What an absolutely enthralling novel this is. I've read several by this author now and not been disappointed by any of them but this one has been my favourite so far.

Some characters that I've been introduced to previously however a lack of knowledge of these is no hindrance to enjoying this exceptional thriller.

There is always something happening on the pages and the more you read the more you convince yourself that you know exactly what is going on. Until ultimately you realise that you've got it all wrong with an almighty twist that you will never have seen coming until it's presented. The authority has done a fantastic job with this and I look forward to her next piece of work.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

This book frustrated me, some parts were so good but then it just lost its spark and then picked it again. I nearly dnf it so many times I’m sorry to say :(

Another great book by Helen Fields! She is always a safe bet.

Connie and Brodie are back in Edinburgh, and this time even they are stumped. Someone is killing people, and there are no clues as to who it is (for them because we know who the perpetrator is... or do we...) or what the reason for the killings is. There's no obvious link between the victims, and they all die in different circumstances.

We also meet Dr. Beth Waterfall, who had a tough time and lost her daughter after she was relentlessly harassed online, and now it seems like someone is following her. Are these events linked? Will Connie and Brodie be able to figure it out before it's too late?

As usual, some great twists again that I did not see coming!

I LOVE books by Helen Fields as you know you are guaranteed an exciting, twisty read. She writes
characters who have real depth and individuality. I love reacquainting myself with recurring characters, like Dr Connie Woolwine. She is a quirky, intelligent, entrancing and frustrating character all in one.

This novel has fascinating investigations, murders with seemingly no connections and each cleverly carried out. The frustration of the investigation team was both palpable and understandable.

Set in Edinburgh, the places that appear in the book are well described and really add to the tension, some becoming quite claustrophobic, whilst others carry real tension.

What I particularly like about these books is that you don’t just get a thriller with an investigation. They cover all aspects of life: desperation, bullying, abuse, teamwork, surprises, relationships and romance.

With this author,I always find I learn something new, which is so engaging. This story has it all: pace, tension, danger, and a multilayered plot which is so skilfully developed, with expertise, that I think you will be both reeling and shocked.

I was really torn, wanting to race through whilst also not wanting it to end. If you can cope with dark and tension - just read it.

A gripping read!

Watching you feels quite different to the usual format of thrillers. There are a number of characters; the victims, the police team, the watcher and the wider circle around these individuals. The story is written really cleverly to link them all together. The ending was hugely unexpected and the author has clearly undertaken a great deal of research to tell the story with compassion. Importantly, the ‘watcher’ within the book also highlights the devastation that can come with stalking.

Huge thank you for the ARC, I look forward to reading more from Helen Fields.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK | Avon for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Helen Fields. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

A killer is active on the streets of Edinburgh, and police are getting desperate. The deaths seem unconnected but DS Lively and forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine know they are related; they just have to prove it. In the city’s hospital, renowned surgeon Beth Waterfall is grieving the loss of her only daughter who was being stalked, and now she feels he's after her.

Wow - what a thriller! Told with alternating chapters from the investigation and from the POV of The Watcher, the tension and suspense were high throughout the book. I liked how the characters felt real and I was emotionally involved. And that ending - mind blown! This is part of a series and I'm wanting to read the others, but it works great as a stand alone.

Stunning! This is the second book I have read by this author, the first one being Profile K and I’m not sure whether these are part of a series, but there was some crossover in terms of characters, which was fantastic. As I write this, I’m in a hammock on a floating lodge on the Amazon river with no Internet! So I can’t actually check whether this is a series, but I really, really hope it is, because it absolutely deserves to be.

In this book, there is a young woman being stalked and a body count working up towards a total of eight. The investigating police force profilers, medics and coroners are all brilliantly written and developed characters and I need more of them in my life! Lively and Beth in particular, are characters who feel like friends and Connie was very much the star of the show with the way she connected with the victims to search out the truth. All of the characters are strong and focused individuals, with tough exteriors, but I loved that their vulnerabilities all showed at various points, giving them relatability and making them feel so real.

