Creepy, twisty, and totally binge-worthy!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Daphne Woolsoncroft for the chance to listen to Night Watcher early, what a ride!

This audiobook hooked me right from the first eerie call to Nola’s late-night radio show. The Portland setting, with its foggy nights and unsettling silence, set the perfect backdrop for this slow-burning thriller. Nola Strate is a fantastic protagonist. Smart, guarded, and deeply shaped by her past trauma. Her work as a call-in radio host adds a unique twist, with listener stories that blur the line between coincidence and warning.

The real strength of Night Watcher? The twists. Just when I thought I had a handle on what was happening, something shifted. There were a few moments I had to rewind just to make sure I heard that right! The pacing is steady but picks up momentum in the last few chapters, leading to a finale that had me holding my breath.

If you’re into dark thrillers with a paranormal edge and a resilient heroine, Night Watcher should be on your radar. Just maybe don’t listen to it late at night... alone. 👀

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 Great debut with continued twists and unfolding throughout. Loved the pace and reveal. Such a good read. Audiobook quality was good as well!

Wow, where do I even start with this? This book actually had me blocking my doors and checking my blinds to make sure that nobody was outside watching me. I am a thriller and Horror lover, and I rarely ever get scared of things, but this book in this author’s voice Made me terrified. Both of them. Did such an amazing job. I absolutely enjoyed the whole story. This was a very fast pace and an addictive read. I will definitely be posting about this one on my Instagram. I am absolutely obsessed with it. Thank you so so much to NetGallery for this wonderful audiobook you can never go wrong with a scary thriller!

Gripping, shocking, thrilling, and mesmerizing, the Night Watcher was an addictive read! This one had the hair standing up on the back of my neck! Nola Strate is the host of Night Watch, a late-night radio show in Portland, Oregon. Callers to her show discuss hauntings and sightings. One night a woman called in and said an intruder was in her home, and it scared the daylights out of Nola. The eerie phone call brought back memories of the frightening and deadly night that a man entered her home and killed her babysitter while she called for help upstairs. Since then, Nola has tried to forget the horrific night when The Hiding Man killed her babysitter.

Whew! This book was awesome! I loved the tension; the mounting sense of dread and danger were off the charts. As Nola begins to feel that she is being watched and her concerns that The Hiding Man is back and after her, her fear was oozing from the pages. She becomes hypervigilant and with strange sighting at her next door neighbors home, she is beyond frightened. She turns to her father for support while others look at him as being a suspect!

I loved not knowing who could be trusted! I tried my best to figure out the identity of The Hiding Man but never guessed it! This was so hard to put down! I was glued to the pages and on the edge of my seat! What a thrilling and shocking roller coaster ride this book became!

Mysterious, pulse pounding and hard to put down! Highly Recommend.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were fantastic! They did an amazing job of bringing this book to life!

Nola Strate works at a late-night radio show called Night Watch, following in her father's steps before her. She listens to callers retell their stories of hauntings and cryptic sightings. One stormy night a caller describes a scene that triggers memories Nola has stored away from when she escaped a serial killer as a girl. Unfortunately, her babysitter that long ago night was not as lucky and became a victim of The Hiding Man. As the caller anxiously is telling of an intruder in her home real time, Nola can't help but feel it is The Hiding Man back to stalk her again. With a mysterious neighbor lurking in the shadows, more people getting hurt, and the police not taking her concerns seriously Nola decides that she needs to uncover the masked face that has haunted her for years. Evidence is pointing to someone all too close to her, but she has to know the truth of The Hiding Man.

I have been seeing quite a bit of buzz building about this one and was excited to get the audiobook from NetGalley for review. Told with dual timeline from Nola's past and present as well as multiple POV from Nola, The Killer, and a detective investigating the case, the book keeps you on your toes as the mystery unfolds. It delivered the creepy stalker vibes that have you feel like someone could be hiding around any corner and I was hooked. I would label it a thriller/horror read. It is written by Daphne Woolsoncroft, who hosts a true crime podcast and while I haven't listened to her show before, I will be checking it out. This book was well written and I'm sure that same writing is carried over from her experience writing for her podcast. A great debut novel and I can't wait to see future books from her!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook for review.

I am thankful to have been able to receive this arc as an audiobook and it was a good mystery. The story had me both intrigued and at other times confused as it talked about so many extra things. Overall the book was really good and I enjoyed listening to it. The ending had me shocked.

Night Watcher follows Nola, a radio host, who escaped from a notorious serial killer as a child. When a strange call comes into her studio leading Nola to believe that the killer is back, she takes it upon herself to track down the killer before he strikes out at her family again.

