I am a huge fan of Lisa Stone. I loved her first book (‘The Darkness Within’) and I have been (im)patiently waiting for the second in the series for a while now. I need wait no longer because ‘Stalker’ was released on 14th June 2018. I have read it and for me ‘Stalker’ blows ‘The Darkness Within’ right out of the water. I absolutely LOVED, LOVED & ooh LOVED reading ‘Stalker’ but more about that in a bit.

One of the main characters in ‘Stalker’ is called Derek Flint, who makes my skin crawl and gives me the heebie jeebies but at the same time I actually feel rather sorry for him. He lives with his mother, who isn’t exactly the maternal kind and who wouldn’t know compassion if it slapped her in the face. Derek is an only child, who hasn’t mixed with other children, he has few (if any) friends, he is isolated, he is a loner and he has no other close family members, apart from his mother. Derek installs security systems, which he can sneakily access from his own personal computer. He sees the families or businesses who have these systems, as being his friends and his way of finding companionship. This is where he makes my skin crawl- the thought that somebody could be watching you and whatever you get up to in your own home, but you know nothing about the voyeurism taking place. Derek also gets his kicks by watching other people having sex and masturbating whilst he watches. On the one hand, Derek has been neglected by his mother, his father and the rest of his family but on the other hand he goes the wrong way about finding companionship and finding a special person to share his life with. The other main character is called DC Beth Mayes. She is one feisty and determined young police officer. She is called in to help investigate a series of break ins. She senses that the break ins are connected one way or another but she isn’t sure how. Whilst she is investigating the break ins, she is like a dog with a bone in that she won’t settle until she finds the solution to the puzzle or the connection between the break ins. Mayes knows that Derek Flint is a person, who is keeping a secret and is not telling the police the full story. Mayes is the last person that Derek Flint would want to come up against. Is Mayes on the right track? Is Derek guilty of the crimes of which he is being accused? Is there still a twist in the tale? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves as I am not going to tell you.

Oh my days as soon as I read the synopsis for ‘Stalker’, I knew that this was one book I was going to become addicted to and so it proved. Reading ‘Stalker’ became seriously addictive and I regularly had to get my fix of one more page or one more chapter or a couple of chapters and well you get the picture. I picked up this book at an ideal time for me, when I needed a distraction from the pain I was in and how fed up I was feeling. Well this book did exactly that. I picked the book up only intending to read three or four chapters but that intention soon went out of the window and I was still reading 10 chapters later. I suppose that I was addicted to reading on to see if Derek Flint’s behaviour got any weirder or more bizarre or if Mayes managed to solve the case. Reading ‘Stalker’ was much like being on a slightly scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride. There were twists and turns aplenty and moments when something happened out of the blue, that you weren’t expecting and which hit you like a punch to the gut.

I absolutely loved reading ‘Stalker’ and I would definitely recommend this author and her books to other readers. Lisa Stone is the pen name of Cathy Glass, who has written many honest and true accounts of her experiences of being a foster mother, the unsung heroes of the care system. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Lisa Stone. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I'm sure it won't be the last. The book introduces us to Derek Flint, a 41 year old male who runs a home security company. He lives with his mother and having placed CCTV camera's in clients homes, he watches them from the comfort of his bedroom, alerting clients should anything untoward happen. He comes across quite creepy in this well-paced read. There are plenty of twists in this thriller and while you may think that Derek is the bad guy, he's actually naive and the key to all the crimes hitting the town where he lives.

The police detectives in this book are quite good and believable but I have to say I did see some things coming, but they didn't detract from the story of the flow of the book. The characters are well defined and the writing is excellent.

This book takes you on a rather creepy journey and makes you think about installing CCTV cameras that are connected to the internet. The dark web is also mentioned.

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller this is an excellent choice.

Stalker is the first book by Lisa Stone (or Cathy Glass) that I’ve read. It’s a quick easy read, with a straight forward third person narrative, but its simple plot (great if you’re wanting a comfort read) is rather predictable and unconvincing in parts.

