Lock Me In

by Kate Simants

A debut psychological thriller from a major new talent

Whatever you do, don’t open the door…

By day, Ellie Power has a normal life. She has a stable home, a loving boyfriend, a future.

But at night, she suffers from a sleep disorder. She becomes angry, unpredictable, violent. Her mother locks her in her bedroom every night, to keep them both safe.

Then one morning, Ellie wakes up, horrified to find the lock on her bedroom door smashed from the inside. She is covered in injuries, unable to remember anything about the night before.

And her boyfriend Matt is nowhere to be found…

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

387 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2019

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicity
Lock Me In is a compelling and tense psychological thriller, from debut author, Kate Simants. This is an accomplished novel that is chilling in its complicity and provides engrossing twists that keep adding to a puzzling plot. The structure of the book is short chapters which alternate between a first-person account from Ellie Power and a third-person perspective around Detective Sergeant Ben Kwon Mae. Handing the first person POV to Ellie is a clever move as it gives a wonderful and personal insight into the mental turmoil and unabating stress young Ellie is experiencing.

Ellie is nineteen years of age, and her history, as it unwraps over the course of the story, is heart-breaking. The major complication is that she is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder that manifests itself while she is asleep and takes on the personality of her alter – Siggy.

“You want to know fear? Imagine someone there, every day when you wake. Imagine knowing, without even opening your eyes, that someone is watching you.
…
You want to know fear? Fear has a name. Her name is Siggy.”

Ellie knows Siggy is there waiting and watching, knowing she will get her moment as she hangs at the edges of her consciousness with a disturbing threat of fatality. Ellie’s mother, Christine Power, locks her daughter in her bedroom at night to prevent her causing damage to herself and others. Christine has explained to Ellie that her best friend, Jodie, was murdered by Siggy, and she has protected Ellie from suspicion. Ellie, unfortunately, tried to commit suicide as a consequence.

“In the last moment, when I dragged that blade across my neck, more than anything I had wanted to see Siggy. I stared myself in the eyes because I wanted her to watch and know she hadn’t won. All I could think, at the time, was that if I wasn’t alive, Siggy couldn’t hurt anyone. I’d just wanted her gone. She had taken my friend, and I wanted her to suffer for it. I didn’t care that it meant me too.”

In the five years since Jodie’s disappearance, Ellie has developed a strong relationship with boyfriend Matt Corsham, whom she loves and has trusted in knowing her condition. In the background, Matt has been doing some research to uncover more detail and now he has gone missing too. The misgivings are widened when we discover Matt has also been communicating and meeting with Charles Cox, the psychiatrist, who was examining Ellie and can shed some light on her condition. In another twist, Cox also has a dubious past with some questionable behaviour.

DS Ben Mae was a new detective during the police investigation into finding Jodie and now leads up Matt's missing person’s investigation. Mae has a very troubling personal life with his ex-wife and is trying to maintain a relationship with his eight-year-old daughter Bear, especially as he’s totally unreliable. Mae is teamed with his new colleague DC Catherine (Kit) Ziegler who is an unusual character that brings a lot of energy and off-the-wall dialogue and actions. The plot developments towards the end of the book are fascinating and with an enthralling cast of characters delivered a great story that maintained an impressive pace throughout.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars as there were a few moments I just struggled with the convenience of the plot. I highly recommend reading this book and I'd like to thank, Kate Simants, HarperCollins, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Emotional, Clever and Unpredictable ⭐️‘s for this debut thriller!

Thrillers and mental illness are the perfect match! Like the PB&J of books! When I’m skimming through a book blurb, certain phrases pop out...Psychopath, Sociopath, DID (Split Personality), Multiple Personality, Serial Killer...the list goes on. I’m sure it’s not normal to get so excited about this stuff.

At 60% in, I didn’t want to stop, but unfortunately it was my birthday. Horrible timing! My husband had plans to take me out to dinner. Wonderful gesture, but I wanted to read! I did enjoy the evening out, once I pulled myself away from my book 🥰. By 75% I had to finish, so I could find out what the hell was going on! OMG...I was not prepared for those twists and never saw them coming!

