Audiobook production: 4.5⭐️

Plot: 3.5⭐️

This was a fun thriller that absolutely creeped me the heck out. I lost interest a bit throughout the middle which is what made me drop it down in rating a bit, but then it picked right back up toward the end. I also did not predict who the killer was.

I loved the narrators, I think they did an outstanding job! Helen Laser and Will Collyer were great for both POVs of Nola and Jake. I enjoyed their production quite a bit!

Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy!

Rating: 4 ⭐ (rounded up from 3.5)
Format: 🎧 (Audiobook)
Out: 07/08/25

I devoured the audiobook of Night Watcher super quickly! I loved the narrators (Helen Laser, Will Collyer & Daphne Woolsoncroft) and the narrators' consistency in tone along with the multiple POVs throughout the audiobook made this read an immersive experience for me!

I do feel like the first 65-70% was very promising and pulls the reader in so quickly but the last third of the book felt a bit rushed, specifically the chapter, in which the killer was revealed. It just felt like the loose ends were tied up really quickly after a such a steady pace of build-up. All in all, I definitely recommend the audiobook because it was overall a great, thrilling read. I also plan to check out Daphne's podcast, Going West, now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Daphne Woolsoncroft and Hachette Audio for the ALC of Night Watcher in exchange for an honest review.

DAYLIGHT ONLY READ. I repeat: do not attempt this one after dark unless you’re cool with checking your locks 18 times and developing a casual fear of windows.

Night Watcher sucked me in immediately and did 👏not 👏 let 👏 go. The pacing? Unhinged in the best way. I blinked and suddenly hours had passed, I hadn’t eaten, and my puppy was ready for dinner. (Worth it.)

Creepy, fast, and suspenseful with that perfect thriller balance—kept me guessing the whole time but still stuck the landing. No cheap tricks, no loose ends, just a tight, terrifying ride that scratched the exact itch I didn’t know I had.

Is this a “deep literary analysis” book? No. Is it a “white knuckle the arm of the couch and devour the whole thing in one sitting while periodically whispering ‘what the hell’” kind of book? ABSOLUTELY.

Add to your TBR, but maybe don’t read it at night unless you enjoy being haunted by silhouettes.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the gifted audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy of Night Watcher in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. I went in expecting a gripping mystery blended with a chilling atmosphere, but I found the story ultimately underwhelming. While the premise was intriguing and the writing easy to read, the tension and sense of fear weren’t strong enough to carry the book on their own. The resolution, in particular, left me feeling disconnected, as the mystery didn’t feel as integrated into the rest of the narrative as I’d hoped.

Overall, this fell a bit flat for me in terms of both thrills and suspense.

This will be on a ton of thrillers to read this fall lists. I really enjoyed the story, it was intense, interesting, and kept me wanting to listen any moment I could. The narrators were fantastic and brought a depth to this story that wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the full cast audio and their work. I can’t wait for more people to read this!

I would like to thank @Netgalley, @HachetteAudio, and @GrandCentralPublishing for providing me with the advanced audio copy of *Night Watcher*.

As a fan of the *I Know What You Did Last Summer* and *Scream* movies, this book was exactly what I was looking for! The beginning had me so on edge that I had to wait for my husband to come home before I could continue. It's rare for a book to make me lose grip on reality like that!

The unthinkable happened to Nola as a child- her babysitter was murdered by a serial killer and she saw the masked man. She is the only living person who has ever seen him. Now, she has a popular nighttime radio show. A woman calls in terrified- and it sounds like she was murdered. But they get pranks all the time. And yet, he described the masked man that haunts her to this day. He was never caught. Is he back?

This was different than anything else I've read recently. I enjoyed that aspect. It just felt like it was dragging towards the end- especially when some things were obvious.

Helen Laser and Will Collyer narrate the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nola host a radio talk show, Night Watch, in which callers call in to discuss ghost sitings and other paranormal activity. On this particular night, a caller is reporting a subject is watching her from outside her home. You can feel the tension. What the caller describes is eerily similar to what Nola experienced as a child, when her babysitter was the vicitim of a masked serial killer.  Several young women died at the hands of "The Hiding Man", the case has gone cold, bringing most of the people involved to believe he/she was dead. Nola's father, the previous host of Night Watch, has also announced a new true crime book about The Hiding Man, bringing even more attention. As Nola takes the investigation into her own hands, more victims are discovered with ties to her. I really enjoyed this story, very fast paced, ultra atmospheric, you can smell the Portland rain.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio for the ARC / ALC.

