I Am Watching You

As someone who is now well into their senior years but has been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades I love all kinds of books on a wide variety of topics. I love both non-fiction scientific topics to fiction thrillers with different twists and turns. This is why when I saw this 287-page soft cover novel (I am watching you by Teresa Driscoll) while browsing on Amazon I purchased the book. I enjoy unusual plots and mysteries that force you to think about the character’s motivations as the story flows. The short chapters are great because it keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next. This story begins when a woman, Ella Longfield, while on a train, when sees two men who begin flirting with two girls on the same train. She hears them talking and discovers the two men just got out of prison. She is considering possibly notifying the police about these two suspicious men but decides not to do anything because it is none of her business; however, when one of the girls turns up missing, she regrets not doing anything at the time. There are also some other family secrets that reveal themselves later in the book that makes this a page turning read. I never give away too much information when reviewing any novel, but if you like a well-written book with an interesting and compelling story, you may want to check out this novel. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Never trust a politician: A critical essay about politics and politicians).

The story starts with Ella Longfield on a train going to London. See observes and tries not to listen to two very young teenage girls also traveling to London. Along the way, two young men board the train with all their belongings in large black plastic bags. They talk with the girls. The girls and guys seem very interested in each other. The girls agree to meet the guys at a bar later that evening. The next morning, one of the girls is missing. The storylines proceeds from here with a hunt for the two men, but goes cold. A year later, a TV show on the crime is broadcast. Several houses of cards start to fall. The fallout means that there are more potential perpetrators than just the two guys. The author tells the nearly all of the story in a series of changing chapters that basically are told in the first person of the chapter’s title character. They are: THE WITNESS. Ella Longfield, a florist that was the witness on the train who was the target of much revilement for not taking action on the train to protect the two young girls. THE FATHER. Henry Ballard, father of Anna, the missing girl. He has more on his mind than just his missing daughter. THE FRIEND. Sarah Headley, Anna’s best friend and companion on the trip to London. She blames herself for Anna going missing, but she has more than just Anna on her mind. THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Matthew Hill. An ex-police detective hired by Ella Longfield to find who is sending her threating postcards. While he is very diligent, he has competing family and professional issues. WATCHING… An unknown individual that has a serious problem with the witness, Ella. The B-storylines are quite rich for each of the above main characters. The author integrates these B-storylines in to the main storylines (see below for why the plural). These characters’ personal issues besides providing depth to the characters themselves, they also further the main storylines. The reading of this novel enriched the enjoyment of reading this novel. I do have two issues with this novel. First the start was slow because of all of the changes in the focus of the missing girl storyline. Second, there seemed to be two storylines, the hunting for Anna and the watcher which by the title of the novel would indicate to be the main story. My major criterion for a high star rating is that the storyline grab and hold my attention and literally compel my continued reading. This jumping between characters and seemingly two main storylines made the first half very difficult for me to want to continue reading. There are not any graphic sex scenes or foul language. There is one scene of somewhat graphic violence at what I would call the scene TVMA at the most. These aspects should not discourage anyone reading his novel. Overall, I am at a quandary to rate this novel with three or four stars. While I did have issues that I described above, at the end I did like this novel so I am rating this novel with four stars. Probably, a three and half star rating would be more accurate. If you are going to read this novel, slug it through the first half and, I believe, that you will enjoy all the twists and turns in this novel. There are no loose ends at the end of the novel.

