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A review by danubooks
With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
5.0
When moving from Hollywood to Georgia doesn’t shake a stalker, what is an actress’s next move?
Meribel Mills achieved a dose of stardom thanks to a small but juicy role on a popular nineties sitcom. She has worked fairly steadily ever since but, as she she says at the beginning of the novel, she never thought that she was famous enough to get murdered. Her stalker clearly disagrees, and when his actions rose from garden-variety weirdo to breaking into her home, Meribel jumps at the opportunity to move herself and her teenage daughter Honor to her home state of Georgia to work on a new project. The situation isn’t ideal; Meribel decided to end a budding romance because of the move; she had fled her life in Georgia years earlier after a tragic accident, leaving her husband behind as well; and Honor is autistic, so a move like this wreaks havoc on the ordered life she needs. But the sacrifices will be worth it to bring a sense of security and peace of mind to their lives. The calm doesn’t last long, though; Meribel’s “superpower”, the ability to sense when she is under observation, starts tingling. Is it her stalker, whom she has nicknamed the Marker Man (the creepy letters and drawings he sends her are written and drawn with scented colored markers) followed her to Georgia? Could her ex-husband, though he seems to be happily remarried, still carrying a torch for her? Has the discarded boyfriend decided that their relationship isn’t over after all? Or is her new neighbor, who is still pining for his ex, not happy about being friend-zoned? Meribel isn’t sure that she can trust any of the men in her life, past or present; but she knows that if she doesn’t make the right choices, she and possibly her daughter will pay the ultimate price.
I have loved Joshilyn Jackson’s novels since the day I picked up her first, gods in Alabama. Her female characters are flawed, but they are also feisty, resourceful, and pretty darned funny. Her characters all have charm and dimension; I particularly enjoyed how she developed the character of Honor, who is so much more than just autistic. And where else but in one of Ms Jackson’s novels would you find a group of young people described as a “United Colors of Benetton Scooby Gang”? She plays with language so very well.
With My Little Eye is a wonderful read, equal parts Southern and suspense. If you have read any of Joshilyn Jackson’s prior novels, I don’t have to tell you to read this one too…its already on your to-be-read list. If you haven’t, then this is the time to start! If you have enjoyed books by Mark Childress, Fannie Flagg, or Alafair Burke, then you should definitely give this a try too. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to delve into the advanced reader’s copy of this latest novel by a favorite author!
Meribel Mills achieved a dose of stardom thanks to a small but juicy role on a popular nineties sitcom. She has worked fairly steadily ever since but, as she she says at the beginning of the novel, she never thought that she was famous enough to get murdered. Her stalker clearly disagrees, and when his actions rose from garden-variety weirdo to breaking into her home, Meribel jumps at the opportunity to move herself and her teenage daughter Honor to her home state of Georgia to work on a new project. The situation isn’t ideal; Meribel decided to end a budding romance because of the move; she had fled her life in Georgia years earlier after a tragic accident, leaving her husband behind as well; and Honor is autistic, so a move like this wreaks havoc on the ordered life she needs. But the sacrifices will be worth it to bring a sense of security and peace of mind to their lives. The calm doesn’t last long, though; Meribel’s “superpower”, the ability to sense when she is under observation, starts tingling. Is it her stalker, whom she has nicknamed the Marker Man (the creepy letters and drawings he sends her are written and drawn with scented colored markers) followed her to Georgia? Could her ex-husband, though he seems to be happily remarried, still carrying a torch for her? Has the discarded boyfriend decided that their relationship isn’t over after all? Or is her new neighbor, who is still pining for his ex, not happy about being friend-zoned? Meribel isn’t sure that she can trust any of the men in her life, past or present; but she knows that if she doesn’t make the right choices, she and possibly her daughter will pay the ultimate price.
I have loved Joshilyn Jackson’s novels since the day I picked up her first, gods in Alabama. Her female characters are flawed, but they are also feisty, resourceful, and pretty darned funny. Her characters all have charm and dimension; I particularly enjoyed how she developed the character of Honor, who is so much more than just autistic. And where else but in one of Ms Jackson’s novels would you find a group of young people described as a “United Colors of Benetton Scooby Gang”? She plays with language so very well.
With My Little Eye is a wonderful read, equal parts Southern and suspense. If you have read any of Joshilyn Jackson’s prior novels, I don’t have to tell you to read this one too…its already on your to-be-read list. If you haven’t, then this is the time to start! If you have enjoyed books by Mark Childress, Fannie Flagg, or Alafair Burke, then you should definitely give this a try too. Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to delve into the advanced reader’s copy of this latest novel by a favorite author!