Please Help Me

by Gytha Lodge

A missing child hidden in plain sight... the irresistible new psychological thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of She Lies in Wait, perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister and Andrea Mara's ALL HER FAULT

*****


A BEAUTIFUL RESORT

It looked like the perfect getaway. A luxury resort with endless pools, a gorgeous golden beach, and a kids' club that is every parent's dream.

But for Amanda, a British detective in desperate need of a break with her young son, it soon becomes clear this isn’t going to be a holiday.

A MISSING GIRL

A girl has been sending anonymous messages to a teenager at the resort. She says her real name is Lara, that she was kidnapped from the UK, and that the family she's with are her abductors.

But the resort is full of families. The kidnappers could be any of them. If the police guess wrong, Lara could be whisked away, and never see her real family again.

When every family seems to be hiding something, can Amanda find the truth – and Lara – before it’s too late?

*****

PRAISE FOR GYTHA LODGE

'A novel that literally makes you hold your breath then gasp out loud' VAL McDERMID

'Gripped me from the first page and kept me turning the pages long into the night' ERIN KELLY

'Smart, moody, intense and tangled. I loved it' GILLIAN MCALLISTER

'With clues and twists to keep you absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. I can't wait for her next book' JANE CASEY

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 23, 2026

About the author

Gytha Lodge is a multi-award-winning playwright, novelist and writer for video games and screen. She is also a single parent who blogs about the ridiculousness of bringing up a mega-nerd small boy.

She has a profound addiction to tea, crosswords and awful puns. When not writing, she heads up a copywriting team at a global translation firm, where she generally tries to keep all the video-game writing to herself.

She studied English at Cambridge, where she became known quite quickly for her brand of twisty, dark yet entertaining drama. She later took the Creative Writing MA at UEA.

She has signed with Penguin Random House worldwide for the first three books in her crime series featuring DCI Jonah Sheens. She Lies in Wait will be released in January 2019 and can be preordered in the US and the UK here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Lies-Wai...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/198...

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Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me hooked from the beginning to the end. A fast-paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat to the very end.
Sadie is on holiday in Cyprus with her family. She overhears another girl in a cubicle next to her, alluding to the fact that she has been abducted.
Amanda is on holiday with her son Otis. She bumps into Zak with whom she worked on a case with a year previously. Zak is working undercover and soon pulls Amanda in to help.
This was a very engaging read.
There were quite a few plot twists that keep you guessing. Definitely some shady characters.
The end game was as hot as the weather, tense, and gripping.
There is definitely some chemistry between Zak and Amanda, and I'm wondering if there will be another book where they will work together again. I certainly hope so.
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House for the invitation to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

[Amanda C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, I love a thriller set abroad and I liked the contrast between people relaxing and enjoying their holiday and a potential crime taking place in the background.

The story really held my interest and I changed my mind a few times about who the missing girl would turn out to be. The final chapters were exciting and I flew through them to see how it would all end.

The only slight drawback is that I would have liked physical descriptions of Amanda and Sadie, as I couldn't picture the main characters.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. 4.5 stars rounded up.

[readingismy_happy_place · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! That was definitely intense!! I really really enjoyed this one!
I loved the uniqueness the setting, the characters, the plot!
I adored Amanda and would definitely love to read more about her! Maybe a series of her finding missing children pretty please.
This had everything I love in a good crime thriller kept me guessing till the very end with some brilliant twists

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kiros, a holiday resort in Cyprus, sunshine, swimming pools, a kids club, activities and happy families. A paradise, that is until teenager Sadie receives an AirDrop message asking for help, that the parents she’s with aren’t her real parents. What to do? After talking to her parents, Sadie does the only thing she possibly could and the police are informed. This brings police officer Zak from Rapid Support in London to work undercover in the resort, to holiday maker and detective Amanda‘s shock as the two have worked together previously. Who is the girl who asks please help me… can they identify her before she goes back home? It’s a race against time, putting the spotlight on several vacationing families.

This is another absolutely cracking thriller from Gytha Lodge, as I along with Zak and Amanda, try to figure out who the girl is who has asked for help and who the parents are. There are plenty of suspects to occupy the mind and my suspicions fit back and forth. Although it’s a dark tale, I love the light relief of some humorous banter between Zak and Amanda, with the addition of adorable Otis, Amanda’s son, which is an added bonus. He’s an absolute breath of fresh air. There’s plenty of chemistry between the two adults which has me with my fingers crossed!

Amidst the lighter moments the anxiety levels ramp up especially from Sadie who, bless her, takes it all very seriously and genuinely wants to help. It becomes a tense, twisty rollercoaster which pulls on the emotional heart strings, with some heart sinking moments too. The ending is so suspenseful, it’s tension fuelled and very dramatic with jaw dropping scenes.

This is a very good atmospheric thriller which utilises locations on fabulous Cyprus to perfection. It’s a fast paced, never a dull moment read and the ultimate ending is a tear jerker.

I do hope to read more of Zak, Amanda and Otis in the future as they’re far too good characters to be consigned to a one off.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping, tense, and quietly unsettling—this is one of those psychological thrillers that hooks you within a few pages and refuses to let go.

