Gytha Lodge's debut novel is promising, but ultimately fell short for me.

There are so many characters--many of whom are given third-person narrator treatment for at least some of the book--and so many plot points, it seems like it would be almost impossible to give any of them full treatment. As a result, none of the characters were truly fleshed out. There were some attempts to give the main detectives, Sheens and Hanson, some backstory, but many of these details were dropped on the reader out of nowhere and subsequently not addressed much in the later parts of the book. Likewise, the many plot threads that Lodge tried to weave together, but the end left many of them hanging. I still have many questions, but I'm also left with the feeling that even answering those questions wouldn't add much to the overall plot... which begs the question, why introduce those plotlines in the first place?

Stylistically, I found the book very readable (and I admit I didn't totally guess the killer, though I won't go so far as to say I was surprised), but there were some quirks that bugged me here and there. Especially towards the beginning, Lodge had a habit of inserting many vague, ominous thoughts from the characters. For example, one characters thoughts back towards an "uncomfortable echo" from his own past. That echo is explained later in the book, but these attempts at foreshadowing felt clumsy to me, and a bit cheesy. Combined with many moments where I felt like the author was "telling" us about the characters (like when DCI Sheens's team was discussing his strengths and weaknesses as an obvious way of making the reader understand these things about Sheens's character), I couldn't really fall into it.

I would liken the author to Ruth Ware. Frankly, though, I'm not a huge Ruth Ware fan, so perhaps that's why I didn't quite fall into the book. Nonetheless, ultimately it was an enjoyable enough read and I will be curious to check out the author in the future. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book.

This book was slow to start but soon picked up the pace. It is about a thirty year old cold case. That of the missing fourteen year old Aurora Jackson. This is a classic "who done it". The characters are well developed and believable. I loved the alternating chapters between past and present. I had no idea of who committed the crime. Was it one of six friends or a stranger? The mystery and suspense was incredible. When you find out what actually happened you will have not had a clue. Well written suspense with good police procedurals. I truly enjoyed this debut book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy for review consideration.

Wow! This book will grab you from the beginning and it doesn't let go. The characters are complex and the plot is full of twists. Just when you think you have it figured out.... you don't. This is my first read from this author and I am hooked.

There is a lot going on in this book. Back story, side story, twists and turns. I enjoyed it, but it was bit hard to keep up with all of the side stories. That being said, the story did come together in the end, which for me I always like.

It looks like this will be the first in a series, so it will be interesting to see more.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

A body is found at a wooded campsite, bones aged over decades, and Detective Sheens knows exactly whose body it is: Aurora Jackson, missing 30 years in that exact area. She was just 14, the youngest camping with the group of friends her sister hung out with.

Now the cold case must be re-opened. All of the then-teenagers who were camping that night are brought back to the area. There are so many details to cover again, statements to take, tests to run. Thirty years ago these teenagers told a story to the adults that was not quite the full story. Fearing for their own futures, they told a sanitized story.

The evidence recovered in the gravesite spins a tale of drugs, secrets, sex and murder.

Who really killed Aurora? Did the teenagers know? Did they conspire as a group? Did someone know the whole truth and hide what they had done from the others? Will Sheen finally get justice for Aurora?

This was an amazingly well-written tale, remarkable for a first foray. I will be watching for more books by this author, as Lodge spins a very well-crafted story that takes me to the edge of my seat, keeps me guessing and ultimately reveals an ending that I find quite satisfying.
#SheLiesInWait #NetGalley

4 stars

DCI Jonah Sheens is the inspector on the case. He was called in on his day off and was picked up by a very talkative DC Hanson. The report was one of “aged bones.” The pathologist gave Sheens a wide range of time during which the young girl could have died there. Sheens knows that it was thirty years earlier and these were the bones of Aurora Jackson who was one of seven teens who came to party, but only six came back: JoJo, Brett, Connor, Topaz (Aurora’s elder sister), Benner and Coralie.

Interestingly, Jonah went to school with these people. Jonah and Hanson and the balance of his team, DS Domnall O’Malley and DS Ben Lightman interview the teens who walked out of the camp that day, now thirty years later. They get a mixture of truth and lies, each seeming to put particular emphasis on someone else’s behavior.

And then there is the mysterious Mr. MacKenzie’s story.

The book is interspersed with small vignettes told from Aurora’s point of view in 1983. They are very interesting in highlighting the differences between what the adults are telling the police and what happened from Aurora’s viewpoint.

After an exciting chase, the police arrest not only the killer of Aurora, but also an arsonist and the killer of another person as well.

This book is the story of a time-consuming police investigation. People are lying. How to tell what the truth is? It raises interesting questions and viewpoints that would not have occurred to me. It speaks of the psychology behind the murders and the various motives, needs and wants of the different individuals. What makes a person need or want something specific? To what lengths will they go to achieve it? I liked DCI Sheens, although at times he doubted himself too much and seemed to go off in a fog. It got a little irritating how many times he would zone off. I liked Hanson, but her former boyfriend; wow, what a loser! O’Malley and Lightman were great. They each added to the investigation in their own ways. I liked that they seemed to have complimentary areas of “specialization.” Very well done, Ms. Lodge. What an excellent debut novel. I look for more of her writing in the future. I’ll certainly read it!

