suddenly a young woman appears in front of him. She is obviously distressed & covered in blood.. Once they are back in the police station Keeley says that she is fine. It is her sister that needs help. The girls have run away from a children's home. However instead of saying what provoked that, she insists that she tells her story her own way & from the beginning. However infuriating this may be, the team have no choice but to go along with it. She is had various allegation of abuse but she appears very cold & manipulative. The story she tells is a very disturbing one & although she comes across as a possible sociopath he begins to look at her in a different light. The story is told through various perspectives & doesn't fail to hold the attention for a moment.

I've read a lot of police procedurals & this rates very high in my list of the best. This was so cleverly written & the various characters all have their own perspectives. I have read a couple in this series & enjoyed them but I think this would work as well reading it as a stand alone. It's going to be a while before I forget this one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this terrific book!

Gytha Lodge runs true to form with this book by giving her readers a very good story with lots of twists and turns - perhaps a few too many! Three quarters of the way into the story things become very confusing but it was all straightened out and the last chapter was excellent. I can recommend this book to lovers of a good puzzle and an intriguing mystery.

Little Sister is the fourth book in the Jonah Sheens series and is another great read. I have read the previous books and loved them all. I love the dynamics of Jonah and his team.
I found Little Sister at times difficult to read due to the subject matter but it was expertly written in a sensitive way but there were also plenty of twists that made unsure what was actually true.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for my ARC.

Jonah is the chief inspector who gets called onto duty when a teen girl approaches him covered in blood. As if that’s not bad enough m she claims that it is not hers, and that her sister is missing. Jonah is left to figure out if she is a victim or if she is the criminal in order to find out what really happened, why she is covered in someone else’s blood and how to find her sister before it’s too late. But Keely, the sister that Jonah meets, has no intention of making it easy for Jonah to find her sister, in fact, she plans to make it a game.
There’s quite a few triggers in this one, and it definitely deals with some mature subjects and Keely’s manipulation of everyone and everything is a lot to take in a times. I liked that it was told from varying POV’s. Loads of twists and despite this being the 4th in a series (which I didn’t realize when requested) I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with the story. It probably may have helped some in getting to know Jonah and some of the supporting characters some, but it isn’t essential.
Thanks to Random House Trade and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this book. Very well written and it was a real page-turner. Another new author for me which is always an interesting one . My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review

This is book four of the series and, although the main story is self-contained, to get the very best from it with regard to character backstory and development, I do recommend that you start from book one and read in order. They are all cracking books, so, why not!?
In this book, Jonah is enjoying a drink in a pub garden when a teenage girl wanders out of the nearby woods. She is covered in blood but appears unhurt. She says she's fine but not her sister. She says her name is Keely and Jonah discovers that she and her sister Nina absconded from a children's home and have been missing for a week. Keely is checked over and brought to the station for interview. Jonah is still unsure whether she is a witness, victim or perpetrator but she is still a child so has to take care. But when she starts to talk, it becomes apparent that this will not be an easy ride...
I love this series, I love the way that Jonah is not the stereotypical cop, although he has a bit of a wild personal life, but he's working through that. He is also ably backed up by a cracking team who all play their parts very well indeed, both in the investigation and in the rest of the book!
Keely is a brilliant character and, spoilers prevent me saying much more, but she is so manipulative it's a pleasure to watch it all play out. The story she weaves took Jonah, his team, and me as a reader on one heck of a ride. A ride that I had to give up second guessing, instead just sitting back, buckling up, and enjoying it and all its twists and turns. A veritable roller coaster of them.
And then, towards the end, it all starts to come together and delivers a cracking ending, the half of which I never saw coming but which left me wholly satisfied.
All in all, a cracking addition to a series that is now firmly cemented on my watch list. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Oh wow, Gytha Lodge does it again! Another thriller that will keep you guessing, have you on the edge of your seat, and won’t be able to put down.

DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are back, dealing with two sisters who have been in the care system, one who is missing, and another who seems to be playing a game with the police. Who’s lying? Should the children or the adults be believed?

At times this is a difficult read, particularly accusations of child abuse and children not being believed. But it’s told in such a clever way that for a lot of the book you really don’t know who’s lying or who’s telling the truth. Lodge weaves a very clever narrative here, much like her previous book in the series.

I don’t want to give any spoilers, so go and add this to your TBR or start the series from scratch if you haven’t already!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️

#LittleSister by #GythaLodge

⏩for synopsis

This was definitely a journey of a book - a very unusual concept for a police procedural which on the whole was interesting and entertaining story. For me, it needed a mega ending to have made the journey worth it and well it was just ok.