Please Help Me takes the idyllic holiday‑from‑heaven setup and quickly twists it into something claustrophobic and thrilling. Amanda, a British detective just trying to take a well‑earned break with her young son, finds herself pulled into a nightmare when a teenager receives a message from a girl claiming to have been kidnapped and hidden in plain sight at the very resort where they’re all staying.

What makes this story so compelling is how ordinary everything appears on the surface. The endless pools, the golden beach, the smiling families—it all becomes the perfect camouflage. With every chapter, the resort feels less like a paradise and more like a trap, and the tension comes not just from the mystery itself but from the unsettling realisation that anyone could be involved.

Amanda is a fantastic lead—warm, capable, and human. Her internal tug‑of‑war between needing rest and being unable to walk away from a child in danger adds emotional depth to the tension. As she navigates a maze of half‑truths, secrets, and suspiciously perfect holidaymakers, the sense of urgency builds beautifully. And the stakes feel incredibly real: one wrong move, one mistaken assumption, and Lara could vanish forever.

The pacing is sharp and addictive, with short chapters that make you think “just one more” until suddenly it’s the middle of the night. The author threads misdirection expertly, offering just enough clues to keep you guessing without ever feeling manipulated. And the final reveals land with real impact—clever, chilling, and deeply satisfying.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that blend emotional heart with high‑stakes suspense, Please Help Me is an absolute winner. It’s atmospheric, tightly plotted, and impossible to put down.

With thanks to Gytha Lodge, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely cracking read! I loved it.

Fourteen year old Sadie, on holiday with her family in Cyprus, spends her days crushing on an attractive lifeguard, resenting having to look after her little brother, and wishing something dramatic would happen. Then it does - she gets a message from an unknown girl asking for help. The girl has been abducted, she says, and the people she is with aren't really her parents.

Meanwhile, detective inspector Amanda is also holidaying there with her young son, Otis. When the police become involved - including abduction specialist Zak, with whom Amanda has a personal history - she soon finds herself also deeply involved in the case, as the police race to identify who the girl could be.

There's not a lot of great parenting on show - I felt badly for many of these girls. The ending was emotional, though, and I did have a tear in my eye.

There are some great women characters - Mariliza the lifeguard, military police officer Sona, and Amanda herself are all thoroughly badass characters. Sadie is a believable teenage girl - opinionated, judgy of adults, but basically very awesome and no doubt has a great future ahead of her.

The ending seems to leave space for further outings for Amanda and Zak, and I'd definitely be in favour of that.

Highly recommended. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

[Debs Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those stories that quietly pulls you in and refuses to let go. Gytha Lodge delivers a well-paced narrative that gently nudges you forward — not in a “just one more chapter” way, but more like the next chapter… and then the next… and suddenly you’re further in than you planned. The pacing is genuinely provoking and works hard to keep the intrigue alive throughout.

Told from a dual perspective — a teenage girl and a well-respected DI on holiday with her nine-year-old son — it’s important to remember that this is very much a story shaped by viewpoint. While I did find a couple of contextual elements frustrating, they weren’t enough to pull me out of the experience. The tension and curiosity were strong enough to keep me invested, wanting to uncover how everything would ultimately unfold.

Overall, this was a compelling and engaging read, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to review this ARC ahead of publication. Despite a few moments of frustration, the story kept me intrigued right through to the end, and I would still recommend it — particularly to readers who enjoy steadily building suspense and layered perspectives.

[Sarah Higginbottom · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC copy and read in one sitting on holiday 😍
​Gytha Lodge has outdone herself with Please Help Me. This is a high-stakes, breathless thriller that starts with a nightmare scenario and just keeps escalating.
​I gave this 4 stars because the tension was incredibly consistent. Lodge is a master at police procedurals, and it shows here—the investigation felt realistic, and the breadcrumbs were laid out perfectly. I found myself constantly changing my mind about who to trust.
​What I loved 🌟
​The sense of urgency from the very first page.
​The way the past and present narratives began to intertwine.
​Character development that made me actually care about the outcome.
🖤​The only reason it wasn't a full 5 stars was a slightly slower section in the middle, but the payoff at the end was more than worth it!


📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Gytha Lodge and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set in an exclusive all inclusive resort in Cyprus, when Amanda, a police detective and her son are having a much-needed break. She bumps into an ex-colleague with whom she has a history.
Also at the resort are several families including teen Sadie, her parents and her young brother. When Sadie hears a girl claiming to be held by people pretending to be her parents, she unleashes an unexpected chain of events, involving neglected children, possible gangster connections, and a thrilling finale, plus a few unlikely coincidences.
Altogether, a thrilling summer read and highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked by Net Galley to review this book, I honestly could not put this down and read to the thundering end. The past and present were intertwinned

Told from two character perspective- a teenage girl and a Detective Inspector oh holiday with their 9 year old son.

What i took form this was a real urgency from the start- I so wanted to know what was happening and piecing together the investigation as the author drip feeds this which is addictive.

Really good story And due for publication July 23 2026

[Sally Boocock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this novel even though I guessed early on who the child was who had been abducted. It is a slow build but made want to keep reading. Not as good as some of her other books but certainly entertaining.