One of the pre-requisites of a crime novel is to draw you in from the outset, this book certainly did that. It was a very clever plot and really held my attention all the way through it.
Really interesting characters and locations. It was good to read a story set in Southampton.

There are several twists and turns and it is a very good read, that you might find hard to put down. Brilliant

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

This is the second novel I've read by this author and the second to feature the detective Jonah Sheens. Just as gripping as the previous book ('She Lies in Wait'). The novel opens with a man, Aidan, waiting by his computer to Skype his girlfriend but, following the sounds of a scuffle, she never appears and Aidan, reluctantly, calls the police anonymously and giving them very little information to go on - but they do find a body. There are many twists and turns before the killer is revealed; as you might expect, there are a couple of twists in the tale and it's an excellent page-turner.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading Watching from the Dark. Great story line with twists and turns. Kept me guessing till the end.

I enjoyed this one.
A solid police procedural thriller with strong characterisation and a strong plot. It also flowed well and the twists came aplenty.
I didn't guess the killer (although I didn't try) and the ending was very satisfying.
My only criticism was the switching between first and surnames at the beginning which made it difficult to remember who was who, but not for long.
Would definitely recommend and will look for more by this author.

Nice to have a murder story where each person on the DCI's team each has their own strengths, rather than combining them into one person - usually of the opposite sex. It makes for a much more evenhanded and believable story. All these people have their strengths - and weaknesses - that mesh very well together. It's this team work that helps to sort out the murder and find the killer.

Brilliant book - I look forward to the next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I read a free advance review copy. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Watching from the Dark has a great opening concept: a man witnessing - or rather, overhearing - the murder of his girlfriend via Skype. But why is Aidan Poole so reluctant to report his concerns about Zoe to the police? He’s clearly hiding something. But he’s not the only one...

Jonah Sheens and his team, previously seen in the excellent She Lies in Wait, find there’s a lot to unravel in the investigation of what happened to art student Zoe Swardadine. Her on-off relationship with Aidan, her friends - fragile Angeline, jealous Victor and religious Maeve - and her landlord Felix all have their part to play.

I liked that the murdered Zoe - seen in flashbacks as her relationship with Aidan developed, as well as through the eyes of her friends - emerged as a fully rounded person with flaws and strengths, rather than just as a murder victim. (I’m interested in how the author comes up with her character names - “Swardadine” was unusual enough for me to google for any others, but the only results were this book!)

An excellent read, recommended.

This gets 4.5 stars rounded down!
The last book I read/reviewed was one that I had to get through 75% before the ' I love it/must read to end' feeling hit me. Watching From The Dark gave me this feeling in the first chapter. Definitely, for my reading. a novel idea to witness a probable murder.
Two important reasons why I could not give it 5 stars:
1) After the first chapter the book drops into a typical police murder thriller with 4 police of differing grades and temperaments trying to sift through Camera footage and statements from unhelpful witnesses
2) I simply did not get to know any of the police team in enough depth, although the motley collection of possible culprits are described and detailed throughout.
The last third of the book picks up as the reader is pointed in different directions to determine whodunnit.
The ending was good and it is hard trying to work out who did it and why. I'm glad the author did not provide us with what I always call a Hollywood ending with a chase/fight/saved just in time scenario.
Definitely worth a read but I would like to see the characters of the police team brought more into the storyline

This the sequel to Gytha Lodge's DCI Jonah Sheens of the Hampshire Constabulary series, a sequel I was really keen to read after enjoying She Lies In Wait. This is a multilayered blend of psychological thriller and police procedural, and it has a intriguing and fabulous beginning. Aidan Poole is a lecturer, on his laptop late at night, on skype to his girlfriend, Zoe Swardadine, only she has made her way to have a bath. He is waiting, looking at her flat, when he hears someone enter the flat, go into the bathroom, Aidan hears noises that sound like a deadly assault, then nothing. He is afraid that Zoe is dead but is reluctant to phone the police. Why? Sheens sees a message about the report of a death which he eventually decides to follow up, which leads to the discovery of Zoe's body, apparently having committing suicide, except for the chemical smell lingering on Zoe's face that makes it clear that this is without doubt a murder.

