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A review by brennanlafaro
They're Watching by Bob Pastorella, Michael David Wilson
5.0
Certainly you can’t name your novel They’re Watching without evoking a sense of paranoia and mystery. So just looking at the cover page, Michael David Wilson and Bob Pastorella of This is Horror, have set the bar for what they’ve promised the reader.
The novel delivers on these promises in a bigger way than I could have anticipated, however. We spend the runtime following Brian, who has just moved into a new apartment and wastes no time discovering a peephole that offers an unfettered view into his attractive neighbor’s apartment. What he sees sets an entire chain of events in motion that takes the reader to some quite unexpected places.
I mean unexpected. Wilson and Pastorella have done a stellar job of creating a narrative that moves along at a rapid fire pace - you won’t be able to limit yourself to just a chapter, I promise you. The story keeps the reader feeling like they’re constantly off balance. Consciously or not, I find myself thinking of what might happen next in a story, and I was on the money exactly zero times while reading this one. It creates an immersive, unsettling atmosphere when, moving parallel to Brian, the reader doesn’t know who to trust or what to make of the events that unfold.
There are some terrific supporting cast members on display in They’re Watching. Ted, the private investigator, makes for quite a few memorable moments, while still remaining something of an enigma to the reader. His interactions with Brian add a great deal to the complete product. Lexie and Yuki round out the group, putting themselves on display to Brian, but keeping just far enough into the shadows to leave the reader with questions.
The movement of the story, the seamless way that Wilson and Pastorella blend their voices together, the ending - oh my god, the ending - and the resounding note of unease that plays throughout the whole thing make this one of my favorite reads this year, and I can’t recommend it enough.
I received a copy from the authors for review consideration.
The novel delivers on these promises in a bigger way than I could have anticipated, however. We spend the runtime following Brian, who has just moved into a new apartment and wastes no time discovering a peephole that offers an unfettered view into his attractive neighbor’s apartment. What he sees sets an entire chain of events in motion that takes the reader to some quite unexpected places.
I mean unexpected. Wilson and Pastorella have done a stellar job of creating a narrative that moves along at a rapid fire pace - you won’t be able to limit yourself to just a chapter, I promise you. The story keeps the reader feeling like they’re constantly off balance. Consciously or not, I find myself thinking of what might happen next in a story, and I was on the money exactly zero times while reading this one. It creates an immersive, unsettling atmosphere when, moving parallel to Brian, the reader doesn’t know who to trust or what to make of the events that unfold.
There are some terrific supporting cast members on display in They’re Watching. Ted, the private investigator, makes for quite a few memorable moments, while still remaining something of an enigma to the reader. His interactions with Brian add a great deal to the complete product. Lexie and Yuki round out the group, putting themselves on display to Brian, but keeping just far enough into the shadows to leave the reader with questions.
The movement of the story, the seamless way that Wilson and Pastorella blend their voices together, the ending - oh my god, the ending - and the resounding note of unease that plays throughout the whole thing make this one of my favorite reads this year, and I can’t recommend it enough.
I received a copy from the authors for review consideration.