A debut novel!? Hello! Kate Simants is serving us psychological REALNESS! Author added to my favorites ... I'm going to need everything she writes!

Lock Me In is a fast paced and twisty story of Ellie who suffers from Disassociate Identity Disorder. Her alter, Ziggy "appears" while Ellie sleeps. She is angry, volatile and unpredictable. Her mother locks her in her bedroom at night to keep her safe ... but one morning the lock on her door is smashed and we sound discover Ellie's boyfriend is missing. And so the story begins...

I couldn't put this down! I loved the pace of this book, the short chapters that alternate between Ellie, Ben Mae & one other character I'll leave for you to discover. Ultimately this storyline is excellent and will have you questioning everything ... and yes, with a twist at the end you likely won't see coming.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

I thought this was an outstanding debut novel which had me gripped from start to finish. Eleanor (Ellie) Power suffers from DID, her other persona is Siggy who is evil and when Ellie goes into a fugue state, Siggy takes over. Ellie has the distinctive feature of one green eye and one blue which she apparently inherited from her father who isn’t in her life. Ellie is covered in scars from a childhood accident. Her mother, Christine tries her best to protect her and manage Siggy as best she can. When Ellie’s boyfriend Matt Corsham disappears this is investigated by DS Ben Kwon Mae and DC Kit Ziegler. Mae knows Ellie from a previous case when Ellie’s best friend Jodie disappears three years ago. What unravels next is a chilling, twisty and very dark psychological thriller with intrigue throughout. The story is told by Ellie in the first person and Mae in the third person. I like that Ellie tells her own story as it allows the reader to understand her and the constant fear that she lives with and the shocking things she has suffered. The narrative is interspersed with transcripts from psychotherapist Dr Charles Cox who tries to help Ellie around the time of Jodie’s disappearance.

I really like the characters of Ben and Kit. Ben has a chaotic life, juggling looking after his daughter Bear with his ex-wife. I love the interactions with Bear who is so loveable though she sometimes takes a back seat to the demands of a policeman’s life. He carries a lot of baggage which is hinted at in the story. Kit Ziegler is bright, intuitive and seems very strong but she too has things in her life that make her both angry and vulnerable. I love the partnership and teamwork that develops between these two as they move heaven and earth to find Ellie’s truth. Ellie is admirable, she is so fragile but she finds strength as the story progresses. Her story is very dark and you feel tremendous sadness for her and her suffering. Christine appears to be a good and caring mother who has sacrificed a career in journalism to devote herself to Ellie but as time goes on that comes into question. Cox seems despicable and he certainly does things that are not ethical but in his own way he is trying to help Ellie and he certainly unearths things in Ellie’s past that seem initially to have no explanation.

The storytelling is very strong and you feel the chills and fear that surround Siggy. There are constant questions and the plot takes many twists and turns. I did guess some of it but that in no way spoils the enjoyment. My one criticism is that as you reach the climax of the book it all seems a bit convenient and it ties up a bit too neatly. The book ends on an optimistic note for Ben Mae which I like and I really hope that he and Kit may feature in more books as I think their characters are too good for just one! I also want to see what happens to Bear! Overall, an exceptional good story.

Ellie Power seems to have everything. A lovely home, a loving boyfriend and the future is at her feet. However, at night, she becomes violent and angry, leading to her mother locking her into her room every night, for safety.

One morning Ellie wakes up and the lock is smashed...from the inside. She's injured and doesn't remember anything. And that loving boyfriend.....he's nowhere to be found.

This book is split between Ellie and Det. Ben Kwon Mae - a new detective. He has his own set of problems and he's brought into the investigation of the missing boyfriend ....among other things.

This book is full of tension and frankly scared me a little. Ellie is one of the most fascinating narrators and Kate Simants was very smart of have the plot of this book split between the two.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ellie Power is an only child( like I am), but she has something worse than an evil imaginary friend( like I did). Ellie suffers from DID(Dissociative Identity Disorder), but unlike many with this condition, there is nothing traumatic from her childhood to have caused this, and Siggy, her alter, only takes over Ellie's mind and body at night. The doctors haven't been able to uncover the cause or to help Ellie, so her mother locks her in her room every night so 'Siggy' can't get out.
Ellie is stunned to wake up and find that she is covered in bruises, her bedroom lock forcibly destroyed, and soon learns that her boyfriend Matt is missing. What exactly has Siggy done and what is Ellie going to do now? I didn't see exactly where Lock Me In was headed, but there were enough clues to make me suspect certain people and situations. When everything was revealed, well let's just say I was slightly horrified and kudos to the author to come up with such a unique plot. A fast-paced read that kept my interest and kept me guessing. Oh, BTW, this is a debut novel and I am excited to see what Kate Simants does next!
I received a DRC from Harper Impulse and Killer Reads through NetGalley.