The story gripped me from the very start and I found it difficult to put the book down - thankfully, my hammock was going nowhere, so not too much of an issue to keep reading! I devoured each chapter, whether narrated by the investigating officers, Molly, the young woman being stalked, or the creepy perp - the plot was exceptional and wouldn’t let me go!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Helen Fields and Avon for an ARC of this book.

Compelling..
A series of brutal murders and a killer who does not know how to stop. Dark and gruesome and drenched in atmosphere, a well crafted and engaging thriller featuring forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine and DS Lively as they come to terms with the fact that a serial killer is stalking the streets - with a propulsive plot, a cast of wholly credible characters, a pacy narrative and a tangled weave of clues. Compelling.

In "Watching You," Helen Fields delivers an intense psychological thriller filled with clever twists that consistently surprise the reader. The gripping narrative keeps you engaged until the last page, showcasing Fields at her best. While the first murder may not be the most graphic we've seen in her previous works, its impact lingers, especially as we delve into the final thoughts of the soon-to-be-deceased. The intrigue deepens rapidly from that moment onward.

One of the most delightful aspects of this story is the return to a familiar setting populated with beloved characters. Profiler Connie Woolwine and former Metropolitan police detective Brodie Baarda are back, once again enlisted by Police Scotland to tackle a trio of murders in Edinburgh. This crossover features characters from both the Connie Woolwine and the Perfect series, creating a rich tapestry of interactions. The dynamic between DS Lively's gruff sarcasm, Detective Superintendent Overbeck’s commanding presence, and Connie’s unique, sometimes unconventional methods adds a layer of joy to the reading experience, making it impossible to put down.

Fields excels in her mastery of plot execution. Without revealing too much, the narrative skillfully shifts back and forth in time, shedding light on the harrowing past of the pivotal character, surgeon Beth Waterfall, and the tragedy involving her daughter, Molly. Through this lens, Fields captures the psychological toll inflicted by a sustained stalking campaign, artfully conveying the victim's feeling of helplessness. As the stalker's focus shifts, the connection to the present day unfolds, driving the urgency and pacing of the plot.

The three distinctive murders that bring Connie back to Edinburgh vary not only in the victims themselves but also in their execution, leaving the connections between them elusive. Readers gain insightful glimpses into psychological profiling as Connie employs her innovative approach to build a suspect profile from minimal evidence. She stands out as a character, showing empathy towards victims while demonstrating her confidence and magnetism, even when they cannot hear her.

In contrast, DS Lively contributes a different energy to the investigation. Known for his no-nonsense demeanour, he reveals a softer side that often lurks behind his sarcasm. The bond between him and Salter shines through, while the nuanced respect he shares with Overbeck adds depth to the narrative—a dynamic that long-time readers will appreciate.

The cast is richly filled with vividly drawn characters, and I found myself emotionally invested in their fates, even feeling sympathy for victims who might not seem deserving initially. As the conclusion approaches, the book presents two shocking surprises. The main twist unfolds in a calm, unassuming manner that left me astonished, unsure whether to grin in appreciation or shed tears at the unexpected turn of events. Just as it seems the plot is settling down, a moment we didn’t anticipate arrives, leading to a satisfying climax that readers will undoubtedly relish.

To enhance my reading experience, I paired my advanced reader copy with the audiobook narrated by Robin Laing. His exceptional talent breathed life into the characters, providing a vibrant depth to the story. Each voice was distinct and compelling, with Laing’s expressive delivery brilliantly capturing the nuances of the characters’ emotions. This combination transformed my reading journey into an engaging auditory adventure.

