I am afraid I am going to rain on Gytha Lodge's parade with my review of her new novel, Lie Beside Me. I got a third of the way through and honestly felt like not continuing. I think it was the boring missive written to explain Louise's alter ego, Drunk Louise. I did however persevere and found it to be a rather good story. It was a pleasant change to have a cohesive team investigating the alleged murder of Alex Plaskitt. Sadly, I thought it very remiss not to have given more immediate weight to the lack of blood at the supposed crime scene. I also mused over how a slip of a girl might move a dead weight down some stairs. Almost impossible to do without leaving evidence of the removal. So, to sum up, it had the essence of a good detective thriller but the way it was delivered almost caused me to ditch it.

This is the third outing for DCI Jonah Sheen and his team, they just keep getting better.
Louise Reakes goes out with her friend April and wakes up next to a dead man in her bed with no memory to how he got there. Louise has no idea what to do.
Louise, her husband Niall and best friend April all have secrets they are trying to hide from each other and the police. It’s Sheen’s teams job to figure out which secret has anything to do with the dead man.
This is a great police procedural and I can’t wait to read book four.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
#LieBesideMe #NetGalley

This is the third book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series by Gytha Lodge, following on from 'She Lies in Wait' and 'Watching from the Dark'. Both the previous books were excellent, so I was pleased to be granted an advance copy of 'Lie Beside Me' for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

This book opens with a nightmarish scene - a young woman wakes in her bed with a dead man next to her. She doesn't recognise him and she cannot remember the events of the night before. DCI Sheens and his team at Southampton Police are called in, but by the time they arrive, things have changed...

What follows is a clever police procedural in which Sheens and his team are called upon to investigate some tangled relationships and shady people with things to hide. As they get nearer to the truth of what happened that snowy night in Southampton, the stakes are raised once again and it is clear that the death is part of something much bigger.

As expected, this is a compelling and engaging story that covers all aspects of the police investigation - we see the interviews with suspects, the pathology, the crime scene examination, the digital analysis and the lives of those investigators at the heart of the Southampton team. For crime fiction fans (me included), this is pretty fascinating stuff - although it might not hit the spot for adrenalin junkies who like their reading more on the thriller side of things. There are some genuinely tense and creepy moments, but the focus is the unpacking of the story of what happened on the night in question.

I really liked the way that the narrative shifted between the investigation and a first-person insight into the woman at the centre of the investigation, Louise Reakes. It was interesting to hear how she started to piece together the events of the evening in tandem with the police team.

Normally I prefer crime novels that focus on the investigation and do not dwell too much on the private lives of the police officers. However, there was a sub-plot in this book centred around a female police officer, Juliette Hanson, which I thought was intriguing - I'd love to see her developed as a character even more in the next novel as she felt particularly authentic and convincing.

Overall, this is another excellent addition to the DCI Jonah Sheens series and one that I would recommend. Although this could easily be read as a stand-alone, I would still suggest starting with the first book in the series as it would enhance your understanding of the team dynamics. This is a lively and well-paced story that will keep you turning the pages to the (satisfying) end.

This is the third book in the series featuring Detective Jonah Sheens. Full of twists right until the end it had me second guessing all the time. I really enjoy the Detective Sheens books. Full of memorable characters and brilliantly written police procedures, I highly recommend them.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I enjoyed reading this book. There are many different threads of the story weaving their way across and the tension build up throughout the book.

Louise wakes up hungover from yet another drunken night out with her friend April to find a dead man in her bed. She has no memory of him but it looks bad for her. She tries unsuccessfully to cover this up and soon finds herself under suspicion. Did she do it or has something else happened?

There's a lot going on in this book. Plenty to keep you interested, engrossed even. The police characters are fully rounded (this is the third in a series featuring Jonah Sheen and his team) and it's good to get to know them better. This is definitely a series to follow. I like them a lot. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wow!!!! What a book.... full of twists, turns, red herrings and so many complicated characters that at first you feel are villains then they turn out to be sympathetic and you have the victim become traduced and then not... honestly I have no idea where I went but wow!!!. This whole book left me in a whirlpool of emotions anger, sadness, heart stopping moments and just wanting to read everything till the end!!!! This is an absolute triumph.

Excellent crime thriller just keeps you guessing till the end.
Louise got blind drunk one night then woke up to a dead body next to her that had been stabbed to death, and it wasn`t her husband!
DCI Jonah Sheers gets the case and it`s not as it seems with everyone the team interviews strange and every lie has to be sorted through. With DI Juliette Hanson trying to cope with her harassment from her ex.
It is the first one I have read in this series but will definitely read more
Love how the characters grow through the book.

This was one of the best books of the year. I grew fond of all the characters in CID whose lives were intertwined with their own personal dramas. I did wonder about Niall marrying Louise with all her drink problems, it just seemed to be accepted and, to be honest, I did find her attitude to it a bit annoying. She didn’t seem to be able to enjoy life unless she was Drunk Louise. But nevertheless this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I could have gone on reading another chapter or two to find out what happened with Jonah,s predicament and whether Juliette made up with Jason.. April was always going to be a person playing everyone to her game. I would love to read more from this author.

