In 1988, six friends go camping in the woods for a night of partying. The teens are known for their wild, shocking behavior but when one of them goes missing they begin to cover up the evidence of their partying without knowing they are covering for a killer too.

In present day the missing girl's body is found and DCI Jonah Sheens and his team are charged with solving a case that is 30 years gone cold. As they look closer at the six friends, their stories begin to unravel as well as DCI Sheens' past.

I really enjoyed this book. Every time I thought I had the killer pegged, I would begin to doubt myself as my attention was turned to yet another suspicious character. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives from present day and 1988 that slowly revealed pieces of the puzzle. I see that this is meant to be a series and I would read additional books because I enjoyed the characters. I do feel like I would have liked to see Jonah Sheens and his team developed more and would like to find out about their personal lives too. Overall, a fun thriller with lots of twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of She Lies in Wait in exchange for an honest review.

Book #1 in the DCI Jonah Sheens series is a story that proves the truth always finds a way out, sooner or later.

It's your classic camp fire murder, six kids go in and only 5 come out. However, the case was not solved and 30 years went by until the missing kid is found, but it is only her remains. Two alternating time lines help the reader understand what happened that night and what has become of the remaining 5 teens in the present. Perhaps, due to the two alternating time lines, it made for an easy guess as to who the murderer (suspense killer) was. Despite knowing this huge plot, Aurora's past and perspective made this read very enjoyable. She was so well developed, you almost feel as if you can touch her right through the pages.

Main character, Jonah Sheens, feels a strong pull to this case as he knew the kids involved, although he was never in their social circle. I do wish Jonah had a stronger connection with the 5 original witnesses as it would have made for a more gripping read. This caused investigations and communications to fall a little flat for me. Jonah digs deeper into the night Aurora goes missing, unveiling lies and hidden truths. Aurora's sister, Topaz, is the most distraught and upset that her body was found near the camp site of where her and her friends stayed. The others didn't seem all that worried for the body, but rather for themselves.

Those little points aside I was very pleased with the world and character building in this debut series. It is a great read for those wishing to dive head first into a suspense novel, but not feel the need to go to bed with one eye open like Her Last Move by Jason Marrs. I would compare this read to One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus or Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. I feel committed to this series and can't wait to see where Jonah's career leads him next. I look forward to book #2 release!

Missing persons cold case turned murder investigation. While I wouldn't consider She Lies in Wait to be quite the 'psychologically captivating" story that's promised in the blurb, it does make for an interesting crime thriller/procedural with emphasis on the procedural. Despite several red herrings throughout the story, I was able to figure it out pretty quickly, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker for me if the book holds my interest, and this one did. I felt like the book barely scraped the surface of DCI Jonah Sheens with so much focus on the many possible murderers being investigated, but what I did get of him, I liked. He's a bit flawed and has certainly made mistakes in the past that cause him some guilt, but I think he'll make for an intriguing character to explore as the series progresses. This first in the series does get a little wordy at times and some things are repetitive, but it still kept me interested enough to want to finish it and see how it would all play out. All in all, a solid debut from the author and a good start to a promising series.

This is an absorbing, well-crafted story about a 30-year-old cold case. We are privy to the workings of the modern investigation and, in a series of skillful transitions, to the buildup to the original crime.

Things I liked about She Lies in Wait: The characters were believable, although not all likable; the dialogue was natural and realistic; the novel's plot was solid and propulsive, and the writing was intelligent and fresh.

In fact, the unexpectedness of some of the writing led to my only complaint. There were several passages early on that I had to go back and re-read because the use of a particular word stopped me in my tracks. All in a short span, there were a "fractious foot", a "fractious butterfly", and a man in a fractious mood. There were "overgrown" rocks, which I eventually took to mean overgrown with vegetation; there was clutter on a table including "shrapnel", which I mentally switched to detritus, and there was an "irritable voice," which I haven't yet puzzled out.

However distracting those were, they are minor fixes on a well-built structure. Some reviewers thought the killer's identity had been obvious from the get-go, others were hugely surprised at the reveal. Of course I had suspected this person early on, but Gytha Hodge's skill was such that I doubted my suspicions and moved on to other candidates, with my experience as a reader nicely paralleling those of the detectives.

She Lies in Wait is a good book. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this new author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book.
I thought it was a very well written and addictive police procedural mystery.
It had me interested the entire book and I didn’t want to stop reading until I discovered who had killed Aurora and why.
This is the author’s debut novel and the 1st book in a new series and I can’t wait until she writes the next book in the series.

The discovery of a decades-old body forces six old friends to dive back into a long-ago camping trip where one of their friends disappeared - a matter complicated by the fact that one of the detectives investigating the body knew all six friends back in his school days. A pretty decent police procedural, though it did go on a bit longer than I felt was strictly necessary.