The narrators Helen Laser and Will Collyer. The author also provided the narration for the introduction and afterward which felt raw and emotional.

When Nola Strate was a child and her parents were at a Cristmas party, Nola's babysitter was murdered. Nola, saw the man who murdered her, but after she ran and barricaded herself in her parents' bedroom and called 911, the only description she was able to give was that he was dressed in all black and wore a white mask with stitches around the eyes, nose and mouth.. When the police arrived and she went downstairs she saw "I'LL BE WATCHING" written in Mia's blood. Now, fast-forward twenty years, and Nola has tried her best to forget her traumatizing night with The Hiding Man. She installed security cameras outside her Oregon home, and takes every security measure she can to ensure her safety. She stays on high alert at all times, but there have been no new murders reported like the ones The Hiding Man commited. Nola now hosts Night Watch, the show her dad used to host, a popular radio call-in show. When a caller on Night Watch has a live incident with an intruder in the caller's home—the description of whom is chillingly familiar—Nola is convinced that the Hiding Man has resurfaced and is coming for her.. With a mysterious next‑door neighbor lurking in the shadows, additional murders, things going missing, and times when Nola is conviced she has seen The Hiding Man only to have him disappear without a trace, it is frustrating when the police don't seem to be taking it all seriously. Nola decides to become, like her listeners, a Night Watcher herself, and uncover the monster behind The Hiding Man's mask.

Ok, this was creepy! I alternated between reading and listening to this one, and let me tell you, I should not have listened to this right before I went to sleep. An entire night with nightmares fueled by The Hiding Man does not make for a restful sleep! The investigation (when they finally decided to actively start on it) seemed to focus on Nola's dad as the prime suspect and they certainly had me convinced. He seemed shady as all-get-out anyway, so he wasn't doing himself any favors by the way he was acting. The Hiding Man was creepy, and the way he only targeted women who were alone, and he would do things to scare them for days sometimes first to get their nerves completely on edge - things like tapping on the door or their bedroom window, and he always killed by slitting their throat. I loved Nola and wanted her to be the "final girl". If you love a good horror story, then I highly recommend this one!

I listened to the audio version of Night Watcher and just loved it! Creepy vibes without giving nightmares. I loved the podcast aspect and thought the characters were well developed. So fun!

I am OBSESSED! This book is perfect for any true crime lover. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It was shocking, spooky, and mysterious .

In Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft, the audiobook narration by Helen Laser and Will Collyer kept me engaged. The first part of the story was the strongest. I felt that my interest was lost somewhere in the second half. The reveal of the Night Watcher and the conclusion lost its’ creepiness and turned lackluster. ALC was provided by Hachette Audio/Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Eerie.
Gripping.
Atmospheric.

Night Watcher is an incredibly unsettling psychological thriller. Daphne Woolsoncroft is a natural storyteller. Her writing style is moody, intimate, and has strong psychological and emotional depth.

This was a tightly plotted narrative about Nola, the host of a radio show called Night Watch. When she was a child she survived a serial killer attack. As an adult, Nola discovered the stalker had returned when a caller to her late night radio show called and described the chillingly familiar intruder. This was a haunting psychological thriller about confronting buried trauma, the terror of being watched, and the stakes of survival when evil reemerged.

“Night Watcher” embodied all the classic elements of a true psychological thriller. The atmospheric mood was established from the very first page. The tension was relentless and carried throughout. The mood was chilling. And, the pace was hauntingly fast. All these elements combined with the themes of watching verse being watched, persistent trauma, and the blurred line between storytelling & danger, enriched the plot and character development. It also created an atmosphere of dread and emotional turmoil. I was transfixed listening to this story play out.

It goes without saying…I loved Daphne Woolsoncroft’s debut! This was one of the most chilling psychological thriller I’ve read. I am still amazed this was a debut novel. It was masterfully unnerving and tightly concocted. I’m already looking forward to reading more by Woolsoncroft in the future. Anyone who loves eerie psychological thrillers with masked killers and late night suspense will love this unsettling tale.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette Audio for an advance audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Highly entertaining debut!

This kept me hooked and wanting to listen non stop. I had to know wtf was going on.
I loved the premise and the main characters being radio show hosts who receive a creepy call in.
This was entertaining and has multiple POVs and had my head spinning the entire time.

Fun, fast paced thriller that is super bingeable.

I love the narration and thought it was super unique that the serial killer had a few POV chapters as well.

