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Lock Me In

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Lock Me In

By: Kate Simants
Narrated by: Pene Herman-Smith
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‘Intricately plotted, beautifully written…with great pace, truly sympathetic characters, and a great twist at the end’ Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

Shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award

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 Ellie 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…

Praise for Lock Me In

‘Intricately plotted, beautifully written’ Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange

‘This ambitious and wide-reaching novel had me hooked from the very first page’ S. E. Lynes, author of The Women

‘One of the best debuts I have ever read’ Clare Empson, author of Him

'A flawlessly written, jaw-dropping, chilling and twisty psychological thriller' Sam Carrington, author of Saving Sophie

‘A disturbing psychological thriller’ Rachel Sargeant, author of The Perfect Neighbours

‘The characters are fresh, the dialogue sharp’ G. D. Abson, author of Motherland

‘A stunning debut. Gripping, compelling and skilfully crafted’ N J Crosskey, author of Poster Boy

Amateur Sleuths Domestic Thrillers Mystery Police Procedurals Psychological Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Suspense
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Critic reviews

‘An intricately plotted, beautifully written police procedural with great pace, truly sympathetic characters, and a great twist at the end . Highly recommended’ Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
‘This ambitious and wide-reaching novel had me hooked from the very first page. A complex, twisty narrative which drives relentlessly forward. Well developed, flawed and deeply human characters, gritty, atmospheric settings, fabulous research, and some really heart-wrenching sections. A story of scope and humanity, it will stay with me for a long time’ S. E. Lynes, author of The Women
‘One of the best debuts I have ever read. Lock Me In is creepy, thrilling and completely immersive, genuinely impossible to put down. Kate Simants is a gifted writer with brilliant dialogue and characters you’ll be thinking about for a long time. I loved it’ Clare Empson, author of Him
‘Darkness, confusion, mistrust and betrayal – all the ingredients of a disturbing psychological thriller’ Rachel Sargeant, author of The Perfect Neighbours
'If you're after a flawlessly written, jaw-dropping, chilling and twisty psychological thriller – then this is THE book you MUST read! Kate Simants is an utterly thrilling, exciting new voice in the genre. I can't wait to see what she delivers next!' Sam Carrington, author of Saving Sophie
‘A five star, unputdownable thriller that had me gripped from the very first page. Both chilling and heart-wrenching, I read it in one sitting!’ Caz Finlay, author of The Boss
‘The characters are fresh, the dialogue sharp…Lock Me In built up to a great twist that kept me reading into the small hours’ G. D. Abson, author of Motherland
‘A stunning debut. Gripping, compelling and skilfully crafted’ N J Crosskey, author of Poster Boy
All stars
Most relevant
An amazingly good book, which entranced me from the beginning.
The story line is chilling, also quite complex, so you do need to pay attention.
Finally Superb Narration, and definitely worth buying! Excellent!

Blown Away!!!!

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I really struggled to finish the book I found it confusing and a bit boring, the narrator wasn't the best although she done ok. there were gaps where there shouldn't have been any etc.

bit confused

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Took me a little while to get familiar with all the characters but then really found it gripping and interesting. I particularly liked the combination of investigation and psychology. Can highly recommend this book.

Such an interesting book

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Well, I wasn’t expecting that!!

Lock Me In is the story of Ellie who suffers from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder, which used to be known as split personality). Her alter-ego, Siggy is violent and unpredictable and Ellie’s mother has to lock her in her room at night in case she harms someone! When Ellie’s boyfriend, Matt, goes missing Ellie and her mother begin to wonder if Siggy might have harmed him.

The first part of the book was a little slow, but gradually becomes the story becomes more complex and disturbing as the layers are peeled back. The twists were brilliant and totally floored me, and the ending made me angry and sad, but was a fitting conclusion to the book.


The books alternates from Ellie’s POV, and that of the detective in charge of the case, Ben Mae. The way Ellie told her story gave me an understanding of her thoughts and fears about her mental illness..

It’s a longish book (the Audible version is 15 ½ hours) but I flew through it. The narration was good, though I felt that the narrator, Pene Herman-Smith, spoke very slowly and this is one of the few books I have listened to at a speed of 1.5.

This is an impressive debut novel, and the author is one I will watch with interest.

Not what I expected!

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Had to return..the narrator spoiled the whole book! Totally inappropriate choice, did not fit the characters in any way & made for an excruciating listen. Had to give up which was a shame as I liked the idea of the book..might actually read it rather than listen, what a shame!

Totally spoiled by the narrator!

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