Overall, Watching You is a brilliant, unputdownable addition to Fields's oeuvre. It combines suspense and character depth in a way that is both gripping and memorable. Highly recommend!<br/><br /><b>Thank you, Avon UK and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow! This is not a book to read if you are alone on a dark night!
I enjoyed this book as it cuts straight to the details of the first murder and the criminal investigation that follows. The characters, especially the Police officers have a raw edge to them giving the effect of 'real' police-work. This book has everything in it making it a hard-hitting thriller; murder, violence, grief, stalking and suspense. I tried to read it in one sitting but it is so intense in parts that I had to take a breather a couple of times.
I will remember this book for a long time. It would make a great TV drama.

Watching You by Helen Fields

A few of Helen Field’s characters come together in this gripping novel that starts with someone being stalked in Jupiter Artland, the park where Laura Ford’s ‘Weeping Girls’ statues are situated and become the only witnesses to this unspeakable act. It’s a great setting for a murder with five sculptures, each one of a little girl weeping in different poses. I’m a lover of public art but these are genuinely creepy and have an uncanny quality to them. I can’t think of a more fitting setting to be hit with a shovel and buried alive - one of my worst ever fears. It’s a bold beginning and we get three more murders like this, each with a narrator who sounds almost bored and melancholy. It’s as if they’re present, able to recount every detail, but detached at the same time. They’re the literary equivalent of the archetypal TV pathologist weighing a pair of lungs one moment and eating a sandwich the next. It’s clear that Lively, Salter and the MIT have a serial killer on their hands but with each murder so different, how will they build a case? Superintendent Overbeck engages Dr Connie Woolwine to profile the killer and run the investigation, but it does seem to the team that the crimes and potential suspect don’t fully fit.

The story has several threads, each focusing on different characters. We go back a few years to a young artist named Molly who is being stalked and harassed with even parcels of rotting fruit and maggots turning up on her doorstep. She feels watched when outside and inside she feels harassed by parcels and online rumours, or even worse deep fake videos. There’s the usual porn, but stranger and more sinister scenarios like her hurting an animal. It’s taken a toll on her mental health and her career. With the police unable to help she sinks further. We also have a character called Karl Smith, a carer for his father who had a stroke not long after his wife had a cardiac arrest. While surgeon Beth Waterfall tries everything to save her, when his complaint against the hospital Isn’t upheld he starts to see his mother. It’s mainly at home and she’s very unsettling and not a nice woman. She is a grotesque figure who Karl finds repellent. Not only is she unkempt and smelly, she likes to unsettle Karl by sitting very close and wafting her rotten breath into his face. She is cruel and clearly goaded her son in life, but now is determined that he keep up his campaign against Beth Waterfall. DI Sam Lively watched her try to save one of the victims and they strike up a friendship, then he receives a wound to his neck and it’s Beth that treats him and takes him home after he recovers. It’s a gentle romance that works really well and he finds out Beth had a daughter, who took her own life after a campaign of stalking and harassment. The puzzle pieces are coming together, but I knew there would be some surprises in store and I was gripped, waiting to find out if my suspicions were right. Desperately hoping they weren’t.

Dr Connie Woolwine is an acquired taste, but is always fascinating. Here I could see how she could really get under the skin of both suspects and colleagues. Barca accuses her of snobbery, but it’s not that simple. Connie seems to relish having her suspicions about someone, then having them confirmed. She often tells people what she thinks without considering their reaction and it’s this compulsion to see what makes someone tick that comes across as thinking she knows better than anyone else. It’s not a class snobbery, it’s an intellectual snobbery. Ive been told this, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I just love working people out, because the complexities of our brains are simply amazing. I’ve recently been reading up on Functional Neurological Disorder where neurological symptoms are present in the patient, without any disease activity. It’s as if the brain simply forgets how to send and receive messages from certain parts of body but without any of the disease activity common to neurological diseases like MS or Parkinson’s Disease. Symptoms range from functional weakness in a limb, to dramatic paralysis and seizures. It’s amazing how powerful the brain is and how it can be doing something so disabling in the background without knowing why. It’s thought that it’s a somatic illness where the brain processes stress or trauma into physical movements or chronic pain, although it can also be triggered by an accident or illness. However, this is nothing compared to Connie’s findings about the brain, that produce a brilliant twist at the end. I’m always pulled in two directions with Connie, she’s utterly brilliant but more than a little odd (talking to corpses) and manipulative, particularly where Brodie is concerned. She knows the power she has over him, but isn’t honest about it. She seems to fully relax and be herself when she visits Midnight, who is living a bucolic existence in Devon with her sister Dawn who has CP. With Dawn, ‘Wooly’ can drop her ‘therapist’s demeanour’ and just be in the moment. Dawn has no guile and a sunny disposition most of the time, she has never learned to hide her emotions. For the same reason I love spending time with my nephews as it lets my brain rest.

