She Lies in Wait

Critics Review

• A dark, deep, terrific thriller and a scorching portrait of friendship and its betrayal

  Nicci French

• I loved it. A SUPERIOR crime book

  Marian Keyes

• She Lies in Wait delivers on just about every level – a killer premise, an absorbing plot that twists and turns at just the right pace, and in DCI Jonah Sheens a lead detective who has hit the page fully-formed and instantly likeable. One to watch!

  Caz Frear, Richard and Judy bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies

• This enjoyably chilling suspense tale conveys both the thrills and the dangers of being a teenager on the brink of adult independence… The obvious questions of how she died and at whose hand are properly dealt with. But the fascination of this story is in the character studies of the surviving children, all grown up now and participants in a dark mystery that they all wish had never seen the light of day

  New York Times

• What a marvel! A corkscrew-twisty, knife-sharp thriller – yet it doubles as a tender ode to loss and longing. Prepare to be haunted

  A.J. Finn, no.1 bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

• In this cracking, page-turning thriller, Gytha Lodge brings the reader on a twisty edgy ride, flipping deftly between two timelines as it races towards the reveal. Gripping stuff

  Karen Perry, bestselling author of Girl Unknown

• With a punchy hook, this is the perfect read for a book club

  Cambridge Edition

• She Lies in Wait drew me in from the very first page. Gytha Lodge has created a compulsive crime novel with a heartbreaking story and a complex plot as well as a whole set of brilliant characters, especially the clever and likeable DCI Sheens. Difficult to put down, it kept me guessing until the end

  Jenny Quintana, bestselling author of The Missing Girl

• I thoroughly enjoyed it – a great evocation of being a teenager, and a tense meshing of time lines. I'm very glad it's the start of a series

  Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

• I can't remember a debut I read with such pleasure – a really masterful handling of complex plot and beautiful characterisation

  Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear Amy

• Gytha Lodge is an incredibly talented writer and this is an haunting, assured debut that will stay with the reader long after they've finished the last page.

  Jessica Barry, author of Freefall

• Masterful and immersive, told with pace and nuance – totally gripping. The tension wracks up page after page. A fantastic book, a sure-fire bestseller

  Chris Hammer, No.1 Bestselling author of Scrublands

• Most enjoyable – Gytha Lodge is a skilled storyteller and she weaves such an intricate plot. The book hooked me early on and kept me up way past my bedtime on several nights! The team of detectives Gytha has put together is top notch. All in all, a very satisfying read

  James Oswald

• Sheens and his team are compassionate, clever, and likeable… The mystery intrigues and twists, offering enough red herrings and moments of police procedural to please fans of the genre. There are already two more DCI Sheens novels in the works – hooray!

  Kirkus (starred review)

• An atmospheric debut… Lodge smoothly intercuts the present-day police probe by whip-sharp recent transfer Det. Constable Juliette Hanson and other team members with flashbacks to the last day of Aurora's life as seen through her eyes… This psychological thriller marks a promising start to a planned series

  Publishers Weekly

• A gripping, atmospheric thriller and hugely promising debut

  Image

• A thriller with a chilling psychological edge that explores the bonds of friendship

  Woman

• This twisty-turny read is a cut above the rest because of the brilliant writing. 5 *****

  Sun

• Slow-burning, yet intense … Ticks all the crime thriller boxes

  Peterborough Evening Telegraph

• An atmospheric thriller that takes the idea of six friends with a dark place in their past and gives it a series of fresh, chilling twists. A novel that literally makes you hold your breath then gasp out loud

  Val McDermid

• Brilliant. We predict she is a big name for the future

  Leamington Courier

• An engaging tale of lust, rivalry and murder

  Sunday Times, Pick of the best suspense novels

• Classic detective fiction at its best! Lodge paints an absorbing tale of murder-and more–involving a cast of superbly drawn characters. Rarely does a book so seamlessly blend the past and the present, building edge-of-the-seat suspense to the very final scene, all the while offering up piercing psychological insight that draws us in as completely as the plot.

  Jeffery Deaver, author of The Never Game and The Bone Collector

• Classic detective fiction at its best! Lodge paints an absorbing tale of murder – and more – involving a cast of superbly drawn characters. Rarely does a book so seamlessly blend the past and the present, building edge-of-the-seat suspense to the very final scene, all the while offering up piercing psychological insight

  Jeffery Deaver

• A stunning debut. Brilliantly formed characters and a twisty, clever plot had me turning pages well past my bed time.

• A strong debut thriller with dual timelines. Mysterious, stylish, and utterly compelling

• A stunner, a proper whodunnit. It kept me up well past bed-time, turning those pages. Well-plotted, brilliant characters, beautifully written: a sure-fire hit

• By turns elegant and savage, absorbing and clinical, She Lies In Wait is one of those rare debuts that stops you dead, commands you to turn each page, and leaves you piecing together a story you are desperate to unfold yet loath to finish. Seriously impressive.