Gripping and twisted police procedural. A good set of characters with lots of red herrings. I ended up with no idea as to who dunnit!! Would read more by this author.

Not the sort of night out I’d like - getting plastered and ending up in bed the next morning with a dead man- who’s not your husband.
That’s what happened to Louise - a very drunk Louise.
The story follows the murder investigation by Southampton police into the man’s death - through the eyes of Drunk/sober Louise and the police, particularly Juliette Hanson and the rest of DCI Jonah Sheen’s team.
Very well written and clever police procedural with more twists and turns than you could shake a dead cat at.
There really are many blind alleys for the reader to end up in when they just think they know what happened- including myself, right up to the last few chapters where you finally find out what happened.
I did find the ‘Drunk’ Louise stories to her husband a bit tedious and drawn out but there is no doubt Gytha Lodge is an inventive writer who can keep the reader hooked.
I particularly enjoyed the back stories of the police team particularly Juliette Hanson’s.
4.5 ⭐️
Thanks to #penguinbooks and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
I thoroughly recommend this book to all crime fans.

A woman wakes up in bed and finds a strange man beside her. To make matters worse, he is dead. The police come and find the dead man in her front garden, lying in the snow. What happened? This lengthy and quite involved story of how he came to be in both places was well written but at times dragged somewhat. Several sub plots carried the story through and with red herrings aplenty, there was much to consider as more was revealed. Some interesting characters but equally some were incredibly annoying and somewhat far fetched. However, the story eventually tied up most of the loose ends and was quite an enjoyable read.

A woman awakes with a hangover. She can't remember much about the previous night, but she knows her husband, lying still in bed beside her, will be angry. And then she realises that, rather than her husband, it's a dead body lying next to her.

This police procedural was satisfyingly twisty and well plotted. Although the third in the series, I felt it worked well as a standalone and I quickly caught up with the interpersonal relationships of those on the investigating team. The final reveal is extremely satisfying: as a reader who often guesses way ahead of time where a thriller plot is going, it was great to feel constantly surprised by this book while also never feeling like it was going beyond the bounds of realism. Recommended for any fans of Cara Hunter, Caz Frears or Angela Marson: I'll be immediately seeking out the previous two in the series.

Gytha Lodge has done it again! “Lie Beside Me” is another fantastically twisty, shocking and perplexing crime thriller. Complete with great character development and a strong ability to make police procedures tense and exciting, this is not to be missed.

When Louise awakes to find a dead man lying next to her in her bed, it’s the beginning of a horrendous nightmare. With no memory of the night before and not knowing who the man is (only that he’s not her husband), Louise starts to question exactly what happened last night. DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are called in to investigate. Is Louise telling the truth about her memory loss? Or is there something altogether more sinister behind this crime?

Gyhtha Lodge’s novels keep going from strength to strength and “Lie Beside Me” is, quite simply, fantastic. Lodge manages to weave an intricate and complicated mystery together in an effortless way, layering the narrative with a thickly tense atmosphere and genuinely surprising twists. The narrative seemed to be unfolding in a particular way and just as readers think this case is coming to its conclusion, Lodge successfully pulls the carpet out from under us and hurtles the reader to an altogether more thrilling and suspenseful revelation that cracks the case. The novel is exceptionally well paced and the police investigation progresses in an engaging way, whilst also retaining an element of plausibility as the team find dead ends and struggle to reach the truth. What I found most remarkable about “Lie Beside Me” though, is Lodge’s ability to combine an excellent crime thriller with an affecting exploration of addiction. This is as much a stark and harrowing reminder of the vulnerability and danger of alcoholism, as it is a police procedural. Louise’s dependence on alcohol and her “Drunk Louise” persona for confidence, is both tragic and painfully real. Her dependency has infiltrated every aspect of her life and thrust her into a living nightmare, but her experiences are also cathartic in a sense. Through this journey, Louise finds her strength and confidence away from the bottom of the bottle and this aspect of the narrative is striking. Addiction is also explored in a wider sense and I found that Lodge’s observations on capitalist obsessions with luxury, status and living beyond our means to be similarly damaging and life-destroying. It is clear that the characters at the heart of this crime are victims of greed, excess and poor decisions, which Lodge uses to great effect whilst taking readers on a peregrination to the truth. There are definitely moments of breathtaking suspense, but also many heartfelt and tender aspects to the narrative, particularly in relation to the murder victim and his background. This makes “Lie Beside Me” so much more than a standard police procedural, but then, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Lodge who continues to be a standout voice in the genre.

