Teenagers Keely and her younger sister Nina ran away from a children’s home a week ago. They have been in the foster care system since the accidental death of their mother. Now Keely has reappeared, covered in someone else’s blood, and she refuses to tell the police where Nina is. Keely insists on being allowed to tell the whole story of the sisters’ lives since the death of their mother. The book alternates chapters of police investigation with chapters of Keely’s obviously rehearsed tale, in which she sprinkles cryptic clues designed to lead the police to something. They hope that that something is Nina, but maybe not, since Keely seems to have ambiguous feelings about her sister. Although this police procedural is the fourth in the series, it can be read as a standalone unless you really want to follow all the personal dramas of the police officers. I have read all of the books in order, but I really don’t care about the cops.

According to Keely, the sisters were subjected to emotional, physical and sexual abuse in two foster homes and one group care facility. In each case, their claims were discredited, and the evidence points to Keely being a sociopath and pathological liar. Nina is the “good” sister and the police try to follow the frustrating clues to find the missing, and possibly injured child.

I almost stopped reading this book because I found the story so contrived. It really seemed like a plan that an author would come up with, not a 16 year old girl. I did finish the book, but I remain unconvinced about the credibility of the plot. 3,5 stars which I am rounding up because at least I haven’t read this plot before.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

This one kept me up at night! This is my first book in the series, but now I am going to go back and read more!

Let me start out by saying, Gytha Lodge, you have just raised the bar for every book that follows Little Sister.

Never in my life have I read an ending with such a twist as Little Sister. It was also made clear that Lodge did her research when it came to the knowledge in police procedurals and providing accurate descriptions as the story unfolded.

I also must add that this is the 4th book in the Jonah Sheens series. It may still work as a standalone although I would not recommend it.

Little Sister circles around child abuse which may be a trigger to some. However, the way that this book was so well written, I cant see anyone wanting to miss out on such a great story!

Lately, I have found myself enjoying police procedurals more than I have in the past and I think it is safe to say that Little Sister has become one of my favorites for this specific genre.

I really liked Little Sister by Gytha Lodge. I did not realize it was a series unril I started reading and realized they were referencing things from the past. This was such a creepy and sinister story. I liked the main character and can’t wait to go back and read the previous books. This series is definitely a must read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This is book 4 in the Jonah Sheens Detective Series. In this book, Jonah is enjoying a rare day off when he sees a girl coming out of the woods that is covered in blood. When the girl insisted that she is okay, but it is her sister that needs help, he is thrust into action. Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared a week ago. Can he find the still missing sister, or will it be too late?

Little Sister by Gytha Lodge is an excellent example of the British police procedural model. This is the fourth instalment of the Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens series but it reads well as a stand-alone, with the author updating the reader of any pertinent details from the previous novels. Two young girls are at the center of this mystery. One sister, Keely, shows up at DCI Sheens’ pub, with a jumbled tale, so intriguing that he can’t help but give her the benefit of the doubt. It appears that her younger sister, Nina, is missing. Both girls had been in care for several years, following the death of their mother. The mystery starts there and will lead the DCI and his detectives on a path of confusion and danger, while time is running out. Nothing is as it seems. The girls had gone from foster home to foster home, the last being worse than the previous. The DCI’s team are totally dedicated to getting to the bottom of Nina’s disappearance and that journey makes for a fascinating read. The characters are colourful and well-drawn. The plot captivates as the reader attempts to solve this mystery. Little Sister is well worth the read. This is my first Gytha Lodge book but I look forward to reading the others. Highly recommended. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stellar fourth entry to the DCI Jonah Sheens series. While I did feel like it moved a little bit slower in the beginning than others, it still held my interest, and I was fully invested in the outcome. Jonah finds a bloody girl who, along with her sister, has escaped from an abusive children's home. The sister is missing. The girl tells a heartbreaking story of abuse and seems to know where her sister is but will not directly say. Is the story for real? Where is the sister? This author gets better and better at spinning a tale and this book is proof of that. Great story, although difficult subject matter. Look forward to more!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #GythaLodge and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This slowly unraveling plot introduces us to two sisters who were thrust into the childcare system due to their mother’s death. Where once they had precious memories and overflowing love, they now have the horrors of a public that feeds on the youth like piranha.
Keely and Nina have suffered for years in the system, and each time they beg for help, they're called liars and punished even more. When they reach proper age, they're finally spit out, but what’s left in the shells of these young ladies? That’s the job of DCI Jonah Sheens and his crew when Keely walks into his favorite bar, covered in blood, telling him to find Nina. Apparently, she’s caused harm to her little sister and the clock is tickling.
I love the plot of this story; just as you’re beginning to tire of one officer’s investigation, it flips to a partner in another location. They’re basically running around with their heads cut off as the clock ticks. The tidbits they each bring back to the meeting room don’t seem to make sense. This is a quick-paced thriller and the answers aren’t too obvious; I was completely caught off guard. The last few chapters got a little befuddled; I should have had my own flow chart like the investigators. I didn’t realize this was #4 in a series until I finished the book, and it was quite enjoyable as a stand-alone.
Sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available.

