Ok. This was a pretty good read! Let's get into the details.

Nola Strate is the host of the long-running radio show, Night Watch, which she took over from her dad. She was the survivor of a terrible event as a young child. She saw her babysitter killed by a creepy man wearing a ghostly white mask. It's been 20 years since, and the killer was never caught. He was presumably dead after so many years. Until now. A frantic phone call to the show and another woman found dead leaves Nola afraid for her life. Her father is also releasing a book about "The Hiding Man" as he was dubbed. The body count rises, and Nola feels that someone is watching her. Is this a copycat or is The Hiding Man back to finish what he started long ago?

I really enjoyed this one. There were moments that I felt true dread and terror. I look forward to more from this author in the future!
This was a 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for graciously providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great debut. The prose was well crafted, the characters were multi-dimensional and dynamic, and the plot was engaging and well-paced.

I am a massive fan of Daphne Woolsoncroft's podcast, Going West. When I heard that she had a debut novel coming out, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. I am so excited that I was able to read it ahead of its release, courtesy of the publisher, Daphne, and NetGalley.

Night Watcher was extremely spooky and was so fun to read! It tells the story of Nola Strate, a radio host who happens to also be the child survivor of a notorious serial killer's attack. Now, The Hiding Man is back to killing, and Nola seems to be an ongoing target. I found the story of this faceless/masked man to be soooo creepy, and I was really compelled to keep reading to discover his identity.

The biggest "complaint" I have about this book is the pacing. Since it is a NetGalley book, I was reading it on my Kindle which can make it difficult to see how long it exactly is. But it felt extremely long. Some parts were extremely compelling and I couldn't put the book down. Other times I felt like the book was dragging and that there was a lot of extra detail and time in between key events that was unnecessary. Overall, the premise was super entertaining and accomplished what I think it set out to - I was creeped out!

This was a page turner. A thriller until the very end. I loved the past and present storylines that came together. I live in Washington so having the story based in Portland was an added bonus and featured some familiar places.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

4.5🌟
Oh my gosh…the beginning of this book was absolutely terrifying! I instantly thought, “What did I get myself into”!?🫣
But not to worry, my fellow scaredy cats. If you can get through the initial shock you’re in for a fantastic read! (Don’t give up!)

Nola is the online host for a popular radio show where callers share their own ghostly sightings. But tonight’s caller will change everything for Nola. This woman is claiming to see the figure of Nola’s 'true life' nightmare. The man who killed her babysitter in front of her all those years ago and was never caught. Can this be possible?

IS HE IS BACK?😱

Can Nola assist in rooting out The Hiding Man before he comes after her and finishing what he started?

Wow! A truly impressive debut.

Daphne Woolsoncroft’s writing felt polished and drew me in immediately. The storyline felt genuinely terrifying at times! The characters were all well developed and I loved Nola’s character as well as her supporting cast.

Here’s the break-down:
Writing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character development ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Storyline ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Ending ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My only hiccup… I wanted a bit more punch from the ending, but overall it was an excellent debut! And I can’t wait to read her next!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

It wasn't bad, just a little underwhelming. Mostly due to the end and the way it wraps up.

I'm not normally a thriller reader (more the psychological thriller fan) and this one was just creepy enough not to freak me out too much

I wish there had been more podcast elements in it, which is what I was under the impression it was mostly about, but it really was just a minor aspect of the plot.

It was quite a page turner and I did appreciate the alternating perspectives.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this e-ARC

I read many thriller and horror books. Night Watcher was a standout for many reasons. Certain scenes gave me goosebumps and had me watching my back. Daphne Woolsoncroft masterfully added tension throughout the novel. I highly enjoyed this book and will look for more by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Daphne Woolsoncroft, and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Fast paced? Yes!
Intriguing plot? Yes!
Creepy vibes? Yes!
True crime podcast/radio show? Yes!

This book had a lot of things that I really liked. Short chapters, fast pace, a decent plot that definitely had some creepy moments...most of what I like in a thriller. While reading, it definitely made me not want to be home alone. It's the kind of book that has you listening for sounds outside if you're reading it at night.

My only complaint is that the ending was a little lackluster. I actually had a few different theories and it didn't turn out to be any of them, which was fine. I like being surprised by the ending. But this one was actually a little disappointing. I wanted something more after following the whole story. Overall, a very decent read.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
As a child Nola watched as her babysitter was murdered— they called him the hiding man as he wore a mask,
Years later she takes over her father’s talk show. One night she receives a call that convinces her the hiding man is back. She feels watched. Will she be his next victim? He knows she saw the murder.
When she feels no one is getting to the bottom of this killer mystery she decides to be the night watcher to uncover him…. Will it work?

I'm a fan of plots centered around podcasts, so I knew pretty quickly that this would be a winner for me. A serial killer that Nola encountered 20 years ago is suddenly back and ready for revenge. The bodies are piling up, and Nola needs to figure out who he is and how to stop him before she becomes the next victim.

This definitely got my heart rate up a few times, and I flew right through it.

4.5 🌟

I'm not familiar with Daphne Woolsoncroft's podcast, but I was curious to see how her expertise would come through in a book. To my surprise Nola's radio show, while important, wasn't heavily utilized to tell the story. It was effective where it was used however because I found Felicity's phone call to be quite scary. Though I wouldn't say that Night Watcher is horror, there were definitely some creepy parts. Especially in the beginning.

