Jonah Sheens is enjoying a moment of peace in a pub garden on his day off when a teenage girl wanders out of the woods. She's striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion. She's also covered in blood. Detective Jonah Sheens knows that she must know what happened to Nina. But before she tells him, Keely insists on telling their full story from the beginning. At first I didn't like listening to Keely. She seems robotic in the way she relates her story, not to be coaxed off the path she has set for herself. Cold, clever, and possibly a psychotic mastermind? It's so hard to know. There is talk of jealousy, revenge, hurt feelings, and cruel and unjust punishments. These girls might have been abused in so many ways and no one listened to them. Or they might be making it all up and now Nina could pay if Keely doesn't get what she wants.

A book to keep you on your toes and break your heart a bit too. Riddled with clues I guarantee you won't guess! -- Victoria Selman I hope that Lodge continues on with DCI Sheens character. I enjoyed him and the other officers he had on his team.The team was definitely challenged as Keely was hinting at clues to her sister's whereabouts as she told her story about their days in foster homes and as the team tried to interpret and figure out the clues they knew Keely was weaving into the story. I almost stopped reading this book because I found the story so contrived. It really seemed like a plan that an author would come up with, not a 16 year old girl. I did finish the book, but I remain unconvinced about the credibility of the plot. 3,5 stars which I am rounding up because at least I haven’t read this plot before. This is a brilliant series, each new addition is one I eagerly anticipate and yet again there is no disappointment! This one is very thought-provoking as it focuses on the care system and I’m not going to pretend it’s an easy read as it makes you feel edgy and uncomfortable at times, exactly as it should. Keely seems to be a manipulative, damaged child and, though trying to believe her, evidence doesn't support a great deal of her descriptions of several horrifying events the girls have supposedly endured. Her story is convoluted, and her motive for telling it is in question. Some team members are conflicted about the truth of her story. Maybe she is just playing games with them and enjoying the attention while giving herself a feeling of superiority. Others, like Jonah, are more inclined to believe her but fluctuate as to her reliability. She is bent on revenge on three men who abused them while in the system. Without proof, the girls were not believed when they reported this to authorities. The plot is straightforward except for Keely's puzzling and disturbing tale.

The story opens with Jonah having a quiet drink in a pub garden when his peace is interrupted by the arrival of a teenage girl, Keely, covered in blood. She tells a story about her sister, Nina, who is missing. Jonah and his team scramble to find Nina, but Keely isn’t in any hurry to give up any clues. Instead, she relates the sisters’ story very much in her own time – and it is up to Jonah and the police team to work out whether Keely is a killer or a victim. The narrative alternates between Detective Sheens, Keely, and officer Juliette Hanson. It took me a little while to get into the story, but I was hooked once Keely begins her chilling tale. Keely’s story is enthralling but also deeply disturbing. She is a brilliant character with a chilling voice. If you really pay attention (a top tip to solving this mystery!) and with hindsight to the clues cleverly intertwined within the narration, you too could spot them and I was quite pleased with myself when I started to understand how Keely’s mind worked. Keely and her sister were in foster care since their mother died and both left the care home they were in without permission, but Keely is the only one who makes it into the public eye and tells the police her story.The younger girl feels out of place as the older kids begin drinking, taking drugs, dancing and more. Little Sister is a procedural/psychological thriller about two sisters who grew up in foster care. When one sister has gone missing, the other sister approaches the police with a doozy of a story that has them running in circles to solve a mystery that stems from revenge. That said, the plot was well- developed, and executed. The story held my interest from start to finish- I did begin to piece the puzzle together but didn’t have a clue about the motive or how everything would eventually come together.