Book #8 The Watcher

The Watcher by Ross Armstrong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It started so well. 90 pages in and the legend on the cover that said "The Girl On The Train meets Rear Window" had a ring of authenticity. Our prime protagonist Lily is supposed to be a keen birdwatcher although she does little of that with her binoculars, preferring to spy on the residents of adjoining apartment blocks. She regales her husband Aiden with her take on their daily lives. Or does she? Careful here. Spoilers to be avoided. But then she sees something suspicious in a neighbouring tower block and keeps it to herself. I jus could not connect with Lily as the story progressed. Is she being watched without realising? By whom? Why? Nobody, it appears, wants to listen to Lily's developing paranoia. She keeps a journal, it seems to be addressed to someone. But who? Will we ever find out?

There are some heart-stopping moments, particularly toward the end, which is just as well, as I was struggling to complete the book. Overall, it's good although I found much of the plot irritating. Moreover, the near 400 pages are so full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes I have to wonder if it was ever proof read. And that is not acceptable.

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