I liked Lisa Stone’s portrayal of Derek Flint, a loner, computer savvy, but very naive, who still lives with his mother. Having set up CCTV cameras in his clients’ homes and businesses, he believes he is helping them as he watches what they are doing from the comfort of his bedroom, even going as far as intervening if he doesn’t like what he sees. He’s creepy but not scary. It’s the result of his good intentions that ends in violence and that is truly scary. When some of his clients become victims of crime, the police, DC Beth Mayes and her colleague DC Matt Davies, begin to suspect that Derek is involved.

The subject matter – cyber stalking – is unsettling. It’s a book of two parts, with the second part involving violent and gruesome scenes with some very nasty characters. I had to read on to find out how it ended, but I didn’t enjoy the experience. It’s definitely not comfort reading.

It’s a timely book as security issues on line have recently been highlighted in the media with emphasis on checking your own systems and the need to change your passwords regularly.

Many thanks to Avon Books UK for a review copy via NetGalley.

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‘Stalker’ by Lisa Stone published by Avon Books and out now

Hey, there has been an explosion of books this year re Stalking, a lot of books have the word in their blurb or have a character who is involved in it or being the victim of it and its a popular subject to write ( and read ) about.....I wondered then when I saw this book with its no ‘compromise on the subject title’ ( Stalker means stalker doesnt it and thats that, no room to manoeuvre on that title ) just what new aspect it could bring.....
Derek Flint lives with his over bearing Mum and he runs a successful security firm...he installs CCTV into peoples homes and business’s and is the epitome of a good solid business man.....or so it seems.....what he actually does is set the CCTV so he can access it 24/7 and so he spends all his free time in his bedroom watching ( and listening to) via banks of monitors,people who have his CCTV installed....he sees their lives at home and work and he LOVES it what more could a stalker want? Seriously? Its ideal and he never interferes in what he is privy to......well apart from the the odd security message saying the system
has picked up a possible security breach sent to a husband whilst his wife is entertaining the plumber so the husband can access the cctv and see whats occurring......and that’s never going to harm......is it? I think you can see where the new angle on stalking goes to in this book and it makes for a fascinating read.....add to this a gang of truly nasty ‘dark web’ thrill game players who then hack Dereks systems and it all makea for a grim yet addictive read, its dark, intense, worryingly scary and will make you question everything you thought you knew about internet security....and make you shiver at the ease at which peoples desire to watch and stalk is so easy to achieve
Fascinating read 10/10 5 stars

This novel has a brilliant concept... the idea of someone watching you through your CCTV is totally creepy! It is a simple, well-paced read and with a sinister plot, perfect if you are not in the mood for anything too complex. Which sometimes that is exactly what I fancy! However, this time I wanted more, maybe too much? Because Stalker fell short of my expectations I found it rather predictable and felt the characters were somewhat stereotypical.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

Reading the blurb to this techno-thriller, you would be forgiven for thinking you are about to read a 21st-Century 'Psycho' but don't be fooled.

A convoluted plot takes you in one direction in an almost predictable way but then leads you down an even darker road before reaching an action-filled conclusion. Even with all the twists, it's the characters rather than the plot's complexity that make this a readable thriller.

Derek Flint, a loner, still living with his mother is a voyeur but does he do more than watch? Initially, it appears that Derek is not a good person, but as the story progresses, you discover he is more naive than evil, but he still has the key to the crime wave hitting his hometown. Detective Constables Beth and Matt have a good team dynamic, and they're a credible police presence in the novel.

Well researched crime description with believable characters that develop within the plot's sinister ethos, created by cleverly built suspense. An original 21st- century angle on the Stalker trope.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I have never read anything written by Lisa Stone before so I was delighted to read this in exchange for a review on netgalley.

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, I have discovered the same about titles, the “Stalker” led me to believe it would be about somebody following someone around, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was more technical than that. Derek flint a loner who lives at home with his mother, runs a security business installing alarms and CCTV actually watches his clients from the comfort of his own bedroom!

From the start I was undecided about Derek Flint’s character and motive as at times I felt sorry for this loner, at other times he seemed very creepy and secretive. I really wanted him to be innocent!!

I would definitely read another of Lisa Stone’s books.

We met Derek on the problems on a home base security .
Clients are disturbed and Beth Mayes is leading the situation.
I would like to thank Avon for the book

Stalker is the first book by Lisa Stone I have read, but I can guarantee it won't be the last. The premise of this book is simple enough - a Home Security man who gives his clients that little bit more, even though they don't know about it.

