I love a good police procedural and that's exactly what this was.
This book grabs you from the start when Aiden Hera's his girlfriend Zoe's murder while o skype. From there you follow the police investigation with snippets of Zoe's life leading up to her murder.
I love a good police investigation and pretending I'm an investigator, in truth I'd be terrible and should be in charge of nothing, and this book is exactly what that is. It takes through so you feel as though you are part of the investigation and you see all the clues .I did guess who the killer was but that is completely down to the writing taking you through as if you are part of it all happening.

Most people would call the police immediately if they saw what Aidan saw while he was waiting to Skype with his girlfriend Zoe. Why didn't he? That's a key question for DCI Jonah Sheens and his team, especially after they find Zoe's body. Told in a dual time line, this procedural shows how Zoe and Aiden, and a group of others, all of whom have secrets, came to be. And more importantly, it's a nice return for Sheens and his team, each of whom is distinct and wonderful. This is the second in a series but fine as a standalone. It has twists and turns and sufficiently complex to keep you engaged even when you think you know the answers (and you don't). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nicely plotted and written, it's a good read.

All in all, a creepy & intricate story with an ending that may surprise many readers. Job done. Recomend you read it.

This was a DNF for me. I made it about 50% (which is as much as I can muster before I close the book permanently) before I decided to throw in the towel. The premise was good, but the story didn't stick for me.

Watching from the Dark is the second installment in the British detective series starring DCI Jonah Sheens and his team DC Juliette Hanson, DS Ben Lightman, and DS Domnall O’Malley. These fine folks are tasked with an interesting case, boyfriend logs on to Skype to talk to his girlfriend. Boyfriend watches someone enter girlfriend’s apartment, hears a struggle, and watches the mystery person leave. Let’s also mention that said boyfriend doesn’t know where said girlfriend lives. So many questions right off the bat. I was engrossed from the very first chapter. As the story unfolds, you will meet all of the friends and their interesting and twisty dynamics. I devoured this in two sittings.
I absolutely loved “She Lies in Wait”, although, I do not think it’s necessary to have read that to enjoy Watching from the Dark.
Thank you to NetGalley, Gytha Lodge, and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

I didn't realize, upon requesting this ARC, that it was the second in a series of books.

I wish I had. Although I suppose you could consider this a stand-alone, the characters weren't fleshed out at all. As I was reading, it felt as though I should know who all these people were, and their back stories; but I didn't. It was this big, huge hole that I couldn't fill because I hadn't read book one.

Beyond that, the writing had a quality which I found...floundering. The story happily bounced around, seemingly never going anywhere.

The red herrings were good, had the twist not been the oldest in the book. I mean, of course that was the killer. It always is. I won't say more than that, but if you're a fan of this genre, and you know about crime and who the police immediately look at as suspects, the ending won't be a surprise.

And what a group of loathsome characters, man. Just awful. I felt sorry for Zoe, having this clingy, needy group of misfits in her life.

This was an average read for me. 2.5 stars rounded down

You can get your own copy of this book (and I'd recommend the first in the series too), on February 25, 2020.

Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

1.5 stars rounded up. I started this book so many times and could just not get into it. I finally powered through, however, the plot was highly predictable in my opinion. It was marred by the overwhelming cast of characters (all of which had 5 letter names that were highly undistinguishable) that made it difficult to follow all the sub-storylines. I wish I had just skipped this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In my favorite books, each has an element of suspense along with really strong character development. Watching from the Dark offered both, along with the distinctly second-decade-of-21st-Century plot element of a murder being witnessed during a video chat.

But why doesn't the witness tell the police all he knows about the situation? And why does every single character seem to be hiding something from the team of DCI Jonah Sheens?

This is where the complexity of characters enters the equation, and here I was at a slight handicap, having not read She Lies in Wait, the first installment of this series. I don't think the plot suffered by my ignorance of their group dynamic, but I'm sure my pleasure in their interaction was diminished. (You know the feeling that a smart kid gets in a group of adults, where you know you're missing something, but you're not sure what? Like that.)

Still, I found each of the characters appealing, while simultaneously cringing at some of their traits. Zoe, the murder victim, is a case in point. We get to know her quite well, through the author's skillful use of alternating timelines, switching between present day (the murder and its investigation) and the preamble countdown, which starts at 20 months earlier.

