WATCHING FROM THE DARK by Gytha Lodge

Aidan Poole logs onto his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. But to his horror, he realises she is not alone.

Completely helpless, all he can do is listen to the sounds of a violent struggle.

And then a chilling silence.

He’s desperate to find out if she is OK. But then why is he so hesitant to call the police?

When his messages finally reach them, DCI Jonah Sheens and his team take the case.

And discover the body. . .

This is my second Gytha Lodge book and I was so excited to dive into it. Reading She Lies in Wait first, I was familiar with detective Jonah Sheens and Juliet Hanson. I find both quite hard to forget. I honestly am addicted and couldn’t wait to find out how DCI Jonah”s back story developed and how it will continue in the next book, “Lie Beside Me”, due to come out February 2021.

“Watching from the Dark” is a whodunnit thriller that sucked me in and made me suspect each and every character. Every time I leaned towards one of Zoe’s friends I thought I solved the case. And then, another set of events and discoveries proved me wrong. The jumps between Zoe’s timeline (from months before the murder) all the way to the day she was killed and the investigation happening in present time raises the suspense and gives everyone a reason to kill.

This book has the perfect amount of characters. Not too many to get confused and not too little to make it predictable. Each and every person is so well built that it’s easy to imagine them as your own friends or neighbors.

The opening scene is absolutely shocking and the more I read the more I had to hold my breath. It is a very fast paced story that kept me up way past my bedtime and everyone who knows me, knows just how much I love my sleep.

I love the fact that this book is fantastic as a standalone just as much as part of the series. You don’t necessarily need to read the first book so you can get into the mystery but if you are a fan of series, I suggest start with “She Lies in Wait” and make your way further.

I honestly can’t wait to read the next book and get into the police investigations deeper and deeper, solving another crime.

This is a perfectly executed detective novel with such vivid characters that make it all so real.