The watcher is a terrifyingly good thriller. It is an outstanding book based around police procedures and yet it is very gripping. It is excellently executed and quite original too! I look forward to reading more from Kate Medina!

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Watcher’, the third in the Dr Jessie Flynn series written by Kate Medina, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Dr Jessie Flynn has been invalided out of the Defence Psychological Service and now works with DI Bobby “Marilyn” Simmons for Surrey & Sussex Major Crimes. When he’s called to the opulent home of Hugo and Claudine Fuller he discovers their brutally attacked bodies and calls on Jessie to help him see into the killer’s mind. Jessie believes these aren’t random killings and that the victims are carefully watched before being slaughtered. She knows that unless she finds the reason behind the violence there’s a risk of more victims dying.

Kate Medina has shown us what an extremely talented author she is as yet again she’s written another brilliant and nail-biting thriller, and although I thought the previous one ‘Scared To Death’ was fantastic, ‘The Watcher’ has to be the best one yet and far surpasses all my expectations. There’s lots of suspense, drama and action throughout and I greatly admire the character of Jessie Flynn who has to view the gruesome crime scenes as well as having her boyfriend Callan’s ill-health to worry about. I started to guess the identity of the perpetrator towards the end of the story but Ms Medina gave us a final twist to the story that I would never have imagined possible. This is a fantastic thriller and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

If you love British police procedurals, this is the book for you. If you enjoy reading about a clinical psychological who is intelligent, sensitive and able to get inside the minds of murderers, read The Watcher. And, if you can handle being so terrified by a hideous crime that you cannot wait to see it solved, this dark thriller waits for you.

A terrible crime has taken place in a remote corner of Sussex. Dr. Jessie Flynn, a psychologist who has often worked with the police, is called in by Inspector Bobby “Marilyn” Simmons to view the mutilated bodies left in a carefully staged tableau. Days later, the staged killing is repeated with two new victims. While Jessie feels the pressure to solve the case, she is also dealing with her partner who is dealing with the aftereffects of a war injury. Marilyn and Jessie work nonstop and discover many clues but cannot piece them together. How are the victims related? Why are those victims horribly injured? How does the killer gain entrance to houses? And why does Jessie think dogs are related to the deaths?

How have I missed Kate Medina? While this is definitely a standalone thriller, there are two previous mysteries in the series. I can’t wait to read them nor can I wait for the next Dr. Jessie Flynn case. This deeply disturbing story is definitely a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Kate Medina for this ARC.

Dr Jessie Flynn, ex-military psychologist returns in Kate Medina's latest offering, she is now working with Surrey and Sussex Major Crimes with DI Bobby 'Marilyn' Simmons, a man who has now has been pushed to live a healthier lifestyle, much to his disgust. As has become the trademark of this brilliantly dark crime series, we have chilling and psychologically disturbing murders. Jessie is woken up in the middle of the night to attend the crime scene at the home of a murdered wealthy couple, Hugo and Claudine Fuller, with a dog, a husky, Lupo, living in a remote location next to some creepy woods. The scene is a macabre theatre of a horror show, guaranteed to give anyone nightmares, with a bludgeoned Claudine floating in the swimming pool, and a tortured Hugo, stabbed through both eyes, with a heavily clawed and terribly disfigured face.

Jessie knows these are no random killings, this is personal, and the answers lie in the lives of the victims. Even a cursory examination of the life of Hugo, a developer, reveals a nasty piece of work, a controlling and dominating husband, with nothing in the way of a moral compass. Given the killer's efforts to protect Lupo, Jessie's initial thoughts are that he is unlikely to offend again. However, it is not long before she and Bobby are at other crime scenes with a similar MO, what connects the victims? Jessie finds herself visiting a dog charity, Paws for Thought, and rescuing Lupo, taking him home with her, a surprising act, with her severe OCD, but oddly enough this appears to not bother her condition. She is facing added pressures in her life, her boyfriend, Callan, with a bullet in his brain from Afghanistan, is having increasingly worse epileptic fits, that suggest the bullet is moving around in his brain and, despite the risks, might need to be removed surgically.

To top it all, despite her work overload, Jessie acquiesces to do a favour for DS Sarah Workman by helping a self harming boy who has attempted suicide, Robbie Parker, with a badly disfigured face with a lip cleft, leading his mother to abandon him as a baby, and enduring never ending, soul destroying, bullying throughout his life, Robbie reminds Jessie of herself, of all that she endured, the incarceration in a psychiatric facility, the bullying, and the suicide of her younger brother which she has never got over. The psychologically damaged Jessie, traumatised further by the last case she worked on, is one of the reasons that make this such a fascinating, original and compelling character driven series. If you have a penchant for the disturbingly dark when it comes to your crime reading, this is very likely to appeal. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

I hadn't read any other books by Kate Medina before this, but that's something I now need to rectify! Although I read this as a stand alone novel, it is actually the fourth in the series featuring psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn who works with the Surrey and Sussex Serious Crimes Unit alongside DI Bobby Simmons (known to everyone as 'Marilyn').