This is an accomplished complex, chilling and totally engrossing debut psychological mystery thriller.

This is the story of Ellie who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder where she suffers from episodes when her alter ego takes over and commit violent acts.
Ellie's mother locks her up in her room at night to prevent her from hurting herself or others, as it is believed that during one of her episodes Ellie might be responsible for the disappearance of her friend. Then things got worse when Ellie's boyfriend also goes missing.

The narrative is edgy and pacey and alternates between the POV of Ellie which gives fascinating insight into her mind and what might be the reason behind her mental condition. Then there is the POV of the detective investigating the missing persons cases.

A compulsive read that I highly recommend, and looking forward to read more from this outstanding new author.

I voluntarily reviewed this book through Netgalley, thanks to the publisher and the author.

I really loved this book! It was one of those books where I guessed what the main twist was going to be very early on, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment in the slightest, because the book was so well written and the journey so twisty and fascinating. Ellie's growth throughout the book was well done and there were enough developments along the way to keep me guessing, even if I could predict the general shape of the final destination.

Also, I LOVED Mae and Kit. Can we please have another book featuring them? Because they are the best police characters I've read in some time. Realistically flawed but just really great, caring but kick-ass people. (Plus, I totally ship them.)

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes thoughtful, well-written thrillers with well-rounded characters and lots of twists and turns.

Nicely done thriller about Ellie, a teen with dissociative identity disorder (did), whose mother locks her in her bedroom at night so that her alter ego, Siggy, can't get out and murder, again (or did she?). Ellie and her mom have forged a semi-normal life for her; she's even got a boyfriend named Matthew. And then one morning, Ellie discovers the lock on her door is ruined, she's covered in mud, and Matthew is missing. DS Ben Mae and DC Kit Ziegler have the case. He worked on the case involving Jodie, Ellie's friend who was killed, so he's familiar not only with her but also with her mother Christine. This shifts between Ellie and Ben as the story spools out. Some of this seems completely off the wall but then, it makes for a pretty good page turner. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A debut novel from an author I'll look for again.

4 stars - Intelligent, psychological & chronic low-key thrills.

"I waited for Siggy, expecting her to bait me. But all I could find of her was the glowing outline of her, a swirl of anticipation coming from where she usually lay glaring"

Siggy is the dark alter personality hiding in the depths of Ellie Power's consciousness, an off shoot of her Disassociative Identity Disorder.. Everytime Siggy was mentioned, her mysterious and alluring portrayal captivated me. Siggy is Ellie's worst nightmare, seemingly uncontrollable and violent. And now those closest to Ellie have gone missing... But the twist to her story is much darker and closer to home.

I loved the parallel storytelling between the detective Ben Kwon Mae and the protagonist Ellie Powers as she battles through the daily repercussions of her Disassociative Disorder. There were abundant twists and characters to throw you into a convoluted haze, which kept me continuously hooked. But as a result of the sheer volume of writing and twists, I felt desensitized to the thrill. I'm also not quite sure how necessary it was to spend so much time on Detective Mae's story. As much as I was fond of his character, I would have liked more intense focus on getting to Ellie's whole deal. Detective Mae needs his own separate spotlight if his life is to be explored is my suggestion.

Lock Me In is overall very well-written, psychologically well-researched, has strong characters and a strong sense of world. Just perhaps too much world/characters. It was a relatively easy and enjoyable read. I also have to appreciate the broader cultural representations.


Thank you to NetGalley, the author & the publisher: Harper Impulse & Killer Reads, for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(Note to publisher - "Unable to find book with ISBN "9780008353292" on Goodreads" so I had trouble submitting this review)

Another book that took me 6 days to read...never a good sign.

Lock Me In had so much potential...but it was horribly bogged down with a lot of meaningless internal dialogue, and a very boring secondary story. I'll be honest, I felt like Mae's personal story, regarding his ex-wife and daughter, should have been either aggressively whittled down, or eliminated entirely.