The other aspect of “Lie Beside Me” that I found really enjoyable is the continuing character development of DCI Jonah Sheens and his team. Each member is interesting in a unique way, which is no mean feat. Sheens himself continues to develop as a strong and empathetic leader, who maintains a level head and steers his team into solid investigation. His relationship with girlfriend JoJo is explored a little and it helps to cement his persona as a decent bloke, but one who takes pride in his job and goes above and beyond to solve a crime. Hanson is a great character - complex and interesting. She is empathetic too, intelligent and likeable. She is equal parts vulnerability (the underlying anxiety she feels over he left ex-boyfriend Damian’s actions) and strength (her decisions to no longer accept Damian’s terrorisation). In some ways, Hanson’s journey mirrors Louise’s, as she too takes on a new confidence and approach to a negative aspect of her life. Lightfoot is the other member of the team who I really enjoyed as a character. His quiet, methodical and dependable nature lends a sense of stability to the team and in particular to the situation that Hanson faces outside of the station. He is a bit of a dark horse and I hope that his and Hanson’s relationship is explored in future novels. The dynamics between the team are really well written and add a realistic aspect to the narrative. As a reader I very much felt part of their team during the investigation and what is the true strength of a writer if it’s not to pull you headfirst into the world of their characters? Lodge does this with a powerful intensity and I genuinely didn’t want this novel to end. I can’t wait to read the team’s next case!

This is a novel that ally crime thriller fans should have on their TBR pile - I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed!

This was a great story - it kept me guessing until the end and I loved the twists and turns. The only criticism is that the police parts were perhaps a bit long winded and I did get confused as to who the different officers were at times. My first book by this author but it definitely won’t be my last. Recommended.

A very enjoyable thriller with a great deal of twisting and turning. It was very well plotted with intriguing red herrings throughout.
Great characters, I did.not realise that there were previous books with the same characters, so this book stood up as a on off.
There is a great sense of mystery about several of them so it makes the story very interesting as you try to decide if the are “the one”
Good book

Intriguing, if a little predictable, plot seen through the eyes of Louise who divides her life between Drunk Louise and Sober Louise until the night she wakes up with a dead man in her bed and no idea who he is or how he got there. I found the sections with the many police officers a bit plodding and slow, especially in the first half but wanted to keep reading to the end to solve the mystery.

Okay, book three in the "DCI Jonah Sheens" series! And it's not that dissimilar to the previous two really - which isn't a bad thing really given how much I liked the earlier two. We still get a curious investigation with enough twists to have your inner ear sloshing around, and we still get the faint thread of an ongoing plot to make this a series rather than just the same characters reappearing. Let's start with the mystery of this book first.

You've heard it all before, a woman wakes up in her own bed next to a dead stranger and... oh yeah, that is a bit unusual actually. Still, it'll all be obvious pretty soon right? That kind of thing can't be too tricky. Except Gytha Lodge wrote this so you'll still have questions right until the end. This one didn't have me quite as engaged as the previous books until a nice "Aha!" reassured me that there was more to come, and thankfully it did. There was even a slight twist to the twists, with some of the clues being signalled far more clearly and earlier, which in itself was a nice little act of smoke and mirrors to keep you on your toes.

Moving onto the serial nature of this book and... okay, I've said before that I don't fully buy that the anchor of these stories is Sheens, and for most of this book I swore I was right. Hanson's storyline remains far more interesting, giving a nuanced look at the issue of abusive partners. Seeing that story developing even further in this book, and Sheens' being rather flat, convinced me it was all muddled and anyone with any sense could tell the ongoing plotline that would really keep people coming back. And, as I was nearing the end of the book and starting to think about what I would write here I told myself not to take too firm a stance on that. In my mind, I thought I should follow that up with some comment about how Lodge frequently pulls surprises from nowhere and that she probably had a big a huge chart mapping out the next umpteen books and that at some point it would all fall into place and anyone doubting Sheens' star power would look a fool. Luckily for me, the humble pie I have to eat is still fresh because clearly that process has already started and I am indeed a fool for ever doubting it. Yes, she tricked me. Don't get me wrong, Hanson remains fascinating to me and I think she'll still bring so much to future books, but I will concede that Sheens' storyline actually will grow into the bigger aspect overall.

In conclusion, I'm pretty sure Gytha Lodge is a skilled puppeteer who could convince me that up was down and left was right if she wanted to. The only thing I feel I can trust about her is that she'll keep writing stunning books. Yes, you can start the series with this book but do yourself a favour and go start with the first one - they're all worth your time and you'll want to read them all anyway so do it in the correct order and you'll get even more out of it that way.

My first book by this author and will not be my last.
This is a gripping read right from the start waking up and finding a stranger dead in your bed.
This book kept me guessing and trying to figure it out very well written great story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the next I will be going to catch up on the other books.

Drop everything and read this now!

Its amazing - another crime thriller featuring Jonah Sheens and his police team. The third in the series, Lie Beside Me begins with a punch - Louise wakes up with the worst hangover ever, then rolls over and finds someone in bed beside her who she doesnt recognise. Worse than that, he's dead and there's blood everywhere.

Lie Beside Me flits back and forward between different viewpoints and periods of time, all shedding light on the case and leaving red herrings as you go. I loved it, can you tell? I really enjoy Gytha's writing style, its very readable and relatable. Plus, every chapter is the perfect length to let you squeeze one more in, and then another... definitely the sign of a great story!