A very dark tale of two sisters and their lives ,i found it disturbing to be perfectley honest .not sure about this one .

Gytha has a habit of drawing you into her novels and doesn't waste much time before you are totally absorbed into the nightmare her characters find themselves in. Being led by DCI Jonah Sheens and his team you carefully weave through the plot with glimpses of the human side of the characters. There is always a plot twist that leaves you cold and by the time you reach the end you are left totally emotionally drained. Wonderful!
Gytha Lodge stands out supreme and I have read all her books and not been disappointed yet.
I highly recommend them when you love crime thrillers but fancy something unique.
Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for my ARC ebook.

I REALLY liked this book.

I was hooked from page 1, and I thought the twist that Lodge delivered was excellent, well executed too. The Characters were a mix between chaos and clever, and I just couldn't wait to read more. I love how we were delivered pieces of information in installments, with the storytelling direct from Kelly, whilst the following chapters were the investigatory work that it triggered.

It was a total delight. I've read a few thrillers back to back lately and they were beginning to lose their sparkle - HOWEVER, this one totally changed my mind and I LOVED it.

Clever, Cunning, Chaos - SPELLBINDING.

Thank you for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. This was total magic and I'd recommend it!

A very well written twisty thriller with a hard subject matter that was sometimes hard to read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The fourth instalment in Gytha Lodge's Jonah Sheens series, and the stories get ever stronger. Jonah has a complicated set of relationships to contend with and takes refuge in his work. When a young woman turns up at a pub covered in blood and saying that her sister is missing, Sheens has is work cut out to find her. But the case is far from straightforward and the clues to be cracke are intriguing and enticing. Brilliant!

What a delight to be reunited with Jonah Sheens and the team!
In her usual gripping style, Gytha Lodge has once again managed to hook me in from page 1! Full of unexpected twists and turns, well rounded characters, this story has great depth and will hopefully delight all thriller fans out there!
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read in advance. But more importantly, thank you so much to Gytha for feeding my reading compulsion once more!!
Another fab book!

It starts with a teenage girl walking into a pub garden covered in blood; from the opening scenes, 'Little Sister' grabs your attention and doesnt let go.

The girl is Keely Lennox, one of a pair of sisters who ran away from their children's home a week previously. Keely has now emerged, but what about Nina? Its clear from the outset that Keely knows more than she is willing to say at the start, notwithstanding the blood covering her. She says she will tell Detective Jonah Sheens (in his very welcome 4th outing) what has happened as long as she can tell it in her way and is true to her word. Keely details a childhood that was idyllic for the sisters until their mother died unexpectedly, and the two were brought into the care system. Keely explains that since that point there have been three men who have ruined her life and gives full details of some truly horrific childhood events - the tension that I felt building as I was reading it was almost unbearable.
The story is told from various viewpoints, mainly from the narrative that Keely provides, interspersed with the police investigation and what they find out along the way.
Nothing is as it seems (is it ever in a Gytha Lodge book?) and my head was completely bamboozled after twist upon twist - very glad that I get to enjoy reading it rather than trying to work out how the ends would all tie together.
Thank you so much for the chance to read it! Can't wait to see it on the shelves soon

Little Sister is another thrilling read from Gytha Lodge, the fourth in the DCI Jonah Sheens series. This time Jonah is struggling with his decision to stay with his partner and small baby and this is an undercurrent throughout the book, as well as another member of his team concealing personal difficulties brought up by this case. I had to suspend belief around the issue of a teenage girl dictating how the team solve the case of her missing sister, but other than that it was a cracking thriller which hurtles along at a good pace and has some surprise twists along the way,

The characters are great and I hope there will be more in this series.

DCI Jonah Sheens #4

This is a brilliant series, each new addition is one I eagerly anticipate and yet again there is no disappointment! This one is very thought-provoking as it focuses on the care system and I’m not going to pretend it’s an easy read as it makes you feel edgy and uncomfortable at times, exactly as it should.

Jonah is now a father to a six week old baby Millie with his ex fiancé Michelle (yes, his personal life is complicated!) He is enjoying a glass of lager in the garden of the Spread Eagle when a teenage figure emerges apparently covered in blood and a very strange encounter ensues. This has the effect of hooking you into the storytelling immediately. She’s 16 year old Keely Lennox and she says her sister Nina needs help, both having absconded from the care home a few days previously. Keely’s reactions are odd, she’s cool, casual, amused and unmoved. She is very disconcerting and cleverly deflects questions. Where is her younger sister Nina? Has she suffered harm? Keely tells Jonah and the story on her own very particular terms.

What follows is absolutely riveting, it’s a dark intriguing and, at times, devastating cat and mouse game that sends cold shivers up and down the spine as it’s so unsettling. Some of the dialogue and events are absolute jaw droppers and most are out of the blue and utter surprises. Talk about about twists and turns! Most are extremely clever which you do not foresee. It’s a shocking story that does make you feel something, from anger and sadness to heartache and heartbreak.

The pace is fast and the story flows, so much so that it’s hard to put down as it’s so gripping. The characterisation is excellent, the police team are very likeable, some are flawed but that makes them feel authentic and very real. The portrayal of the sisters and the telling of their story is outstanding and you definitely end up rooting for them.

This novel has everything from manipulation, revenge to jealousy to control and human frailty is and although it’s dramatic it is also very believable. An unforgettable read and highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Very clever indeed. Full of twists and turns that you don't see coming. In all this it raises some real issues.

