I enjoy a good detective drama story, and this one didn't disappoint. It had a solid storyline, well built characters and kept me reading. I wouldn't say it was a favourite or one that I have kept thinking about after finishing, but it was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't hesitate to read more from the author in future if I had the opportunity.

Gytha Lodge has created a masterful mystery that draws you in and keeps you guessing right up to the explosive ending. She has skilfully interwoven the personal histories of six close friends and a killer into an intense and exciting story. As they return to their hometown after a tragic accident in their youth, they find that one of them has an old and horrible secret. Everyone is a suspect, but can they trust anyone? Who do they trust?

Lodge creates an intriguing narrative with just enough questions and suspense to keep you guessing throughout. She brings her characters to life with depth and emotion and gives each one their own unique and dark backstory. Through unexpected twists and turns, readers will be constantly guessing as to who the real killer is. Lodge’s debut novel is a thrilling ride and a must read for any fan of suspense and mystery.

Thank you to Penguin UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to review she lies in wait by Gytha Lodge.

This is the first book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series and the first book by Gytha Lodge I have read.

I enjoyed this book and enjoyed the storyline of many of the characters. 14 year old Aurora is going camping with her older sister and sister's friends, who don't really want her there and are all there for partying. Aurora is a bit out of her depth and her sister doesn't seem to care about her. They all get a bit drunk etc and Aurora goes missing.

Her remains are found 30 years later when DCI Jonah Sheens gets on the case and they re-open it and quiz all the friends and a local teacher who taught Aurora to get to the bottom of this crime.

I enjoyed the back and forth between the past and the future and all the kids, but I didn't really connect with Jonah. Maybe it would have been a bit nicer to find out more about him and his colleagues as I didn't think I really knew him or them. I think it worked very well as a one off book, the solving of the crime etc, but if Jonah is to be the main character of future books , I'd like to find out a lot more about him and his past and to relate to his colleagues more and for him to be a little more outgoing to keep my interest. I'd be interested to see where this goes. 3.5 - 4 stars

This is the first book in a new series. A group of teens go camping, and one of them goes missing. Thirty years later, the missing girl's remains are found. The investigation looks into what happened that night in the woods.

I enjoyed this book. Following police officer Jonah Sheens as he has to unpick everything he knows about the six surviving campers from that fateful trip 30 yrs previously. It's a long time to carry a secret and one of them had to know what really happened. Dealing with preconceived ideas about the family and friends who he has known since his childhood makes solving the case very interesting and intricate with some red herrings thrown in.
The narration is switched between 1983 and the present which really works for this book. I had to keep turning the pages because I needed to know what happened and it left me sick to my stomach when everything was revealed.
I would happily recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

This is the first in a series with DCI Jonah Sheen and his team. Thirty years ago seven teens went camping in the woods but only six returned. Now the skeleton if missing teen Aurora has turned leading to an investigation on what happened and who was to blame.
The discovery leads to the others being contacted and all their lives have been haunted by the question of what happened to Aurora?
The story is told in dual timeline of the past and present.
I loved the characters in this book particularly Jonah Sheen and his team. As the story unfolds there are so many red herrings which just keep you hooked.
Thanks to Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This is an engrossing debut novel. Plenty of twists and turns, tightly plotted, with good characterisation. Highly recommended.

Not for me I just could not get into this book. I could not care less about the characters and I do not like the way it is written.

This was an excellent read that I read in two sittings. A book with plenty of twists and turns that I highly recommend.

I kept putting this off for some reason. Despite the story sounding like something I would enjoy. The type that would keep me guessing throughout.
I was getting through this easy enough. But it wasn't captivating me.
Despite thinking this was a book that would keep me guessing I found that I wasn't really making any guesses to what the truth was. I didn't care too much. I was happy to just read and let the book tell me.
Overall I'm underwhelmed. I expected to love this but this is pretty average. I've read better but I've also read worse.

I think maybe I have just read too many books in this genre and gotten picky because despite its good reviews, this one didn’t hold my interest and I gave up about half way through. Not for me. Sorry!

Back in 1983 six friends go camping in the New Forest but during the camping trip Aurora who was 14 disappeared. Skip forward to the present day when a body is discovered hidden in the Forrest. DCI Sheen knows exactly who the body is before forensics can actually confirm.
DCI Sheen now has the job of investigating the 30 year old murder of Aurora. Throughout the story I could not decide which of the remaining friends was guilty of the murder.
A great book that really made me think.

A fab and distracting read from all the coronvirus news in the world right now. If you want to be immersed in an addictive book that forces you to give it attention, She Lies in Wait is a compelling and twisty thriller that will have you guessing right up until the final few chapters.
Gytha George has gone onto my watch list of authors and i can’t wait to see what she next writes.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin U.K - Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really enjoyed it. found it easy to read and ending was good i recommend it and like this author

Absolutely stunning I could not put this down.
This book sucks you in until the bitter end,extremely well written.
5 star read, I highly recommend this author.

This book twists itself in and around a tangled web of secrets and lies, like all good books should. One fateful night Aurora disappeared, seven entered the campsite, but only six left. As the book opens over two decades after Aurora’s disappearance, we learn that she never left. Her body is discovered at the place she was last seen, in a hideaway that was used by the other six friends.

This tragedy should have split the friends apart, but instead it solidified them as a group. With each person protecting the others, there are a lot of secrets that are hidden which will all be revealed. As Jonah Sheens investigates the case, after 30 years will the secret which kept people so close, keep them close or tear them apart?

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

In July of 1983 Aurora Jackson went missing after she went on a camping trip with her older sister Topaz and Topaz’s friends. Now more than thirty years later a child later comes across some bones that belong to the missing Aurora. Detective Jonah Sheens is in charge of the case and determined to find out what happened back then when he was just a rookie on his first case.

She Lies in Wait is the first book in Detective Jonah’s series in which the chapters alternate between the current investigation and the past . A slow starter with characters that I fount difficult to connect with made it an Ok read for me .

I would like to thank the publisher & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

She Lies In Wait is a totally compelling and creepily atmospheric murder mystery.

This is a solid start to a new police procedural series and I enjoyed getting to know DCI Jonah Sheens, with his darker side and emotional baggage. I particularly liked DC Juliette Hanson; she is a really strong character with a credible attitude and personality. I will be happy to read more about how this team works together.

She Lies In Wait is also interesting from a psychological angle. All of the characters have their own drivers and motivations, their flaws and their good points, and each is well brought to life by Gytha Lodge. Aurora’s tale is completely heart-breaking and I really felt for her. The ‘suspects’ all had things to hide and I changed my mind about ‘whodunit’ at least a dozen times. And I was still wrong!

I was gripped by this story and read it quickly. I highly recommend She Lies In Wait, particularly to readers looking for a new procedural series to get their teeth into. Book 2, Watching from the Dark, is out next month and I am lucky to have a copy from the publisher so will be diving into that very soon.