A review by onemorepagecrew
Little Sister by Gytha Lodge

4.5

Little Sister by Gytha Lodge was a solid detective mystery that veered into a psychological thriller with its delivery.  It’s a gripping start and interesting premise – a teenage girl, Keely, wanders out of the woods covered in blood, smiles, and tells the detective who finds her that it’s her sister, Nina, that he really needs to find.  Keely says she’ll help, but only if they will listen to their story from the beginning.  
 
The reader experiences two narratives, Keely and the detectives, as they race against the clock to solve the mystery and find Nina.  The story traces back to their experience losing their mother and entering the foster system, and as a reader you’re playing catch-up with the detectives as you get your bearings.  It’s also hard to know who to trust or what reality is, adding to the psychological tension and mystery. 
 
Overall this was really well done and a page-turner – I’d recommend it for anyone who likes a detective mystery that isn’t a heavy procedural read, and weaves in an disturbing, emotional journey for the main characters.  It hovered right under 5 stars for me, mainly because one of the clues at the twist was too obvious for me and once I saw it coming, it deflated the tension a bit. 
 
This was #4 in a series, but from what I can tell they are standalone, and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything in the plot or character development for the main detectives. I’m going to check out the others from the author, let me know if you’ve read any of them and have recommendations.  
 
Content warnings: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Body shaming, Disordered eating, Bullying 
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