I liked this book - the story was great. The attempt to introduce dysfunction among the DC team felt unnecessary. I hope there's less of that in the next book.

You had me at, "...in 1983..." Not only is this an investigative mystery, this kind of read like a YA. Now, I don't mean that the writing was on the same caliber as YA novels are, but it captivated me much like most YA novels tend to do, and involving teens and one going missing, well the whole story had a vibe of YA mixed with Adult Fiction. The story captivated me and the writing made me speed through to see what would happen next.

A worthy debut with measured, morally-inclined and professional police detectives that are likable and believable. The resolution of the case is a little too neat, with a few outsized surprises and twists that are clunky, but this doesn't detract from the story too much. Enjoyed it!

This is a great read for anyone looking for a gentle mystery set in a small town in the UK. I quite liked the hero, DCI Jonah Sheens, and would certainly consider reading other books in the series. The story is not action-packed by any means, so some readers looking for a fast-paced mystery will be disappointed. The author chose to show us what happened the night Auror goes missing by giving us her point of view, which I thought was interesting. You know what's going to happen to her, and wish something different would occur so it doesn't turn out the way it does. I didn't figure out the mystery in the end (although if I read it a bit faster, I might have), and was very satisfied with the conclusion.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The description of this book intrigued me. 6 friends...1 killer....who did it?? 30 years later, there is a discovery of the body that throws this case right back open. DCI Sheens is in charge, and he has a link to this group of friends as well.

I went back and forth on who I thought the killer was and it ended up NOT being who I suspected. I recommend this book if you like a quick, suspenseful read!

So many great new suspense titles, can you stand it? She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge caught my eye thanks to the plot involving a missing girl and the mystery surrounding her death.

I love the fact this story takes place a little 1980s, when I grew up. The book flashes back to the night Aurora died when a group of teenagers were out partying, drinking and hanging out. The next day, however, one of them is missing.

No one could find Aurora and the case ultimately went cold. Until someone stumbled upon her bones in a random place not known to many people. One of her old friends may be the killer. So who was it? This literary mystery promises to keep you up at night, trying to piece together what happened to young Aurora.



Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust? A teen girl goes missing after a night of partying; thirty years later, the discovery of her body reopens a cold case in a gripping thriller for readers of Tana French, The Woman in Cabin 10, and the Lynley series.

On a scorching July night in 1983, a group of teenagers goes camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and the youngest of the group—Aurora Jackson—is delighted to be allowed to tag along. The evening starts like any other—they drink, they dance, they fight, they kiss. Some of them slip off into the woods in pairs, others are left jealous and heartbroken. But by morning, Aurora has disappeared. Her friends claim that she was safe the last time they saw her, right before she went to sleep. An exhaustive investigation is launched, but no trace of the teenager is ever found.

Thirty years later, Aurora’s body is unearthed in a hideaway that only the six friends knew about, and Jonah Sheens is put in charge of solving the long-cold case. Back in 1983, as a young cop in their small town, he had known the teenagers—including Aurora—personally, even before taking part in the search. Now he’s determined to finally get to the truth of what happened that night. Sheens’s investigation brings the members of the camping party back to the forest, where they will be confronted once again with the events that left one of them dead, and all of them profoundly changed forever.



This book is due out in January 2019. Add it to your Goodreads list and pre-order from Amazon now.

This book was amazing. Read very quickly but I did not want it to end. Can’t wait to see what others think. I believe this will be very popular.

I think this was the same plot as Riley Sanger's FInal Girls but not as well written. Not a fan at all. It needed an editor and read like a first draft.

She lies in wait was a hard story for me to grasp. I really was unable to find the characters likeable and the entire crime scenario irked me. I originally had high hopes for this book, but it didn't do me any justice in being satisfied by reading it. The author, however, is able to weave a grand tale and the writing was superb, but the storyline was not one that I could find myself interested in.

In 1983 seven teenagers go camping in the woods and the youngest, Aurora, is missing when the rest of them wake up the following morning. There was an investigation but, in hindsight, it seems not to have been very thorough. The case goes cold until 30 years later when Aurora’s bones are discovered in a place only the other six knew about. Which one of them is the killer, or were they all involved? It’s a well-written crime thriller with interesting investigative details and thought-provoking flashbacks to that fateful night in 1983. It was fast-paced and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. There were also very few editing errors. I did figure out whodunit, but only after the reveal of how Aurora had died. Why only four stars? I didn’t think the characters were fleshed out enough to make me care what happened to them. I was also left with too many questions. A few examples – What was the point of DC Hanson’s relationship with her ex-boyfriend? What was the truth about Mr. MacKenzie? Why did Topaz choose to marry Connor? Would I recommend this book? Yes. Would I read the next book in the series? Definitely.

She Lies in Wait sounded like perfect thriller to dive into.......

Aurora Jackson has been missing for over 30 years... until one night a father and child stumble upon scattered bones during a camping trip.

