Little Sister is the fourth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series by Gytha Lodge. If you have never read anything in this series before, I feel like this one could stand on its own. This author is hit or miss for me. I enjoyed #2 in the series, but I am sorry to say that this book was not for me. The plot follows the Lennox sisters - one walks calmly out of the forest covered in blood and the other is missing. The premise sounds great, but it was entirely too slow and the plot was pretty unbelievable and I could not connect to the characters or get into the writing style.

Thank you to the author, publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

DCI Jonah Sheens was taking a day off, relaxing in a pub garden with his newborn daughter beside him, when a young woman came out of the woods covered in blood. She was about fifteen, with long red hair, and when Jonah hurried to help her, she said she was fine, but her sister wasn’t. The girl – Keely – and her sister Nina ran away from their care home a week ago, but Keely hadn’t said where Nina was.

Keely refused to tell Jonah anything, about where Nina might be, why she has so much blood on her, or why they ran from the home, unless he agreed to listen to her entire story. Enlisting the help of the rest of his team, Jonah throws himself into solving the mystery of Keely and Nina, tracing the girls’ history and lives before and after moving to the care home.

Keely’s story was haunting, it drew me in and made me question exactly what was real and what Keely was fabricating. There are many twists and turns, and I kept changing my mind about who was guilty and who was just caught up in circumstance.

Wow...this was an emotionally engaging book. Reading about the abuse the kids continually suffered while in foster care was difficult. Although this is a fictional account, it's sad to think that events similar to these do actually happen sometimes.

The author expertly brought her characters to life. I found myself having strong feelings against the foster parents and feeling compassion for the kids, Keely, Nina and Callum.

I enjoyed the style the author used in writing this book. The "real time" of the story takes only 2-3 days, but because Keely periodically recounts events that had previously happened, the scope of the story enlarged to cover years instead of just days. The storytelling was brilliant, and the clues were very expertly interwoven to make this a very interesting mystery.

This is the first book by this author that I've ever written, but I would welcome reading another.

Gytha Lodge just never disappoints! This was an adrenaline filled story with multiple twists and turns…. And you will never see this conclusion coming! Outstanding! 5 🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoy this series. While you could jump in here and be just fine, one of the things I like most about these books is the continuity of the characters' lives. This one gives us some good development (it takes place about a year since the last book, so quite a few things have changed for the characters) so if you're familiar with the character storylines, this will continue to pull you in.

As for the mystery . . . I wasn't sure at first how much I was going to like the case the team was working on--and kudos to the author for a unique narrative set up for this one. As I read, though, I got more and more engaged with where the story was leading us.

This might not be my favorite of the series, but it's solid and entertaining. And if you enjoy follow DCI Jonah Sheens and his crew, you won't want to miss this one.

I haven't read a few in the middle of this series and I am sure I missed quite a bit. The character development is connected too much along the way and isn't a series you can jump around in. The plot of the mystery was good and I loved how it unfolded.

This is book 4 in a detective procedural series. You can probably read it as a stand alone, but I would suggest reading the other 3 books first. There are mild spoilers in this book that will ruin some surprises in the earlier books. It’s definitely more psychological suspense – no thrills, but a bit of a twisty and sharp horrific tale to be sure. I can’t really say that I liked our characters, even after we really get to know them. I can say that I felt terribly sorry for most of them and definitely wanted some righteous vengeance against others. Also, I’m happy to say that I was nicely surprised by some of the reveals in this book. I definitely didn’t have a clue where the author was going! Well written, intelligent, and occasionally heart-breaking.

I love Cynthia Losge and her books, this one was no exception. So well done, and definitely held my attention.

Interesting read that had several twists esp the ending. Well written and very taut. Have not read this author before and look forward to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Gytha Lodge has chilling psychological thrillers mastered.

This is a story of two sisters who run away for a foster home. Later, Keely the oldest sister comes out of the woods bloodied. Her younger sister Nina is not with her and Keely either doesn't know where she is or she wont say. Is Keely too traumatized or is she cunning and chillingly manipulative?
This is the fourth book which follows DCI Jonah Sheens as she solves cases. It can be easily read alone although I have no doubt readers will reach for the other books as well.
This book does contain child abuse.
Well written and plenty of police procedural talk to keep the reader interested.

I have enjoyed all the work by this author and each book gets better.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the electronic copy of this book in exchange for my review consideration. All views are my own

This is book 4 in a detective procedural series. You can probably read it as a stand alone, but I would suggest reading the other 3 books first. There are mild spoilers in this book that will ruin some surprises in the earlier books..
The case itself was slow to progress and I was kind of bored at first.
The other books grabbed my attention straight away, so I was surprised that this one wasn't.
I should have known better.
Gytha Lodge was fucking with me, she had a plan and was laying it all out so that my brain would get fried when the plot takes a turn.
Well done Ms. Lodge.
Much love to NetGalley, Random House, and Gytha Lodge for my ARC.

