I did not find this book a fun read. I wasn’t feeling much suspense. And then a rather minor character turns out to be the villain. The move from one scenario to another was very choppy and distracting. I don’t know if that is due to the author’s style or editing issues. I am giving this book a generous three-star.

I didn't realize that this is the third book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series when I read it. It works very well as a stand alone but I enjoyed it enough that I am going to seek out the other two books in the series. This is a well written British police procedural novel with well developed characters and unexpected twists. Highly recommended

This book was such a wild ride! I absolutely loved Louise point of view in this captivating thriller! Every time you think you know, I promise you don’t. Such an incredible book!

Lie Beside Me (DCI Jonah Sheens #3) by Gytha Lodge

I love this series and now I'll have to wait a year to read the next book. I have to go with the assumption there will be more because I want to see this team for a long time in the future. DCI Jonah Sheens and his team take on a very perplexing crime. The reader knows that a woman wakes up in bed with a bloody, dead stranger. The team arrives on the scene but what they find is a bloody, dead man in the front yard of the house. Right off the bat the woman, Louise, is hiding so very much and not just hiding it but actively covering up the truth. 

This series is one of my favorite police procedurals. We get to watch the tediousness of the paper/computer work, combing through hours or days worth of leads or scraps of threads. Putting in the miles driving from one point to another. There are hours of surveillance although Domnall O'Malley doesn't mind much because this is a great time to indulge in junk food (not that he doesn't do so the rest of the time). Juliette Hanson is still haunted by her abusive, stalking ex and her troubles just add to the compassion she can show to suspects and victims. Ben Lightman, good looking and stone faced, is both a workhorse at tracking down elusive information and at giving suspects a blank wall as he questions them. The team of four works well, whether together or following their separate areas of investigation. 

Scattered throughout the book are chapters by Louise, where she tells her story, wrestles with her memory losses, and allows us to watch as parts of her memory come back to her. As the team investigates the murder, coming against so much evasiveness from those they question and finding trails that go in so many directions, the picture gets fuzzier and fuzzier. The more they know the more perplexing the entire situation becomes. I really couldn't figure out much, there was just so much to think about. All three books have taken us along winding, tangled paths that make the hunt for answers so intriguing. 

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House and NetGalley for this ARC.

it was amazing
Wow, this book was amazing. I typically don’t read thriller books, but I could not put this down. You never knew what was going to happen next and just had to keep reading to find out what was going on. And the twist at the end?! Totally unexpected. I figured everything out...right when the cops did. That’s how good this book keeps you guessing! A brilliant read!

This book has a similar premise to The Flight Attendant. A woman wakes up from a serious drinking episode with a dead man in her bed. But the similarities end there.
The book alternates between Louise, the woman who awakes to the body, and DCI Jonah Sheens and his team, charged with the investigation. Oh, and by the way, by the time Sheens is called, the body is in the front garden. Louise’s chapters are told in the second person, as she traces her relationship with her husband and her descent into alcoholism. She refers to her other self as “Drunk Louise”. Drunk Louise is the fun one, the one willing to take risks. But Drunk Louise is getting out of hand. Now, I can find second person narratives to sometimes be irritating. But this one worked.
There are lots of twists here. Everyone has something to hide. Lately, I’ve become really disappointed with the psychological thrillers I’ve read. This is a combo of police procedural and thriller, but it works on both levels. I was fascinated by Louise’s tale and her ability to observe her own psychological problems. There are loads of red herrings here and an ending I never saw coming. I felt so happy to finally have a thriller work for me after reading so many mediocre ones. Brava to Ms. Lodge.
This is the third in the Jonah Sheens series but it works fine as a standalone. The police procedural part of the equation also works well. We continue to learn more about the team. In fact, Jonah plays a smaller role than his DS and DC do.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

A great, complex thriller with many unexpected twists and turns. Louise wakes up to find a man beside her, not her husband, and he's dead. She doesn't even recognize him, has no idea who he is or why he's in her bed. She panics.