There’s some heart-stopping action here, especially in the finale which is brilliant. Salter and Connie are quite the team, with Salter able to jump in and secure a suspect while Connie has them otherwise engaged. I love that Helen’s female characters are mothers and wives, but are also competent at work and even formidable. Overbeck is brilliant, always holding MIT to a high standard, ready with a stern talking to and wears three inch heels all day! She tells Connie she’ll give her the name of the her nail technician because her nails are disgusting and it did make me smile. It’s a novelty to see Connie on the back foot for a change. The murder scenes are genuinely scary or moving. I was especially affected by the murder of Mrs Singh who is a lonely older lady, the victim of her own success. She made the huge move from India to Scotland in the hope of her children having a better life and he does, but that means they’re usually far away from you. She describes a boy who grew up with a Scottish accent, as if he was already moving away from her. The many pictures of her grandchildren attest to the distant between them. Her death is brutal and desperately sad. I loved how Helen brought all the puzzle parts together, despite such disparate victims who had nothing in common, not even their deaths. I could see Karl Smith had a rage in him but it mainly seemed to be for his own parents, could he be murdering complete strangers? I became more addicted as the novel went on until last night when I couldn’t leave the last few chapters and stayed up till 2am. Now I keep falling asleep. This is such a psychologically fascinating thriller that’s given me lots of side reading to keep up with Connie’s final verdicts. I can’t wait to see where she and Brodie end up next.

Watching You is a gripping psychological thriller set against the shadowy backdrop of Edinburgh. All the beloved characters are back and a serial killer is on the prowl so far there are seven bodies but they seem to be unconnected .Fast paced gripping story with a very unexpected ending. Thank you to Net Galley for my ARC .

I’m a big fan of Helen Fields so the chance to read the new Connie Woolwine thriller was not to be missed and it didn’t disappoint. This novel brings together some of the characters that have been building in Fields’ other series. Baarda is obviously back as is Midnight from Profile K, but the co-star is DS Lively. Connie herself is a forensic profiler who is, of course, brilliant but sometimes unorthodox and relies a lot on the strong and often silent Baarda. Together they make a brilliant team.

Set in Edinburgh, brilliant surgeon Beth Waterfall is getting over losing her daughter to a stalker but now it appears that she is being stalked and people are dying around her. DS Lively shows that he has a softer side when he is clearly smitten by Beth and trying to protect her. But is she all she appears to be? Questions surround her actions and the twists and turns of this thriller start from the beginning and don’t let up until the very end.

The plot really is gripping and the characters are very well drawn. Woolwine is clever but quirky and a constant source of frustration to Baarda, who spends a lot of time confused - but in the nicest possible way. We see a side to Lively that had really only been hinted at in previous books and it was a pleasure to meet Midnight again.

It’s a tense, taut thriller that gives the reader value for their money, you’re guessing even with a fairly open narrative and you are genuinely fearing for the lives of not just Beth Waterfall but DS Lively too.

This can easily be read as a stand alone thriller but there are treats for long time fans too, but…..no spoilers, you’ll have to read it for yourself!

I loved it, it’s taut, plays on your fears and emotions and delivers a breathtaking read.

