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A review by shari_russell
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An addictive tale by a must-read author. The debut thriller by Teresa Driscoll. The story weaves between two timelines starting in London in July 2015 and then jumping to one year later in July 2016. In London, the book begins with a first person account, told through the eyes of Ella, of the events leading up to Anna’s disappearance. This is where Ella Longfield crosses paths with Anna and Sarah and overhears disturbing conversation between them and two young men. It turns out the men were just released from prison and are flirting it up with the girls. Ella is concerned and wonders if she should intervene somehow, even going so far as to try to figure out how to contact the girls mother. Something stops her from getting involved only to wake up the next morning to devastating news. Anna Ballard, the green eyed beauty from the train has disappeared.
One year later Anna is still missing with no clues or suspects. Ella has never forgiven herself for not stepping in that day and blames herself for the disappearance. She has also had a lot of harsh and negative reaction from the entire community when it was leaked that she was the witness on the train. Now she’s getting threatening notes and feels strongly that someone is watching her. Is this related to Anna’s disappearance? She is so frightened that she hires a private investigator to look into it. The one year anniversary appeal brings the unsolved case back to the forefront of the community and the police. Secrets and lies are uncovered that were missed in the original investigation , which reveals that Anna’s friends and family could be involved. Each chapter is better than the last with twists and turns that only confuse and heighten the suspense. With most of the characters feeling guilty about something that points to the night Anna went missing, it’s a guessing game of what really happened. When the pieces start to fall into place, and the suspect is identified, it’s absolutely mind-blowing how they were able to figure it out. It never once entered my mind that the person responsible could have done it. The end of the book goes back one more time to that fateful night and the events that unfold are shocking and unbelievable. Just what every suspense thriller ought to be.
There are four characters that alternate points of view. Ella is the main character identified as the Witness with a believable 1st person narrative. The other 3 points of view come from the Father, Henry Ballard, who is Anna’s father, the Friend, which is Sarah, Anna’s best friend, and the Private Investigator, Matthew Hill, who plays a key role. Their accounts are told in 3rd person through their eyes. There is one final 1st person point of view from an unknown character that says creepy, scary comments about watching someone.
The characters are well-crafted and realistic but some of them come off as unreliable narrators once you find out that they lied to the police. I found Ella’s character very likable and wanting to do the right thing. Even though Sarah was not upfront with police at first, I still felt sympathetic towards her. Her character grows throughout the story as does her relationship with her sister, Lily.
Most of the plot is built around the different aspects that are happening in the different relationships and family dynamics. You’ve got Anna’s family that have been mourning her loss for a year. Her mother has lost any life that she once had inside. Her husband Henry feels nothing but guilt about something that isn’t revealed until later. Even her sister Jenny is suffering from regret for not going to London with her sister like originally planned.
There are also cracks in Sarah’s relationships with her mom and dad and she knows they are lying about why her sister took off and never came back home. Sarah finds Lily and they end up having a bittersweet reunion joining together to overcome the past childhood trauma they both suffered.
Ella is also dealing with problems on the home front revolving around her son. She had been so focused on her part in relation to Anna, and now worrying about the letters, that she had not been giving her son her full attention. They have some tragedy happen in their lives too but Ella is finally able to get back on track with her son.
This is what the author said in the notes at the end of the book. “I knew that I wanted to shine a light not just on Anna’s family but on Ella’s, too.” She did an excellent job in portraying the complex nature of both families with equal attention given to Anna’s disappearance.
The numerous points of view and so much going on in these characters lives only add to the energy and suspense. Each chapter introduces new information with twists and turns that get you so engaged that you are hooked until the end.
The conclusion was so unexpected and shocking and reminded me why this author is on my must-read list.
I am giving this a 5 star rating because it grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the explosive conclusion. I recommend it to serious psychological and domestic thriller fans that enjoy a fast-paced suspenseful plot and a shocking twist you don’t see coming.
One year later Anna is still missing with no clues or suspects. Ella has never forgiven herself for not stepping in that day and blames herself for the disappearance. She has also had a lot of harsh and negative reaction from the entire community when it was leaked that she was the witness on the train. Now she’s getting threatening notes and feels strongly that someone is watching her. Is this related to Anna’s disappearance? She is so frightened that she hires a private investigator to look into it. The one year anniversary appeal brings the unsolved case back to the forefront of the community and the police. Secrets and lies are uncovered that were missed in the original investigation , which reveals that Anna’s friends and family could be involved. Each chapter is better than the last with twists and turns that only confuse and heighten the suspense. With most of the characters feeling guilty about something that points to the night Anna went missing, it’s a guessing game of what really happened. When the pieces start to fall into place, and the suspect is identified, it’s absolutely mind-blowing how they were able to figure it out. It never once entered my mind that the person responsible could have done it. The end of the book goes back one more time to that fateful night and the events that unfold are shocking and unbelievable. Just what every suspense thriller ought to be.
There are four characters that alternate points of view. Ella is the main character identified as the Witness with a believable 1st person narrative. The other 3 points of view come from the Father, Henry Ballard, who is Anna’s father, the Friend, which is Sarah, Anna’s best friend, and the Private Investigator, Matthew Hill, who plays a key role. Their accounts are told in 3rd person through their eyes. There is one final 1st person point of view from an unknown character that says creepy, scary comments about watching someone.
The characters are well-crafted and realistic but some of them come off as unreliable narrators once you find out that they lied to the police. I found Ella’s character very likable and wanting to do the right thing. Even though Sarah was not upfront with police at first, I still felt sympathetic towards her. Her character grows throughout the story as does her relationship with her sister, Lily.
Most of the plot is built around the different aspects that are happening in the different relationships and family dynamics. You’ve got Anna’s family that have been mourning her loss for a year. Her mother has lost any life that she once had inside. Her husband Henry feels nothing but guilt about something that isn’t revealed until later. Even her sister Jenny is suffering from regret for not going to London with her sister like originally planned.
There are also cracks in Sarah’s relationships with her mom and dad and she knows they are lying about why her sister took off and never came back home. Sarah finds Lily and they end up having a bittersweet reunion joining together to overcome the past childhood trauma they both suffered.
Ella is also dealing with problems on the home front revolving around her son. She had been so focused on her part in relation to Anna, and now worrying about the letters, that she had not been giving her son her full attention. They have some tragedy happen in their lives too but Ella is finally able to get back on track with her son.
This is what the author said in the notes at the end of the book. “I knew that I wanted to shine a light not just on Anna’s family but on Ella’s, too.” She did an excellent job in portraying the complex nature of both families with equal attention given to Anna’s disappearance.
The numerous points of view and so much going on in these characters lives only add to the energy and suspense. Each chapter introduces new information with twists and turns that get you so engaged that you are hooked until the end.
The conclusion was so unexpected and shocking and reminded me why this author is on my must-read list.
I am giving this a 5 star rating because it grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until the explosive conclusion. I recommend it to serious psychological and domestic thriller fans that enjoy a fast-paced suspenseful plot and a shocking twist you don’t see coming.