Unfortunately I couldn't get into this book. There were to many characters dropped in to the plot with scant information about them which didn't make them memorable. The story told from two points of view made it to difficult for me to follow the plot and I gave up at 19%.

Dead To Me is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️
Cambridge university and Anna is an undercover journalist trying to find out the truth about a two female students deaths. Her father lives in Cambridge and has helped her with her alias character, helping her blend in with the other affluent students. Anna starts to uncover some lies and decides the best way to deal with it would be to write it all in an email to Reid Murray a detective and also her ex, they are not in a good place but she thinks he’s the only one that will listen and understand. Anna then goes missing and her father asks Reid to help find her.
The book started well, the first quarter was well paced but then it went quite slow with a lot of characters POV and I sometimes got confused. It’s a good book but lacks the pace and fire from any of this authors previous books. The characters were plentiful but I think the storyline could have been punchier. The ending could have been better I thought. This is a clever book with a lot of twists so don’t give up when it slows down.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

2.5-3 stars

I have only read one Gytha Lodge book - Little Sister - and I own a copy of A Killer in the Family - so I had really high hopes for this one but it didn't live up to what I was hoping.

I found the opening quite good, and I'd read the first 15-20% really quickly, but then it fell quite quickly in quality for me.

It is a very slow burn, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I kept looking for that hook.

It was hard to get into. It's not written in the traditional format. Reid's sections are written in the normal third person narrative, while Alex's are written in the first person because she's writing an email to Reid. I prefer third person generally, but in thrillers I like the first person, and so this gives us a bit of both, but it wasn't as smooth to read as if it was just one type of narrative throughout.

Having finished it, I'm not sure the format worked with this story or vice versa. It lacked the urgency that thrillers - and Gytha's works - normally have, which was a bit disappointing. I enjoyed the story, it's not that it wasn't a good story, but it lacked that fast-paced thrill I was expecting.

I am all for a slow born but this was too slow. I know it's more of an investigative thriller than a blood and guts and murdery type of thriller, but I felt it dragged from about 1/4 through. I didn't feel on edge, I wasn't on the edge of my seat, I wasn't looking over my shoulder. It was a nice interesting story, but didn't quite hit the 'thriller' for me.

There's not much in the way of character interactions for me. Yes, in Anna's sections we do see her interacting with others, but it's all sort of done retrospectively. It's very much a two-character story, but it was difficult to actually figure out if I liked them or not because you don't get to know them very well so it was hard to have any opinion on them.

I also found the ending a bit too rushed and complicated and I can't say I was particularly satisfied by it.

As bizarre as this will sound, it was far too heavy on the detail and yet I realised I didn't actually know what was going on. It's simultaneously heavy and light on detail.

Overall, I'd say I still enjoyed it. Gytha does know how to create a story, weaving together lots of threads and bringing it to a conclusion, and her stories are unique, but this one fell flat. It didn't give me much thrill, it was too slow and I didn't feel anything for the characters.

Anna is an undercover investigative journalist on a case in Cambridge looking into the death of Holly, a student at the university who died at the May Ball. Her father works in Cambridge and has helped with her alias. When Anna also disappears after the following May Ball, he fears the worst, and calls on Reid, her police officer ex-boyfriend, to help find her.
Anna's side of the story is told in an unsent email to Reid. Anna is quite a character, determinated, feisty and funny, but also warm. The plot is interesting, with several suspects, and wrong conclusions.
Very good.

I have read other books by this author which I enjoyed but I did struggle a bit with this one as there were many different viewpoints which was rather confusing.
Reid is a police inspector with the met and his ex girlfriend is Anna. When Reid’s sister dies in mysterious circumstances at Cambridge university, Anna looks into it but alienates Reid in the process.
When another young student dies in similar circumstances, Anna goes under cover to investigate and eventually goes missing herself.
The book is mainly an email to Reid from Anna detailing her investigation, interspersed with other points of view including her father and Reid.
I don’t know what it was but I found the whole effect of this construction very disjointed and it wasn’t a book that was particularly easy to get into.
By the time I got to the end and the reveal I could barely remember the perpetrator of the crime.
I think the style of writing broke the tension of the plot although there was the constant question of what had happened to Anna in the course of her investigations and whether she was even still alive.
If I’m honest I found the book rather contrived and I was relieved when I got to the end so I could close it and say enough is enough.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

‘dead to me’ is constantly moving, providing new characters and twists to keep you interested from beginning to end. i really enjoyed the writing style and the switches between povs, but can understand that it could come off as confusing to keep track of. it’s a classic crime story with a hint of romance and one i’d definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book. It is gripping and suspenseful. It felt quite an immersive book that I always wanted to pick up and read more. Anna is a journalist that takes on investigating a murder at Cambridge University but gets into danger. A previous boyfriend could help her but he had already broken her heart. The pace is fast, the plot compelling and the relationships interesting and intriguing. This is a book that grips you all the way through. I cant wait until the author writes more.

Think, the pulse of a thriller with beautiful prose, throw in a couple of mind blowing twists and then sprinkle a touch of heartbreak in for good measure, and brava! One of the best crime books I've read in years!

Anna and Reid used to be a couple until Reid’s sister and Anna’s best friend omitted suicide. Eighteen moths later Anna who is an undercover journalist in going undercover to investigate a murder at Cambridge university. But suddenly Anna goes missing and one of her colleagues as him for help as he is a detective with the MET police to find her.
This is my first book I am reading from this order. I will be honest. I struggled with this book all the way through. I found it slow and too many Points of views to grab my attention. This is not a bad written book but just not for me. 3 stars

Gytha Lodge writes great books - twisty, fast-paced and totally immersive. I loved the series featuring detective Jonah Sheens and was intrigued to read this standalone crime novel.