Being a huge fan of Gytha Lodge and the Jonah Sheens series I have been waiting patiently for this book since I finished the last one - very lucky to have received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley too which I couldn’t have been happier about!

The fourth book in the series, Little Sister, and our police team of favourites are all back. Jonah has recently become a father and is enjoying a rare moment of normality in his life enjoying the sun in a beer garden with his baby daughter sleeping next to him. Suddenly the appearance of a missing girl walking towards him, covered in blood, opens up a mystery around two missing sisters, except one has just turned up… Is this girl as innocent as she seems and is she a killer? Or a witness? Or even a victim?

The wait for the next instalment in the series was more than worth it, this is another brilliant book, I was captivated completely with each chapter. I love Gytha’s way of writing and how the police characters stories are seamlessly intertwined with the story content. Their lives and developments are just as important as the cases to solve and the writing style sets this up perfectly. There is a quite a bit of heavy content in this book but is all discussed very sensitively, a book that definitely gives you an insight into some of the more horrible things that can happen in the world and how justice can be achieved. Lots of brilliant twists, including a very clever perspective one (no spoilers!) and it kept me guessing right up to the end. No pressure Gytha but already can’t wait for the next one!

A new Gytha Lodge book is always an event to be relished, and Little Sister is reliably excellent - perhaps her best yet. DCI Sheens (whose personal life has been rather turned upside down of late) and his team are considerably challenged by a sixteen-year-old girl, Keely, who turns up covered in blood, her fourteen-year-old sister, Nina, missing. But Keely is no ordinary teenager, and she's determined to call the shots in her dealings with the police.

While the plot is a little far-fetched at times, the story told through the police investigation and Keely's account of the past (reliable or not?) is truly compelling, with memorable characters who challenge not only the police but also, perhaps, the reader.

There were a few similarities to Gill Perdue's recent (and excellent) The Interview, in that a teenage girl has information pertinent to a possible crime but is less than willing to disclose it - or at least not in a way that is particularly helpful - and the police have their work cut out to try and make sense of things. Keely in this book is quite a different character to Jenny in that one, though, and their stories are different, albeit with some ultimately similar themes.

An excellent read, highly recommended. Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

This has been one of my favourite Gytha novels so far! She never ceases to amaze me with her brilliant ideas!

This is a story about two teenage sisters with beautiful red hair and a past that will horrify you.
One moment you think Keely is the spawn of the devil, the next you are questioning everyone and everything. There are so many twists and turns that you really are kept guessing until the very end.
I was so hooked that it only took me a couple of evenings to read as I just didn’t want to put it down!

The only think I would have liked to see more of is the relationship between Ben and Juliette, as I’m dying for them to get together, but other than that I cannot fault this novel at all!

I’m not going to do a really in-depth review as I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, but it was absolutely brilliant and there were some great reveals that I did not expect!

So grateful to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for allowing me to read early to review!

A police procedural with some great police characters but also a story linked to abuse of children in care homes so I found this a tough and uncomfortable read I'm afraid. Not one for me.

What a fantastic book! Easily my favourite of Gytha's so far, it had everything I wanted from a gripping thriller. The Lennox sisters are fascinating characters and as their story gradually unfolds you find yourself questioning everything you thought you already knew about them. DCI Sheens' detective squad is as loveable as ever, determinedly pursuing the case and uncovering crimes that have been covered up for years. I got through Little Sister in one sitting and felt on edge the entire time!

This is one of those novels that you will think about long after you have put it down due to the nature of the subjects that it tackles.

So this is the first time that I have been introduced to this series and although I can see that some of the background has been lost in terms of the main characters however it in no way effected my enjoyment of the story.

It was unpredictable poient gripping read that had me engaged throughout.

The Gyth has done it again. This girl was stunned by the twisted storyline that just drew me in, churned up my mind and left me in awe . The plot was amazingly laid out taking you on way that let you believe you had pinpointed the culprit. To then have that all thrown out the door and a new twist added which had me having to stop and think what the hell did i just read and how did i miss that . The author just keeps pulling bestsellers out the hat with her twisted psychological thrillers.

A gripping story that has so many questions throughout as to what is going on as well as what is the truth or not....

Complex and tangled thriller with some big twists. Took a bit of following,think Detective Sheen found it the same. Multi layered and ever changing,a good read.

I was so excited to be able to read and review a new Gytha Lodge book.....the first book I ever read by her, She Lies in Wait, really stuck with me and I enjoy the main characters, Jonah Sheens and Juliette Hanson. So it's always nice to pick up a book and reacquaint yourself with these characters.

Little Sister just grips you from that first chapter.... Nina and Keely have been in the foster system for years, and one day they disappear....only for Keely to reappear....without her sister. She claims to know where her sister is, but first, she has a story to tell and everybody needs to listen to her.

Keely comes across and cold and calculating and you can't help but wonder if she is responsible for hurting her sister and also whether there is any truth to the stories she is telling. The book is hard to read in some places as it is around child abuse (physical and sexual), but what an interesting read! I kept alternating between Keely being a victim or being a mastermind. There's quite a plot twist that took my breath away closer to the end!

The book flowed well, I just felt like I took long to read it, because I wanted to read every single word (no skimming) to make sure I didn't miss any clues!