So Jonah and his team of detectives, Domnall O'Malley, Ben Lightman and Juliette Hanson begin to investigate, although O'Malley is left with the remnants of a blackmail case to complete. They begin to draw up a list of Zoe's circle of friends and family. Zoe is a gifted student artist whose talent has emerged in the last year, working part time at Gina's upmarket Coffee shop, with a close circle of friends that include the emotionally broken Angeline Judd, the Christian Maeve Silver, involved with her church pastor, the tempestuous Brazilian Victor Varos and retired PTSD suffering Felix Solomon, Zoe's landlord. The narrative goes back and forth in time from twenty months ago, at Zoe getting ready for Gina's wedding, where at the reception she first meets and is attracted to the sulky good looking Aidan. An intense relationship develops between the two of them, played out amidst the background of the issues, feelings and drama of Zoe's friends that lead to her murder.

Lodge writes a beautifully plotted and well written twisted story that unfolds slowly to reveal the surprising and horrifying truth of what happened to Zoe and why. Sheens and his team each play their integral part in uncovering the truth, and along the way suspect almost everyone of being the potential killer. Lodge creates a host of diverse characters that draw in the reader with ease, that you get to know well, as their secrets and lies are revealed one after the other. This is a great addition to a great series that I found compulsive reading and so very engrossing. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Rating: 4 stars

I was looking forward to reading this after the previous Jonah Sheens book, and I was not disappointed! I just love how Lodge writes, she really paints a picture and doesn't leave any detail out, the story really flows.

I liked the story, with these kinds of novels I can never figure out who did it, and this was the same. And it was good because I was hooked through out the whole book, and I couldn't put it down until I found out who did it.

I do hope there are more DCI Jonah Sheens books, I love all the characters in the team and how they all work together!

4.5 stars
I enjoyed She Lies in Wait when I read it earlier this year so I was quite excited to get my hand on this, the second in the series. I wasn't disappointed either as I pretty much read start to finish in just a couple of sittings only breaking for food and being as it was Christmas Day, there was much of that to be had!
We start with Aidan video-chatting his girlfriend Zoe but what he sees shocks him to the core. There is someone in the flat with her, someone who looks like they mean her harm. But circumstances dictate that he hesitates before anonymously reporting the incident in a bit of a cryptic way. The report reaches DCI Jonah Sheens' desk and he is intrigued by it and decides to delve a little more into it. And then they discover the body and the investigation begins in earnest. But is soon becomes apparent that everyone loved Zoe. No one in her close circle of friends and family has a bad word to say about her. At least not on the surface. But... do a little digging and who knows what will come up. That's exactly what Sheens and his team have to do as pretty much everyone becomes a suspect and he has to whittle them down to get to the bottom of what happened to Zoe and why?
This is a great example of a Police Procedural. Multiple suspects, secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour, it really has it all and very well executed to boot. My head spun round and round as I tried to figure it all out ahead of the police but, although the eventual baddie was high up on my list, I got myself in a bit of a pickle trying to whittle it down as there was so much duplicity going on. Sheens and his team eventually peel back all the layers to expose the shocking truth of the matter although they are also blinded by lies and the rather strange cast of suspects. But they plod on and all pull together very well to get there in the end. I do like the way that the team all rub along well and do not tend to suffer from the usual things that tend to blight fictional cops. They are an eclectic mix but it works well with Sheens at the helm.
Pacing is good and there is pretty much no superfluous waffle or padding so the story gets on well with itself. I am definitely looking forward to the next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was quite an intriguing book but I did find it a little slow in places. An okay read. This was quite an intriguing book but I did find it a little slow in places. An okay read.