Told from two perspectives, those of Ellie (who is suffering from DID-Dissociative Identity Disorder) and DS Mae (the detective dealing with the case of Ellie's missing boyfriend, Matt), it was, at times, quite heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I suspected a few things at the 15% mark in the story, and was ultimately proven mostly correct.

At the end of the day, it's an incredibly slow-burning story, but with a moderately satisfying conclusion.

2.5 stars round down

**Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

Can I start with just WOW - I haven't read any books about Dissociative Identity Disorder so didn't really know what to expect, but was a truly excellent book. From start to finish I was hooked on the characters and the story and the plot kept me guessing all the way to the end.
Ellie has more than one personality - when she goes to sleep her alter comes out and things happen that she doesn't remember. The story begins with her boyfriend going missing and develops from there. Its told from the perspective of Ellie and Mae the victim and the cop, and there is a backstory from the linked past throughout.
I highly recommend this book

5 star

I was absolutely engrossed in this book. Read Well into the night in order to find out what happened next. This was the first book I've read by this author but hope that there will be more

Lock Me In is a compelling and tense psychological thriller, from debut author, Kate Simants. This is an accomplished novel that is chilling in its complicity and provides engrossing twists that keep adding to a puzzling plot. The structure of the book is short chapters which alternate between a first-person account from Ellie Power and a third-person perspective around Detective Sergeant Ben Kwon Mae. Handing the first person POV to Ellie is a clever move as it gives a wonderful and personal insight into the mental turmoil and unabating stress young Ellie is experiencing.

Ellie is nineteen years of age, and her history, as it unwraps over the course of the story, is heart-breaking. The major complication is that she is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder that manifests itself while she is asleep and takes on the personality of her alter – Siggy.

“You want to know fear? Imagine someone there, every day when you wake. Imagine knowing, without even opening your eyes, that someone is watching you.
…
You want to know fear? Fear has a name. Her name is Siggy.”

Ellie knows Siggy is there waiting and watching, knowing she will get her moment as she hangs at the edges of her consciousness with a disturbing threat of fatality. Ellie’s mother, Christine Power, locks her daughter in her bedroom at night to prevent her causing damage to herself and others. Christine has explained to Ellie that her best friend, Jodie, was murdered by Siggy, and she has protected Ellie from suspicion. Ellie, unfortunately, tried to commit suicide as a consequence.

“In the last moment, when I dragged that blade across my neck, more than anything I had wanted to see Siggy. I stared myself in the eyes because I wanted her to watch and know she hadn’t won. All I could think, at the time, was that if I wasn’t alive, Siggy couldn’t hurt anyone. I’d just wanted her gone. She had taken my friend, and I wanted her to suffer for it. I didn’t care that it meant me too.”

In the five years since Jodie’s disappearance, Ellie has developed a strong relationship with boyfriend Matt Corsham, whom she loves and has trusted in knowing her condition. In the background, Matt has been doing some research to uncover more detail and now he has gone missing too. The misgivings are widened when we discover Matt has also been communicating and meeting with Charles Cox, the psychiatrist, who was examining Ellie and can shed some light on her condition. In another twist, Cox also has a dubious past with some questionable behaviour.

DS Ben Mae was a new detective during the police investigation into finding Jodie and now leads up Matt's missing person’s investigation. Mae has a very troubling personal life with his ex-wife and is trying to maintain a relationship with his eight-year-old daughter Bear, especially as he’s totally unreliable. Mae is teamed with his new colleague DC Catherine (Kit) Ziegler who is an unusual character that brings a lot of energy and off-the-wall dialogue and actions. The plot developments towards the end of the book are fascinating and with an enthralling cast of characters delivered a great story that maintained an impressive pace throughout.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars and round down as there were a few moments I just struggled with the convenience of the plot. I highly recommend reading this book and I'd like to thank HarperCollins, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

Honestly, I am shocked that LOCK ME IN isn't getting more hype than it is because it is an impressive debut thriller! If you enjoy twisty plots combined with family drama and a little bit of police procedure, this is a book for you and will be available for purchase October 3rd. My recommendation would be to go into this book completely blind, but here's the plot in a nutshell: Ellie Power's boyfriend, Matt, has gone missing. This would be alarming for anyone of course, but Ellie has an alter ego named Siggy that appears at night and is often violent. The problem? Ellie has no memory of what Siggy does, and she is plagued with worry that Matt's disappearance may have something to do with Siggy. Even the attempts of Ellie's mother to control Siggy by locking Ellie in her room at night aren't enough at times to contain Siggy. When Ellie discovers she's covered in bruises and marks the next morning after Matt's disappearance, she works throughout the novel to solve the mystery of what happened to Matt. If this sounds a little too much like a tired and worn Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plot, don't worry--Simants takes it in a completely different direction than you'd expect!