I enjoyed being back with the familiar team who were made up of interesting, relatable characters and I enjoyed their stories developing along side the main plot.

So I really enjoyed this read until the plot kinda got all confused around three quarters of the way through. After a twist with the sisters, I found the plot went down hill after that. Nothing really made sense from then on and getting to the end was a chore. I was waiting for a big twist that would mean it now made sense but actually it just came out as more a domestic story and found having the police chasing round clues unrealistic and silly. All in all it was ok but perhaps just not for me.

This has great reviews elsewhere so don’t let me put you off and as always it’s just opinion 😊

With thanks to @netgalley and @michaeljbooks for allowing me to read this one early!

RELEASE: April 30th

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

Gytha Lodge continues to write better and better ... and better novels. This new one is as dark as anything ever written by the late, great Patricia Highsmith. Alternating chapter-by-chapter between police procedural and psychological thriller, the prose is razor-sharp and full of telling detail. The characterization is so authentic I wouldn't be surprised to bump into one of these people in the high street. The plot is complex, clever and full of unexpected twists. Five stars are not enough to do this stunning novel justice.

What a fabulous read!! I loved every minute!

A girl walks into the outside area of a pub, covered in blood but seemingly unhurt. Whose blood is it and what happened to her younger sister that she was seen with last? Where were they the last couple of days after they disappeared out of the children's home? Jonah is fortunately at the right place at the right time and it seems like Keely is willing to tell him where her sister is BUT first he must listen to her story......

Gytha Lodge is a brilliant storyteller and this is such clever writing where you as the reader and armchair sleuth try and solve the mystery together with the police. All the clues are cleverly hidden in her story.
Keely's story sounds too horrible to be true or is it? Is she a clever manipulator or just a scared young girl crying out for help?

"You don’t get to choose your story. That’s the thing I’ve really learned."
"What you can never, ever do is change the genre. You’re stuck with that for life. So my story is what it is. A story defined by three men, and the way their desires took our lives and moulded them. Mutilated them."

One of my favourite reads so far this year and what a great twist at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Michael Joseph for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

This was a really compelling read, and turned a lot of police procedural tropes on their heads, as no one is as they seem, including the ‘crime’ that has been committed. I loved the police back story and their rich and interesting lives and the crime/criminals were all suitably handled - with the two girls at the heart of the story being brilliantly drawn and suitably flawed. I wasn’t sure about the ‘clues’ aspect, and occasionally struggled with the plausibility of that, but it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment of a thoroughly immersive read.

This is a great read.
Jonah is enjoying a pint in the beer garden when a teenage girl stumbles out of the woods opposite, covered in blood.
Jonah and the team look after her and she tells them she is ok but they need to find her younger sister, Nina.
When they get to the station it’s clear Keely wants to explain the past before she will give any indication of when she last saw her sister.
The story is told in layers and we gradually learn what Keely and Nina have been through.
There’s some great twists and turns that will definitely keep you on your toes.
Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I have liked the other books in this series and this was no exception.

This book kept me guessing and two sisters go missing and after a few days Keely, the older one shows up and though she knows where her sister is, she wants to first narrate more details and wants full attention from Jonah Sheen who is is in-charge of finding out all the details.

Very thrilling and exciting, thank you for Netgalley & Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for approving the ARC

This was a very brain stretching story. Very complex in its structure and contents and totally absorbing. A great cast of characters that were easy to imagine and the story line was fast paced. Everything unwound towards the end with a satisfying conclusion..

This book absolutely held my attention from start to finish - it was a real page turner. I hadn't realised that this was the fourth book in a series, but to be honest, it didn't make any difference to my reading of the novel or interfere because the author gives any necessary background needed.

I have really struggled with attention span getting through some novels recently and this got me over it.

Some sections are tightly plotted and at the same time, not particularly well written but I'm willing to overlook the latter for the benefit of the former! It's not literary fiction after all...

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be one of the cleverest and most uniquely written thrillers I have ever read. What a book and what a read!

Two sisters go missing a couple of days later Keely the older of the two turns up covered in blood only it’s not her blood. DCI Jonah Sheens tries to help Keely he questions her as a witness and it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to give him the straight forward answers that he was hoping for Keely is telling him her story and in that story there are hidden clues leading Jonah to the answer he so badly needs to find the missing sister.

