Fiction Addict

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication Date: July 2010

Reviewed by Jeremy Taylor

Patrick Davis had it all—a beautiful wife, a Hollywood home, and a screenplay that was picked up by a major studio and made into a movie with an up-and-coming star. But just when he’s seemingly poised on the brink of serious success, he’s suddenly on the verge of losing everything. With his marriage on the rocks, his career in jeopardy, and a six-figure lawsuit pending against him, his formerly storybook existence has turned into a horror movie. When he starts getting DVDs showing footage of him going about his daily life, he’s at first confused, then alarmed, then angry. Patrick’s entire life is being meticulously scrutinized. But why?

Then the phone calls begin. And the e-mails. And then the demands. Whoever is watching Patrick knows everything about him—what he does, where he goes, whom he talks to. He can’t go to the police, and he has no choice but to do what is asked. But when the true intentions of his stalkers finally come to light, Patrick will have to decide whether to give up or fight back. In the process, he will learn what his true priorities are and how to value what really matters most.

They’re Watching is a tightly constructed thriller. Author Gregg Hurwitz spins out the suspense in the first-person narrative little by little until the tension is so high there’s nothing to be done but stay up all night and finish the book. The plot manages to avoid being formulaic while still giving readers the twists and turns they expect. The author is to be commended for telling a great story full of intrigue, betrayal, and high stakes without resorting to the graphic sensuality and violence adopted by many of his peers. Utterly entertaining, They’re Watching is an ideal escape for mystery/thriller aficionados. With sympathetic characters, great pacing, and superb writing, this book should easily secure Hurwitz’s place among today’s premier writers in this genre.

Review copy provided by St. Martin’s Press.