This book was fine. I say that with kind ambivalence. Night Watcher is a book I've read before - only surviving (woman) to ever see a serial killer is targeted later in life by the same killer. While there's nothing wrong with this premise, it has been done before. The thing about this book that left me feeing so bland towards it is that it does nothing to separate itself from the crowd.

At the time of writing, there are still a few months until the release of the book. I won't make severe judgements or spoil anything in this review as there is still time for things to change.

Narration in this audiobook is nicely done and I enjoyed the different voices that the narrator used to differentiate characters. Nothing over-the-top happening here, but a pleasant voice doing a perfectly good narration. There isn't much to dislike here.

The biggest pitfall here, in my opinion, is that I never felt connected to or interested in the characters. I felt like I barely knew anything about them and wished that they developed more over the course of the story. Nola felt exactly the same at the end as she did at the beginning and Jack (who also gets a few chapters from his perspective) was barely there. Frankly, I felt his perspective could really have been left out altogether in favor of Chick's instead. The only purpose of his chapters was to get the reader into the interview room, and I think writing from Chick's perspective instead would have built the tension a bit more.

The plot of this was perfectly fine and the scene where the caller rings into the radio station and sets off the events of the book is definitely chilling and he writing didn't have me tripping up or questioning the dialogue at any point. I just simply wasn't enamored with this one.

⇢ 2.5 ★

౨ৎ TRIGGER WARNINGS
⟡ murder
⟡ violence

i finished this one pretty quickly! i liked the fact that the main character, nola, was the host of a spooky radio station. there were certain points where i kind of zoned out, especially when we switched to the detective's POV (i think his name was jack?), hence the docked stars. i really enjoyed the romantic subplot between nola and harvey-- i was rooting for them the whole time!

the twist was kind of anticlimactic, in my opinion. i felt like there were many ideal routes woolsoncroft could have taken with the killer's identity, but she took a cliche route that was kind of a bummer for me.

There is no doubt that this is a 5 star read! When you think about it, if this were real life, this book would actually be terrifying. I was gripped immediately from the beginning, and that grip did not relent until the end! What a good thriller!!! Nola had a traumatic experience with a serial killer known as The Hiding Man as a child, but lived to tell the tale. Now, as a grown-up, she is super cautious, with cameras all over her house and observant vigilance. But Nola is being watched, and she knows it. Chilling occurrences lead her to believe The Hiding Man is back. People are getting hurt, creepy neighbors lurking in the shadows, her own father a suspect, police not taking her seriously....Nola knows it's him and knows she is on his list. Can she survive a second time and figure out who he is?! This book was seriously so good. If you are into thrillers, you won't want to miss this one!!! Could not put it down!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing for the audio ARC! Book releases 7/8/25.

A deliciously, creepy escape…. Just make sure your doors and windows are locked! Nola is a true crime podcaster that is a former victim of a serial killer - the only one to escape. The Hiding Man stalked his victims before murdering them. Have you ever misplaced your keys? Or wallet? Ever think that maybe someone is just messing with you? It’s a pure form of torture that the Hiding Man is an expert in manipulating. This one is not for the faint of heart…. But it’s deliciously entertaining. Thanks to NetGalley for this fantastic read, and the narrators were fantastic!

I went into this book with a hint of skepticism based on the fact that the author is also a podcast host and this is her debut. Other true crime podcast hosts turned authors haven't worked for me in the past, but the premise of this one (and the relatively short length) had me wanting to take a no thank you bite. And I'm glad I did. I found this a refreshing serial killer thriller that didn't adhere to the current trends of over connectivity, unreliable narrators, and multiple unnecessary or ambiguous endings. Told in 3 POVS - Nola, a call-in radio show host and serial killer survivor, Jack, the investigating officer, and Him, the Hiding Man, this thriller was a fast and enjoyable read that had me turning pages. We get a few flashbacks chapters to put us in the moment, which I appreciated. Overall, a really good debut that puts the victims in the spotlight and not the killer. I also enjoyed the little behind the scenes look at podcasting/radio show hosting, and a side plot into the relationship between Nola and her father.
The narrators were easy to listen to and I enjoyed the voices. Nola is written in first person POV and the male voices are in 3rd person, which made the youthful tone of voice for Jack (who is probably in his 50s or 60s) okay instead of cringy.

Thank you for the early review copy!

Thank you Hachette Audio for the gifted ALC!

Let me set the scene for you: it's Monday morning, I'm getting ready for work after not nearly enough sleep, and an extremely rare severe thunderstorm rolls through town as I begin listening to Night Watcher. Just as the creepy story starts to unfold, a clap of thunder, so loud it literally shook my house, scares the crap out of me. This would've been freaky by itself, but while listening to this book? Downright terrifying.