This may be my favorite book in this series yet and that is really saying something. The case the team has to solve in this book is full of twist and turns. There isn’t just one big plot twist in this book, but several. The main one had me a bit confused for a bit and I had to stop reading for a second and think back over the story to think how it worked but that was probably just because I was reading while I was tired (the book was just too good to put down and go to bed). I also like that this series has the case but there is also the personal life of each team member going on in the background. Jonah is dealing with being a new dad, Juliette is still coping with a stalker ex, and something is off with Ben. It adds the extra layer of realness to the story and makes the read even more compelling. This book could be read as a standalone but do yourself a favor and read this series from the start! They just keep getting better.

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of Little Sister by Gytha Lodge from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. LOVED all the twists and turns! This is the 4th book in the series but it's not necessary for you to read all the previous books to get an understanding. You will love this and then want to read all the earlier books. So good!

Bk 4. Sisters Keely and Nina father left before they can remember and their mother passed away, leaving them penniless and in childcare services. After an abused and troubled childhood, the girls are looking for help and revenge. Interesting narrative when Keely comes out of the woods covered in blood and her sister is missing. Detective Jonah Sheens attempts to help and his force is led on a journey to truth.

Little Sister is the fourth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series. You do not have to read the others to enjoy this one, but I recommend doing so since they are excellent books and provide some interesting background on the main character.

Jonah Sheens is at the pub with his daughter Milly, enjoying nice weather, a rare moment of quiet from his infant and a pint, when a young girl wanders onto the grounds. She’s beautiful, but her flaming red hair and striking features aren’t what draw all eyes to her. It’s the blood covering her that gets everyone’s attention.

Fortunately Jonah’s domestic partner Michelle picks that moment to show up so he can pass care of their child onto her as he focuses his attention on the girl. He gets her some lemonade and learns her name is Keely. Then he asks how she was injured and how he can help. She insists she’s fine but advises him he should be worried about her sister Nina. And he is. The amount of blood on Keely would represent a serious injury and Jonah is eager to find whoever it belongs to. Then Keely smiles and says she’ll be glad to answer any questions he has once they reach the station.

Jonah isn’t used to people being quite so eager to be interrogated. Once he has his team gathered together, he realizes that there is a reason for Keely’s enthusiasm. She has a story she wants to tell him – a story which, if true, details years of abuse of both her and her sister. The only problem is, Keely has made these allegations before, and they’ve been investigated and proven untrue. Is she so determined to have her lie believed she will risk her sister’s life? Is she actually a sociopath determined to destroy the people around her? Or a victim of some very clever perpetrators? She insists the clues to where Nina is are hidden are in her story, but if Jonah and his team follow those miniscule hints will they indeed find the missing sister or will they simply be playing some macabre game of Keely’s, whose ending might very well be dark, dangerous and deadly?

Little Sister is written from two differing perspectives. Keely offers us a first person look at her life while Jonah and his team are featured in the chapters written in third person omniscient which follows them as they do the grunt work necessary to solve the case. The author fluctuates between giving us small details about their personal lives and taking us through the banality of what they do: paper/computer work, the endless questioning of witnesses, following up on each tiny lead, and spending hours driving from one point to another. We learn that Juliette is still being stalked by her abusive ex, and even though she has a court case against him pending, he is still stalking her. The health issues with Ben Lightman’s dad are now public knowledge but he seems to be having some real struggles handling this case in his usual calm, methodical manner and Juliette can’t help wondering why. Jonah had left his partner Michelle previously and only returned because of the baby. He is still wondering if he made the right choice, although he is giving his all to both his relationship with the child and that child’s mother. Seriously, he’s giving a lot; most significant others aren’t this helpful. Jonah finds himself torn between giving his best to this case and his job and doing his best to care for his family.

