Kristy H. (khami6cr) -
Aurora Jackson disappeared thirty years ago at age fourteen. She went camping with her sister, Topaz, and five of Topaz's friends. Topaz reluctantly let her kid sister tag along. No one ever saw Aurora again. Thirty years later, a body is found. DCI Jonah Sheens and DC Hanson are called to the scene, but Jonah already knows that it's Aurora. He's been waiting for this discovery for years. During the original investigation, all six friends maintained their stories and their innocence. But now Jonah is determined to find out what really happened to Aurora.
"It was where seven kids had bedded down thirty years ago, but only six of them had got up in the morning."
This was one of the ARCs that I requested simply because the story sounded interesting, and it really was. I couldn't shake the feeling while I was reading that the storyline felt somewhat familiar, but that didn't detract from what was a pretty strong police procedural, especially for an author debut. The book is fairly long--there is a lot of buildup to our ending--but I thought it was all well-done. Jonah is an intriguing character; it's made known early on that he had a small role in the first investigation when Aurora disappeared, and he clearly is hiding something, which isn't revealed for quite some time. But he's a good investigator, too, and it was sort of fun wondering if you could fully trust him (with Hanson, the newbie, as his foil).
"He found it impossible not to remember this place as it had been back then. The car park had all been bark and mud, but it had been just as overrun by police. The haircuts different; the faces somehow the same."
The way the story is told--snippets of the past (including from her point of view), plus Jonah and Hanson investigating in the present--is interesting and moves the story along. It certainly keeps you wondering as things unravel. While the limited number of characters (especially at the camp ground thirty years ago) lowers our amount of suspects, it's easy to speculate about each one.
Plus, all the characters in this one are detailed. I found it a little complicated to keep track of everyone at first--especially all the boys at the campground--but they were strong characters and knowing so much about them made figuring out who killed Aurora all the more compelling. Aurora herself is a lovely character, and I felt for her. When our suspect was revealed, it all ended a little crazily yet easily, but this was still a good read for me.
Overall, this was an interesting mystery, with a detailed plot and characters. I look forward to Lodge's next book. 3.75 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
More at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
"It was where seven kids had bedded down thirty years ago, but only six of them had got up in the morning."
This was one of the ARCs that I requested simply because the story sounded interesting, and it really was. I couldn't shake the feeling while I was reading that the storyline felt somewhat familiar, but that didn't detract from what was a pretty strong police procedural, especially for an author debut. The book is fairly long--there is a lot of buildup to our ending--but I thought it was all well-done. Jonah is an intriguing character; it's made known early on that he had a small role in the first investigation when Aurora disappeared, and he clearly is hiding something, which isn't revealed for quite some time. But he's a good investigator, too, and it was sort of fun wondering if you could fully trust him (with Hanson, the newbie, as his foil).
"He found it impossible not to remember this place as it had been back then. The car park had all been bark and mud, but it had been just as overrun by police. The haircuts different; the faces somehow the same."
The way the story is told--snippets of the past (including from her point of view), plus Jonah and Hanson investigating in the present--is interesting and moves the story along. It certainly keeps you wondering as things unravel. While the limited number of characters (especially at the camp ground thirty years ago) lowers our amount of suspects, it's easy to speculate about each one.
Plus, all the characters in this one are detailed. I found it a little complicated to keep track of everyone at first--especially all the boys at the campground--but they were strong characters and knowing so much about them made figuring out who killed Aurora all the more compelling. Aurora herself is a lovely character, and I felt for her. When our suspect was revealed, it all ended a little crazily yet easily, but this was still a good read for me.
Overall, this was an interesting mystery, with a detailed plot and characters. I look forward to Lodge's next book. 3.75 stars.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
More at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
She Lies in Wait is the debut novel of Gytha Lodge, and it shows tons of promise. With the addition of chapters told from varying viewpoints in 1983, readers are taken deep into the group dynamics of the teenagers. In particular, Aurora's voice made me not only identify with her a bit but also mourn the loss of such a bright young soul. (In my opinion, Aurora and the newest member of Sheens' team, Detective Constable Hanson, are the best characters in the book.) Lodge has crafted a good story with plenty of misdirection and a list of suspects so annoying that it's difficult to choose the one most likely to be the killer. The pace does slow down from time to time, but a bit more editing can take care of things like that.
Although I did like the story, ultimately it was the characterization that let me down. For a character-driven reader like me, that's something that's extremely important. Hints throughout the first part of the book tell readers that DCI Jonah Sheens has a big secret, but when the reveal came, it fell flat. Sheens never did really pique my interest, and although his team does seem to have some interesting members, we're only told what they're like, they never show us by their actions. I would love to see them in action and learn more about them-- especially Lightman.
She Lies in Wait is a very good story, but it's told in a way that never really drew me in-- and if I can't care for the characters, it's very difficult for me to be enthusiastic about the book. But... this is a debut, so I'm interested in seeing where the second book will lead me.
Although I did like the story, ultimately it was the characterization that let me down. For a character-driven reader like me, that's something that's extremely important. Hints throughout the first part of the book tell readers that DCI Jonah Sheens has a big secret, but when the reveal came, it fell flat. Sheens never did really pique my interest, and although his team does seem to have some interesting members, we're only told what they're like, they never show us by their actions. I would love to see them in action and learn more about them-- especially Lightman.
She Lies in Wait is a very good story, but it's told in a way that never really drew me in-- and if I can't care for the characters, it's very difficult for me to be enthusiastic about the book. But... this is a debut, so I'm interested in seeing where the second book will lead me.
I allow only 100 pages to get me absorbed into a story and this one? DOES NOT!
I am not a fan of the 'before/after' etc. theme, I find most books written in that form as being very slow and boring, and this one is just as bad
There is not enough tension or anything to border on 'thrill' that makes you want to turn the next page, so at my 100 page mark? I quit reading
Even though this is a debut novel with a new chief detective I didn't find him interesting or any of the people around him, so unless Lodge can up her game and write an actual 'thriller' I'll not pursue her books
I am not a fan of the 'before/after' etc. theme, I find most books written in that form as being very slow and boring, and this one is just as bad
There is not enough tension or anything to border on 'thrill' that makes you want to turn the next page, so at my 100 page mark? I quit reading
Even though this is a debut novel with a new chief detective I didn't find him interesting or any of the people around him, so unless Lodge can up her game and write an actual 'thriller' I'll not pursue her books