This story centres on an investigation by an American journalist, Anna Sousa, who is digging into the circumstances surrounding the death of s student at Cambridge University. Going undercover and moving among the rich and elite students, Anna seems to be closing in on some very unpalatable truths. She begins writing her notes down in an email to Reid Murray, a British detective and Anna's ex - they're not really in a good place, but he's the only one who will understand. Then Anna goes missing, and her ex is the only one who can help her...

I liked the way that the book was structured, moving between Anna's father (who is looking for her), Reid and the email to Reid containing Anna's account of what happened. It's a clever model and allows insights into the separate characters and the situations they put themselves in. It also brings a great deal of tension into the book, as Anna mixes with the students knowing that one of them may be a killer - and puts herself in constant danger of discovery to get some answers. The suspense builds as the account gets closer to the University's May Ball, while Reid and Anna's father try to find her.

I'd recommend this to fans of clever crime fiction - it will keep you guessing with your heart in your mouth!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy of this book. It is due for publication on 3rd July, 2025.

This was a difficult and slow read for me. The story is narrated by Anna, the central character at the heart of the book who goes undercover to Cambridge University to investigate the deaths of 2 female students, both of whom have died under suspicious circumstances.

I found the story disjointed and hard to follow so it just didn't seem to flow very well

Very slow going, the story was told by Anna writing an email to her ex boyfriend Reid when she goes undercover to Cambridge university to find out what happened to 2 female students both found under suspicious circumstances and one being the sister of Reid.
I just did not like the narrative as I never knew who was speaking ,and couldn't gel with any of the characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

I felt a little bombed with characters, situations and settings very early on and had to re erad some sections to get a handle on who each charatcer was and how they related to each other, making the initial foray into the book harder work than I would have anticipated and the ending a flurry of tying up of loose ends.
For me there is a defnite issue with pacing and how/when information is revealed that makes the book a bit disjointed.

Detective Reid Murray's sister is among the two young female students who have been discovered dead in drug-related situations in Cambridge University. Journalist Anna Sousa's mission is to investigate the killings by pretending to be Aria Lauder, an excellent rower and American postgraduate. However, making friends with students James, Kit, Esther, and Ryan could be risky, and the May Ball at the university could be a dangerous event. There are a lot of twists and turns in this complicated plot. Among the many intriguing characters in this captivating book is the feisty Anna, who is occasionally a little too independent for her own good but always has the best of intentions.

Sorry to say that I really couldn’t get into this book and gave up just under half way through. I love this author and have read many of her books but I just wasn’t invested in this one . 3 stars from me

I really couldn't get into this book. The format of having the main character narrating most of the story as a very long, supposedly urgent email to her ex-boyfriend, who happens to be a detective, just didn't work for me. Multiple characters are introduced early on with very little backstory. This making it difficult to remember anything about them when they crop up again. It may well have improved as the book progressed but I couldn't get past the first 25%. A shame as I've enjoyed Gytha Lodge's books previously.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

One of my favourite things about the way Gytha Lodge writes is the way she creates her characters' voices. They're so distinct and particularly relatable. This is a great mystery novel told from different perspectives, with countless twists and unique voices telling the story.
There was an added layer of enjoyment for me as my husband was a student at Cambridge and I spent several years visiting him there and being an outsider looking in to the Cambridge culture, dominated by money and privilege.
Definitely one I will be buying and gifting to friends at Christmas.

What I fabulous read and will be recommending to everyone!

Anna, an American journalist goes undercover to find out the truth whether two Cambridge university students accidentally overdosed. She has to try and join the Elite wealthy group to see if indeed one of them or all of them were responsible, what she didn’t expect was to actually start liking them but when she goes missing after ‘The May Ball’ who can save her perhaps her ex boyfriend Reid who is a detective in the Met.

The story is predominantly told through Anna’s point of view and we learn of the events leading up to the May Ball through a draft email to Reid which was never sent but can he use the information given to find her and bring the murderer to justice.

This book has many twists and turns and so full of suspense and I was so invested in the characters from an early stage that I just had to carry on reading to find out what happened.

Anna is an investigative journalist. Reid is a detective who worked with her. Together they form a romantic bond which is broken when tragedy strikes and Reid's bitter accusations tear them apart.
Anna thought she'd moved on. She's taken on a new assignment investigating the mysterious death of a student in Cambridge. She should be independent but finds herself conflicted by the past tragedy. As she finds herself drawn more and more into a world where no-one is quite what they seem, she senses danger and starts an email to Reid to help her gather her thoughts. And then Anna disappears. The race is on to solve the mystery and Reid is once again entangled in Anna's life.
Brought to my attention on NetGalley, I was intrigued by the tagline and decided to give the book a go. I was soon hooked and, until I reached the end, I was frustrated every time life intervened and forced me to put the book down. A thrilling read, with twists, turns, sinister notes and an unpredictable ending.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
I adored the Jonah Sheens series so super excited to be able to read this talented authors new standalone. A clever concept as the POV of Anna is told through an email to Detective Reid Murray and gives this dark academia story an edge from the off. It's wonderfully written and the build up to the climax is expertly and effortlessly executed. The story is rich in detail and full of twists and turns. The characters are sublime and none of them are to be trusted which just adds to the suspense- I suspected them all apart from the actual culprit resulting in a cracker of an ending. Perfection personified Ms Lodge and a massive 5⭐️