I don't want to say much else because it would risk becoming a spoiler and ruining the entire plot. Be prepared to feel confused about what exactly is going on for a good part of the novel (which skillfully mirrors Ellie's own lived experience), but take assurance in the fact that it will all come together in the end. At around 400 pages, this read is a bit of a commitment; even so, the plot never sags or bogs itself down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a debut!

I was kindly offered the chance to read the book by the author herself. I was under no obligation to review it.

It took me less than 4 hours to read.

I was hooked from page one right until the final page.

A phenomenal concept, one that translated well over the pages.

Extremely well thought out.

Can everything really be as it seems?

Ellie, who we quickly find out, has an alter ego (dissociative identity disorder) called Siggy. The question is can Siggy be trusted?

Suspicions rise as you turn the pages and everything escalates at a rapid rate.

This is a thriller driven by mental health, it's fast paced and highly believable.

You'll need time on your hands to read this one as you won't want to put it down!

Ellie Power is just a typical normal girl except when it comes to bed time. Her other has to lock her in her room to keep everyone safe. Ellie has DID (Disassociate Identy Disorder) an illness that puts everyone around her at risk. It makes her a completely different person. One morning Ellie wakes to find the lock on her door is broken, she's covered in cuts and bruises and her boyfriend is missing. What actually happened that night?

I have never heard a lot about DID (it used to be called split personality) and how it effects every day life for the people who suffer from it. The first half of the book is slow but the second half certainly makes up for it. Ellie's alter ego is called Siggy. She takes over her body and is prone to violence. There is a underlying story but I'm not going to say anything about that. You will need to read the book for that information. The story has an original plotline. What a great debut novel this is.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Kate Simants for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

For most of her life, Ellie Power has lived with secrets and a certain condition. Now that she is enjoying a bit of independence, Ellie wants to experience more, but her past is a constant reminder of the harm she can cause. After her boyfriend goes missing, Ellie remains close to those she can trust.

“There are experiences that have shaped her: moments that she’s hanging on to because of how crucial they are to her identity.”

Told in dual POV, the narrative shifts between Ellie and Detective Sargeant Ben Mae. Familiar with her past, Mae is sensitive to Ellie’s plight, but he must also investigate all leads to get answers. Of course, everyone seems to have something to hide, which makes getting to the truth a bit complicated and serves to create building tension.

“He’s called it the push factor, I remembered then. Sometimes people leave where they are, to get away from something dangerous.”

Despite her vulnerabilities and fears, Ellie proves to be a worthy and strong character. I liked how Ellie continually moves forward no matter how painful it may be. Though Ellie experienced life-changing trauma, Mae brings his own challenges but also his stamp of humanity. Overall, I enjoyed the range that each character brings to the storyline.

Lock Me In is a psychological thriller that feels like a police investigative. It will appeal to those who enjoy analyzing clues and identifying suspects in order to get to a painful truth.

Creepy and fast-paced, this is a solid purchase for adult fiction collections, particularly in communities where thrillers are popular.

This was a great read! The writing is fantastic! The story will keep you on your toes til the very end. I couldn't believe some of the twists! It is written in dual points of views which isn't my favorite, but I thought went well in the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Ellie Power had been living in fear as far as she could remember. When it’s dark, she had to stay vigilant or risk losing control. This living nightmare forced her and her mother to move around for safety reason. Now with her boyfriend Matthew, she hoped to settle and start living a normal life. But being comfortable came with a risk that she was not willing to pay.

I love books with psychological issues so naturally I was drawn to this one, especially with the intriguing blurb and cover. This book also covered a condition I’ve always been fascinated with so I definitely loved that aspect of the story.

I also liked discovering the characters’ drives and motivations. However, I wished I felt them on a deeper level. There were bits and pieces of it scattered but could have intensified the story with more of it. Even though I partially figured out the direction of the story, I still enjoyed the story overall and how the plot unfolded.

Lock Me In is a story of facing fears and taking back control. It would appeal to fans of psychological thriller.

This is a great read! It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The writing is fantastic and full of twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the end. I loved how the author used multiple POVs to tell parallel stories.