#WatchingYou #NetGalley
Set against the moody, gothic backdrop of Edinburgh, Watching You is a tense and intelligently written thriller that delivers both psychological depth and high-stakes suspense. Helen Fields, known for her gripping police procedurals, introduces readers to a new, disturbing case—one that intertwines personal loss with relentless violence.
What I Liked::-
1 Gritty, Dark Atmosphere: Fields paints Edinburgh as a city cloaked in shadows, where danger lurks behind respectable facades. The sense of place adds to the constant feeling of dread.
2 Strong Female Characters: Surgeon Beth Waterfall is a compelling protagonist—haunted yet resilient. Dr Connie Woolwine, the forensic profiler, is equally captivating, offering sharp insight and emotional complexity.
3 Layered Plotting: The storyline unfolds with precision. The victims seem unconnected at first, but the web gradually tightens, leading to a truly satisfying reveal.
4 Themes of Grief and Obsession: Beth’s heartbreak over her daughter adds emotional weight, while the killer’s obsessive behavior keeps the psychological tension high.
Overall, Watching You is a dark, gripping thriller with a deeply emotional core. It blends meticulous crime investigation with a haunting psychological narrative. Helen Fields proves once again that she can deliver both shocks and substance, crafting characters you care about while unraveling a truly disturbing mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me an advance copy.

Oh my Helen has done it again - flipping brilliant 🤩
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Creepy and twisted but I never saw that ending coming - tragic but wow!!!
I loved the very end 😀 no spoilers from me.
More please and if you haven’t read Helen’s books you are missing out but time.
If I could give 10 🌟 I would,
Thank you x

The body count is rising fast in Edinburgh and Dr Connie Woolwine 'Wooly' and Brodie Baarda are enlisted to bring their particular style of investigation to catch the killer.

Dr Beth Waterfall is grieving for a daughter - a beautiful and unique spirit who suffered a brutal regime of stalking and personal attacks before losing her life. Understandably, Beth Waterfall a surgeon at the local hospital, finds her world is rocked to the core and struggles massively to rebuild a life worth living.

There are some deeply unsettling characters in Watching You, Helen Fields breaths life into some of the most disturbed and depraved individuals - and also pens the bonkers Dr Connie Woolwine whose methods in this book are more out there than ever. Actually felt really quite sorry for Brodie Baarda in this one, he felt more like a taken for granted accessory.

The main policing team are great too, some really likeable characters among them and I enjoyed following Salter, Lively and Overbeck who set a balanced pathway alongside Connie Woolwine's more unconventional one.

There is A LOT packed into this book, with twists and turns that didn't see coming.

Twisty, turny, fast paced and thrilling. Absolutely everything I hope for in a Helen Fields story. Her plotting is superb and this opens with a build up body count as corpses turn up in unexpected places. Then the reader is hit with the prowling sense of menace as events are viewed from another perspective. The watcher is sinister but connections between the deaths are unclear. Bring in the old favourite team to help; Woolwine and Baarda add their distinctive touch to the investigations.

Helen Fields is a clever author. She depicts Edinburgh well; there’s a real sense of location which makes the setting familiar and plausible. And she’s using a cast of recurring characters in a slightly different way to usual. Readers will be familiar with a number of individuals in this story and aware that Callanach is away. The story is superb as a stand alone, but there are subtle character developments which are clear if the reader is familiar with earlier stories and series. I love this fresh take on a recurring theme. It keeps it fresh and with the skilful plotting, it’s real edge of your seat ride. I was literally breathless more than once. Just superb psychological thriller/ murder mystery in this race against time.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I think what makes this book is the characters, they're relatable, sometimes clichéd, but so incredibly interesting.
Add to that a string of deaths with no clues left behind, and it's a recipe for a great read.
Entertaining to the last page, and surprised me more than once.
Very very enjoyable but also very very scary how easy it is to hide behind a keyboard and destroy someone.

Fans of Helen will rejoice with this latest novel, which reintroduces plenty of old fictional friends and a city that is full of unsettling acts. Edinburgh’s police are flummoxed by one body, then another… and another. This is a novel with a high body count, a mother pining for her daughter after the bad actions of another and a killer who is consumed with enacting their deadly missions. We don’t want to give too much away hence the writing in circles. Allow the police to welcome you into their investigation, burrow deep into the minds of those most at risk and be glad that Helen is showing no signs of slowing down this fantastic series.

Dr Connie Woolwine and Brodie Baarda are called in to assist in Edinburgh. There are a spate of unconnected deaths, and the deaths are not at all similar.
Connie has to use her unique gift to unravel the mystery of who is responsible.

This is a fast paced thriller, twisty and puzzling. I could not predict the killer, and when the reveal came, it was an absolute shock.

There are quite a few characters in the book, but not so many that I had to take notes.
Very cleverly thought out, the plot will stun the reader and make your head spin. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I recommend.

Watching You by Helen Fields, published by Avon Books UK, is a raw and gritty, gripping thriller. Complex and complicated with twists and turns that had me in suspense till the very last page.
I recommend the book, 5 stars.

Helen Fields can do no wrong, she is an auto buy author for me. Her stories, writing everything and this book was no exception. A thrilling read, I would recommend and I will be buying a trophy copy!

Oh my! Well that definitely did not go the way I had imagined and I love that! What a twist. So it's written from multiple povs and there are quite a lot of characters and things going on. In saying that, it's still quite slow paced and rather than focusing on things always happening, it's more of a slow burn that builds thst dark, eerie tension throughout which works really well. The characters were original and just really human! I love characters that are believable and who react like people really would so that helped get me hooked. Overall, I really enjoyed it

As always, Helen Fields delivers! Brilliant storyline, I love Baarda and Connie and can't wait to see where their lives take them next. Story grips you and sucks you right in, and the twist at the end was very unexpected - fabulous!