Remains are discovered hidden in a hideaway in the forest. It is quickly determined that they are the remains of Aurora Jackson, a teen who went missing 30 years ago after a camping trip with a group of her sister's friends. The book then alternates between the investigation, and the events 30 years ago, until the killer is discovered.

This book was really good. It kept me guessing up until the very end. I liked how every one of those teenagers, as well as some other people, potentially had a motive. That and the fact that everyone was acting sketchy through the whole investigation made it fun to read and try to guess who did it. Definitely a must-read for mystery readers!

*** 4 stars ***

This was a slow start for me and a little confusing at first. Introducing 6 friends at a campsite where a young girl, Aurora, went missing in 1983 alternating with present day involving an investigation into Aurora's disappearance when her body is discovered 30 years later, didn't grab all of my attention at first. But slowly as the characters developed and the story line progressed this one grew on me. I thought I had her murderer figured out early on but then began second guessing myself and was pleasantly surprised with the ending.
One thing I will say, this is a debut book in a new series regarding DCI Jonah Sheens and I didn't think there was much development regarding DCI Sheens' character. On one hand this may mean this series will be able to be stand alone novels, not needing to be read in order but on the other hand, I'm not very interested in him as a detective. Also, there is another detective Hanson who is investigating Aurora's disappearance and throughout the book it refers to her angry ex-boyfriend and his text messages. I didn't really understand the purpose of this unless her character is being developed for later in the series? Overall, this was solid read, good mystery and I look forward to what the next book in the series will bring.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book simply didn't work for me. It had everything I was supposed to like in a thriller (missing girls, dead bodies, the past portion takes place in the 80's). However, the book had a confusing set up as it gave the points of views of many people, and they weren't even that interesting to be honest. At one point reading it felt like a chore so I just stopped, especially when I have so many other books on my list to read. However, if you're into procedural police reports type stories then this book would work for you. Sadly, it didn't for me.

She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge

Brief Summary: Seven teenagers go out camping in the woods for a night of drinking, drugs, and hooking up; but only six survive. 30 years later the remains of the lost teen are discovered and the cold case reopens. In a group of six friends who is telling the truth and who is lying?

Highlights: The premise of this story sounds promising but it’s slow to build. The group dynamics of the friend group were interesting. It does turn into a page-turner in the last 20% of the book. I did like that one narrator is DC Sheens, rather than the unrealiable narrators in typical psychological fiction. It was also interesting to see the behind the scenes police team work.

Explanation of Rating: 3/5 I don’t think the plot ties well enough together until the very end when it is all spelled out. There are several aspects that came out at the end that don’t seem to fit. I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters. I wasn’t really rooting for or against any of them. I had high hopes for this novel but was ultimately disappointed.

I think there are better choices out there for psychological thriller fans. This may be more interesting or appropriate for police procedure fans. For me, this book was just okay. This is the first book in a series and I hope that the succeeding novels improve in suspense. I would certainly consider reading the next installment but it would depend on my other choices at the time.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I found this book to be a fun and interesting mystery. Who done it was maintained throughout the book. At times it became a slow read, resulting in four-stars rather than five.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is about 6 friends who go camping over a weekend in 1983. There were drugs and alcohol and during the course of their time in the woods one of the girls go missing. Thirty years later her remains are found and the search for the killer begins again.
I liked the way the story went from past to present which allows the reader to know the characters as teenagers as well as adults.
There was a lot of detailed police work described also which I found interesting.. This was a great who-dun-it with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible book.

I'm a mood reader (and watcher) and my current mood is, thanks to the ITV show Midsomer Murders and Netflix, fictional British detectives. I'm not talking Sherlock Holmes or anything big city and edgy and grim (I'm looking at you Luther even though I love you too). I'm talking murder most foul, as it were, in the picturesque English countryside (where I do want to travel one day... as soon as I win the lottery here in America, I suppose). This is what I want to watch right now, it is what I want to read right now.

So Gytha Lodge's She Lies in Wait, the first book in a series about DCI Jonah Sheens, is the perfect fit for me.

Lodge has crafted a present-day story based around a thirty year old case. It's the story of a group of teenage friends (Topaz, Coralie, Jojo, Brett, Daniel, and Connor) who decided to go camping in 1983. Camping is the word they use for alcohol, drugs, and sex. And they take Topaz's fourteen-year-old sister along. It is Aurora Jackson who is at the center of the present-day case being investigated by DCI Jonah Sheens.

The DCI is in what seems to be a bit of spot because he was only a few years old than the six of them in 1983, and even attended parties they threw. And now he is sure that one of them murdered the youngest of the group. The way he works carefully to balance his personal interest and maybe involvement with the people of interest threatens to upend his team of investigators.

The cast of characters is large - a group of six friends, a teacher, parents of the missing girl, the DCI, three investigators on his team - but they are all interesting. They are all well-developed and they are fun to read, as much despite their flaws as because of their flaws. DCI Sheens and his team will obviously have roles in the next book in the series, one which I do very much want to read. There is much more to be learned about them... who is Damian and what did he do to Juliette Hanson that has her running from him despite her job with the police? is there some family in Jonah Sheens' life, as alluded to in a few places? will Jonah enter into a romance with Jojo?

