I Am Watching You Review

**Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. 2.5 stars!!! I guess I was expecting a lot from this book when I read the blurb as the plot seemed really interesting. However, once I got to reading the story I felt that this novel does a lot of rambling around. I'll explain this further. First things first, I thought the pacing of the book was fantastic. I liked that the chapters were concise. It made reading really easy. I also liked the last 1/3 of the book, as I felt the author really ramped things up with the shocking reveals and the tying up of loose ends. But I was severly disappointed with the majority of the book. I thought this novel was going to be a sort of psychological thriller, but it turned out to be more about family dysfunction. With the disappearance of Anna Ballard, we see how this has affected different people who were connected to her from the witness Ella, to her parents and her best friend Sarah. However, by introducing the plot in this way, I found myself reading unnecessary details about the characters that had nothing to do with the crime itself. It was more about secrets, cover-ups and such. I also didn't understand how the witness had any real role to play in the crime. I guess the author was trying for something unique but was trying to make the puzzle pieces fit and then came up with certain plot devices to carry the story forward. In addition, I also would have preferred to see more of the police procedural aspect of the crime. Instead, we get the backstory of a PI who really isn't on the case and more focus is put on this new family and personal life. The plot wasn't too focused and reveals were rushed in the end. Moreover, the mind of the real criminal is interspersed sparsely throughout the book and is taken on as a side note or afterthought. There was no build-up or tension. This book could have been darker, grittier and way more atmospheric. But, it felt as though the author was trying to skirt the main storyline with trivial side plots. I think a great plot comes from going straight to the real story. Fleshing out characters and building up the drama through the interactions and such. We don't get this here. The story is all muddled up and over the place. It wasn't awful but I have seen better. In terms of the character development, I think Ella was a total sap. I found her inclusion in the book pointless, to be honest. I really don't see how a witness is to be blamed for a disappearance. Also, the way in which she reacts to the situation at hand is mind-boggling. I found her parts of the book to be extremely irritating. She wasn't relatable at all. The other characters seemed to have more substance and it was interesting to see how they were each coping with the loss. I would have liked to have read the story from Mrs. Ballard/Jenny's POV. That would have been intriguing. Also delving into the mind of the real criminal from the get-go would have enlivened the overall story arc. All in all, a mediocre read for me. I wouldn't recommend this one if you are looking for something heart pumping. There are way better reads in this genre.

#crime #family #dysfunction #mystery #thriller #adult #TeresaDriscoll