I've liked all Gytha Lodge's books - this one's a standalone, not featuring her usual police detective Jonah Sheen. The detective here is Reid Murray, ex-boyfriend of undercover journalist Anna Sousa, who seems very likely to have got herself into hot water infiltrating a group of wealthy students at Cambridge University.

Two young women students - one of them Reid's sister - have been found dead in drug-related incidents. There may be more to the deaths than meets the eye, and it's Anna's job - posing as an American postgrad and elite rower called Aria Lauder - to find out what. But befriending students James, Kit, Esther and Ryan may be a dangerous game, and the university's May Ball a dangerous night.

The story is told through the medium of a very long draft email from Anna to Reid, alongside the attempts of her father and ex-boyfriend to track her down after she doesn't return from the ball.

As always, a great read.

I loved this book! Such an original concept reading the story from Anna/Aria's point of view, as well as her email to Reid telling her story.
I was intrigued throughout the whole book and I absolutely loved Anna, and her stilted relationship with Seaton.
Undercover, Aria manages to infiltrate murdered Holly's group of friends, with each member being a suspect. The continuation of the email to Reid builds the suspense and illustrates Aria's growing unease and the tangled web of university secrets. The author masterfully presents us with multiple red herrings, keeping us guessing until the final, shocking twist. Dead to Me is a psychological thriller that explored the dark side of academia and the complexity of friendships, love and family.
I'd have liked the ending to have told us more about Anna's relationship with Seaton going forward but this is a fantastic book that I'd highly recommend.

A journalist tries to infiltrate an exclusive set at Cambridge after one of their members drowns at the May Ball.

What I liked about this book: It's written mainly from the POV of Anna, the journalist, in an email to her ex, explaining what's she's doing and why. This is very effective in ranking up the tension. The characters are all well formed, especially Anna and her ex, Reid. I also liked the way the book gives you an insight into the goings on of the weill-off students at Cambridge.

What I wasn't sure about: I thoroughly enjoyed this book but the one thing I wasn't sure about was the final few pages. It read a bit garbled and I wondered a couple of times if something had gone wrong with the typesetting,

Overall a convincing thriller. which was very enjoyable and realistic. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC,

A compelling thriller. Very early on in the story Seaton realises his daughter, Anna, an investigative journalist currently pursuing a story undercover, has gone missing whilst pursuing a story about a suspicious death. The story is told mostly in the form of a long email by Anna to her ex-partner, a detective called Reid but also flips to 'real time' aswhen Anna disappears, her father Seaton finds the email in her draft items folder and sends it to Reid.

Through the contents of the email the reader follows Anna's attempts to find the truth behind the death of a student called Holly at Cambridge and the dynamics between the group of wealthy students that Holly hung out with. The group of students are interesting characters in their own rights, with their own flaws and complicated family relationships. On top of this, Anna is also investigating the death of Reid's sister, Tanya, who she was very close to and who also died at Cambridge - it seems clear to Anna that Holly's death and Tanya's are linked.

It seems anyone in the particular group of students Anna is mixing with could be involved in Holly's death - but the ending is suitably both tense and unexpected. A really good read which I'd recommend to anyone who likes a good page-turning thriller.

Dead to Me by Gytha Lodge is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that skillfully unravels the dark complexities of friendship, betrayal, and buried secrets. The story follows a detective’s investigation into a chilling crime that forces her to confront painful memories from her own past. Lodge’s sharp writing and expertly crafted suspense create a tense, engaging atmosphere from the very start.

The characters are well-drawn, particularly the protagonist, whose emotional connection to the case adds layers of depth to the story. Lodge captures the nuances of complicated relationships and the lingering impact of past trauma with sensitivity and realism. While some twists are easy to spot, the emotional weight behind them keeps the narrative compelling. The interplay between the present-day investigation and flashbacks adds to the sense of unease and emotional complexity.

The pacing is generally strong, though the middle section slows slightly as the story dives deeper into character backstory. However, the final act delivers a satisfying and emotionally charged conclusion that ties the plot threads together well. Dead to Me is a smart and emotionally resonant thriller with strong character work and a gripping mystery. A solid 4-star read—perfect for fans of complex psychological thrillers.

This was a fascinating mystery with both a missing person and a suspicious death. Told alternately in the form of a long email by Anna covering several weeks of her investigating a small clique of Cambridge and in current time over a few dats by both Anna’s dad Seaton and her ex Reid. There’s a lot of background between Anna and Reid which is well explained but did give this the feel of being part of a series rather than a standalone however I did like tension this caused between the two characters and how it made things awkward between Reid and Seaton when Seaton contacted him in concern at Anna’s disappearance. The clique are quite a mix of flawed characters and certainly made Anna’s investigation more interesting as you could easily believe any were capable of anything. This isn’t very fast paced but it’s quite a compelling read and the ending was certainly unexpected which I loved.

Didn’t sit with me sadly. Telling the whole back story in monologues felt a bit contrived and unnatural. Anna grabbering away on long email to Reid felt a bit bizarre to be honest .

I’m not usually a fan of 1st person books in any case so this just wasn’t for me. I’m sure there are readers who will love it

I went into this blind, because it was enough to know it had been written by Gytha Lodge.
I was not disappointed at all.
It kept me on my toes and guessing almost to the last page.
I liked Anna, with all her flaws.
I enjoyed the relationship she now has with her dad, and I admire that she kept digging and digging and digging until we all got answers.
Great stuff.