RELEASE DAY REVIEW | SOMEONE IS WATCHING – JOY FIELDING

A fast-paced, intense psychological thriller from an international bestselling author–Rear Window meets The Silent Wife.
  
Bailey has it all. At least, she had it all–a job she loved as a high-powered investigator in a top Miami law firm, a gorgeous condo in a stylish downtown high rise, a handsome boyfriend, a sizeable inheritance. A seemingly idyllic life.

But that was before a brutal attack left her feeling insecure about her entire world. And with her attacker still on the loose and the police at a loss for clues, she can’t shake off the feeling that someone is watching her, monitoring her every move. Even after her half-sister, Claire, and Claire’s sassy teenage daughter, Jade, move into her apartment to care for her, their presence does little to ease her overwhelming anxiety. Plagued by nightmares, she begins spying on her neighbours through high-powered binoculars, becoming obsessed with the new tenants in the building across from hers. But the strange things she sees only deepen her fears. Is it all in her head? Is her growing paranoia just a symptom of trauma? Or is it possible that someone is really watching? – Goodreads

This story begins with a pulse-pouding attack on our protagonist, Bailey. Bailey is a private investigator who is employed by a prominent law firm in her native Miami. She’s good at her job – she knows how to be sneaky, she can find the best time and place to surveil her target, and she’s had self-defense training. She even carries a gun.

So when she’s attacked one night while watching the apartment of a target’s girlfriend, her lack of ability to fight off her attacker is as mentally debilitating as the attack itself. It doesn’t help that her attacker hasn’t been apprehended, and that nearly every man she sees could be the one who raped her.

For weeks after her attack, Bailey can’t function. She can’t sleep for more than a couple of hours before her nightmares wake her. She takes shower after shower but never feels clean. She searches her apartment to make sure no one is hiding in it multiple times a day.

She’s no longer the person she used to be – and she doesn’t know how to get herself back.

To distract herself, she starts watching a guy in the apartment building across from her. At first it’s idle curiosity, but then strange things start happening. Phone calls that wake her up in the middle of the night, but no one is there. And she keeps seeing suspicious behaviour in her neighbour that no one else sees. The police are growing tired of her calls, and everyone around her is beginning to doubt her sanity. She has no one to call, and the investigation into her attack has stalled.

So she falls back on her training and decides it’s time for her to investigate. She can get in where the police can’t, she can ask questions they may not have, and she can rely on her instincts.

Which is where things start to get interesting.

The first thing I’ll say about this book is that it’s excellently paced. Fielding has written many books, and her experience as a writer really shows. It’s not easy to write a thriller when the majority of the book takes place after the salient event. It could easily have dragged or become repetitive – but Fielding kept this from happening. She creatively finds ways of moving the plot forward evenly and consistently.

I found this easy to get into and I definitely wanted to keep reading as soon as I started. I think the only down side for me was that I guessed one of the big reveals well before they happened, and was a little disappointed when I turned out to be right. That said, I think it was more of a lucky guess than anything, so I wouldn’t count that against the book.

This wasn’t the most brilliant thriller I’ve ever read, but I was impressed with the pacing. I’d say it’s definitely worth picking up if you’re looking for a light, suspenseful read and enjoy intrigue!

Date Read: March 16-18, 2015
Rating: 7/10