Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge

Watching from the Dark

by Gytha Lodge

You never saw him. But he saw it all.

When a vibrant young woman is murdered while on a video chat, a small-town detective wades into a circle of friends and lovers with dangerous secrets—from the acclaimed author of the “enjoyably chilling” (The New York Times Book Review) She Lies in Wait.

Aidan Poole logs on to his laptop late at night to Skype his girlfriend, Zoe. To his horror, he realizes that there is someone else in her flat. Aidan can only listen to the sounds of a violent struggle taking place in the bathroom—and then the sound of silence. He is desperate to find out if Zoe is okay. But then why is he so hesitant to call the police?

When Aidan’s cryptic messages finally reach them, Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens and his team take the case—and discover the body. They soon find that no one has a bad word to say about Zoe, a big hearted young artist at the center of a curious web of waifs and strays, each relying on her for support, each hiding dark secrets and buried resentments. Has one of her so-called “friends” been driven to murder? Or does Aidan have the biggest secret of them all?

Reviewed by zooloo1983 on

5 of 5 stars

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When this little gem dropped through my door I was itching to get reading on this one! Boy, it did not disappoint at all. God, I love the way that Gytha tells her stories, with the now and then but not only that all the other stories at the same time.

We learn from the opening pages that Aiden has just heard/witnessed his girlfriend Zoe being murdered over a Skype call but does not report it straight away. But why? He makes the call and this case nearly gets swept under the carpet by the police as a hoax until Jonah reads the transcripts and queries the wording by the caller. What follows is a lot of misdirection, secrets and a flawed DCI trying to solve the mystery behind the murder of Zoe.

When I was given the peace to read this book, damn adulting, I flew through the pages, each chapter created new questions that I just needed answers to. How can there be so much going on without it being confusing at all? Well, that is due to the talent of Gytha! She makes you care about the side characters plus left you wanting to know more. How does this small pool of people have so much influence and where does the blame lie?

I love that you are made to suspect EVERYONE! And re-reading my review of She Lies In Wait, Gytha did it to me again! Although this time I did not suspect Jonah. But again, you have yourself caring so much for the murder victim because of the voice they are given, like Aurora in SLIW, Zoe has a distinctive voice.

Aaaaaah so much to tell you! I related to Zoe in so many ways, and not just namesake, and I felt protective of her, although I knew she was dead in the first couple of pages. She was headstrong and she fell in love with the wrong man but yet I still wanted to try and influence the outcome somehow and change her future. Certain characters I had absolutely no time for and I wish they got a harsher time than they did. I can’t specify who because it would ruin it for you but when you know you know.

That ending too, where most of the book is like a game of chess, the final chapters is like a racing game as we get to the end. Where the story unfolded at a steady pace, each secret revealed creating new questions and threads to follow. The final had me racing with my heart in my throat as we discover the truth. Would the team make it on time or will there be another victim? When you look back on the story you have just read, you wonder how you have missed some vital clues but some, oh yes some, were very hidden and I loved that. Just a slight word, or a nod out of place and it all made sense!

I have been dying, not literally, to get back with Jonah and the team and loved the mention of Jojo from Book 1! I hope she features in the next book! Plus seeing the team again made me smile! O’Malley, Lightman and Hanson, no longer the newbie all working together like a well-oiled team led by Jonah. Each has their personal life slowly trickling in and I am soo looking forward to seeing how these will impact everyone in the next book!

Gah!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait for the next one! I can always sing about Gytha’s book, I have been a champion for Jonah from the start and her book was my joint Book of the Year 2019 so I expected high things and I really was not disappointed. The only thing I am disappointed about is how quickly it is all over! Aaaah! I really could gush all day, her stories are like one of those knots you get in a necklace, where you finally unravel one bit, another knot turns up! She had me in tied up in knots but it is a fun place to be! I am never bored when with Jonah and the team, I just want to spend more time with them

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 February, 2020: Finished reading
  • 2 February, 2020: Reviewed