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House/Random House for forwarding to me a copy of this great debut book to me so that I may read, enjoy and review it.

Very good book. I was reading as fast as I could to see who was guilty. I was so sad for Aurora, I remember what is was like to be that age and I really connected to her. Good mystery, definitely recommend!

This book keeps you guessing from start to finish! Character development was good, writing was ok. There were some things I had to go re-read because I wasn’t sure what I was seeing was correct, and in many cases it wasn’t. For example: “Hanson, I’d like you to follow Stavely covertly to find out where he go and stake out Stavely and find out if he visits anyone.”. Could use a bit more editing before release date, but otherwise I enjoyed the story. It’s a fun, easy read. Perfect for a cloudy day in front of a fire.


Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

DCI Jonah Sheens has been a cop for more than 30 years & heads up the station in Southampton. Between cases, management & meetings, days off are hard to come by. As the book opens he’s enjoying a rare chance to cycle in the hills until his phone rings. A body has been found near a campsite in New Forest. No clues, no witnesses. No problem. Jonah knows who it is.

Thirty years ago, he was a fresh faced newbie who joined the search for missing 14 year old Aurora Jackson. Her sister Topaz was camping with 5 of her friends, unhappy about being saddled with her baby sister. After a night of drinking, they crawled out of their tents to discover Aurora’s cold & empty sleeping bag. The alarm was raised & cops, friends & neighbours combed the area for days to no avail. The 6 teens were questioned endlessly but Aurora was never found.

In the present, Jonah mounts a new investigation after getting the autopsy results & his team of 3 detectives get to work. They can’t help but notice their boss is a tad antsy. For Jonah it’s not just another case. Turns out he went to school with these people although he was never one of them. They were the cool kids, the ones everyone wanted to emulate. As the investigation progresses, long suppressed memories come flooding back & Jonah begins to worry what his team might uncover.

That’s it for the plot. It’s best to go in knowing as little as possible so your jaw drops in all the right places. The story unfolds in 2 alternating time lines & both are engrossing. The past is narrated by Aurora & she’s a compelling character. Through her eyes we meet the 6 campers as teens & get caught up in all their angst, drama & petty jealousies. In the present we meet them again as they deal with Jonah. Some have changed, some haven’t. The difference is they may finally be ready to spill the secrets they’ve been keeping for 30 years.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. In some ways it reminded me of “Everything You Want Me to Be” by Mindy Mejia. There’s something about small towns & the intense relationships formed (or not) in high school. Everything is heightened because the world is so small at that point in a teen’s life. Each member of Topaz’s “golden” gang is integral to its survival & I’ll bet more than one of them will remind you of someone you knew at that age.

The detectives are also well portrayed & Jonah’s team are an interesting group. DC Juliette Hanson comes across as being wound a bit too tight & we gradually find out why. DS Domnall O’Malley is the calm voice of reason & experience, a deceptively low key guy who misses nothing. And then there’s DC Ben Lightman. Self contained & fastidious, he made me think of the old adage about still waters. I’m willing to bet there’s more to him than an analytical mind & pretty face. As for Jonah, he’s a decent man in a tight spot. You can’t help but sympathize with him as he struggles to maintain a professional distance in a case that is so personal. It’s clear he has some secrets of his own & I dreaded finding out what he was hiding.

But it’s Aurora who steals the show. I found her captivating, a girl on the cusp who comes across as so authentic you can almost hear her voice. She’s at the age where she’s letting go of childhood & plagued by the insecurities & shaky self esteem that afflict so many young girls. But she also has an ethereal quality that sets her apart & renders her completely unaware of her allure.

All is revealed by the end & Aurora can finally be laid to rest. And the 6 who were there that night will never be the same. As for Jonah…well, he has to deal with some ramifications of his own. It’s a book you’ll resent having to put this down & I look forward to book #2. Highly recommended.

P.S: BTW, beautiful cover art on both versions.

An enjoyable mystery centered around a group of wild teens, the disappearance of a girl and the discovery of a body 30 years later. I enjoyed all the characters, including DCI Jonah Sheen. I look forward to more stories featuring this character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance reader copy, She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge, in exchange for an honest review. Oh did I love this book! There was so much suspense as a group of friends goes into the woods for a night of camping, fun, and drinking; and the next morning one of their group is missing. Fast forward thirty years, and the body is discovered very close to their camp site. I especially enjoyed the very capable but human police detectives being led by Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens as they painstakingly reconstruct the crime and investigate without sleep and food to catch a killer (maybe one of the friends?). As Jonah leads his detectives to track down the stories from the suspects, I was riveted until the last page. The suspense kept building and did not disappoint; I will definitely continue to read this thrilling new series. Highly recommended.