Watching you is one of those books that has a really surprising ending. I honestly did not expect the way that it went!

This is the story of a series of murders happening over a period of time and to start with there seems to be little link. Dr Connie Woolwine and Baarda are brought back in to see if they can figure out the profile of the killer.

Overall this is an enjoyable book. Not fast paced, but interesting and keeps you asking questions.

3.5 out of 5 stars

"Watching You" by Helen Fields kicks off with a gripping and unsettling murder told from the victim Dale’s point of view—a unique and haunting choice that instantly drew me in. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Scotland, the story quickly expands to another murder, this time of a local homeless man, and shifts to the perspective of Detective Sergeant Lively. The plot thickens when Lively begins to bond with the doctor who tried to save the second victim, all while being unknowingly observed by the “Watcher.”

Fields uses multiple points of view throughout, including those of the victims, which adds depth and dread but can sometimes feel disjointed. The suspense builds well in parts, and the voyeuristic element is undeniably creepy. However, the narrative occasionally loses focus, and the emotional impact lessens as more POVs are introduced.

While the premise is strong and the writing solid, the pacing falters in places, and some character development felt rushed or surface-level. Overall, this is an intriguing psychological thriller with some standout moments, but it didn’t fully deliver on its chilling promise.

I absolutely loved this latest, grizzly offering from Fields and I admit to devouring this in one session. We have our recurring characters in the form of Salter, Overbeck, Lively Connie and Brodie, I always like this aspect and getting to see the character developments is enjoyable. In this one, Lively really takes centre stage which was nice to see and his development really helped flesh out his character. The other characters are all strong as well, they all play their role exquisitely. The return of Connie and Brodie provides a different aspect to your usual crime reads, whilst I think some of their behaviour is out there, it is certainly interesting and moves the plot along.
As always, this is a gruesome, explicit read so this is not one for the faint hearted. However, the plot is so much more than that, it is incredibly dramatic and I was full of adrenaline the whole way through, not knowing where the next danger and twist was coming from. This also has a lot of emotion throughout the book, mainly down to Beth and her daughter, Molly's story. It made a crime read a lot more realistic and meant I was really rooting for the police investigation.
There are some very surprising aspects to this plot, which I will not detail but I ended up finding this a remarkable, fascinating read and one that I will remember for a very long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.

When a new Helen Fields book drops, all other reading plans fly out of the window.

Watching You features Dr Connie Woolwine and Brodie Baarda, back in Edinburgh to assist on what proves to be a very intense and complex case. Dr Beth Waterfall, a surgeon, is enduring a torrid time, still grieving for her daughter. A chain of seemingly unconnected, very unnatural deaths, bring her in to the investigation; which is a dangerous place to be. As the body count keeps rising, the pressure to find who is responsible ramps up.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the plot held me gripped tightly, and the pace kept up throughout. The characters are well developed, the highly unpleasant, unnerving one getting under my skin. Just the thought of them makes your skin prickle. I really enjoyed touching base with Midnight, Dawn and Doris again.

I love Connie’s character. To say that she takes a very hands on approach to her profiling, is an understatement. The interactions, and verbal exchanges between Connie, and some of the other characters, were so well written and entertaining. I was cheering her on. If there were more women like her in positions of authority, our world wouldn’t be in the dire straits it currently is.

There is so much to unpack in this book, and when you think you have processed everything, the author throws more twists and turns at you. As I neared the end of the book, my heart broke, for many of the characters.

Watching You is chilling, and unputdownable. It’s a highly recommended 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. I raced through it in 48 hours, and sadly have to wait patiently for whatever Helen writes next.

Wow! I have read *almost* all of Helen Fields books so I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed.

This is set in Edinburgh, following a major incident team investigating bodies that have no obvious link.

Fields’ writing is sharp and atmospheric, drawing you into the unsettling world of both the investigators and the perpetrator. The plot is well-constructed, with twists that keep you guessing and moments of genuine suspense that are hard to shake.

This book is amazing and I would highly recommend it!

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Helen Fields and Avon Books UK 📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

When I say I’m a fan of Helen Fields’ books, I mean it.

I’ve read all of her series thrillers, the standalones and the legal thriller Degrees Of Guilt. My absolute favourites are the darkest thrillers which Helen Fields writes so well, The Profiler and some of the Perfect series.

I enjoy the Connie Woolwine series, the quirky psychological profiler is a great character and the books feel like a flight of fancy where anything can happen, and probably will.

There’s a k*ller on the loose, multiple victims with no connection, k*lled in wide variety of ways. There’s a great cast of characters both returning from the previous books and from The Profiler. It’s a very entertaining story with plenty going on, actual jump scare shocks, and plenty of twists.

Sometimes you read a book by a favourite author and it really makes you appreciate the depth and variety of their work. This is one of those books. Lots of fun and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK

Brilliant brilliant brilliant, intense, thrilling and unputdownable. Did guess who was doing the killing but really didn't detract from who intriguing this book is. Fantastic.Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Firstly i have to say i simply love DS Lively.
Great gory storyline and well written characters.
I read this far to quickly, its a real edgy read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I was completely blown away by this book it was sheer brilliance! I love books that grab you from the beginning and hold on so tightly that you cannot put the book down.

I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop turning pages long into the night. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me holding on… it was truly wonderful!