What a horrible realization that would be! She goes out partying with her friend, gets very drunk, and then finds herself in this nightmare of a situation with no knowledge of this man beside her. What happened? Did she kill him? Who is he?

There was a rather complicated investigation here with some incorrect conclusions, changing strategy, and surprising revelations going forward. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Y'all just know when a book is going to be good based on the cover? Because you feel excited to read it?! That is definitely this book and wow it was amazing. The writing was excellent and the main character was so intriguing... An amazing thriller!

This was a fun Brit mystery/police procedural story! It kept me guessing until the end and I have to respect the sheer number of twists and turns that it took to get there! The large cast of characters had me a bit confused at first (as did the British police slang) but I sorted it out easily and found a guide to the terms in the back. That was a clever addition on the author’s part! I definitely recommend, it was a great read! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I loved it!

This was one of those that I didn’t want to stop reading, but not sure I loved, loved reading it either! I think it was well done, with an intriguing dual personality character that’s very well done, but also seemed a bit repetitive at times. Overall, I definitely would recommend to my fellow thrill seekers, as I’m sure they’ll get their much needed thrills, chills, and shocks!

Will make sure buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number!

First, thank you to the publishers at Random House and Netgalley for this ARC of Lie Beside Me for an honest review.

After reading the plot for this story, I knew it was something I’d instantly love, and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t let down.

Louise has two personalities - Sober Louise, and Drunk Louise, so when she wakes up next to a dead stranger in her own home, you know it’s the fault of Drunk Louise. She can’t remember a single detail, but she knows she has to do something to avoid taking the blame, even if she may very well be at fault.

Shifting between several viewpoints, it doesn’t take the reader long to get to know each of the characters. Louise and the police staff take up most of the storyline, but there are plenty of suspects, and I believe that you’ll be as shocked as I was to learn just who killed the man in Louise’s bed.

I appreciated all of the police proceedings, especially since it takes place in the UK, and up until now, I didn’t know much about how it worked. This story was so intriguing, I felt like I was watching a TV show or movie. It’s absolutely enthralling in every way possible.

I recommend this to anyone who loves books that seem like they could be true crime novels. 5/5 stars from me!

TW: Rape and stalking/abusive partners are found in Lie Beside Me.

Gytha Lodge can really weave a twisty tale. Lie Beside Me is a great psychological thriller that kept me reading and wondering what was going to happen next. What would you do if you woke up to a dead man in your bed and you couldn't remember anything? That's exactly what happens to Louise.

Louise wakes up with a head ache, dry mouth, and she can barely remember anything. That's not the only thing that's bothering Louise though. She rolls over expecting to see her husband, Niall...but it's not him. There's another man in the bed, someone she doesn't recognize. There's another problem; he is dead.

Jonah Sheens thinks Louise is the perfect prime suspect, but it isn't long before there are holes in the evidence. Louise frantically tries to figure out and remember what happened the night before. Was it truly her? Or is there someone out there even more devious than they imagined?

Give Lie Beside Me a read, it's a great thriller and has some good twists!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this ARC.

I liked this book, though I wouldn't say I LOVED it. It centers on Louise, who wakes up after a night of drinking to a dead man who she doesn't recognize in her bed. The storyline goes back and forth between Louise's POV and the various police detectives working on the case.

I liked the police procedural part of the book but I did feel that it went back and forth between a lot of perspectives, and spent a little more time on Juliette's personal life than I cared to read. I found it somewhat jarring that Jonah was almost always referred to by his first name while others were almost always referred to by their last names, with some variation here and there; it was just distracting.

Louise's part of the story required me to suspend my disbelief in a couple of occasions and I didn't fully connect with her because she was just so insecure and I wanted her to be stronger. I did see her grow as the book continued though.