As someone who was born and raised in the PNW, books that are based here sometimes fall flat. This one however, was so good! I was hooked from page one. I love that I knew exactly where the places mentioned are. The story kept me on my toes!

4.3⭐️ I really liked this one! Pleaseee read it if you are a fan of thriller/mystery/horror. This fast-paced thriller had a great plot line, creepy scenes, and so much suspense that it was incredibly hard to press pause. The narrators of the audiobook did a good job of expressing the characters emotions, making it easy to stay engaged with the book. The author did a fantastic job of creating characters with just enough information that you felt like you knew them, but not enough as to being unsure if you could trust them. I genuinely thought this novel was going to go in a different direction and my guess as to who the “Him” in the book was surprised me. And I love being surprised with a thriller!

There were a few plot lines that didn’t add up to me and seemed a little dragged out, but it wasn’t off-putting to the point where I was confused or bored. The pace of both the narration and the plot kept me interested.

I would definitely recommend this. Again, there were some creepy parts (which I loved), so if you don’t like creepy just have an emotional support object near. Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for giving me early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Night Watcher is such disturbing, chilling, and paranoia-inducing book.
Nola escaped a serial killer as a child twenty years ago. But now she thinks he might be back to finish what he started.
Is the Hiding Man back or is she just being paranoid? And can she get anyone to believe her before it's too late?

Night Watcher reminded me a lot of the movie Watcher, which also had a female protagonist that's being stalked. It's such an unsettling though, particularly as a woman, that someone could be watching you, stalking your every move, and yet have no believe you about it. This story sent a chill down my spine for that reason alone.

I listened to this on audiobook, and I definitely recommend that medium due to the radio element of the story.
If I have one complaint, it's that I wish there were more tie-in to the radio show. There was one *very* disturbing call-in, but otherwise Night Watch wasn't heavily featured in the story. That being said, the one live call that was included was very panic-inducing as we're hearing someone being stalked and murdered on air. The stuff of nightmares!

This was a highly anticipated read for me, and it didn't disappoint. If you're a true crime/podcast fan and/or a fan of mysteries, give this one a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft
Narrator: Helen Laser; Will Collyer
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 7/8

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

I’m not one to read horror, but this horror/thriller had me hooked from the start! Woolsoncroft’s debut is creepy, suspenseful, and totally binge-worthy.

Set in rainy Portland, it follows Nola Strate, a late-night radio host who listens to ghost stories and strange encounters on air. But when a terrified caller describes a masked intruder that sounds exactly like the serial killer from Nola’s own traumatic past, her carefully constructed sense of safety starts to unravel.

Suddenly, Nola’s past is crashing back into her life, and she’s convinced the “Hiding Man” is back. With sketchy neighbors, unhelpful cops, and even her own dad acting suspicious, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

The entire book is soaked in this eerie, creeping tension. It’s dark, twisty, and totally atmospheric. I loved how the mystery unfolded, and Woolsoncroft does such a great job keeping you guessing the whole way through.

The narration is done so well, and really brings the creepy vibes to the forefront of the story. I’m glad I listened to this one because I think it hit harder for me that way.

If you’re into true crime vibes, serial killer thrillers, or anything that makes you scared to turn off the lights, read this. Just maybe not at night.

"Nola Strate is being watched, again."

Nola remembers her escape from a serial killer as a child, an event that informed every decision she's made since then. As an adult she hosts a true crime podcast/radio show (every book has a podcast host these days I guess) and is startled when a woman calls in during the show saying she's being hunted by the same killer.

BAD STUFF HAPPENS.

Spunky amateur sleuth goes up against indifferent police, self-doubt, and real danger, in order to solve the terrifying mystery that has haunted her for decades.

All in all, not a bad story. Almost everyone has experienced the feeling of being watched, and with a trauma as great as the one Nola survived, both she and the others around her think she's just being paranoid. My biggest beef was when the killer was revealed. Anti-climactic to say the least. If it had been a different person, or had a more exciting reveal, I would have added a whole other star.

Not bad, but not my favourite this year.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This story got off to a really strong start, fast paced and thrilling and drawing the reader in. The first half of this book was pretty enjoyable, but I feel like the male pov (the detective) felt really impersonal and stunted, and I really did not like the plot twist. I feel the story would have been better served with a different perpetrator.

This audiobook was well done, the female narrator was really good, and gave a lot of insight into the character, but the male narrator was just a little too dull for me, he just felt really stunted while listening and impersonal, and it was hard to tell if it was due to the writing or the narrator. I would say this book is probably better suited to reading than listening, and that's rarely a thing I say about audiobooks.