A teenage girl wanders out of the woods, covered in blood. The girl, Keely, and her sister Nina have been missing for a week. Keely tells DCI Jonah Sheens that she will tell him everything, but he must listen to her whole story, starting at the beginning. Jonah agrees, but he and his team are also trying to find Nina.

Little Sister is told using alternating points of view – Jonah, Juliette (an officer on Jonah’s team), and Keely. Jonah and Juliette are trying to find Nina, and Keely is telling a tragic story of abuse in the foster system.

Little Sister is the fourth book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series, but it can be read as a standalone. This series has some gripping mysteries, and I suggest reading the other books.

Little Sister is dark, twisted, and tragic. Recommended for fans of British police procedurals.

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

Two sisters, Keely and Nina, are put in foster care after the death of their mother.
A crime is committed and Keely seems to be at the center of things. When she is questioned by DCI Jonah Sheens she insinuate that her sister is in danger or in some way involved. As she tells the story of how they came to be in foster care and now this mystery. There are three men who hurt them throughout their lives.

This is the third in a series and had I known that I would not have requested this one. I feel that something was missing for me. Maybe back story about DCI Jonah Sheens. I don't know. It's just a feeling. The main character Keely seems to be very good at telling stories. Or did horrible things really happen. Was her and her sister abused while in the system. Does Keely have things to hide and if so will Jonah get to the bottom of it and find out exactly what happened. Where Nina is. Who did what and why.

This book starts out strong and pulls you in completely. It starts dragging a bit and then picks up somewhat later in the story. It was good and well written but I think some things could have been left out. Maybe. Or made more exciting. I hate when a book is good then it starts dragging. I tend to lose interest when this happens. That is why it took so long for me to read this one. I have read and enjoyed other books by this author and will continue to read her books.

Thank you #NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3 stars

This book got you from the very beginning. Very hard to put down I just was so surprised by the end. Good twist in the middle.

This is my first novel in the Jonah Sheens series. Fortunately, I found it quite easy to read and understand without having read the prior three novels. This novel was a bit of a surprise, it didn’t end up the way I thought it was going to. It started out as an abduction and ends up as a sort of redemption story. The story centers around two troubled sisters who have spent most of their lives in foster placement. The sisters were always together, so when one sister walks out of the woods covered in blood, detectives can only assume the worst has happened to the younger sister. Jonah’s unit hasn’t prepared themselves for Keely. A mega manipulator, Keely has invested a lot of time giving the police the right dog to chase. Things become a little messy for me in the later part of the novel when the truth is finally revealed. I generally enjoyed this story. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the character reveals. Review posted to Goodreads, Litsy, Amazon, LibraryThing, Facebook, and Instagram.

Little Sister is part British police procedural and part an insightful story of how children may be shaped by their experiences in shelters and/or foster care. Keely and Nina, red headed middle class or even upper middle class sisters land in care when their mother dies. Years later, the sisters go missing until Keely appears in a pub, covered in blood and attracts the attention of DCI Jonah Sheens. He ends up taking lead on her questioning as she implies that her sister may be in trouble and she might have something to do with the danger Nina is in. Keely requires that the detectives listen to a long involved story of the sisters' years in care and the three men who ruined their lives along the way.

The team frantically reviews files of discredited abuse reports, interrogates those involved in their care and, slowly, a picture of Keely's extraordinary gift for manipulation forms. Is anything she's telling them true or is she repeating lies she told in the past? Where is Nina? Why is Keely insisting on responding to the questioning only by telling an extended story? What is she trying to accomplish?

Overall, I loved the premise of this novel and it included great characters and a good plot, but it dragged. I think the idea was that the whole investigation was dragging for the team as they struggled to figure out what was going on and to rescue Nina, but I think it could have been written in a tighter manner. . I like the officers involved in solving the case and the twists the story takes. This is a solid four stars for me and I recommend Little Sister.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of the book herein in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

DCI Jonah Sheens is back again; this time to solve the dissappearance of missing teen, Nina. He is found by her older sister Keeley, who is bathed in blood and will only tell her tale piece by piece in chronological order. Jonah is willing to listen, but he is not sure if Keeley is victim or abuser. As they try to unravel Keeley's story and find the clues she has left behind, keeley goes missing, but is it voluntary or not? She tells a story of abuse in different care homes after their mother's untimely death but is she believeable; in the past people have not beliveved her.

There were so many twists and turns , the story was well told and kept me guessing right up to tthe end. I will definitely read more bookd by this author.

Two sisters go missing from a foster home. Several days later one sister, Keely emerges bloody saying she is fine. She leads detectives with clues to find the missing girl, Nina. She says they must hurry to find Nina because she is the one who is in trouble. She's the one who was bleeding. This is an interesting book with twists I didn't see coming. I did not realize I was reading Book #4 of the series.

A very good police procedural. I enjoyed riding shotgun for the investigation.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.