Through all this, it was hard for me to decide: is Zoe a saint, too good to be true, for her unfailing support and selfless presence in her friends' lives? Or are these civilized people all just using one another, in one big transactional tangle?

And the villain of the piece? I suspected six or seven or eight candidates, very briefly considering and then dismissing the idea of the actual murderer. So -- surprise! Good job!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance readers copy.

Aidan Poole logs on to his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. To his horror, he realizes that there is someone else in her flat. Aidan can only listen to the sounds of a violent struggle taking place in the bathroom—and then the sound of silence. He is desperate to find out if Zoe is okay. But then why is he so hesitant to call the police?

When Aidan’s cryptic messages finally reach them, Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens and his team take the case—and discover the body. They soon find that no one has a bad word to say about Zoe, a big hearted young artist at the center of a curious web of waifs and strays, each relying on her for support, each hiding dark secrets and buried resentments. Has one of her so-called “friends” been driven to murder? Or does Aidan have the biggest secret of them all?- Goodreads

Creepy. . . is probably the best word I can describe this book after I was finished, which was late in the evening. 

It was a good read despite the creepy vibe I got from reading it. I think what made it creepy for me is the fact that it is told from alternate viewpoints including Zoe. Reading the last days of a woman you just saw murdered and reading it from her pov, was tough to read. 

The pace of the novel was great. It is a classic who done it novel and there are so many options of who can do it. But here was my issue with this book, every single person (minus the detectives) were problematic, selfish and down right horrible to Zoe and she became who she was at the end by not only the killer's action but those she held dear to her as well. 

The author left a lot of openings for who could have done it and there were twists throughout the book. However, it was very clear that the author just didn't know what to do with those characters and their development. After everything was said and done no one (but the killer) was held accountable for their any of their actions and it was disappointing to see. 

This is what caused the book to go from a 5 to a 3. 

Something I would like to note is that I did not read the first book and at no point did I feel I needed to. Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens and his team were fantastic detectives and it would have been nice to see the author add more development on them. Their own personal lives were mentioned but nothing too deep, which is fine as the focus was the case. I feel that if you are going to talk about it make sure you back up what you say so there could be a reason why it was mentioned. 

Would I say this book is predictable? Some. The author, as I mentioned, adds a lot of different paths where the ending can go but you aren't exactly surprised at the end but what does surprises you is the how. Seriously, there are a few wow moments and all I could think about is "its not the destination, its the journey."

Overall, very good read. 

3 Pickles

Loved loved this suspenseful thriller!! This is my first time reading this Author, but it definitely won't be my last!! I loved this twisty turning book so much, that I downloaded her previous book!!

Aidan Poole logs on to Skype with Zoe as is his habit but she never appears. Instead he is peering into her empty living room and hears water splashing as though she is in the bath and then hears a door opening and splashing, followed by a door closing. Where is Zoe?
Aiden becomes panicked that something has happened to Zoe and places an anonymous call to the police asking them to check on her.
When DCI Sheens follows up on the phone call, he discovers Zoe dead in her bath.
While in the beginning no one has anything but praise for Zoe, we learn that her relationships with friends and family were extremely complex and Zoe was keeping secrets for more than one of them.
As you learn more about the characters in her life you will suspect each one in turn. Angeline who is a troubled young woman who gets into precarious situations and calls Zoe to rescue her, Maeve who was her roommate and still nursing heartbreak from an affair with a church pastor, Victor a co-worker at the coffee shop where she worked who has unrequited feelings for Zoe and is extremely possessive, her landlord, Felix a retired policeman who suffers from PTSD and a bit of loneliness and even her parents are not in the clear. Then of course there is Aidan, the boyfriend who made the anonymous report. What is he hiding?
The story alternates between when Zoe met Aidan and the current murder investigation. and features a team of investigators from the authors previous novel which I have not read. The author states that this can be read as a stand-alone but I am wondering if some of the investigation teams relationships might become clearer with reading the previous book.
This was well written and engaging though a slow burn, I definitely intend to read “ Lies In Wait” which has been on my TBR pile for too long now.
Thank you to #netgalley and #penguin for the ebook in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be released on February 25.

I didn't finish this one.