An extremely confusing story that flitted back and forth in time and affected lots of peoples lives. Confusing or not I read to the very end. A surprising culprit but felt the very end was a little wishy washy

A great opening chapter and hook, someone witnessing a murder through the lens of a webcam. The main body of the detective thriller let us look more closely at the intertwined lives of the victim and possible suspects. Some interesting characters amongst the police including an ex DCI. I had a few issues with the story though. All of the witnesses or potential suspects lied to the police, so trying to play detective was impossible. The motive for the murder wasn’t given enough priority and the detailed way the murder was planned was most implausible. The murder weapon was only sufficient for the job if the victim was in the bath and that for the murderer was pure luck. Furthermore, in the seconds needed to subdue the victim there would have been a lot of thrashing of limbs and water all over the bathroom floor. It was just all too perfect. Having said all that, it was a very entertaining read.

I started to read this book in the dark when I went to bed, and wow I din't expect that tension at the beginning. It was brilliant.
This is a Police Procedural murder mystery where DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are investigating a murder that looks like a suicide at first sight. We get to know the characters going back and forth in time slowly, and it makes you keep guessing who did this. There are many twists and turns. I loved the writing. It was a quality thriller with details and very good dialogue. I really cared for the people and tried to guess.
Great ending too. Totally recommended!

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had read "She Lies in Wait " previously and loved it so I was delighted to read this second book in the series and I wasn't disappointed ,what a brilliant story !.This is a Police Procedural and DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are investigating a murder that is made to look like a suicide .There are plenty of twists and turns the story is gripping and compelling .I wrongly guessed the murderer several times until I got it right just at the very end !!Thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one in the series .Many Thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I enjoyed Gytha Lodge's first book and this is another solid police procedural in the same vein. You don't need to have read the first one to enjoy this at all.

Aidan Poole is online one night when he witnesses the murder of his girlfriend, Zoe, on Skype. He delays reporting the crime, thus incriminating himself in the investigation that is subsequently launched. DCI Jonah Sheens leads the police search for the killer which involves digging into Zoe's life; her friends, family and neighbours are all under suspicion, but everyone seems to have their own secrets.

I liked that the timeline of the investigation is set alongside flashbacks of Aidan and Zoe's relationship so the reader could trace the issues that may or may not be important in the denouement. Its cleverly written and I did not see the final solution coming which is always a bonus! My only reservation is that DCI Sheens and his team are a bit bland in terms of personality - I like that their personal lives don't overshadow the investigation, as happens in some other detective series, but I wasn't always clear who was who as they were pretty interchangeable.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys tightly plotted and well-written police procedurals. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the third book in the series.

I hadn’t read the 1st in the series. But that didn’t hold me back . You can get stuck right in . Your on the edge of your seat not sure where the author is at taking things next. It was well written

I really enjoyed this book. When Aiden Poole watches what he believes is his girlfriends murder on his webcam he struggles to know what to do. If he reports it then the truth about their affair risks being found out but he must do something and he doesn’t know where she even lives so can’t go round and check what’s going on. What follows is a rollercoaster of a murder mystery which kept me on my toes and I kept changing my mind over who was responsible as none of her friends or acquaintances seem to be telling the complete truth and everyone seems to have recently fallen out with the victim for some reason. This book does not disappoint and is a great read.

This is the second book featuring DCI Jonah Sheens; not having read the first one, I still found this a good stand alone read. Jonahs next case is slightly unusual in that the suspected murder isn't seen in person but an inkling caught on Skype. Aidan is at his home, waiting for his girlfriend Zoe to get in so that he can Skype her. She’s later than he expects, and goes she goes straight to have a bath, not noticing that he is watching her. Aidan catches a glimpse of someone coming into Zoe’s flat, making for the bathroom. Sinister noises are heard, and the mystery caller leaves, still with Aidan not seeing who this person is. Aidan is worried that something has happened to Zoe. The problem is he doesn’t know where she lives.

This is well thought out, with complicated, flawed characters. The current investigation and flash backs to Zoe’s life, run together, starting 18 months earlier, when Zoe first starts dating Aidan, not realising he’s married. There are several friends of Zoe’s who become suspects including Aidan and her landlord Felix. Whilst I really liked the police investigations I felt a bit frustrated with some of Zoe’s life, I didn’t warm to either her or Aidan. However the pace of this was excellent, and I hadn’t guessed who did it, which is always a bonus. I will certainly look out for the next one in this series.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review