I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. There were never any slow or boring parts, it just moved along at a nice pace. The characters were likable, particularly Nola. The ending was a bit lackluster for me though. I don't want to say why but it just seemed like it could have used a more shocking twist. Other than the ending being somewhat of a letdown, I thought Night Watcher was great, and I look forward to seeing what Ms. Woolsoncroft comes out with next!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

Nola is a likable character which makes the fear factor in this plot even more enticing. The short chapters and twists kept me turning pages. Who is the killer? I liked the way the story unfolds. Great read!

Night watcher was really creepy, in a good way. Kept me guessing, and wrapped up nicely.
Nola was home when her babysitter was murdered years ago. And the murderer left a note for her. Now that she is an adult, is she being targeted by the same person? Or is it someone closer?

The premise here was so intriguing. An absolute page turner. I do wish there had been more about the radio show--I love that dark, mysterious stuff. And after a great build-up, I was quite disappointed with the ending.

I would rate this a 3.5/4 rounded up.

It wasn't bad, just a little underwhelming. [Then I felt like I went through it all for the suspect to be someone that we were told it was earlier on, which was kind of disapointing (hide spoiler)]

I wish there had been more podcast elements in it, which is what I was under the impression it was mostly about, but it really was just a minor aspect of the plot.

Overall, it was fine and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't outstanding.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this arc!

Night Watcher is what I hope will be a big hit for thriller readers, it is not your run of the mill basic “hunted by a serial killer” book.
Nola the main protagonist is trying to be an ordinary adult, go to work, see her friends, and try not to think about the horrific serial killer who tormented the east coast 20 years ago.
Just you know normal things.
Nola’s job is a radio host ( Night Watch) listening to haunting's and cryptid's, the regular things that go bump in the night. Until it becomes something real, someone who wants to hurt others just for the hell of it.

I couldn’t put this down, fun and made me more paranoid about looking out my kitchen window at night. Really do hope there isn’t a maniac watching me watching him.
The characters were relatable and sensible, I really did like the radio show aspect since nowadays everybody has at least one podcast they enjoy.
I do think the one thing that I did not like was an impromptu romance between two characters that didn’t give an organic vibe, it just came on too strong at the moment.
All in all I would read this again when October rolls around, a good thriller, perfect spooky vibes.

Thank You to Daphne Woolsoncroft, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always love the true crime/podcast plot in a book, however it is a tad overdone! I enjoyed this book despite that and really liked the writing style! Some of the twists were predictable, but others left me guessing. Definitely recommend!

Requested this book off netgalley (thank you to them and the publishers!!) because the premise of this book sounded really interesting to me. One of my favorite reads from last year was bright young women by JK so I was extremely excited to start this book because I felt it gave a similar vibe. I found the author’s writing great and easy to follow (thriller mysteries can get a bit clunky) and I enjoyed the podcast and small town aspects of this book. I believe the author was also very successful in creating an intensely suspenseful environment, I was freaked out whenever I read this at night lmao

My main issues were with the pacing as well as the perspective switching. I DID enjoy reading from all perspectives, however going from first person to third person for the first few times were jarring. It also just felt really long at times which is why it took me a while to finish it. The subplot with the podcasters 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 was also abrupt and idk I didn’t see the point?

Again, I did have an enjoyable experience reading this book - I love thrillers and books that don’t glorify or romanticize serial murderers. Would recommend to anyone who feels the same!

A true crime podcast based story with a serial killer antagonist… I’m in!

This story follows Nola (love the name) who narrowly escaped The Hiding Man when she was 8 years old. Since then she’s been tormented by those memories. And rightfully so! One night on her podcast show, she gets a terrifying call that leads her to believe The Hiding Man is back. And the story takes off from there!

Now I loveeee scary stories and scary movies! And I love being scared (I have an over active imagination 🤣) and this one did truly give me the creeps at parts. I could imagine being 8 year old Nola and I could imagine being her as an adult staring out her kitchen window and wondering if she’s going crazy.

I couldn’t decide on the rating of this book and it really came down to the ending. The closer I got to the end I knew it would determine the stars I gave. How could it not? There was so much hype leading up to WHO The Hiding Man was. The author sets up the story with multiple potential suspects and I guess I would have preferred a different outcome.

Overall, a good new thriller! I love the podcast angle since I’m a huge podcast fan and this one delivered.

Night Watcher is available on July 8, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpublishing for this ARC.

I found this mystery/thriller to be a bit lackluster. And as well all know, that disappoints me when I feel like the premise has so much potential to be so good. I need a thriller to be thrilling.

This book follows a true crime podcast/radio show that follows a specific serial killer. And that serial killer just so happened to have escaped. Now, the host thinks she is being stalked...and, of course, by that specific serial killer. Now doesn't that sounds so fascinating? So good? Well, that's what I thought too. I just didn't find this to live up to what I wanted it to.

Overall, this was okay. It definitely wasn't terrible. But it also wasn't amazing. I found it to be quite slowly paced and the characters did not have much development to them at all (before or during the story).

Random note, but I think it's so interesting how popular books about true crime podcasts are becoming. I mean, it makes complete and total sense to me, given how popular true crime podcasts are. Just something I've noticed. Anyways...

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.