There were several main characters that I really liked. I hope we read more about Ben and Kit! They all had their flaws and personal issues, which added to the story, but Ellie’s were the most tragic. Her illness dictated every aspect of her life. It was heart-wrenching to read about how lonely and vacant her life was. And scary! To think that there is another personality inside you, that could take over at any time...terrifying!

This was an emotionally-charged debut with a clever and unpredictable plot. Loved 💕 the short chapters. It makes it so easy to find a stopping point when you have to put the book down.
An interesting coincidence...the previous book I read also had a character with two different color irises. I’ve only known one person with this same issue and I thought it was so cool looking!

“I stared at myself in the eyes in the mirror: one green, one blue. One for me, one for Siggy.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Killer Reads and Kate Simants for a copy of this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up to 5)
Published: Published October 3rd 2019 by Killer Reads
Pages: 400
Recommended: Yes

@katesboat #LockMeIn #NetGalley #BookReview #DebutThriller #MustRead #PsychologicalThriller

[Sumit RK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lock Me In is an exciting psychological thriller. The book at its heart is a psychological thriller with elements of mystery.

Ellie Power has a normal life. She has a stable home, a loving boyfriend, and a bright future. But at night, she suffers from a sleep disorder. She becomes angry, unpredictable, and violent. Her mother locks her in her bedroom every night, to keep them both safe. Then one morning, Ellie wakes up, horrified to find the lock on her bedroom door smashed from the inside. She is covered in injuries, unable to remember anything about the night before. And her boyfriend Matt is nowhere to be found. Will Ellie able to remember what really happened that night?

The premise of this novel is unique (though it explores personality disorders, already explored in many books before). The story is narrated in alternating points of view - of Ellie (who is suffering from DID-Dissociative Identity Disorder) and DS Mae (the detective dealing with the case of Ellie's missing boyfriend, Matt. The plot is unpredictable and despite several twists and turns, the book manages to give a detailed explanation and tie all the loose ends in the end.

Having said that, Lock Me In was severely hindered by Mae’s POV and several characters, hampering the flow of the main plot. As soon as Ellie’s story gathers momentum, the story keeps switching to Mae’s personal story and his family troubles (not connected to the main story) which was quite frustrating. Also, I could guess the main mystery quite early. Though it had several surprising twists, the book felt unduly long in the end. The characters, apart from Ellie, were not very interesting, and as a result, I enjoyed Ellie’s chapters more. The main mystery could have been got more focus.

Overall, Lock Me In is a nice slow-burning thriller. If you love slow-burning psychological thrillers, you will enjoy this book more. 3.5 stars out of 5

Many thanks to the publishers' Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and Netgalley for the ARC.

 

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an outstanding debut novel which had me gripped from start to finish. Eleanor (Ellie) Power suffers from DID, her other persona is Siggy who is evil and when Ellie goes into a fugue state, Siggy takes over. Ellie has the distinctive feature of one green eye and one blue which she apparently inherited from her father who isn’t in her life. Ellie is covered in scars from a childhood accident. Her mother, Christine tries her best to protect her and manage Siggy as best she can. When Ellie’s boyfriend Matt Corsham disappears this is investigated by DS Ben Kwon Mae and DC Kit Ziegler. Mae knows Ellie from a previous case when Ellie’s best friend Jodie disappears three years ago. What unravels next is a chilling, twisty and very dark psychological thriller with intrigue throughout. The story is told by Ellie in the first person and Mae in the third person. I like that Ellie tells her own story as it allows the reader to understand her and the constant fear that she lives with and the shocking things she has suffered. The narrative is interspersed with transcripts from psychotherapist Dr Charles Cox who tries to help Ellie around the time of Jodie’s disappearance.