I really liked the ending of the book- I could not figure out who the villain was until it was revealed and thought it was really well done. There was some other stuff going on as well and the author did a good job of pulling it all together and tying up the loose ends.

All in all, good book, and I love to be surprised by an ending (which rarely happens these days). Despite the couple of things I called out that I didn't love, I'd recommend it for those who like police procedurals. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lie Beside Me is a good addition to this series of British police procedurals. I did prefer the previous two novels in this series more so than this one and feel like I'd give this novel 3.5 stars if I could.

While the mystery is interesting, I found the constant back and forth between "drunk Louise" and "sober Louise" via diary entries a little hard to take. I eventually began to skip those parts because I disliked them so.

I will say that while I thought at one point that I knew whodunit, I was proven wrong, which is always fun in a mystery. I don't like to actually have figured it out. The author's handling of the character of April was great. I enjoyed meeting her and wondering is she what she seems to be - just a good friend to Louise or is she evil with an agenda of her own? I think April was my favorite character except for Juliette. Juliette's story of being stalked by her ex was engrossing and I wanted more of that! I loved how it was eventually handled.

DCI Jonah Sheen and his entire team are wonderful and I hope there are many more books in this series. British procedurals have become a strong favorite with me and if you enjoy those or even a solid mystery, check this series out.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for granting my request for an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Jonah Sheens and his team are back! And what a case they are given to solve! Louise, the main character, wakes up after a night out with her friend April with no memory of what happened, but lying next to her is a man (not her husband) and he’s dead. From here, the team is taxed with trying to figure out the events of what happened. And just as they think the case is solved and closed… it’s not. There are so many interweaving secrets and theories throughout this case. Plus you’ve got the personal lives of Sheens and his team mixed in. I absolutely love this series and these characters. I was sad to finish the last page because I wanted to keep reading what happens to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!! Thank you to Gytha Lodge for creating these characters and this series! I can’t wait for more to come.

Intriguing premise but in my opinion was not executed well. There were too many characters and I found it hard to keep track of all of them. The writing style was good! I'm planning on picking up another one of Lodge's books. I think. they are a very talented writer but unfortunately this book was a miss for me.

This is a very strong entry in what is becoming a fantastic series. In this one, we follow Jonah and his team as they try to get to the bottom of a complicated murder. A woman wakes up with a dead body in her bed--but she has no memory of what happened to get him there.

A strength of this series is the ongoing background of the main characters' lives. We see some resolution here for the ongoing stalking DC Hansen has been enduring from her awful ex and Jonah's life is about to take a HUGE u-turn with the personal events that unfold by the end of this novel.

The other thing I really like about this series is the set up for the murders the team investigates. They always start off with a bang and keep you guessing throughout. The only thing that bothered me in this entry was the voice of the main suspect: her diary entries where she consistently and constantly fluctuates between "drunk Louise" and "sober Louise" become a bit too obvious as a vehicle to tell the story. I get what the author is trying to do here, but in novels that otherwise feel so authentic, this contained too much artifice. But overall, a minor, personal gripe.

I highly recommend this whole series. I'm looking forward to entry #4!

I really like this series! This is a solid slow burn British police procedural with the same detectives as previous books. The characters were good and the case layered with nuance. I love a murder mystery and this checked every box.

At just after 50% of this book, I knew EXACTLY who was doing what. By 80%...I didn’t have a clue. I just knew that I simply had to keep reading to find out!

Honestly, this is one of those books that almost made me late for work. I was almost at the end and I had to choose between reading and getting ready to leave. Yeah…I read and *just* made it out in time. It was that good.

This is an excellent police procedural mixed with a simply excellent thriller. Super suspenseful and full of things that surprise you without seeming like gotcha gimmicks.

I loved this. I’m sorry it’s over. I want more.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Third book in the Jonah Sheens series can be read alone. Really chilling with lots of twists and turns a really good series.# netgalley #randomhouse