Detective Jonah Sheens is hired onto the scene to investigate what happened to Aurora. After analysis, it is deemed that Aurora was brutally murdered at the campsite.

The story slowly unfolds to reveal what happened to Aurora that fateful night she was murdered. The author slowly leaves bread crumbs to understand the evil mystery.... starting with flashbacks. The author paints a picture of Aurora, her sister Topaz, and Topaz's friends engaging in partying and drinking. But, it appears that Detective Sheens keeps running into dead ends and can't find the answers. Who is covering up this sinister crime and can she help find the answers for Aurora and her loved ones?

So.. unfortunately I'm not going to sugar coat this review at all. This was really bad in all honestly. I felt like this was almost the exact storyline of Riley Sager's Finals Girls but was a hot mess. This story fell completely FLAT for me and was pretty bored. I skimmed maybe the last 40 percent of the book because I was just over it.

I'm not too fond of police procedural novels because they tend to be the SAME storylines but different character/names. I took a break from these types of stories but sadly I remembered why I stopped reading to begin with.

And not to mention... the story was SUPER obvious... I found out the mystery about 30 percent in.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 1/8/19
Published to GR: 9/30/18

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group and Gytha Lodge for an ARC of this novel.

It took me longer than usual to read this book, but it's because I didn't want it to end. It was an intriguing story, and it's definitely not a "oh I know who the killer is" halfway through the book. I really enjoyed it, and will be reading the next book in this series.

She Lies In Wait by Gytha Lodge
Oh my gosh this book had me scrambling trying to figure out who it was and I could never pinpoint it! I usually can figure it out and be able to predict the ending but not with this one! It has me on my toes the entire time!
5 stars

In 1983 a group of teenage girls go camping in the woods. Aurora Jackson is the youngest of the group is happy to able to come along. In the morning Aurora is missing and none of the searches find any sign of her. Thirty years later her body is found in a secret spot only the group of friends knew about. Now they will be faced with one happened that night.

It took me a bit to get into the book, but once I did I had to finish. I wont give any spoilers but if you enjoy thrillers then this book is for you!

How hard would it be to investigate your former classmates - especially when you were hiding a secret yourself? That's what DCI Jonah Sheens is up against in SHE LIES IN WAIT. Six friends go camping in the forest and only 5 come out - and they spend the next 30 years living with the consequences and only one of them knowing what really happened. But as secrets start pushing their way to the surface, the one who knows what happened will do anything to push them back down. Enthralling read. The only thing I didn't like was the title - it seemed a little cheesy for the strength of the story.

Good police procedural mystery. I enjoyed it a lot. There were a lot of characters so I need to remind myself a few times of which one was which but overall a good read. I understand that this will be series so hopefully we learn more about Johah and why he is alone. I was also glad that there were not multiple points of view, only Jonah and Aurora. It did seem a little long but I would read more in this series. 3.5 stars

Thanks NetGalley for the copy!

I could have done without all the police procedural's in this book. Too much behind the scene busy work, other than that the story line was well thought out and intriguing. The characters flaws were a nice touch and the killer remained a mystery for a good part of the story.

I was sitting on an international flight, as I read this book, so I was a captive audience, but the novel was not captivating. Many characters, terribly uninteresting and feckless people. We were provided with snippets of background on each but no real substance. There was no suspense. I understand this will be a series but I will not be reading anything additional about these characters, some of whom, had to have had their lives negatively affected by the investigation into the murder. Not a grabber for me. Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is a story about a group of teenagers going camping and by morning one is missing. Thirty years later, the missing girl's body is found near the campsite and the others have stuck to their stories throughout the years. With the finding of the body, the case is looked at again, only this time as a homicide, not a missing person’s case.

Be prepared to keep track of several characters. With a few exceptions, the characters are boring. There are the remaining campers, parents, a brother, other friends, a teacher, a drug dealer and once the teens are grown, their spouses, children, and a boyfriend. Then come the police detectives; one has a mother that he intends on visiting throughout the whole book, then there are the people involved in the other detective’s lives. I am fairly certain I haven't listed them all. Out of all these people, you only hear a little about each of them. I understand that there are more books to come and hopefully these characters will become more developed. As for now, the only one I found interesting was Aurora and she is dead. The story has two timelines. One is of the night of the teens camping trip and the other is the investigation thirty years later. Because of the underdevelopment and number of the many characters, shifting back and forth between timelines and endless pages of explanation and description, I didn't like this book at all.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a lot! It was a lot of words, characters, side plots and details. There was a good story in there and I think things will firm up (hopefully) now that the series groundwork has been laid. I would rather have a layered approach to my series, gradually adding the characters so I get used to them and can differentiate them more easily.

That being said - the writing was solid and plot was interesting. The transition between the timelines was very smooth. Their were some good twists and ending was satisfying. I would be interested in reading more of Jonah’s story.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group for a copy in exchange for a review.