Anna Sousa is a determined young American journalist working undercover, relentlessly pursuing a major exposé. Her investigation leads her deep into the elite world of Cambridge University, where a series of suspicious deaths has caught her attention. Adopting the alias Aria Lauder, Anna infiltrates the inner circles of privilege and tradition, hoping to uncover the truth behind the façade. Along the way, she sends heartfelt, revealing emails to her ex-boyfriend, Detective Reid Murray—who, unbeknownst to him, has a personal stake in the unfolding mystery.

Back in London, Anna’s flamboyant father, Seaton Laws, is eagerly awaiting her for lunch the day after the prestigious May Ball. At first, he’s unfazed by her absence—Anna has never been known for punctuality, and he’s aware of the risks her work involves. But as time passes and she still doesn’t appear, his concern grows into alarm, prompting him to contact Reid.

What follows is a gripping, atmospheric mystery steeped in the rich traditions and shadows of dark academia. The story unfolds through three key perspectives: Seaton’s anxious observations, Reid’s quiet determination, and Anna’s own voice, delivered through the poignant emails she never sends. Each narrative thread deepens our understanding of Anna—her boldness, her moral compass, and her relentless drive—as well as the complex cast of characters that surrounds her.

The Cambridge setting is beautifully captured, from the cloistered colleges to the champagne-soaked rituals of the upper crust. The students Anna investigates—Esther, Ryan, Kit, James—are as intriguing as they are enigmatic. With each interaction, the sense of unease builds. Who’s hiding something? Who can be trusted? The tension simmers, then boils over as the May Ball approaches, culminating in a finale that is shocking yet entirely earned. The twists kept me constantly second-guessing, my loyalties shifting with every chapter.

What makes this novel truly stand out is its intricate character work and emotional resonance. Whether it’s Seaton’s larger-than-life charm (you can almost hear him ordering another bottle of Roederer), Reid’s internal conflict, or Anna’s fierce resolve, the people in this story feel real—and their struggles, raw.

The ending caught me off guard, not because it was implausible, but because it was so smartly executed. It landed with impact and emotional weight, leaving me both satisfied and unsettled.

Gytha Lodge delivers yet again. Her storytelling is razor-sharp, her pacing expertly controlled, and her sense of place immersive. I’ve consistently rated her work highly, and this book only reaffirms why. If you’re new to her writing, this standalone is a fantastic entry point—and if you love twisty, intelligent thrillers with a dark academia edge, this one’s a must-read.

I was asked by NetGalley to review this book and I really enjoyed this psychological thriller.

Modern take on this by using emails to tell the story. Aria who is working undercover and intercepts a murdered group of friends and each one is a suspect in her murder. With the emails keeps moving the suspense on with secrets within the university and an academic dark side. The author weaves a good story with twists and turns throughout keeping the reader guessing right till the very end.

Recommended read due for publication July 3 2025.

Absolutely bl**dy brilliant!
Dead To Me is the best book I've read so far this year.

Annna is an American journalist who does a lot of high profile undercover work. Anna goes undercover at Cambridge University to investigate the suspected murder of another student.

Whilst undercover Anna writes an email to her ex who is a detective for the MET Police. Anna and Reid had a nasty break up 18 months ago, after Reid's sister committed suicide.
However, Anna did not believe that to be the truth, which lead to Anna and Reid breaking up.

It is up to Anna to try and solve the suspected murder or murders as Anna believes.

Will Reid save Anna from the mess she has dug up.

If you’re a fan of dark academia with a thriller twist, Dead to Me ticks all the boxes – atmospheric, sharp and emotionally gripping. Gytha Lodge blends investigative journalism, murder, and romantic tension in a layered and addictive mystery set against the cloistered backdrop of Cambridge University.

Anna, an American journalist with a sharp instinct and a stubborn streak, finds herself pulled into a suspicious death among Cambridge’s elite. It’s the sort of story that could change her career – but the deeper she digs, the murkier the truth becomes, especially when whispers of police corruption enter the frame. And just when she needs a reliable ally, the only one she can trust is Reid, the detective who once broke her heart.

The format of the book is clever and engaging, with Anna’s unsent emails to Reid forming a narrative thread that slowly unravels her inner turmoil, emotional baggage, and unshaken resolve. Reid and his sister offer compelling perspectives that fill out the picture – and the dynamic between Anna and Reid is as full of spark as it is hurt.

