What would it take to make you intervene?When Ella Longfield overhears two attractive young men flirting with teenage girls on a train, she thinks nothing of it—until she realises they are fresh out of prison and her maternal instinct is put on high alert. But just as she’s decided to call for help, something stops her. The next day, she wakes up to the news that one of the girls—beautiful, green-eyed Anna Ballard—has disappeared.A year later, Anna is still missing. Ella is wracked with guilt over what she failed to do, and she’s not the only one who can’t forget. Someone is sending her threatening letters—letters that make her fear for her life.Then an anniversary appeal reveals that Anna’s friends and family might have something to hide. Anna’s best friend, Sarah, hasn’t been telling the whole truth about what really happened that night—and her parents have been keeping secrets of their own.Someone knows where Anna is—and they’re not telling. But they are watching Ella.
I Am Watching You starts out promising enough. A woman sees two young women interacting with two men who have recently gotten out of prison. She discovers, while watching the news the next day, that one of the young women have gone missing. It seems like a great premise for a mystery novel, but it ended up not being as strong as I hoped it would be.
The characters felt mostly surface level to me. This is a book fully built around its plot with the characters and other elements coming in second. It makes connecting with the book harder when compared to others.
The plot is engaging and it races at full speed. There is a lot going on in this book and it can feel both compulsively readable and dizzying at times. It feels crowded at times but this is also exactly what makes it readable. The plot is doing all of the work so it needs to be as full as it is. I am not sure I would have finished if I was compelled to find out what came next. It could be a case of too much going on for some readers however.
There is a lot revealed as we unravel the mystery of what happened that night. Things that needed bit more breathing space to hit the way they should have. It speaks to the busyness of the plot that these elements do not get to linger.
The mystery itself is enjoyable to unravel. The truth of what happened is satisfying and fits within the confines of the story. It was, for me, one of the aspects of the novel that worked. Unsettingly enough to propell the reader forward and grounded enough to feel all too plausible.
The narration is split between numerous characters. This has the effect of giving the reader a wider perspective and it works on that level. Each of the perspectives had elements I enjoyed and I felt they added to the story. It also, however, created a need for each narrator to have their own reveals and twists which adds to the overcrowded feeling this book ultimately suffers from.
This is an fairly enjoyable mystery that has some impressive elements but did not fully work for me. There are plenty of positive reviews out there however so I encourage you to see if this one might be something you'd enjoy. I felt compelled to continue reading but this isn't one that will linger with me after I've turned the last page.
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