I really like the characters of Ben and Kit. Ben has a chaotic life, juggling looking after his daughter Bear with his ex-wife. I love the interactions with Bear who is so loveable though she sometimes takes a back seat to the demands of a policeman’s life. He carries a lot of baggage which is hinted at in the story. Kit Ziegler is bright, intuitive and seems very strong but she too has things in her life that make her both angry and vulnerable. I love the partnership and teamwork that develops between these two as they move heaven and earth to find Ellie’s truth. Ellie is admirable, she is so fragile but she finds strength as the story progresses. Her story is very dark and you feel tremendous sadness for her and her suffering. Christine appears to be a good and caring mother who has sacrificed a career in journalism to devote herself to Ellie but as time goes on that comes into question. Cox seems despicable and he certainly does things that are not ethical but in his own way he is trying to help Ellie and he certainly unearths things in Ellie’s past that seem initially to have no explanation.

The storytelling is very strong and you feel the chills and fear that surround Siggy. There are constant questions and the plot takes many twists and turns. I did guess some of it but that in no way spoils the enjoyment. My one criticism is that as you reach the climax of the book it all seems a bit convenient and it ties up a bit too neatly. The book ends on an optimistic note for Ben Mae which I like and I really hope that he and Kit may feature in more books as I think their characters are too good for just one! I also want to see what happens to Bear! Overall, an exceptional good story.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that offers great premise and a good cover ( dont usually mention covers but this one did catch my eye!! )

Ellie has Dissociative Identity Disorder which in laymans ( being me ) terms means she feels she has another person living inside her and this person ‘takes over’ at night and does, well, bad things, in Ellie’s case her alter ego is Siggy
The name Siggy got on my nerves every time read it, not sure why but it did however at the end of the book there is an explanation for this name
which made it make ( more ) sense
Ellie isn’t a great communicator in the book, her dialogue often ‘scratchy’ at best but then she does have a lot going on
Ellie has a boyfriend, Matthew, and he goes missing and the story really goes on from there with Detectives Mae and Kit on the case, I liked them both and even though some reviewers found Mae’s personal problems were something not needed in the book I started to look forward to the chapters that involved him and his problems, his character was not the norm for a Police character and I really liked him!
There are were a couple of pages I skimmed as the various stages of the Police marking scale of indecent photos of minors and other things related is discussed, its pertinent to the story and was very procedural but I didn’t lose the thread of the story by not reading the detail and nor is it the main focus of the book
The ending is dramatic and then some and just, just, makes it into believable with a pinch of salt
Kudos to the author for writing about DID, I mean there has to be a million and 1 things easier to base a book around??,the research done is impressive and although not a book ( for me ) I could shout from the rooftops about its a book I wont forget
6/10
3 Stars

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie Power is just a typical normal girl except when it comes to bedtime. Her mother has to lock her in her room to keep everyone safe. Ellie has DID (Dissociate Identy Disorder), an illness that puts everyone around her at risk. It makes her a completely different person. One morning Ellie wakes to find the lock on her bedroom door is broken, she's covered in cuts and bruises and her boyfriend is missing. What actually happened that night?

I have ever heard a lot a out DID (it used to be called split personality) before and how it effects people who suffer from it. The first half of the book is slow but the second half certainly makes up for it. Ellie's alter ego is called, Siggy. She takes over her body and is prone to violence. There is an underlying story but I'm not going to say anything about that. You will need to read the book for that information. The story has an original plotline. What a great debut novel this is.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Impulse and Kilker Reads and the author Kate Simants for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie suffers from disassociate identity disorder and while she is asleep a person called Siggy takes over her body. Siggy can be violent and unpredictable so Ellie's mum locks her in her room at night.
One morning when Ellie wakes up her body is covered in bruises, her hand is cut and her clothes are caked in mud, she has no memory of what happened during the night.
Later that day Ellie finds that her boyfriend is missing.
This is a pyschological thriller with a difference.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bridgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book that took me 6 days to read...never a good sign.

Lock Me In had so much potential...but it was horribly bogged down with a lot of meaningless internal dialogue, and a very boring secondary story. I'll be honest, I felt like Mae's personal story, regarding his ex-wife and daughter, should have been either aggressively whittled down, or eliminated entirely.

Told from two perspectives, those of Ellie (who is suffering from DID-Dissociative Identity Disorder) and DS Mae (the detective dealing with the case of Ellie's missing boyfriend, Matt), it was, at times, quite heartbreaking. Unfortunately, I suspected a few things at the 15% mark in the story, and was ultimately proven mostly correct.