Dr Connie Woolwine is a fascinating character and I enjoyed the way she worked and fit into the investigative team. She is called in when several bodies are discovered throughout Edinburgh. Dr Beth Waterfall crosses paths with the investigation when she tries to save one of the victims.

The story focuses on the investigation, Beth’s daughter’s story and ‘the watcher’

Because of the intertwining stories and timelines, the plot is twisty and I loved how it intersected. The reveal at the end was so surprising and satisfying.

Great original concept and characters.

Watching You is an exciting crime thriller set in Edinburgh featuring characters from the authors previous novels though this should not put a new reader off. Lots of twists and turns, great dialogue and characters. I guessed halfway the clever end twist but I was still captivated.

Another great book from Helen Fields!

I love Dr. Connie Woolwine, she is unapologetically unique. She knows what heeds to be done to get the answers and isn't afraid to do it.

I definitely thought I had this one figured out, but I was 100% wrong. Helen Fields did a great job of keeping me guessing up to the end. I am a little concerned by the end scene, but I will wait until the next installment to see how it plays out.

This is my first book by this author, and I found it to be quite intriguing.

In Edinburgh, a serial killer called The Watcher is targeting victims, with eight brutal murders already committed. Surgeon Beth Waterfall, grieving her daughter’s murder by a stalker, becomes the next target. Detective Sergeant Lively and profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine must act quickly to connect the deaths and stop The Watcher before he strikes again.

We begin to explore the concept of the body as one of eight. However, I felt like I was missing some character development—perhaps this is the second book in a series? It's not explicitly labeled as such, leaving me uncertain. In this story, we also get to see The Watcher's point of view, and the narrative jumps around in time a bit, which adds to the challenge. This is definitely a book that requires your full attention to keep track of those timeline shifts. From the very start, it’s been suspenseful and hard to set aside! The plot is well-constructed and thought out, and everything ties together beautifully by the end. I was taken by surprise by how the story unraveled and the unexpected conclusion. The author’s unique writing style—dark, suspenseful, and filled with vivid descriptions—kept me thoroughly engaged throughout the reading experience.

I particularly enjoyed learning about Fregoli syndrome; I can only imagine how frightening and potentially dangerous that condition can be! This book is a perfect pick for anyone who enjoys dark, twisted tales filled with intriguing puzzles that keep you on your toes. I’m definitely going to check out the author’s previous works, as this may very well be part of a series. So, enjoy the read, and pay close attention, or you might miss something important!

Thank you, Avon Books, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A roller coaster ride with shocks and surprises along the way to keep you gripped . A race against time by the investigating team in Edinburgh

Helen Fields has created two worlds that I absolutely love. The detective world of Ava, Luc and the rest of the Scottish police team, and the forensic profiling world of Connie, Bardaa and Midnight. And with Watching You, we get all of them in one epic collaboration.

This is the book I needed! The best characters, lots of great chemistry, and a dark crime that needs these clever minds to come together to find the killer at large.

As you can always expect with a Fields book, the book is filled with a lot of suspense, a thorough investigation, and a deep dive into the mind of criminals.

I love that Fields always adds something fresh to her thrillers, especially when she includes a disturbing illness or shocking syndrome to give a unique twist, and what she explores here is another really interesting situation.

I just love her books! They have everything I want from a thriller, and with some of my favourite characters coming together, I literally squealed with excitement at times.

Lively has been a difficult character to warm to completely. As he admits himself, he's a bit of a twat at times, but there's always something about him, so it was great for him to have his moment here.

After One For Sorrow left us on a huge cliff hanger with Ava and Luc back in 2022, we don't quite get all of the answers we have been waiting for, but it promises that something more is on the way and I cannot wait!! All I will say is...

"About fuckin’ time."

This was my holiday read and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. I really enjoyed this book!

I didn’t want to put this one down. It was gripping. I really enjoyed the writing style and the pacing. It really worked for me and I would definitely read more from this author.