#IAmWatchingYou #TeresaDriscoll #Review

I AM WATCHING YOU 

by TERESA DRISCOLL

*My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel in return for an honest and unbiased review* 

I had seen a lot of reviews for this on social media and when NetGalley released a 'Read Now' teaser, I wasted no time downloading it. 

I'll tell you what I liked the most about this book - it was the opening. The narrator addresses the reader directly and we are immediately sitting with her on the train watching the scene she recounts. We are immediately part of her situation, sharing her dilemma and considering the consequences of her choice. We are all asking ourselves "What would I have done?". The opening section of this thriller is a fantastic example of how to catch, hook, embroil and trap your reader and a fantastic example of how to set pace, create suspense and fuel dramatic tension so that the reader is captivated and invested from the very beginning. 

And, you'll be relieved to hear, after such a strong opening, the book continued to thrill and chill! It did not fail to deliver an exciting and dramatic story which successfully kept me turning the pages, asking questions and desperately reading on in a frenzied state until I had reached the final paragraph!

So what was it in the opening chapter that was so gripping and enticing? 

Meet Ella Longfield. 

"A question for you now. What would you think if you saw two men board a train, each holding a black bin bag - contents unknown. For myself, the mother of a teenage son whose bedroom is subject to a health and safety order, I merely think, Typical. Couldn't even find a holdall lads?" 

What would you do? Two young lads start talking to two young girls - two girls whose conversation you have already been listening to ("I'm bored remember. They're loud" Ella reminds us) and know that these girls are coming to London, alone, naive, inexperienced. Easy prey perhaps for these men who reveal they have just been released from prison. Should you ring their parents? Should you warn the girls? Should you step in? 

But then what happens when hear something that makes you feel naive, foolish and prudish; that you have made some ridiculous assumptions and that you have no right or reason to get involved. So you decide to do nothing.

And then what happens the next day when you switch on the news to see that one of the girls - the beautiful Anna Ballard, has disappeared. 

I think I shared the sickness that Ella felt rising in her stomach. 

What is also clever about this novel is that it then jumps forward a year. Rather than dealing with the immediate fall out, the immediate police investigation, the immediate results of everyone's chosen course of action we are suddenly a year on from the disappearance. I liked that this novel is about the long term fall out of a crime. I liked that it picks up again with Ella - a witness rather than the family member, not directly involved with Anna Ballard but directly affected and still suffering huge guilt, unable to forget or move on. 

A year later and Ella starts to receive threatening letters; a year later and an anniversary appeal which reveals Anna's friends and family might also have secrets to hide concerning that fateful night. What is Ella's connection? Why is she being watched? What does Sarah, the other girl from the train, know and not want to share? Why is she frightened and willing to risk her life rather than face further questions? What does Anna's father know? So many questions! So many suspects! So many story lines to explore and enjoy as Driscoll spins a compelling tale of secrets, suspicion, fear, threat and danger. 

The novel is told from several points of view, but the main voice is Ella, who I thought was a very well drawn, likeable character. She is open, honest and quick to establish her flaws from the first page:

'I read somewhere that by your forties you are supposed to care more about what you think of others than what they think of you- so why is it I am still waiting for this to kick in?"

The reader aligns themselves with her, sympathises with her and understands how her decisions are affected by her own relationship with her son and the issues in her personal life. As a random witness to events preceding the crime, Ella is an interesting view point to follow and to make so central to the plot. This actually makes the book feel more fresh and original and I was intrigued to watch how Driscoll handled this as the investigation and clues as to what happened that night continue to reveal themselves. 

The chapters are neatly headed with either "The Witness", "The Father", "The Friend" and the obligatory anonymous voice thrown in to unsettle us just when we think we know where the story is headed. I liked the alternating view points and felt each voice was different enough and used effectively in building tension and pace. It also gave Driscoll scope to build several layers to the plot and then bring them together skilfully in a well executed ending. 

I don't want to spoil this book for you. All I need to say is that you are in safe hands. Driscoll's fine writing and sound understanding of how to grab her readers and pull them along into a compelling story which raises questions, challenges actions, invites judgement and exposes secrets in a way that will leave you breathless. There are twists, there are things you might see coming and things that you won't. 

This is dark. This is clever. This is gripping. You need to watch Driscoll. I will be. 

I am Watching You was published by Thomas & Mercer on 1st October 2017.