The rest of the book was what I would consider a masterclass in pacing and making readers feel uneasy. I got major "The Strangers" movie vibes, and that movie still terrifies me to this day.

Woolsoncroft's true crime background made Nola's character development particularly impressive, and in a world that feels oversaturated with true crime and podcasts this felt like a unique spin on the whole thing.

I hope she continues to stick around as an author, because I will definitely pick up whatever she writes next! Night Watcher pub date is July 8.

Audiobook review - Helen Laser and Will Colyer deliver a carefully scripted sinister and chilling tale that will leave you fearing the night. Clever back story that follows a disturbing story of murder and harassment leading to a frightening conclusion.

After already hearing some really great early reviews on this, I was so excited to start it. It didn’t let me down! Non stop action from the get go and it never let up til the end! The narrator really brought it to life! Chilling! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Gave this one 4.5 stars on StoryGraph. I went into this one so blindly with no expectations, and it did not disappoint. At the beginning of the book, I thought the writing was so well paced, not too heavy, just in-depth enough to keep you on the edge and wondering where this is going. The way the book escalated and got more into the thriller side of things, I could feel the paranoia and anxiety of the main character through the narrator's voice. I was so on edge and felt the thrill and fear while reading this for the first time in a while. Huge kudos the the immersive writing style. The level of gore and mystery was almost spot on. I would have loved a bit more gore/chase, especially towards the end. Where the author took the plot and the killer's motive was very unique and interesting, I sort of kept that as a possibility, but was uncertain till the reveal. Overall, a very thrilling, fear-inducing read, once you start listening, it's really difficult not to fly through it.

Rating: ★★★½

Night Watcher had a strong premise and a creepy atmosphere that pulled me in from the start. The writing is vivid and the setting really helped create a sense of unease, which I appreciated.

That said, I found myself wishing the story moved at a faster pace. Some sections felt a bit too drawn out, and I was hoping for more edge-of-your-seat moments. While there are a few good twists, the thrill factor didn’t quite hit the level I was expecting.

Still, it’s a solid read with a lot of potential—great for those who enjoy slow-burn suspense and psychological tension. Just don’t expect a high-speed thriller.

Awesome audiobook. Very creative plot with the podcast plus a real life mystery as well. I was surprised by the ending. Good narration. Finished it in one day.

“Night Watcher” by Daphne Woolsoncroft is a chilling, atmospheric thriller that gripped me from the very first page. The author expertly blends psychological suspense with eerie supernatural undertones, crafting a story that is both spine-tingling and emotionally resonant.

The pacing is perfect—slow and deliberate when building tension, then quick and heart-pounding as the mystery unravels. Woolsoncroft’s characters are well-developed and relatable, especially the protagonist, whose vulnerability and strength make her easy to root for. The setting is hauntingly vivid, creating an immersive experience that had me double-checking my locks at night.

What truly sets Night Watcher apart is Woolsoncroft’s ability to keep the reader guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a twist would send me spiraling in a new direction. It’s rare to find a thriller that balances suspense with emotional depth so effectively.

I highly recommend Night Watcher to fans of intelligent thrillers with a touch of the supernatural. Daphne Woolsoncroft has delivered a standout novel, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

NIGHT WATCHER
By Daphne Woolsoncroft

Read by: Helen Laser; Will Collyer; Daphne Woolsoncroft

Okay, I’m an outlier on this one and encourage you to check other reviews, as many have really enjoyed. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read it myself—not because the narrators were bad, but because I think the voices in my own head would have suited me better. All in all just an okay read/listen for me.

Nola Strate is being watched.

As a child, Nola had a chilling encounter with a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest. Now an overnight call-in radio host in Portland, Oregon, she spends her nights listening to eerie tales of hauntings and mysterious sightings. But when a caller shares a story that stirs buried memories, Nola becomes convinced that the killer from her past—known as The Hiding Man—has returned, and this time, he’s coming for her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this. I would read future books by this author.

If you liked Jar of Hearts, then Nightwatcher might be your next great listen. It has those same creepy serial killer vibes—but with a bit more restraint. It’s not as wild or unhinged as Jar of Hearts, but it delivers on suspense, mystery, and a killer with a chilling past that resurfaces years later.
The atmosphere was definitely eerie—especially the way the mask of the serial killer was described. That alone had me feeling spooked a few times! The audiobook narration was excellent. I only listened to the audio version, but it completely immersed me in the story. The narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life. My only critique? I wish the ending had a little more “pizzazz.” I kept hoping for a jaw-dropping twist or a truly epic finale, but while it didn’t blow my mind, it did make sense for the story and tied things up in a solid way. Overall, a gripping, eerie thriller that’s fast-paced and easy to get through. Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for something dark but not over-the-top!