At the end of the day, it's an incredibly slow-burning story, but with a moderately satisfying conclusion.

2.5 stars round down

**Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie suffers from a sleep disorder. She can become unpredictable and violent, so she needs to be locked in her bedroom at night. One morning, she awakens to discover her bedroom door smashed, injuries on her body, and no memory of what happened during the night. Then she learns her boyfriend is missing. As Ellie questions what happened, she delves into her past to learn more about her condition.

Told with alternating points of view - Ellie and Detective Ben Mae. Detective Mae is assigned the missing persons case of Ellie's boyfriend. Ellie and Detective Mae have a history though. He worked the case of her missing best friend a couple years prior. That's right, a similar situation happened previously, making Ellie an obvious suspect. She doesn't remember what happens on those nights though, and, so far, there is not real evidence linking her to a crime.

An intriguing psychological thriller. Ellie lives with her mother, and they keep very low profiles. As the investigation of Ellie's boyfriend progresses, secrets from Ellie's past are revealed. Slow-burning, engrossing, and twisty.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded to 4

Ellie Power suffers from DID - dissociative identity disorder. She has one alter, Siggy, who only comes out at night and has a history of violence. Every night, Ellie’s mother must lock her in her bedroom in case Siggy makes an appearance.

Attempting some semblance of a normal life, Ellie starts dating a kind, shy man named Matt. When Ellie wakes up one morning covered in mud, fairly severe injuries, and no memory of the night before, all signs point to Siggy. But when Matt has also seemingly inexplicably disappeared, Ellie fears that Siggy has murdered .... again.

What unfolds is a frightening dive into the mind of someone with dissociative identity disorder, a missing persons investigation, a potentially corrupt therapist, and so much more.

Lock Me In was an absolute page turner. Though I had suspicions right off the bat, the twist was ultimately unexpected and well played. The premise of this novel is very unique and for anyone interested in personality disorders and thrillers/mysteries, this is a must read!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[warhawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Psychological Thriller
Type: Standalone
POV: Shifting – First and Third Person
Rating:




Ellie Power had been living in fear as far as she could remember. When it’s dark, she had to stay vigilant or risk losing control. This living nightmare forced her and her mother to move around for safety reason. Now with her boyfriend Matthew, she hoped to settle and start living a normal life. But being comfortable came with a risk that she was not willing to pay.



I love books with psychological issues so naturally I was drawn to this one, especially with the intriguing blurb and cover. This book also covered a condition I’ve always been fascinated with so I definitely loved that aspect of the story.

I looked into the eyes of my infant self and tried to see Siggy. Was she there, in my head, when I was that small? Lurking, waiting for my eyes to close and for the dummy to drop out of my pink little mouth so she could show me all her horrible things?

I also liked discovering the characters’ drives and motivations. However, I wished I felt them on a deeper level. There were bits and pieces of it scattered but could have intensified the story with more of it. Even though I partially figured out the direction of the story, I still enjoyed the story overall and how the plot unfolded.

‘You are a good person, Ellie. We are good people. We’ve done our bloody best. I will not allow that bitch to ruin your life, or mine.

Lock Me In is a story of facing fears and taking back control. It would appeal to fans of psychological thriller.






🔹🗝🔹. . . (F)BR With Twinsie CC . . . 🔹🗝🔹






For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[Nicole ☠ "psychological" thrill me❗ · Rating 5 out of 5]

UNBELIEVABLE!!! One of the best psychological thriller I have read...

Right off the bat you are introduced to the main character Ellie who says she has DID (dissociative identity disorder). My first thought was oh no, this plot has been done in probably 30% of ones I have read and they all ending with me thinking how alike and played out the topic had become BUT this one is VERY VERY DIFFERENT. Ellie knows of the other girl inside of her, Siggy, who she tried to suppress say and night, especially while she sleeps. OK so now I was more than intrigued!

NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS! With everything page I turned I got sucked deeper and deeper in to the twisted web that Katie Simants weaved. This book was chilling, tense and right away left you down the path of the complete unknown, which is what I look for in a good thriller. Simats left me with just enough bread crumbs through the book to not only keep me glued to the pages but kept me guessing until the very last pages. I came up with several theories throughout and most were way off except for when and even then I only figured out about ¼ of it. It felt like it had a twist every time I turned the page which had me reading it in one sitting because I just had to know how it would all play out. I did really enjoy the characters although at times I found Ellie's denial a bit annoying and I thought the writing itself was great. The plot was extremely original and really well done putting it in my tops as far as psychological thrillers go.
READ THIS BOOK!!!

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

Ellie is a dangerous person, no, wait .... it's Siggy who is dangerous. Siggy lives inside Ellie and usually only takes over when Ellie is sleeping.

Ellis suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder , which has been called having multiple personalities. It's been this way her entire life and her mother has dragged her to numerous doctors looking for a cure. Ellie has been poked and prodded with no relief.

At night, Ellie's mother locks her in her room so they both will be safe. While Ellie might be a fairly normal teenager with a stable home, a loving mother, and a boyfriend ... Siggy is not.

Siggy is angry, violent, unpredictable .... dangerous.

One particular morning, Ellie wakes with cuts and blood and mud on her hands. She is covered in bruises and her whole body hurts. And even worse .... the lock on her bedroom door has been smashed and the door is open.

Both Ellie and her mother are horrified .... this happened before and it cost the life of a childhood friend. Ellies first thought .. where is her boyfriend?

This is a fabulous debut novel with twists and turns and red herrings around every corner. The characters are finely drawn and have come to life under this author's pen. The book takes place in the here and now .. and the past. There are memories of dealing with a therapist. The ending is unexpectedly

I think this is a promising start for this talented writer and I look forward to see what she does next.

Many thanks to the author / Harper Impulse and Killer Reads / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of this intriguing psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[CC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars



For most of her life, Ellie Power has lived with secrets and a certain condition. Now that she is enjoying a bit of independence, Ellie wants to experience more, but her past is a constant reminder of the harm she can cause. After her boyfriend goes missing, Ellie remains close to those she can trust.

“There are experiences that have shaped her: moments that she’s hanging on to because of how crucial they are to her identity.”

Told in dual POV, the narrative shifts between Ellie and Detective Sargeant Ben Mae. Familiar with her past, Mae is sensitive to Ellie’s plight, but he must also investigate all leads to get answers. Of course, everyone seems to have something to hide, which makes getting to the truth a bit complicated and serves to create building tension.

“He’s called it the push factor, I remembered then. Sometimes people leave where they are, to get away from something dangerous.”

Despite her vulnerabilities and fears, Ellie proves to be a worthy and strong character. I liked how Ellie continually moves forward no matter how painful it may be. Though Ellie experienced life-changing trauma, Mae brings his own challenges but also his stamp of humanity. Overall, I enjoyed the range that each character brings to the storyline.

Lock Me In is a psychological thriller that feels like a police investigative. It will appeal to those who enjoy analyzing clues and identifying suspects in order to get to a painful truth.



*An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.*



*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey!*



For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[Mellisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while ago - I still remember everything that happened in the book, which shows it's a pretty good read.

It has a lot of twists, huge ones that I didn't see coming and left me shocked! The whole way through there was something new happening that kept me the book so gripping. The ending actually makes sense in a strange way, but it's actually quite a sad ending because of the certain accidental event that happened in the past. The event is what made the mother how she was and why the things happened after. I had a lot of different emotions reading this book.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so intrigued by Lock Me In when i saw it – the cover is simply amazing! Ellie has Dissociative Identity Disorder or what some call Multiple personality Disorder. She has an alternate personality called Siggy who comes out at night and is violent and very unpredictable. For safety, Ellie’s mother locks her in her room at night. I did like this book but in the middle of it – I kind of lost interest a bit. It seemed maybe the book was just a bit long or something. I think I liked the chapters about Ellie but lost interest on the chapters about the Detective and his family. Its seems as though I am in the minority about this from reviews I have read. Perhaps its just that I have read some really amazing books the last few weeks. For a debut novel, I do like that the author had a really unique subject matter – i can’t recall ever reading a book before about Dissociative Identity Disorder. I am glad to have read it and while I didn’t love it – i do think its worth at least 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for goodreads. I would most certainly check out another book by the author in the future. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this. From the beginning, it grips you.

