Series: DCI Jonah Sheens #1
Published by Michael Joseph on January 10, 2019
Pages: 384
Amazon UK, Amazon US
Goodreads
Also by this author: Watching from the Dark
Get ready for the biggest crime debut of 2019...Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust?"A dark, deep, terrific thriller and a scorching portrait of friendship and its betrayal" Nicci French
On a hot July night in 1983, six school friends go camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and young Aurora Jackson is dazzled to be allowed to tag along.
Thirty years later, a body is discovered. DCI Sheens is called to the scene, but he already knows what's waiting for him: Aurora Jackson, found at long last.
But that's not all. The friends have all maintained their innocence, but the body is found in a hideaway only the six of them knew about.
It seems the killer has always lurked very close to home...
✮ My Review ✮
This was such a little gem of a book! I suspected everyone including DCI Jonah Sheens even though this is his book series! It really did have me guessing and I loved that!
With this book, I listened to the audiobook as well as reading it. The narrators were fab, and I did love the guy trying to do a female Br
Following the cold case of Aurora Jackson missing body turning up 30 years later, and the fear begins to set in for the six remaining, now adults, survivors. What happened that night? Who is to blame? Who killed Aurora?
It was heartbreaking listening/reading Aurora’s chapters as you were counting down until her untimely death, given updates of the day and evening and then finally the horrifying events of that day.
From the opening pages, I was sucked straight into this story. I loved trying to figure out what was going on, how everyone was linked and who committed this awful deed! To me, you could feel the fear and shock of everyone when Aurora’s body was discovered, from Sheen with his secrets and being part of the original investigation, to the 6 friends, Topaz, Connor, JoJo, Daniel, Brett and Coralee.
I do love discovering everyone’s secrets, and by
Lodge’s writing had me caring for Aurora and Sheen. The other characters were great but I was not overly fussed how they felt. These two shined for me. Aurora, the pure and innocent, whilst Sheen is contrasting with his conflict, darkness and guilt.
Sheen’s team were fab too and I can not wait to see how they developed and see how Hanson (being the newest member on the team) fits in with them all. Hanson, to me, is a fantastic addition and I hope she shines. She is meticulous and upon discovering something that could jeopardise the case, she handled herself so well it had me smiling with pride at her behaviour and her actions afterwards. She has a lot to learn but to me, she has proven herself in so many ways already.
I loved this was more not a fast action whizzy paced book, I loved that it was slowed down as we uncover each clue carefully and delved further in. Even with the police interviews, where Sheen held back on some questions the first time around, to come back to them later, to me, added to the intensity. He allowed the six adults to move freely around the chess board as he watched them connecting the dots before finally it was checkmate.
I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series and anything that Lodge writes,
Until next time xxx
Thanks to Jenny from Hodder for the tour invite and the author for a copy of the book in return for my honest and unbiased review
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Jules_Writes says
Great review, I will add this to my forever growing wishlist!
Zoé says
haha I know that feeling but it is one that you need to read!