This novel opens with the gruesome and horrific murder of a married couple in their large and remote house. Dr Jessie Flynn is brought in to advise on what looks to be an interesting case in psychological terms as the dead man has unusual - and perhaps significant - injures. The Surrey and Sussex Serious Crimes unit seem to have a problem on their hands - they have few leads and the dead man was known to be deeply unpleasant, so there is also no shortage of suspects. It soon becomes clear that the murders are part of a much larger situation, but poor Dr Jessie Flynn is also struggling with issues in her private life and past that risk overshadowing her work.

I think the thing that stood out for me with this book is how absolutely terrifying it is in places! It's called 'The Watcher' so I should have had a clue, but there are so many heart-in-mouth scenes where characters are being observed in their own homes. The creepy sense that someone malevolent is watching is conveyed so well that I really felt so tense reading!

Another strength of the book is the plotting. Without giving any spoilers, I do need to just mention that there were several points in the story where I was totally going down the wrong path with my thinking and was genuinely surprised.

Dr Jessie Flynn is also an engaging and intriguing central character. Obviously I've missed a lot of the backstory in the first three books, but the fact that she is coping with the trauma of her own past brings an extra dimension to this story. Her history (as much as her psychological training) allow her to empathise with the troubled boy, Robbie, who is linked to the story via another police officer in the team.

The rest of the police team are also distinct characters which I really appreciated - often the supporting cast in this type of book can be a little flat in terms of characterisation, but I found myself really liking several of them and appreciating how their differences actually made a solid team.

Overall, I would say this this is a strong police procedural with plenty of menace. I would recommend this to anyone who is after a truly surprising crime novel - not in the sense of an amazing plot twist (I hate those reviews that put you on edge for an amazing revelation!) but in the sense of a skilfully crafted plot with plenty of unusual elements.

This book was really terrifying, I mean my heart was racing the whole way through. Brilliant book. Prepare to be terrified.

I always choose the worst possible times to read books for example The Watcher I decided to read on my kindle in the dark whilst a massive electrical storm clashed and banged its way overhead, possibly not the sort of environment for a happy sleep but actually it was the perfect environment as this book was quite frankly creepy as anything and the fact I couldn’t sleep was credit to this books disturbing atmosphere.

Starting with a double murder, The Watcher finds a wealthy husband and wife brutally slain in their home, DI Bobby “Marilyn” Simmons is tasked with finding the killer and he enlists psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn to help.

Now I don’t want to say too much about the plot because I think if I give too much away it’ll spoil it as there are scenes in the book which you need to be fully invested in without knowing what’s about to happen. You need to be frightened! But I will say the main characters Jessie and Marilyn are a great pairing, the grumpy cop, the young doctor, each with their own problems teaming up to solve the case works really well.

The Watcher kept me guessing, I literally had no idea until the very last minute who was going to be the culprit. The atmosphere it chilling too, a country setting, remote houses, small communities, nobody for miles, anybody could be watching and you’d never know it.

A chilling read with some good twists.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DI Marilyn Simmons and psychologist Jessie Flynn have arrived at a horrific crime scene. The Fuller, at least on the surface, appeared to be the perfect family, so how have they met this tragic and gruesome fate? Flynn calls the killer, the Watcher, as it would appear he has been watching the family for some time. But the Watcher has done a good job covering his tracks, there are few clues. What does a ghost sighting and a dog have to do with the case? This is a good solid police procedural, using the cop and psychologist pairing to great effect

#TheWatcher #NetGalley
A must read psychological thriller.
Someone is watching you. Someone out there wants you dead but why? Are you so much inocent as you appear from outside? Or did you do something in your past?
Human psychology is so different and sometimes weird than we assume it is.
Kate Medina's The Watcher is a story of murder and revenge. Kate's narration was excellent and so were the characters, good and engaging. I loved it.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

The Watcher is a fast-paced thriller that has an original plot that keeps you hooked. Part of a series there is enough back story that you don't feel like you are missing anything but enticing enough you will want to read the other books in the series.

spoiler alert ** This is possibly book 4 in the Jessie Flynn series... I've not read the previous books,but there's enough back history and character chemistry in this book to make me think I should.
Some brutal murders definitely leading to one of the strangest serial killer set ups I can remember in a while.
The whole book kept me engaged and turning pages as fast as I could.
Interesting central characters,that now have me invested on where we go next.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t my favorite psychological thriller of late, but it was perfectly serviceable and did the job. The epitome of a three star thriller

A wealthy couple have been murdered, the man's eyes having been brutally gouged. Their dog was found tied to a lamppost in the nearby village and there are what look like paw scratches from a very large dog on the door frame. Jessica is a clinical psychologist who helps the police get inside the mind of criminals and describes the criminal in this case as a watcher- he has been seen to be hanging around and the eyes have some significance. A woman with a small child is worried when he sees ghosts in the garden and her husband finds footprints. The rescue kennel centre is having sporadic nighttime visits from someone who is sleeping in a dog bed and playing with dog toys. Jessica and DI “ Marilyn” Simmons are on the case but there are so few clues. Why is this happening and what is the significance of the eyes? I liked Jessica. Her tenacity and empathy shone through. This held me and kept me turning wanting to know more and more- always the sign of a good book to me. A cleverly crafted story, a new author to me and one I would happily read more of.
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