I am small and the world is big: WATCHING FROM THE DARK.

Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Aidan Poole logs onto Skype to chat with his girlfriend Zoe, he witnesses a horrible incident--Zoe being attacked just out of frame. Terrified that she's dead, Aidan tries to reach her without success. But, for some reason, Aidan is reluctant to reach out directly to the police. When DCI Jonah Sheens finally gets Zoe's case, he discovers the dead body of the vibrant young artist. Zoe was beloved by her group of friends. So why was she killed--and why didn't Aidan want to contact the police?

This was a good one! Told in a back and forth storyline, jumping between the present-day investigation of Zoe's murder and the past, starting with Zoe meeting Aidan at a wedding and falling for him, WATCHING FROM THE DARK is an exciting thriller! I loved that it kept me guessing with its full slate of suspects (Zoe has a lot of friends and acquaintances). I am a total sucker for British police novels--if there's a DCI or DI, I'm totally in. I've read the first book in the series but cannot really remember it, but I quite enjoyed seeing DCI Jonah Sheens and his team again.

Lodge does an excellent job delving into the nuances of all the characters--both Sheens' team and all those suspected in Zoe's murder. We learn a lot about Zoe via the past excerpts, so our victim comes alive, creating empathy and pushing forward the desire to solve the crime. I also loved the concept of someone both witnessing a crime via Zoom and also being a suspect for said murder. Overall, this is a quick-moving mystery filled with a slate of mysterious suspects. 4 stars.


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