This was a well-paced novel, with plenty of action and suspense to guarantee you keep turning the pages. The scary part of this book is that it is all so simple, and in this day and age, so many options. There were parts that I knew were coming, however that didn't detract from the story in any way. There were still so many questions that needed answering.

With well-defined characters and situations, I found Stalker to be excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me out of the story. Absolutely recommended by me!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

When the clients of a home security business start getting broken into, the police start taking a look at the company owner. Loner Derek Flint immediately becomes prime suspect in the crimes - only someone with detailed knowledge of the families involved could have committed the crimes. Taking you on a gripping journey involving the dark web, Stalker is a captivating thriller. It makes you wonder who could have access to your life...?

Derek Flint, is a loner who lives with his elderly Mother. By day he is a CCTV installer, nicely setting up access to allow himself to watch and listen to the families in their own homes. He thinks of these fondly as his own friends and family and believes that in watching them, he's protecting them .
I loved the pace of the book and I thought Derek, although creepy, was a big character with a big heart.
There is a twist and it seems somebody is watching him watching them!! The author very topically touches on the dark web and this plot worked really well.
I loved The Stalker. It's a definite 5 star read for me.

David likes to watch people. He is a cyber stalker, Thanks to his job installing security systems (including some features that the homeowners know nothing about) he has access to spy on people in their private and unguarded moments and learn their movements, watch over them without them even suspecting!. He is creepy as hell and very techno savvy. He is also a sad character, no friends, that lives with his mother. In his head he is watching over these people but things take a more sinister turn when the homes that he has fitted security to become the victims of crimes. I did guess who the perpetrators were but this was still a well written thriller that will have you changing your passwords every 5 minutes. Derek was creepy and you'd peg him as a serial killer from even a little knowledge of his secret pursuits. This is a really good book and while there were twists that I saw coming there were also some that sideswiped me.

Thanks Netgalley for an ARC to read and give my opinion.

Thanks for the copy, the blurb caught my eye but the cover was okay.

Derek Flint likes to watch people on CCTV from cameras he himself installed as security in there homes. He watches the families because he is a loner and has very little life of his own. Watching it too much proves he can't control his whims when it comes to the lives he feels he can control. He gets caught up in his passion when break ins and stuff begin to happen.

Stalker is really not the kind of read I thought it was going to be. Derek is not a real great character but he's plausible enough to make the story have a real feel. I didn't get sucked up into the story though and it made it hard to finish. I gave the story three stars for entertainment! It was a good story but just didn't appeal to me.

Dark twisted and very disturbing. This book will make you think twice about what you share online. An excellent story. Look forward to more from Lisa Stone

I really liked this book and really felt sorry for Derek.
Admittedly what he’s doing is wrong - installing security systems in people’s homes, then ‘monitoring’ them. But he’s doing it because he thinks he’s looking out for them and trying to keep them safe.
The Police soon learn of Derek’s business when it’s linked to a number of break ins and more serious crimes. He’s taken in for questioning but he really can’t understand what he’s done wrong.
It then becomes clear that something else is happening and it’s a real race against time to save the people involved.
This is a gripping read that will have you in the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Beard! You never know who I’d watching you. Stalker is a great read. Very suspenseful Once I started it I couldn’t put it down

Stalker by Lisa Stone, an addictive read. Once the story got going I couldn't put it down. An original story with some dark and disturbing themes.... really enjoyed it.

It is the story of a sad, lonely man called Derek Flint. He is in his 40's, lives at home with his mum and has no friends. He runs a home security company, he installs the systems and then watches his customers at home. When a spate of crimes occur involving his customers homes The police start to suspect that Derek has something to do with them.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

I really enjoyed this book as it had a different type of storyline to the normal crime thrillers I read. ‘He’s watching you’ quite literally, as Derek Flint owns his own home security business and he likes to watch. But then things start happening and he gets caught up in the goings on. I did find it a bit slow in places and there were quite a few technical bits that I skipped over but otherwise I couldn’t put it down and really wanted to unravel the story

A quick easy read but not a lot of substance. The idea of the techno-stalker is good and does make you think about who you let into your home but there is quite a bit of filling out of the chapters and a fairly predictable plot.