I grew up with a girl who had multiple personalities and the descriptions were spot on in this book to how she described her other entities coming to the front. It was an interesting, unique read and I’m really glad I was able to read it before it was published. I highly recommend this one.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A debut novel!? Hello! Kate Simants is serving us psychological REALNESS! Author added to my favorites ... I'm going to need everything she writes!

Lock Me In is a fast paced and twisty story of Ellie who suffers from Disassociate Identity Disorder. Her alter, Ziggy "appears" while Ellie sleeps. She is angry, volatile and unpredictable. Her mother locks her in her bedroom at night to keep her safe ... but one morning the lock on her door is smashed and we sound discover Ellie's boyfriend is missing. And so the story begins...

I couldn't put this down! I loved the pace of this book, the short chapters that alternate between Ellie, Ben Mae & one other character I'll leave for you to discover. Ultimately this storyline is excellent and will have you questioning everything ... and yes, with a twist at the end you likely won't see coming.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what’s fun? When you’ve smugly figured out the twist in a book very quickly and then you find out you were only about 5% right and the other 95% of the twist smacks you in the face!

LOL – Yep, that was me. The book surprised me.

I loved our characters – especially our police officers – and was thoroughly into our plot.

This is one of those popcorn reads that you’ll just tear through.

Really enjoyed it!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

[Ana Stanciu-Dumitrache · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un thriller neașteptat de bun, cu multe întorsături de situație. M-a surpins plăcut.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I am shocked that LOCK ME IN isn't getting more hype than it is because it is an impressive debut thriller! If you enjoy twisty plots combined with family drama and a little bit of police procedure, this is a book for you and will be available for purchase October 3rd. My recommendation would be to go into this book completely blind, but here's the plot in a nutshell: Ellie Power's boyfriend, Matt, has gone missing. This would be alarming for anyone of course, but Ellie has an alter ego named Siggy that appears at night and is often violent. The problem? Ellie has no memory of what Siggy does, and she is plagued with worry that Matt's disappearance may have something to do with Siggy. Even the attempts of Ellie's mother to control Siggy by locking Ellie in her room at night aren't enough at times to contain Siggy. When Ellie discovers she's covered in bruises and marks the next morning after Matt's disappearance, she works throughout the novel to solve the mystery of what happened to Matt. If this sounds a little too much like a tired and worn Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plot, don't worry--Simants takes it in a completely different direction than you'd expect!

I don't want to say much else because it would risk becoming a spoiler and ruining the entire plot. Be prepared to feel confused about what exactly is going on for a good part of the novel (which skillfully mirrors Ellie's own lived experience), but take assurance in the fact that it will all come together in the end. At around 400 pages, this read is a bit of a commitment; even so, the plot never sags or bogs itself down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Asia (zupa.czyta) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Życzyłabym sobie, żeby wszystkie thrillerowe debiuty były tak przemyślane i by czytało się je tak dobrze jak "W zamknięciu". Kate Simants wykonała kawał dobrej roboty - na kartach swojej powieści przedstawiła czytelnikom oryginalną historię i tchnęła życie w bardzo interesujących bohaterów.

Ellie cierpi na zaburzenie dysocjacyjne tożsamości - posiada niebezpieczne alter ego, zwane Siggy (już samo imię wydawało mi się creepy i jeżyło włosy na głowie ;)), które śmiało sobie poczyna, gdy Ellie zasypia. Cała akcja zaczyna pędzić, gdy okazuje się, że zaginął chłopak naszej bohaterki, a wiele wskazuje na to, że to ona może mieć z tym coś wspólnego (a raczej Siggy, brrrrr...).
Dość szybko można odgadnąć kto tu jest głównym antagonistą, ale mam wrażenie, że to specjalny zabieg autorki - wiesz kto, ale nie wiesz dlaczego i co się za tym wszystkim kryje. Mnie zakończenie zaskoczyło, a co jeszcze ważniejsze: zdecydowanie można w takie rozwiązanie uwierzyć. Jest zdumiewające i nietypowe, ale możliwe!

