Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge.

When Jonah hears of old remains being found in the forest, he knows immediately in his gut who they belong to. Aurora, a 14 year old classmate went missing on a fateful camping trip, and no one ever learned what happened to her. Flash forward thirty years, and now Jonah is a Detective Inspector and chomping at the bit to learnt the truth of her disappearance. But in order to do so, he'll have to face some of his own skeletons.

A nice hybrid of The Secret History, and One of Us is Lying, this is a cold case consisting of a suspicious cast of HS friends, all now grown and constantly haunted by what happened the night of Aurora's disappearance, especially her sister Topaz and her husband Conner, both of whom were there.

Again, I love a great police drama, and whodunit. This looks to be the first in a series and I will be anxiously awaiting the next!

I enjoyed this book, but it was relatively forgettable. It kept me interested enough to finish. I'd recommend it to others as a quick read.

I am very sorry to say that I did not love this book, at all. The writing was great, and I would try something from this author again for sure. This story was far fetched to say the least, which I know, most mysteries are of course. But this one was just, odd. Also, there was not one character to like, not a single one. Not even the victim. It's hard to care when you cannot find anything redeeming about any one in the book.
So, bottom line, book not great, author is though so check them out, leave this one alone.

Is it friendship or something much darker. A fast paced thriller that has you worrying and wondering the whole way.

Detective Jonah Sheens has been through his share of investigations. He also knows most everyone around the small town where he grew up or he thought he did. All of what he thought he knew comes crashing down when a missing persons case gets blown wide open with the discovery of a body.

Thirty years is a long time. Especially when you are looking for clues and witnesses as to what happened all those years ago. Detective Sheens definitely has his work cut out for him and everyone connected isn't about to make it easy for him either.

Secrets and lies come to the surface as Detective Sheens tries to find out what happened to Aurora all those years ago. Who is responsible for her demise when all of them were supposed to be protecting her?

A story where friendships are tested and nothing stays hidden for long.

In her debut thriller novel, Gytha Lodge writes a dark and riveting novel that spans 30 years.
Aurora Jackson was delighted to be going overnight camping with her sister Topaz and four of Topaz’s friends. As a bright but awkward 14 she was thrilled to be included. After an evening of dancing, talking and sitting by the fire, all six retired for the night. When morning arrived, there was no sign of Aurora. A search which included local cop Jonah Sheens was conducted. No results. The five remaining had no explanation for Auroras whereabouts. The disappearance remains unsolved.
Fast forward 30 years to a young girl playing by a river in the same woods and finds what turns out to be the remains of a fourteen year old girl. Aurora has been found.
Now DCI Jonah Sheens is called onto find out what had happened in 1983. Well versed in police procedure, respected and a past acquaintance of the remaining “campers” Jonah must dig deeply into the past to discover everyone’s secrets and solve the mystery of Aurora’s disappearance.
The transition from 1983 to the present are handled with ease and an effortless style. Along the way the character of Jonah Sheens is examined and developed. Clues about his life peak our interest and you can see why there might be future novels in which he plays a prominent role.
This is a well written novel that allows you to think you know what is going on only to lead you to second guess yourself. Thus you have an interesting novel. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #SheLiesInWait

Aurora goes missing at the age of 14 while camping with her older sister and her sister's friends. Thirty years later they find her remains not far from the campsite. While I did enjoy the book when it was written from Aurora's point of view the night she was murdered, I had a lot of trouble connecting to the other characters in the book. In fact, I had trouble staying interested in the book overall. It is written well and has potential to be great, it just wasn't what I was hoping or expecting it to be.

A sad, tragic, horrific, and ultimately avoidable crime lies at the heart of this riveting psychological suspense thriller: the crime, and everybody's secrets and suspicions and mistaken assumptions. A crime committed 30 years early is accidentally outed, and even the case detective, DCI Jonah Sheens, has a past and mislaid memories stabbing at his calm. Before the Truth outs, many will be raked over the coals, and almost all will reel at the immensity of unfolding revelations.

It started off as a fun camping trip, but ended with a missing girl. 30 something years later the teens body is found and the cold case is reopened. Strengths: well written alternating timelines and pacing. Weakness: the characters did not seem to show much emotion over things that should upset them (missing friend, finding bodies, etc..) Overall I enjoyed this title and look forward to reading more by Gytha Loddge.

<b>My thoughts:</b>
I’d like to give this mystery a 3.5 ⭐️ rating, but Goodreads doesn’t have that function so I’m rounding down to 3 ⭐️’s. If you enjoy detective series, it’s worth reading.

**My apologies to Ms. Lodge. I feel that my reading preferences, rather than her book or writing skills influenced review**

This is the author’s debut and the beginning of a series. It’s told in alternating timelines—past (30 years earlier) and present. It was well-written, but not thrilling enough for me. As with most mysteries, there are plenty of secrets. Even the police are keeping some interesting secrets of their own.

A series has to be unputdownable for me to become invested, and this one just didn’t fit that bill. I didn’t relate to any of the characters. And even though it leaves several unanswered questions, it doesn’t bother me to let them stay unanswered.

The story is centered around the discovery of the body (actually the bones) of a teenage girl that went missing 30 years earlier. A group of teenagers went camping. Actually, the camping trip was more of an excuse to party. Aurora is much younger and only allowed to tag along because her big sister is in the group.

There was a fairly large cast of characters, and because I didn’t relate to any of them, I had a hard time keeping them straight. There is also a lot going on with different characters, so that was confusing at times.