This book tells a story of two young girls who lose their mother and are badly let down by the system that they are put into and trust will look after them. All they really want are for their voices to be heard, someone to listen to them and someone to help right the wrongs that have been done to them and they believe Jonah’s team might just be the team to do that.

This book was full of surprises twists and turns just when I thought I knew where it was going it threw me off course and down a different path. This book is part of a series however I read it as a stand alone I did find it a little tricky to start off with but once I got into it I was able to work out who was who and fill in a couple of blanks that may have already been answered had I have read the rest of the series but it’s definitely not impossible to read as a stand alone.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

I love this series and I adore the character of Jonah Sheens! If you’ve not read this series before then you can read this as a stand-alone novel but to get the most of a brilliant storyline you might be better to read them all-go on, treat yourself but you will absolutely love these books! And I have to say that Little Sister is actually the best book so far! Gytha Lodge has delivered a cleverly written storyline with a unique twist that grabs you from the first moment a girl covered in blood walks out of the woodland into the path of Jonah Sheens…

This is a difficult read at times due to the subject matter but due to the twists and turns you are never quite sure whether why Keely is playing with the police. She wants to tell them a story and she wants to deliver in her own time, her way. But Jonah is up against the clock if he wants to find out where Nina is and Keely isn’t making it easy for him! I loved the way the narrative was split between Keely telling her tale and the police work going on behind the scenes. It was lovely to meet familiar characters again and see how they have been since the reader last met them. Jonah’s life especially has changed dramatically and I think his new role made him see this mysterious disappearance in a whole new way which gave a different perspective of his own character.

This is probably one of my favourite books of the year so far! I’ve struggled with my reading this year and books I’ve been excited about haven’t hit the spot for me at times. But Little Sister grabbed me from the first page and I just couldn’t put it down. It’s empathetic, intelligent and compelling storyline felt authentic at all times and Gytha Lodge made me care about every single character whether I liked them or not! A fabulous 5 stars from me!

I've long been a fan of Gytha Lodge's crime series featuring DCI Jonah Sheens so awaited the latest instalment with enthusiasm.

Thanks to Michael Joseph/NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story opens with Jonah having a quiet drink in a pub garden when his peace is interrupted by the arrival of a teenage girl, Keely, covered in blood. She tells a story about her sister, Nina, who is missing. Jonah and his team scramble to find Nina, but Keely isn't in any hurry to give up any clues. Instead, she relates the sisters' story very much in her own time - and it is up to Jonah and the police team to work out whether Keely is a killer or a victim.

This is a well-written and complex story. Lodge is a master of the slow reveal, even though this means that the pacing is a little reserved at times (although picks up towards the end of the novel). The fact that a lot of the story is narrated by Keely - who is deliberately witholding information - means that there is a lot of backstory and not so much actual action until the story strands start to come together.

Keely's is a dark story and one that is hard to read at times - I don't want to give spoilers but it is worth mentioning that it focuses on abuse and the vagaries of the systems supporting looked after children. The girls' experiences (as related by Keely) are sad and their path through life strewn with abusive men - although a big part of the police team's work is to find out how much of it is true given the seeming unreliability of the narrator.

Part of the story is told from DCI Jonah Sheehs' point of view, although I think he remains a bit of a mysterious figure at the centre of the novel. There is a lot about his personal situation and thoughts, but he still doesn't come alive as a character for me as much as his Detective Constable, Juliette Hanson, or other members of the team. In particular, Hanson's rapport with DS Ben Lightman is warmly conveyed and appealing to the reader; I hope there's more to this story in the next book.

Although this is the fourth novel in the series, I think it could be read as a standalone. The only real backstory needed to understand this is that DCI Jonah Sheens has a complex love life - the current situation is explained in the book but doesn't have much impact on the central crime plot at all.

Overall, I'd recommend this as a good instalment in a great series. I don't think it is the strongest of the four novels so far, but I certainly found it compelling and engaging.

This is book 4 in a series but the first one I have read by this author and I will definitely be going back to read the others. I love a book that keeps me guessing and this one did just that. I really wanted to believe Keely from the start I just wasn’t sure if she could be trusted. The twists and turns as she reveals more about her childhood had me equal parts hooked and heartbroken. It’s a tough read in places. Keely is such an interesting character though. I loved Jonah and his team and I really want to get to know them more so I’m looking forward to reading the first 3. I am however slightly baffled by Jonah’s personal life. It seems a tad ridiculous. The only thing I struggled with was the chapters do jump around a bit. Also TW for child abuse, rape, and foster care.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review