In a small town in England, the neighbors are all watching each other. But did anyone see who committed the murder in the yellow house on the hill? So many secrets to unravel in Watching You!
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As promised, this is a more recent release and quite a good thriller!
Watching You has a lot of characters and story lines. Teenager Freddie watches the neighborhood from his attic bedroom, snapping photos of school girls and whoever else happens to catch his eye. Two doors down, Joey has moved in with her brother and his secretive wife. Down the street, 15-year-old Jenna is trying to manage her increasingly paranoid mother, who thinks gangs of people are spying on them and subtly sabotaging their property.
But the story really revolves around Tom Fitzwilliam, Freddie’s father. Tom is an attractive, charismatic public school head master who has a knack for turning around failing schools. He’s the kind of teacher that inspires school girl crushes and the kind of man some women become obsessed with. Throughout the book, we’re never sure about Tom’s true character. Is he a sinner or a saint? Does he have affairs with his students? Does his pleasant facade hide a monster? Or is he really just a nice guy who cares about his students? Lisa Jewell masterfully weaves in hints and innuendos that will keep you satisfyingly off-balance about Tom. It’s one of the best things about Watching You and so crucial to the plot.
And the plot is a good one. I won’t reveal too much because I don’t want to be a spoiler. But it always amazes me how good writers can nudge forward so many different story lines and come out with a cohesive plot in the end. And as a reader, I like this format because it keeps me interested and on my toes. This plot was well-crafted and had all of the elements of a good thriller – twists, surprises and red herrings. Throw in some strong character development and the result is a solid thriller. I recommend Watching You!
Who is your favorite thriller or suspense writer? I’m in the mood for more!
Also, check out my reviews of other Lisa Jewell novels:
Book Thoughts from Bed 
I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but your review made me curious about this one – creepy…! One that I really enjoyed a while back is Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer. It’s about a British medical student on the Autism Spectrum Disorder who begins to suspect something strange is happening in his cadaver lab. It’s very sweet and very scary.
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Rubbernecker looks really good and I’ve added it to my ever-increasing library list. Thanks, Martha!
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I have also enjoyed a few novels by Lisa Jewell. Before I Met You, The Girls in the Garden and The House We Grew Up In are all in my Nook collection. She is a great storyteller and I am also often in the mood for a suspense thriller!
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Ooh, thanks for suggesting more Lisa Jewell novels, Virginia !
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I have not read any Lisa Jewell books but will add her to my “to read” list. This one sounds pretty good so will start with it! I just had three books download unexpectedly from my library and have been waiting for one of them for a while so will need to start reading them FAST because there are others waiting for them. The first one is long – The Gene by Mukherjee– so I have started that first. My recommendation for “thriller” books right now is The Girl In Cabin 10. I may have suggested that before but it really kept me on the edge of my seat right til the end.
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