Lodge writes Cambridge with chilling intimacy. The traditions, the elitism, and the cold veneer of privilege are all laid bare – a world where secrets fester behind ivy-covered walls and danger lurks behind polite smiles. The pacing is excellent, with twists and red herrings that had my head spinning. Just when you think you’ve cracked it, the rug is pulled again.

There’s real depth to the characters too. Anna’s vulnerability is matched only by her drive, and Reid’s quiet intensity brings a measured contrast. Their chemistry simmers throughout, never overshadowing the plot but adding emotional weight when it counts.

Dark, intelligent, and unpredictable, Dead to Me is a brilliant addition to the genre. It’ll grip you with its mystery and leave you thinking about its characters long after the final page.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

4.5 rounded up

Anna Sousa is a young, driven American undercover journalist who deals in injustices and is currently on the trail of a huge story. This investigation centres around the rarified world of Cambridge University and suspicious deaths. She takes the name of Aria Lauder and dives into their world, ready to crash in and see what she can learn. During the process, she writes long emails to her ex, Detective Reid Murray who has a personal interest in this story although he is oblivious of what Anna/Aria is up to. Meanwhile, Anna’s father Seaton Laws awaits her arrival for a slap up lunch the day after the May Ball and she’s a no-show. Initially, he’s not worried as she’s notorious for being late and he knows what she’s been doing but he grows an increasingly anxious, anxious enough to call Reid for help.

What a cracking read. I’m a big fan of dark academia mystery/thrillers and this is a good one, capturing the atmosphere of the university and its surroundings, its traditions and those lucky enough to attend. I’m hooked from the start, enjoying the way the author tells the tale principally from the perspective of Seaton, Reid and Anna herself via the emails to Reid. They all shine a light on Anna herself, her personality, her bravery and dogged pursuit of a big story as well as illuminating the personalities in her life, especially Reid, his sister and the students whose orbit she’s trying to break into. I can picture them all from her champagne quaffing father ( I’ll have the Roederer please, thanks) to Esther, Ryan, Kit and James from whom she’s trying to elicit the truth. I have my fingers crossed that the guilty ones are not those I’ve grown to like, but they’re principally crossed for the welfare of Anna/Aria who is fantastic.

The plot is immersive, there are moments of absolute chill, who is trustworthy and who is the snake in the grass? There are so many twists and turns that my suspicion antenna nearly flies off because it’s gone back-and-forth so many times. These characters lives are complex as are their personalities, their relationships and dynamics and so it’s fascinating trying to figure the puzzle out. I love the way it slowly builds and escalates as it reaches the May Ball. The ending is unexpected, it’s not left field at all, it’s one that I hadn’t foreseen but makes perfect sense. Well played.

Overall, this is an atmospheric and engrossing read from Gytha Lodge. She’s a terrific writer and I’ve never rated her books less than four stars so can therefore highly recommend her novels and if you’ve not read her books before, this one off is a good place to start.

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

Wow! Gytha Lodge is back! A stunning read - gripping, tense and just what I was hoping it would be. I'll definitely be buying a physical copy once it's published.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Dead to Me, a standalone thriller by Gytha Lodge, The story follows Anna, an American journalist investigating a suspicious death and police corruption at Cambridge University. As she delves deeper, she finds herself in danger and realizes that the only person she can trust is Reid, the British detective who once broke her heart. Anna investigates a high-stakes case but becomes the target herself, forcing her to rely on Reid.
It’s a story of tension, intrigue, and complex relationships.

Anna and Reid are two people with a complicated past. Their fractured relationship forces them to navigate trust in high-stakes situations. The story delves into police corruption and the elite world of Cambridge University, highlighting the dangers of unchecked authority. As Anna investigates a suspicious death, she finds herself increasingly isolated, making her reliance on Reid all the more significant, the tension between uncovering the truth and staying alive plays a crucial role in the story.

It is an intriguing read which i really enjoyed and would recommend for anyone who likes psychological thrillers.

Great story and unique idea. Our lead character Anna/ Aria is an undercover journalist who has infiltrated the
"Hoorays" (Rich college kids) as she believes a student Holly was murdered not just overdosed. But she emails her ex boyfriend Reid keeping him up to date on the story. Reid is a police officer. I loved Anna. Her pursuit of the truth and determination not to give up. There are fingers pointed at several suspects including the enigmatic Kit - the leader of the pack so to speak. In the end it's a satisfying conclusion. If you're looking for a beach read this is it! Go Anna! Denise x

Anna and Reid weren't meant to be. She is a fiery journalist and he is a stoic British detective. But now she is investigating a story, it seems he may be the only one she can trust to save her. She starts writing to Reid, with no intention of sending it but now she is in trouble.