She Lies In Wait was a really good book and easy read. Had me guessing the whole time and trying to figure out what happened so many years ago. I really didn't see the end coming. Great page turner! Definitely check this book out when it becomes available! Thank you to #netgalley for this incredible ARC! I can't wait to read more things from this new author!

This was an exciting and tragic cold case file sort of police procedural, and the start to a new series. Although I do enjoy mystery and suspense books, I don't often read police procedural types, but I found this one to be fast paced and it really drew me in. I couldn't put it down! As the story progressed, and I tried to solve the mystery, I found myself surprised time and again with the twists and turns of the story. I was an unexpected reveal, to be sure. I look forward to others in this series, and especially hope they are of the cold case variety, to make them stand out from the scores of other murder mystery novels available.
The book is set in the UK, presumably around London? I'm not familiar enough with the geography to really picture where it was all set. Due to the setting, some of the terms and slang used in the book my the characters caused me some confusion, and had me going to the dictionary again and again, so I could get the picture set in my mind. This is a problem I've had often lately, though, so may just be a problem for me to deal with, rather than any issue for the author to correct.
I will encourage others to give this one a try, without a doubt, and feel very comfortable giving this book a solid 4 star rating.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and thought that it was well executed. I was kept guessing until the very end. I thought that parts of the book were unnecessary to the book and made parts of it drag in places. I was not surprised by who the killer was at the end, but really liked the journey to get there. I though Jonah Sheens was a solid character and is someone that I would be interested in seeing more of. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

She Lies In Wait is an engrossing new mystery from Gytha Lodge. The book captures you from beginning to end, from the start when the body of a girl gone missing 30 years is discovered, to the end where all of the 'loose threads' are tied together. The officer in charge of investigating the murder was new to the department when the girl first disappeared, and there is more to his involvement in the original disappearance than originally revealed. The author does a good job of interesting you in both the friends/family of the murdered girl and the members of the investigative team. Flashbacks are used to tell the story of the disappearance/murder, but it is dispensed in small pieces so you do not know 'whodunit' until the very end. The flashbacks were used in moderation, which I greatly appreciated. The detectives have histories and backstories that are briefly teased but not resolved, leading the reader to believe that this is the first book in a series. It was a really enjoyable read, and I hope the author writes more about this team!

Lodge creates an intriguing and enticing new detective series. Superb plotting and character development!

In 1983, seven teenagers went camping, but only six of them returned home. Thirty years later, the bones of the missing teen, Aurora Jackson, are discovered by a young girl and her parents who are camping near where the teens had been in 1983. She Lies in Wait is a great mystery story as Detective Jonah Sheens and his team reopen a cold case. The story is told in two timelines: present day as the detective re-interviews the now grown individuals involved in the case; and from the perspective of the teens in 1983. Gytha Lodge does an excellent job of weaving the timelines together to develop the characters and move the plot along. It seems that none of the teens had a strong motive for murdering Aurora, but each of them have shadows and secrets in their past that make them suspects. On top of that, Inpsector Sheens has a few secrets of his own that tangentially may impact the case. I thought this was a great mystery story and found the way the lives of the teens interwove made for a page turning story. As the mystery unfolds, it is hard to guess who the murderer might be as there are red herrings that put most of the teens under suspicion. The story has a very satisfying ending and is definitely worth the read! The only downside of the story for me was Detective Hanson and her relationship with her ex. The interactions with the ex just didn't fit in with the story and could easily have been left out. Of course, this is the first in a series, so perhaps this relationship was just a teaser of something in a future book.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It was definitely a book that kept you thinking! I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. Thank you!

She lies in wait is a captivating thriller that I could not put down ! Throughout the book I had so many guesses At who was the killer and its the least expected person ! I loved how the story twisted throughout and the incredible story telling, you could feel like you were right there with the group trying to find out what happened to this young girl. I will be purchasing a hard copy of this book once it’s released, this is a must for any thriller fan !

I was given an arc of this book from Netgalley for an honest opinion of the work.
I understand this is a debut novel, but i Have to take issue with the marketing that calls it a taunt psychological twister. This book was pure police procedural - the majority of it involved investigative work, witness testimony and interviews, and scene of the crime discovery.
The book is long and at times tedious, going over and over the night 30 years ago where a 14 year old girl went missing. Her body has been discovered in the beginning of the book and now the police team has to ascertain how and who killed her 30 years ago. This is a great premise and the author does a really good job of taking the reader through the case from 30 years ago as it is reopened in the present.
7 teenagers went into the woods one night to camp , drink, and do drugs and have sex. Only 6 came out. The surviving six all give the impression that none of them could be a killer. From the sister of the victim and the survivor's guilt she feels, to the boys - now men - who all lusted after both sisters.
The telling of the story was solid, the plot line consistent - if at times too wordy and repetitive ( just my opinion!) and the characters were all well drawn. A few of them were pretty horrible, but I think the author intended them that way.
Over all, this was a fairly good debut novel. 3 stars from me.