I got 30% in according to my Kindle and gave up. Too many characters and not enough background to any of them. Not enough depth. Who knew a murder witnessed over Skype could be so drol and boring.

maybe it's because I didn't read the first book on the series cuz I didn't know there was one until I started to read other reviews. Either way this didn't work for me

This is the second book in a series, and it really does help to read them in order. I enjoyed Watching from the Dark and would definitely recommend it. This book is a police procedural/mystery that slowly reveals clues about the suspects, so it is a real challenge to try to guess the killer. I will be looking for future releases by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found this book really enjoyable overall. It was well-written and the plot held my interest through most of the book. In the middle I did feel like the police appeared somewhat incompetent as they struggled to figure out what was going on. The small side backstories to some of the detectives also didn't especially appeal to me. I felt they distracted from the main plot line without having enough detail/depth to make me care (seemed more an effort to make them dimensional that fell flat for me). However I did overall enjoy the book and felt the structure of using flashbacks converging to the book's high point was very effective. I liked this book and would probably not pick it up a second time but would consider reading a sequel if one was made.

Thanks to the author and publisher for sharing this book prior to publish for an honest review!

I liked it, I didn't even read the first book to the series and I was able to get in to it. my first book by the author! I wasn't disappointed in the story.
it had good plot's and liked the character's. I suspected who the killer was but it was still very good. I will be getting more books from this author. I got the book through netgalley, I was liking the cover and the title and description of this book when I saw

OOO y'all this is a creepy one and I am so happy that I was able to read it! Go out and read this one because you will not be disappointed. The characters were fantastic and truly brought this novel to the forefront of my #1 reads.

Well that was delightful.
Loving this series and loving Gytha Lodge's style.
I am eager for more cases with these detectives!
Much love to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House for my DRC.

3.5 stars

A man waits for his girlfriend to pick up his Skype call. Waiting for her on the webcam, he sees something in her apartment that he wasn't expecting to see—her murder.

Concept: ★★★★ 1/2
Characters: ★★★
Mystery(s)/Reveal(s): ★★★

Watching from the Dark comes out on February 25, 2020.

Watching From the Dark is the second novel in the British detective series centered on DCI Jonah Sheens and his police team, Hanson, Lightman, and O'Malley.

Aidan Poole is waiting for Zoe on Skype one night, and instead of a chat he's greeted with a gruesome murder. Who killed Zoe, and what should he do about it?

Adding fuel to the fire, Aidan doesn't directly go to the police, and his dodgy avoidance of detail raises the suspicions of DCI Sheens.

As the secrets and lies start to bubble to the surface, it appears that Zoe's life as a graduate art student wasn't as simple as it appeared...

So, some background on this series and my views on DCI Sheens. I read and reviewed the first novel, She Lies in Wait, last year and thought it was...fine. I loved the set-up and I liked the twisty turns to the finish line, but I really, really struggled with feeling a connection to DCI Sheens and found the final reveal to be a small letdown.

I had a similar experience with Watching From the Dark. So at this point it's safe to say that this is definitely a "me" problem and not the fault of these books.

The initial set-up, great. The red herrings and false alarms, entertaining. The interpersonal quagmire of the victim, really interesting. But the detective? Nope. I still didn't vibe with DCI Sheens. I found his sections distanced, nonessential to the plot, and his team's belief in his infallibility seemed extremely bizarre and unfounded to me—he's this super great detective, supposedly, but throughout the entire book the only word I could use to describe him is...predictable. Seconded by the word reactionary. If you took out Sheens and replaced him with a pigeon, the plot would still go on...and the murder would still get solved, as it seems to be his other detective, Hanson, that does most of the mental detecting. She's got character, and I've said it before, she'd make a more compelling lead protagonist.

In addition to my continued lack of interest in Sheens, I also found the ending of Watching From the Dark to be an interesting choice considering the different options presented to us throughout the book. Again, given my response to both books in this series, it seems to be a compatibility issue on my part—which is so personally frustrating, as I keep finding myself drawn to these books.

However, to end on a positive note, this novel did one thing right—I was engrossed in the whodunit pacing. I may have tried to skip through Sheens' parts, but in terms of the mystery itself I found it extremely compelling and couldn't wait to find out who did it.

Thank you to Random House for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book that I had a great time reading. The characters were well drawn, and the storyline flowed seamlessly. Would like to read more books by this author

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The ending of this book is GOLD! I did not see it coming at all. I was on the edge of my seat through this whole story and I couldn't wait to figure this story out.

The police procedural part of this book was spot on and I really enjoyed that.