Family is really what this story is all about. What makes a family work, what happens when it doesn’t and where do people with no one to help them go for justice. Keely and Nina once led idyllic lives ,but fortune did not smile upon them and the loss of their mother saw them entering the child welfare system. The question for most of the story is if the system failed them or if they simply were clever enough to work it to their seeming advantage. Keely is presented as cold, hard, and intensely clever. She checks all the boxes that would have most psychologists screaming psychosis, but those things also might apply to someone who had been hardened by a tough life they were trying their best to survive. Jonah hates playing her little game – but he also knows she will shut down if he doesn’t, and that will end any chance he has of finding whoever the blood belongs to.

The author does a fantastic job of handling innumerable characters and giving them all depth. Not only do we learn a lot about the members of Jonah’s team and what is happening in their lives, but we also (slowly) get a clear picture of Nina, Keely and Callum, the three primary players in Keely’s story. I also appreciated how Little Sister balanced the line between how sexual predators work, how someone can make it look like a person is a sexual predator when they aren’t, and how both those type of people can hide behind the rights that are fundamental to our protection from living in a police state.

I’m always impressed with how Lodge takes a police procedural, which as its name implies is all about the process of solving a crime, and turns it into a deeply characte-driven narrative. She brilliantly shows us how much personality affects both the execution and the resolution of a transgression.

In this volume, Lodge has pitted the unreliable narrator of a thriller (Keely) against the steadfast stalwart detective of a procedural to produce a fascinating and engrossing tale. I liked having good guys to root for in Jonah and his team, but I also really appreciated the thrill factor of dealing with someone as shadowy as Keely, a character who demands that we look beneath her surface and find what lies within.

Little Sister is an intriguing mystery that I would recommend to fans of that genre. While you don’t need to start with the first book, She Lies in Wait, I would receommend doing so if you can. It’s a good story in its own right and one that does provide some additional – not essential, but nice to have – background information about the investigative team.

To begin with, this is the first of this series that I have read. And while it was obvious I had missed quite a bit in regard to the personal lives of those serving on the police force (especially Jonah and Julliette and the falling out from their respective relationships), I didn't feel like it hindered my enjoyment (or lack thereof) for this one.

No, my problem with this one was two-fold.

To begin with, I could not connect with these characters at all. Keely comes across as a stone-cold sociopath throughout most of this story, condescending to the officers assigned to her sister's case, and in no hurry to reveal anything of importance, at least not outright. No, Keely deliberately leaves little clues in her stories that are somewhat hard to find, leading the police on a wild goose chase to find the evidence she has left for them. Added to that there are just so many secondary characters, both in the police force and as potential suspects that it was hard to keep track of just who was who. Also the switch from first name to last didn't help. When you're used to seeing Jonah investigating, the sudden switch to the author calling him Sheens gave me pause as I then had to try and figure out just whom the author was referring to.

Secondly, there was no sense of urgency to the writing (or story) that I would have expected when there is one character covered in blood, and another missing and presumed injured. This could be in part due to the way that the story is told bouncing between the story Keely is telling of events that have taken place in the past, and the various police officers as they speak to persons of interest, investigate potential leads, and have meetings to try and piece everything together.

However, I do also see from the majority of the other reviews that I am in the minority with my thoughts on this one, so if you are a fan of this series, I would say go ahead and give this one a try. If this is the author's usual writing style you will no doubt enjoy it more than I did.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I didn’t know this was number 4 in a series, but no worries. Explanations were given when needed.
Two sisters grew up in foster care. One ends up missing, the other sister emerges from the woods, bloodied and ready with a story.
Great mystery, will definitely read the first three books now!

Like the first three Jonah Sheens books this one grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. I finished it in one setting. This is a police procedural/suspense novel with so many twists that I was still guessing to the very end. I love the way the author seamlessly weaves the detectives' private lives throughout the series. This is very readable as a stand alone but I highly recommend starting with the first Jonas Sheen book, She Lies in Wait and reading the entire series. Highly Recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader copy.

There were so many twists in this story that you never know which characters are the victims and which are the abusers. Just when you think you have it figured out there is another twist that changes everything. I found most of them unpredictable and was absolutely invested in the lives of these two girls. Their lives were so full of misery and tragedy it wouldn't be a shock that this hardened them but did it make one into a killer?

I have read every book in this series and loved them but I will warn that this one is the most disturbing. It involves some pretty tough to read depictions of abuse. Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse all play a large role in the plot and you can't really skip over the horrific parts because they really are the core story. If you are sensitive to or triggered in any way by child abuse you may want to give this one a pass.