When I first started this book, I really felt like it was all over the place. There were so many elements to the story that just didn’t connect. I was intrigued to find out the ending, so I kept reading to find out what happened. Luckily, in the end, all of those little pieces fit together so neatly to create a really great mystery! I Am Watching You switches between multiple perspectives. The first is, obviously, the witness: Ella Longfield. She has experienced such a whirlwind of hate after coming forward as a witness after Anna’s disappearance. Her business suffered, she questioned her mental state constantly, and has slightly neglected her family due to all of the stress. She seems like a genuinely apologetic woman, trying to make amends and not involve the police in her problems when Anna’s family has had such a rough time. I really enjoyed getting to know her and experiencing the issues in her own life. At first, I didn’t think most of these issues were pertinent to the storyline but, I promise you, it all makes sense in the end. The other POVs are Anna’s father: Henry Ballard. He’s a farmer with a wife and another daughter who is obviously hiding something. We get the sense from early on that his secrets pertain to Anna’s disappearance. His own life is in shambles; he has had to sell off some serious acreage to pay the bills. Being a farmer isn’t exactly a lucrative career. Then there’s the friend, Sarah, who was with her that night and is hiding her own secrets. It’s easy to tell that she feels guilty for what she did that night, but we don’t find out until the second half of the book what exactly she did wrong. The final POV is the private investigator, Matthew Hill, who was hired by Ella to determine who is sending her the postcards. We get a glimpse into his life as well, but his most meaningful experiences involve the police investigating Anna’s disappearance. Obviously, when you read the title, it’s clear that someone is watching Ella. We get short chapters as the watcher, where it’s obvious this person’s mental state is very fragile. He or she has created an obsession with Ella and wants to be involved in her life. Every aspect of I Am Watching You showcases different stages of parenthood and having children. It was subtle, but I figured it out near the end of the novel. We get to experience what it’s like to lose a child, like Anna’s parents; what it’s like to be a new parent, like the Private Investigator Matthew Hill; what it’s like as a child to be neglected and abused by a parent, like Anna’s friend, Sarah; and what it’s like to have your children experience life-altering event as a teenager, like Ella and her son, Luke. I’m not a parent myself, but it was easy to get into these situations and realize how hard being a parent actually is. Some of them were handled really well, while others were shown in a more negative light. Like I said, literally EVERYTHING comes together in the end. There is no stone left unturned, no questions that I had to ask about the plot or the characters. Everyone involved in the whole narrative has a role to play in the ending. Although I do enjoy when some books leave things a bit open for interpretation, I can appreciate an author who ties everything up with a nice big bow. That’s how I Am Watching You ends, and I enjoyed every thrill-seeking moment of it!

There are elements that are very good in Teresa Driscoll’s book, “I Am Watching You.” At the same time, there are other aspects of the book that were bothersome. The book is composed of short chapters, with a number of characters relating the story. The main character is Ella, identified in her titled chapters as The Witness. Ella was on a train ride and thus became one of the last people to see Anna before she disappeared. She was also able to describe the two young men who had approached Anna and her friend, Sarah. Anna’s disappearance and probable murder haunts Ella throughout the book, as she blames herself for not doing anything to protect the young girls, who are both 16 years old. Other characters are introduced, and some are painted as the potential guilty party. Ms. Driscoll makes the guesswork murky as many of the characters have secrets that may or may not be connected with Anna. The overall plot is good, and the author continues to keep us questioning who might have been involved right up to the book’s end. What bothered me about the book was the writing style and some plot specifics. Ms. Driscoll has a habit of using partial sentences, and while these can be effective, they lose their power when used excessively. At first, because the story started off with Ella relating everything in first person, I believed it to be more of a stream-of-consciousness thought process. However, when the author moved to subsequent chapters (everything else in third person), the phrases and partial sentences continued. While it would have worked for Ella to tell her story in that manner, having every character think the same way seemed to blur the characterizations. The other stylistic device used over and over was the introduction of a secret at the end of almost every chapter. Again, this can be a powerful tool, but when used constantly, the story becomes more bothersome than exciting. Most of the story is told a year later, and the investigation into Anna’s disappearance is still being worked on by the police. When the guilty person is finally revealed, it was difficult to believe that the police would have neglected to perform a full investigation (the author tells us at the end that police only did a “cursory” investigation on the person). I hesitate to say more as it would potentially become a spoiler, but for me, this became a fatal flaw and made the ending feel forced. Coupled with the writing issues described a few paragraphs ago, I ended up with mixed feelings the book. I thought this could have been a great story, and there were elements – characters, a good plot idea, a number of misleading side stories, good dialogue – that might have added up to a fantastic read. Unfortunately, the writing style and the inefficient police investigation brought this down to a better-than-average tale. Three-and-a-half stars.

I love books where I cannot guess the ending before I get there. This is definitely one of those books and it’s fascinating to read.

When I started this book, my drive to finish it wasn't quite there. But the plot kicked in quickly and the connections between families who were involved with the loss of a daughter; a best friend, a sister, became so real. The story unfolds into a touching and believable quest to answer a myriad of questions - all based on the observations of one woman while riding on a train. Who killed Anna? Why was Ella so reluctant to speak up then & there? The family nuances as Anna's sister, Jenny, tried to move forward: then Sarah, Anna's best friend, has secrets of her own that bring to light not only her possible involvement but a family horror that was buried & forgotten. Sarah and her sister, Lily, come together in pain and sadness to reveal family torments that surfaced because of guilt and denial. What kind of monster was Sarah's father? Was he involved somehow with Anna's death? Why was their mother so adamant not to share what happened to Lily, causing her to move away and leave her beloved sister Sarah? Ms. Driscoll allowed her readers to FEEL these characters- their ups and downs, highs and lows. Even Anna. And these relationships bonded the reader with their attributes and complexities; how each played a role in finding the killer. I only wish that Sarah & Lily could have had closure with their broken family and estranged father. This is my first Teresa Driscoll book and she writes with excitement and sensitivity for each character. The ending doesn't have a bombshell but the surprise jolt is enlightening. Great read!