Podobała mi się też chemia między detektywami prowadzącymi sprawę. Gdyby tylko autorka skupiła się wyłącznie na śledztwie, a zdecydowała wyrzucić z książki fragmenty (sporo fragmentów), które dotyczą prywatnego życia sierżanta Mae! Powieść skróciłaby się o jakieś 100 stron, ale wyszłoby jej to na dobre ;)

Jestem ciekawa, co autorka ma jeszcze w zanadrzu, po tak obiecującym debiucie będę miała spore oczekiwania co do jej kolejnej powieści!

[Aurialis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note - I received an ARC from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a psychological thriller. Or at least supposed to be.

So, it has few psychology elements and bit of a mystery. Not sure how much a mystery it was for others, but for me, I knew what would be the ending as soon as the characters were introduced. I had my suspicions about the ending way to early in the book, like in first ten chapters. By the fourteenth chapter I was sure it was the mother, when Mae talks about chronic truama and missing doctor files!

Because I knew how the ending was going to play out, I found the book entirely too long. There were entire long chapters that were dedicated to the discovery of every small thing. Also, as a personal preference, I don't enjoy reading about personal lives of the detectives, when I want them... detecting. I just felt that there was too much extraneous details that became entire chapters that bogged down the book.

The characters themselves were not very interesting, and fell quite flat. I would have expected at least Ellie to be exciting, but she just came off as unrealistic. While it would difficult for anyone to imagine writing from a point of view of a person suffering from dissociative personality, I was expecting from an author who basing their book on it. All the characters were unrelatable and boring. And cliche. I don't remember the last book I read that had a detective with a healthy and happy domestic life. Makes me want to writie a book with a happy detective just to spite all the other books out there!

The ending was happier than expected. And frustrating. So many things could have solved if people had just come clean before! The explanation was detailed and there were no apparent plot holes. That was a huge reason for why this book was not a complete flop for me.

Overall, while it wasn't an extraordinary book, it was a well written debut. I would rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

All 19-year-old Ellie Power wants is a normal life. Unfortunately, she has an alternate personality, Siggy, who manifests herself at night. Siggy is violent, unreasonable, and capable of anything. Ellie's mother locks her into her room at night for both her own safety and Ellie's. One day, Ellie wakes up to a broken bedroom lock and the news that her beloved boyfriend Matt is missing. Immediately, she fears the worst.

Detective Ben Mae has encountered Ellie before. Years ago, her friend Jodie went missing. That was never resolved, but the fearful teenage girl with an alternate personality has haunted him.

Lock Me In alternates between Ellie's first-person and Mae's third-person stories. Both are engaging characters. Ellie is a mystery trying to solve herself. Mae is a good-hearted, hard-working man who blames himself for far too much. Kate Simants renders their struggles and motivations entirely believable and makes the reader root for them both.

The "who" of this mystery will become fairly obvious fairly quickly, but the "why" and the search for answers still make for a propulsive plot. Lock Me In is a solid entry in the psychological thriller genre.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freaking loved this book!

The story is told via two narrating characters. Ellie's perspective is in first person, which works exceptionally well as we're able to experience her confusion, frustration, and fear regarding her mental illness. Then we have DS Mae, the lead investigator, narrating in third person. The transitions are smooth and the different styles perfectly fit the story.

The mood is intense, dark, and emotional.

As for the plot, I'll only say - wow! This is a complex story, with multiple layers that are slowly peeled away to reveal the truth at its center. I don't want to say more, because this is a story you want to experience without even the hint of a spoiler.

This is Kate Simants first book, and she already writes like a seasoned pro. I can't wait for more from her!

