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

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

An engaging tale of lust, rivalry and murder

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

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

I loved it. A SUPERIOR crime book

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!

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

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

A gripping, atmospheric thriller and hugely promising debut

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A riveting page turner! Dark and unsettling, this one creeps under your skin

One of the best crime novels I've read in ages. Alex North has crafted a book that manages to be thrilling, terrifying and genuinely moving.

There's a soft voice outside your window and it demands your attention. The Whisper Man is coming. In fact, he's already here. Get ready to be unnerved. This novel is thrilling

The Whisper Man is a tour de force, utterly absorbing and brilliantly realised

The Whisper Man is a chilling, gripping read but also deeply moving. It's a novel that succeeds on all kinds of levels and deserves all the success that is no doubt coming it's way

No one does Dark with a Heart like Alex North and The Whisper Man delivers a sucker punch that stays with you. Beautifully crafted, chilling & emotional, this's going to be topping Books of the Year lists as soon as it's out

I read The Whisper Man in one go, barely remembering to breathe. North writes brilliantly about the cruelties of life, great and small, and the terrors that afflict young children (not to mention their parents). Tender, terrifying and utterly compelling, The Whisper Man will haunt you to the final page and beyond.

A creepy, serial killer-inflected thriller

More than just superbly creepy, this beautifully written thriller might just break your heart a little, too

With a tender theme about the complexity of father son relationships at its heart, this thriller is immaculately plotted, superbly written, and so good it deserves to be shouted about

A psychological thriller that's both terrifying and heartbreaking - you won't want to miss this one

[A] superb thriller... Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds

Extraordinarily well-written, deeply moving . . . The stories are deftly marshalled and interwoven by North with a mastery that would be astonishing were he a debut novelist

ALEX NORTH'S tightly plotted crime thriller presses all the right buttons for the genre

Summer Books of 2019

This exceptionally creepy thriller is also a touching portrait of a bereaved father and son learning to depend on each other

A debut that will disturb and intrigue in equal measure

A debut novel set to disturb and intrigue. Truly chilling

As much an exploration of grief and of the father-son bond as it is a nerve-shredder, this is a good choice for Stephen King fans

Hollywood has snapped up this psychological thriller - and no wonder

Standout thriller

Deliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish

If you like a touch of Stephen King mixed with British crime, then this is for you . . . this is a spooky read, but also holds its own as a police procedural novel

This flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory

This flawless thriller lives long in the memory