Thrilling and captivating!

I thought about grading this with 5 stars but a few issues made the rating "really, really good" instead of "Perfect". A lovely 16 year old disappears durng her first trip to London with her best friend. The books is really about the repercussions of her disappearance . The story picks up a year later, and no one knows if Anna (victim) is dead or alive. It is a good mystery with lots of red herrings (characters that may be the villain--or may not). Tension is built by the slow release of more information but more importantly, by the psychological impact on the families, friends,and a bit of the cops perspective. Nearly everyone is a suspect and everyone reacts differently. I wanted to fall in love with a character but I didn't quite. I really liked one characterwho perhaps makes the least impact on the story and could have neen eliminated entirely . Agatha Christie invented (I think) the classic mystery structure: identify the parties, set up red herrings with plausible (or are they??) alibis and then put everyone into the library in the lovely country home and,guided by the detective/hero, sorts out alibis and motivation. So do most thriller/mystery writers. (not mustasioed detectives, not country houses, and sometimes not even the final gathering), The less modern authors rely on this approach, the higher I rate them. Our otherwise really good author does do a variation on the same idea. Too many characters? Maybe but I think her character descriptions are way above average. One in particular reminded me of a real someone who could have posed for the role. Ms. Driscoll's chapter divisions are a pretty good mechanic to build tension which is the major requirement for a thriller. But I think I Am Watching You is more mystery than thriller. I absolutely will buy another Driscoll.

Die Geschichte wechselt die Personen und Erzähler. Erst am Ende kommt die Hauptperson zu Wort. War sehr kurzweilig und gut zu lesen.

Adoro il modo in cui è scritto, le note di sarcasmo e le riflessioni della protagonista che ti portano proprio nella sua testa, i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati, mi ha coinvolta veramente tanto. Personalmente ho preferito prenderlo in lingua originale, è molto scorrevole. Voglio decisamente leggere altro dell'autrice

I finished this gripping book in 2 days! Written with empathy , insight and self-awareness of the strictures of proper form stifling out instinct, and stymying action , this is not your usual whodunit. Each character is well-developed and there is great psychological and philosophical insight into guilt, shame, trauma, grief, rumination and obsession. At the end of the day, for all the exoneration one does, karma comes a full circle and one wonders about the way karma actually works - that karma delves not in the technical, nor the narratives, not even the factual , but hovers over the cause and effect of moral guilt.

Teresa Driscoll is an author I have previously found to be riveting however 'I Am Watching You' takes that gift to a new level. I have to say, for someone that reads many books a week, it's a big claim to make however I would say that it is my favourite thriller of the year. It really kept me guessing and swiping at a mad pace. Quite frankly, it fits all of those cliches we use too often in reviews but it "is unputdownable and is suspense at its best." It begins with an incredible first chapter which says it all "I made a mistake. I know that now. The only reason I did what I did was what I heard on that train. And I ask you, in all truthfulness –how would you have felt?" Known as 'The Witness' - this chapter is told in Ella's POV which made it feel like a friend in a coffee shop telling the story, it sucked me in... "And then I am thinking, Report them? Report them to whom, Ella? Will you just listen to yourself? Other people will do precisely what you should have done from the off. They will mind their own." A teenage girl has disappeared after being harassed by a group of strange men on a train the day before... Ella witnesses and does nothing... "This screen that is scrolling putrid, awful words: Missing . . . Anna . . . Missing . . . Anna . . . The kettle screaming angry clouds onto the mirror while I am planning the calls in my head all at once. A black and terrible jumble of excuses. None of them good enough. To the police. To Tony. You have to understand that I was going to phone . . ." You can feel the panic, sense the dread... my stomach dropped as if I'd been on that train and looked away, down... just didn't move.... This is a tense, page-turning thriller. A pacy and emotional plot that is made even more intense by seeing things through the family's POV. This is especially intensified as 'The Father' explains how things disintegrate around this ordinary family when their beloved daughter Anna goes missing, making the entire story quite chilling... This is such an unexpected yet incredibly intricately woven plot that has an utterly surprising ending that I have no hesitation in recommending 'I Am Watching You' to anyone who enjoys this genre. It is up there with Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train .. it's that good. As mentioned, it’s told from multiple POVs, which means the reader gets to know all of the characters and sense their desperation, emotions, fear, internal conflict and heartbreak... and it is that perspective that always heightens the suspense for me, and makes it feel believable... I really look forward to more from this versatile and talented author. 5 Suspenseful Stars...

Till end my heart was scared to see what would happen.