*I received a review copy via NetGalley.*

[Anna Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really got into this book at first. I very quickly worked out the whole story. I read it through to prove myself right...I was. In the process I almost died of boredom. So many unnecessary chapters, and ridiculous things Ellie was allowed do in the NHS. It would just not happen. There were a lot of things repeated that were unnecessary. Is it only myself, or have other readers noticed the wording TBH (To be honest) seems to appear a lot in many books, which I find intensely annoying. I would NOT recommend this book.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this solid thriller from debut author Kate Simants. In the story, we follow the life of Ellie Powers, a 19 year old with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her case is unique and she has baffled the specialists, as she only shifts while she is sleeping and no one has been able to identify the source of trauma that caused this.

Ellie’s alternate personality, Siggy, is angry and violent. So much so that Ellie’s mother must bolt her bedroom door at night so Siggy can’t get out.

One morning Ellie wakes to find a number of wounds on her body. As she ponders what Siggy might have done during the night, she approaches her bedroom door and realizes that the bolt has been destroyed. Siggy got out! To make matters worse, Ellie soon learns that her boyfriend is missing and she fearfully considers the possibility that Siggy has done something awful to him.

I felt the story was pretty compelling. While it wasn’t utterly impossible to put down for me, it did still beg to be picked up whenever possible. It caused another exciting thriller to sit on the back burner.

I am not a huge fan of thrillers that follow the lives of the investigators as closely as the mystery at hand, although there are some exceptions. This, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them. Mae’s side story was my least favorite part of the book but I see a series in the making with this and for those who enjoy an intriguing detective series, this would make an excellent addition to your TBR list.

There were many aspects of the story that I felt were easy to figure out early on but I still enjoyed the path traveled to get to the bigger revelations later on. I appreciated when Mae’s story was less personal and more focused on Ellie’s missing boyfriend, which eventually became more prominent within the book. I also am not inclined to say that this book is predictable, despite all that I figured out early one. I think each reader brings different experiences into the story and what may be evident to one will not be evident to others.

I think Lock Me In is a promising start for a talented writer as well as a fun and intriguing thrill ride. The expected publication date is early October so keep a lookout for it!

Thank you Killer Reads for this review copy provided through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lock me in was an intense gripping and thrilling read, I’ve read nothing like it before, Ellie’s Story of multiple personalities really fascinated me, some parts were actually quite scary and gave me goosebumps- a sure sign of a fantastic thriller! I don’t want to give too much away, Ellie has no control over her actions at night time to the point she has to be locked in her room by her mother whom she lives with, she is overtaken by different personalities one of which is a force to be reckoned with and pretty frightening, she awakes one morning to find her boyfriend has disappeared- she is covered in bruises and cuts, what exactly happened the night before and where is her boyfriend?

A compelling and chilling thriller that will keep you hooked until the very last page. Thank you to net galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Lock me In, Kate Simants gave us a very good debut novel. From the beginning it is clear that there is more behind this story and the author gives us little clues to keep the reader interested. It is a well-written story too, although I have one comment - something I see more often with authors who want to put some Dutch words or sentences in their book. 'Twe Gebroders' is spelled all wrong. It should read 'Twee gebroeders' and the meaning is 'two brothers'. How difficult can it be to try and find the correct spelling?
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and I would love to read more books with Mae and Kit in a leading role because they make for an interesting couple.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

[denudatio_pulpae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie Power nie jest zwykłą dziewczyną. Zwykłych dziewczyn matki nie zamykają na noc w pokoju zamienionym w więzienie, z którego nie można się wydostać. Myślicie, że biedna dziewczyna ma matkę wariatkę? Nic bardziej mylnego, bowiem ta przymusowa izolacja dzieje się za zgodą Ellie. Jaka straszna tajemnica kryje się za tymi zamkniętymi na cztery spusty drzwiami?

Początek mnie zaintrygował – za dnia urocza dziewczyna, nocą zmienia się w potwora. Pomysł na wykorzystanie tematu zaburzeń dysocjacyjnych też super. Im dalej jednak zagłębiałam się w tę historię, tym więcej rzeczy zaczynało zgrzytać, a zakończenie – mocno przeładowane. Nie zupełnie beznadziejne, ale po prostu zbyt wydumane jak dla mnie, dlatego wystawiam książce ocenę dobrą.
6/10