But as I said earlier, if detective/crime series are your thing, you should check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #SheLiesInWait

<b>My Rating: </b> 3.5 ⭐️
<b>Published:</b> January 8th 2019 by Random House
<b>Pages:</b> 368

<b>Recommend:</b> If you like detective/crime series.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

While this story may be a big hit among young people it just didn’t hold my attention. I struggled through so much of it and finally just had to put it aside. I tried going back to it but it just was not for me.

I would recommend it to a much younger group from what I read. It just didn’t draw me in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I give it 3 stars and that is because I think young people will like it.

I struggled to read this one, it didn't hold my attention.. Six teens go into the woods, but only 5 come out. After a long night of partying Aurora Jackson who is just 14 years old went to a party in the woods with her older sister, but now she is missing. The next day the other teens realize that her sleeping bag is empty.. Where is she? Did she wonder off? Who seen her last?? Who's responsible for her being missing???

30 Years later DCI Jonah Sheens is called to investigate the remains of a body found in the woods, the same woods, where Aurora and her older sister and her sisters friends went partying all night long.. Tests confirm that the body does belong to Aurora Jackson, DCI Sheens then begins to interview the 5 teens who were with Aurora the night she went missing. As he interrogates, it becomes obvious that none of them are being truthful.. He knows these people, he went to school with them, they are a close net group. Nothing matches to the things they have said 30 years ago.
Were they hiding the fact that they were drinking underage and having sex. or do they have something else to hide. I really wanted this book to be so much better than what it was, The thing I liked most was Aurora's timeline and history....

*thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review*

Honestly, the synopsis made me think Pretty Little Liars but for some reason, this book couldn’t/didn’t hold my attention. I couldn’t get much more than 5-8% in before I put it down in favor of something else.

Fourteen-year-old Aurora Jackson has been waiting for 30 years for her body to be found. Once it is, old wounds are re-opened and all five of the other teenagers who were with her that night are now prime suspects in her murder. Was it her older sister Topaz? Or Coralie, Topaz's jealous best friend? More likely it was one of the boys, Benner, Conner or Brett, and no one seems to suspect the tomboy, Jojo. DCI Jonah Sheens is on the case, but there's just one problem - he was slightly older than the kids at the time but still knew them, perhaps a little too well. The five characters are still a tight-knit group, protecting each other's secrets even as they've gone on to live successful lives. The book alternates back and forth between that fateful night and the present day investigation, and we also get a good look at the rest of DCI Sheens investigative team, as this is presumably the first book in a series. I like what I see, and look forward to reading the next one.

I loved this book just when I thought I had it figured out they added another twist to the mix then I had to work at firuring it out again

She Lies in Wait is a riveting mystery that surrounds the cold case disappearance of Aurora Jackson. Aurora Jackson was a smart, but awkward 14 year old girl who went out on an overnight camping trip with her older sister and some of her friends in the summer of 1983. When dawn breaks, Aurora is nowhere to be found. Despite an extensive search Aurora is never found again.
Jump forward to present day, and a little girl playing down by the river in the same area Aurora was last seen, discovers human bones. DCI Jonah Sheens is called in and when the remains are positively identified as Aurora Jackson, his investigation begins in earnest. With dedication and a undying tenacity Jonah picks up where the old investigation left off. He brings in Aurora’s sister and all the other players that were present that night. Many of the other kids, now well established adults seem to have secrets and possible motives, and mysterious deaths and arsons surrounding the remaining members of the clan escalate the urgency of solving the mystery.

Jonah too has his own secrets related to the missing girl, and he only hopes he can solve the case without exposing the skeletons hiding in his own closet. This was a nail biting story. I was hurrying through to find out who may have been responsible for the death of this promising 14 year old. There is an added dimension of intrigue because this novel is written from current events with layered storylines from the victims point of view, so we as the reader are able to hear the whole tale from the point of view of the victim. Would definitely recommend. Novel supplied by Netgalley.

A chilling debut. A camping trip with friends but one doesn’t make it out alive. Who is to blame? What happened to Aurora? This book will keep you guessing until the very end. Great characters and a fantastic story.

I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the ARC!

This book begins with a young girl finding a skeletal finger out in the woods. This opens a cold case from 30 years earlier. Aurora Jackson was a 14 year old who went on a camping trip with her older sister, Topaz, and a group of Topaz's friends. She never came home.
Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens is called to investigate the case. He is torn, because he knew the group from school, and had been on the case very early in his career. His ties to the case sometimes cause his judgment into question.
This is a well written psychological thriller, with no clear indication of who the killer is as you read the story. I didn't think there were any tells along the way, but a lot of red herrings and misdirection to confuse you. It is ultimately a sad story of loss and the aftermath of careless recklessness.
I look forward to reading more by this author, and hope the author also expands the character of DC Hanson more, as she seems like a great character.
#SheLiesInWait #NetGalley #GythaLodge

She Lies in Wait is a twisty novel that will keep you interested from the very first page. This is a fast paced novel with easy dialogue. The reader will have no trouble following along with this story.

I loved the dual timelines in this book. Lodge takes you from 1983 to the present day seamlessly. You will try to guess who has the motive to kill. Who had the opportunity. Lodge does a great job of keeping the reader invested in the story and all of the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I did think the ending was a little abrupt but other than that it was really enjoyable.

Thank you Gytha Lodge and Random House for my copy of She Lies In Wait.