I could go on.

But I won't. What I'll say is this - it was a pleasure to read She Lies in Wait and if crime fiction, murder mysteries, and (English) detective stories are your Book Mood of the moment, this book is available for purchase in the United States on January 8, 2019 and you really should read it!

(I received a copy of She Lies in Wait from Random House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.)

OH MY GOSH! I thought I had read some of the best psychological thrillers out there. And then came this book...I'm speechless after this read. The twists and turns of this book kept me hooked until the very end. And after I finished, I wanted more. I've told all my friends about this book and the exact date it officially hits the shelf. I plan to re-read it once my entire circle has it. Phenomenal read!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely love this book. I was drawn in by the flawed characters and their life choices. The ending was satisfying--there was fireshadiwing on all the characters, and I had no idea who the guilty party would be until the end.

I was all over that cover and tag line and synopsis and sadly, I only made it to 40% before skipping to read the last 4 chapters.

I liked Jonah well enough. He seems like a stand up guy, but in the amount that I read, I couldn’t tell you that for sure. There are loads of characters and we get several POVs in each chapter. And yet, I didn’t feel connected to any of them. If this was on purpose to make me unable to trust anyone, it missed the mark.

Plot wise, it is insanely slow. I did like the alternating chapters of past and present, especially with the past chapters in Aurora’s POV. When I read the last few chapters, I wasn’t surprised by what happened and how. It seemed a bit obvious and that made me uninterested in going back to read the rest.

Overall, it lacked the urgency or tension I was expecting. Understandably, with a case that’s 30 years old, that’s bound to be missing, yet I just couldn’t click with it. Jonah’s character does have some promise and I might be interested in future books.

FYI: there is a drugging and fade to black rape scene. There are mentions of several other rapes committed by the murderer.

**Huge thanks to Random House for providing the arc free of charge**

DNF at 25%. Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. At the beginning of the story, a body is found of a teenager who went missing 30 years ago. The book then alternates between the police reinvestigating the case in the present day and alternating chapters going back to right before the girl went missing.

I wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t working for me. Each time I picked it up it felt like I was forcing myself to read it when there are other books I would much rather be reading. At this point, I am deciding to put this one down as not for me.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have a frustration.

The blurb for this book is RIGHT up my alley. In the early 80's, six high school friends go camping in the woods, with dreams of drinking, getting high, and getting up to general teenaged hooligan shenanigans. The main girl of the group, the unfortunately named Topaz, is...talked into? Coerced into? Forced into? Bringing her younger sister, Aurora. A sweet, shy 14-year old girl who has just come into her own after being the gangly, awkward younger sister.

The next morning, everyone wakes up super hungover and maybe still a little drunk, to discover Aurora is missing.

30 years later, her body is found. In the same camping area where they all had been. Questions are asked, and now these tight knit friends have to wonder if they've been commiserating with a murderer all this time.

Sounds like a fantastic murder mystery and thriller, right?

Except that's not what we have here. This isn't a thriller. It's a police procedural.

Police procedurals have their place in the murder mystery genre, but that is not what I expected from this novel. This book focuses so heavily on the police investigating the original crime that it barely touches on the personalities of our six suspects. We know Aurora only as she was on the night of the crime, as told in flashbacks cut in between chapters focusing on the police officers. We barely know anything else about her, though tidbits are dangled before our eyes, then snatched away as we learn about the texts the over eager officer is getting from her abusive boyfriend.

You will have sympathy for Aurora, because what happens to her is truly horrifying. But you can't, and won't, care about the other suspects. There's a redemptive arc for a couple of characters that isn't even deserved. They start out horrible, and do nothing to prove they were good people, then at the end it's like, "And now they were free to be you and me" except they were still horrible people. We didn't even get a pity, throw-away comment about how much they donated to charity or something.

I would love to say that this is well done because I didn't see the ending coming at all. Which is true, I didn't know who'd done it until it was revealed. But that's because I spent far too much time listening to Jonah talk about how many times he'd forgotten to eat lunch.

This should've been good. The idea is fantastic. This was not.

This story is basically a police procedural which solves the mystery of what happened to Aurora Johnson while camping out with her sister and her sister's friends in 1983. It's 30 years later when her body is aacidentally found by a young girl camping in the same area with her family. Following the process was interesting.

She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge is a suspenseful story of six teenagers out for a camping, firebuilding and drinking night, one of the teenagers brings her very young sister who doesn't make it back with the others. Her body is found thirty years later. I really enjoyed the story and the characters although it seemed to take a while to put it all together and wrap it up. I very much liked the storyline behind the lead detective and his relationship to the teenagers. Thank you for the chance to read this early! #netgalley.com#SheLiesInWait#RandomHouse