I do love a dark academia story and this one involved a bunch of interesting topics. While this was a little slower than my usual novels, once I got into it, I was invested the story.

This was literally dead to me had to keep rerunning the plot and my brain couldn't compute the storyline gist. So all in all much to my despair I don't know what I liked or disliked about this as I'm none the wiser. With regret.

A great read and a clever plot. Lots of twists and turns throughout the book and a clever ending. Will look forward to future books by this author.

Dead to Me was a twisty little page turner that kept me reading past bedtime (oops!). It is one of those books that quietly knows how to pull you in without needing to shout about it. Gytha Lodge knows exactly how to write a suspense with a heartbeat and the detective duo? Loved them. The primese felt grounded and believable, a novel that balances mystery and development really well.

The story moves between past and present smoothly, revealing just enough at the right times to keep me curious but never confused. It’s not overly flashy or twisty for the sake of it, but the turns it does take are smart and satisfying.

And, the ending? It was quietly powerful, unexpected in a good way.

I love all of Lodge's novels so was very excited to read this! It did not disappoint. I was gripped from the very first page. It is a really good mystery that keeps you on your toes. I wont give any spoilers but this is must read for thriller fans.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Gytha Lodge and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

I love Lodge’s Sheen series so was excited for this one but unfortunately it just didn’t grab me. The plot is good but in reality the book was very slow and I struggled to keep engaged with it. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters nor the long monologue style of telling the story.

A gripping intense read with lots of twists. Every time I turned a page I thought someone else was the guilty party. Highly recommend this book

This was an enjoyable thriller, told from various povs to keep the story and tension going. Women are dying of drug overdoses in the elite halls of Cambridge University. Dismissed as accidents, our MFC is convinced there is more at play here. As she's a reporter used to undercover work, and has a personal stake in finding out the truth, it doesn't take long for Anna to get swept up in everything. It's more than just drugs however, she has to face who she is, choices she's made along the way and new choices that could hurt all the more.

The pace started to lag a little in the middle, once the first major reveal happened, and then picked up again about 100 pages later, which made it a little hard going at times, but I'm glad I carried on with it, as it was good to read all the strands come together.

The ending was a little lacklustre - after all these pages, it was great to get a conclusion to who was the killer (albeit it was obvious) but there was nothing after really. Nothing about the characters coming back together, nothing about how these relationships will work after. Most of all, I would have loved for the killer to be brought face to face with the true reality of what happened. No spoilers, but it felt as if it was building up to a lovely cathartic moment - which never happened.

3.5 | a really interesting thriller told via both an email, and third person POV of a few other characters, focusing on the dangerous world of the elite at Cambridge uni - some great topics, an interesting if slightly predictable twist. overall a really enjoyable thriller with fascinating characters!!

This book is slow to start then the pace really picks up and it’s gripping. It slows again towards the end, and for me, the book would have been better if it was a bit shorter. The Cambridge university setting is interesting, but I found the group of entitled wealthy people difficult to engage with. Anna is a principled journalist, who goes beyond reasonable limits to find out the truth, so I was routing for her.

Anna, is a twenty something American undercover journalist. She had her heart broken by a detective called Reid, who cruelly excised her from his life after the death of his beloved sister whom Anna was also close too. Anna is going undercover to research the mystery surrounding the death of a beautiful, talented young female student after the May Ball at Cambridge University and where she now feels in grest danger. Anna reaches out to Reid to help her, but is it too late? There are a lot of emails from Anna to Reid revisiting their relationship and its breakdown and some parallels with the death of Reid's stucent sister and what Anna is investigating now. I thought the Oxbridge death of a gilded student amongst the priveleged elite was a bit of an over worked trope in crime and mystery fiction but Gytha Lodge is a solid writer who crafted it to have a interesting twist. Ithought this was a good read and could see it being made into a Monday and tuesday night drama.

Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

I have mixed feelings about this story about a missing American journo that gets herself involved in some very dodgy investigations into human trafficking.

I liked seeing her emails to Reid, the detective who broke her heart, and then seeing the thoughts of her English father. The sheer panic of a parent when their child goes AWOL without explanation or reason was upsetting but very real.

The foundations of the story were good but it was a very slow-burn and it lost my engagement a few times.