Despite having devastating subject matter I enjoyed being back with this team of investigators again. The shocking revelation for Jonah's personal life at the end of the last book comes fully to the fore in this book. I admit I was a little surprised by his choices and I'm sure this will be the cause of much more drama and angst in future books. I'm already looking forward to the next installment of the Jonah Sheens series!

Thank you to Random House for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Solid UK Police Procedural Thriller. I picked up this book because I was invited to based on my reviews of other similar books, not knowing that it was number four in the series. As such, it was readily apparent in the beginning that if this was the start of a series there would likely be prequels down the road... or this was deeper into the series (which turned out to be the case). That noted, for me it was still easy enough to follow along with where each member of our police team was in their journeys. Though for those more sensitive to any hint of a "spoiler"... eh, you'll want to make sure to start with Book 1.

What I *did* find in this book is that for the most part, if you are a fan of this subgenre of mystery/ thriller, you're going to like this book and (likely) this series as well. If you've never experienced this subgenre before, this is a pretty solid example of it with a compelling mystery, tense thriller moments, and relatable characters.

Overall a solid work, and I look forward to seeing what Lodge has in store for the team next. :) Very much recommended.

Little Sister by Gytha Lodge is the fourth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series. I have read and enjoyed all four of these procedural thrillers. In this story, two sisters go missing, but only one returns; and she wants to tell her story. It is Jonah's job to figure out if this teenage girl is telling the truth about what happened to her and her sister. This was a great read with lots of big reveals, and I highly recommend this entire series. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Little Sister is the 4th-book in Gytha Lodge's DCI Jonah Sheens series, which is a Crime Thriller series with strong police procedural aspects.

This installment kicks off with a bang. While Jonah is relaxing, having a rare moment of free time at a local pub, a disheveled teenage girl wanders out of the woods.

She is a vision, with striking red hair and fair skin. She also happens to be covered in blood. Jonah approaches the young lady in order to help and that's when the games begin. The girl, Keely, assures him she is fine. It's not her blood. It's her younger sister Nina he needs to be concerned about.

After bringing Keely to the station house, Jonah begins the tedious work of unraveling her twisted story. He learns quickly that they do in fact need to be worried about Nina. Their story is horribly sad. The two girls became wards of the state after the tragic death of their mother. Since that time, they've been bouncing around within the system. Recently the two girls went missing from their care home.

The story is built out in a very compelling way. As the Reader you get entire chapters of Keely telling their story from the beginning. Jonah and team try to push her for answers more quickly, they have a missing and possibly injured girl to find, but Keely has a plan and she is going to tell this story her way. As frustrating as that is, it could be their only chance of finding Nina in time.

We get Keely's recollections, we get the present perspective investigation, as well as a bit into Jonah and his team's personal lives. One thing I have always loved about this series is the detective team. They work so well together and each of them is interesting, bringing something unique to the table. I love the dynamic among them. It works so well.

In all honesty though, out of the four books in the series, I actually enjoyed this one the least. Initially, I was not going to round up to 4-stars, but after having time to reflect on it, this book really made me think and I appreciate that. From the start I was loving this, but then there was one big twist that completely turned me off from it. I was so unhappy it went the way it did. It was like someone I really liked and enjoyed and was meshing with was stripped of their identity; was stripped of what drew me to them.

I know this won't make much sense if you haven't read this, but it is the best way I can think to explain why the narrative took such a nose dive for me. With this being said, it's clear I still really enjoyed this story. The aspects that disappointed me were more to do with my personal taste than with anything else.

I did enjoy getting more background progression on our regular characters, Jonah and Hanson in particular. I'm really looking forward to seeing where their personal stories go from here.

Thank you to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was certainly one of my most anticipated series continuations and it was a lot of fun. I am looking forward to many more investigations with Jonah and the team!

When a teen aged girl walks out of the woods covered in blood, Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens is instantly on high alert, but Keely insists she’s OK, that it’s her sister that is in trouble. Keely is willing to help him find Nina, but first he and his investigative team must listen to her story. As they listen, they find a few clues, but is Keely witness, victim or killer? Is Nina still alive or in danger and do they still have a chance to find her before it’s too late? A spellbinding psychological mystery that will have you not knowing who to trust. With rather dark subject matter, Lodge writes a story of abuse and revenge and has the reader riveted throughout.