Last night I lived up to my page name and was #uptoolatereading @peterjamesuk new thriller I Follow You. I kept thinking I would stop at the next chapter but never managed to.

Marcus Valentine loves being the envy of everyone with his perfect life as a respected doctor and with his gorgeous family. He believes timing is everything and likes to account for every second of the day. One morning while driving to work he is so focused on arriving on time he doesn't notice the red light ahead until its too late.... Georgie Maclean is a personal trainer who finally has her life on track after a history of heartache. She is on target to break her jogging personal best when a Porsche careens toward her and doesn't look like it is going to stop! The incident leaves them both shaken but while Georgie goes onto live her life not looking back, Marcus is right behind her.

Peter James is the author of the Roy Grace series which is one of my favourite crime series. I devoured the latest installment far too quickly as soon as it came out earlier this year but then much to my surprise and delight I saw that we were being treated to another book a few months later. I Follow You is a standalone thriller which whether you have read any from this author or not as long as you enjoy gripping reads I would highly recommend.

Marcus Valentine chills the pages from the very start. The fact that he is a doctor and the events that unfolded were so unnerving. My heart broke for Georgie Maclean, the twisted object of Marcus's affection as she was caught in his invisible grip unwittingly. I was rooting for her to escape his clutches but as she was not even aware of the constant presence in his life I could see no escape. I went to bed with 50% left and could not stop reading as each chapter shocked me more than the last and there was no way I could sleep until I knew the outcome. Peter James is the master of tension and with this book he ramps it up to heart stopping levels.

I've been a huge Peter James fan for years, especially as the DI Roy Grace books are set locally to me in Brighton. I Follow You was the first stand alone novel that I'd read, having previously been too scared to try the likes of The House on Cold Hill!

I Follow You isn't scary in a supernatural way, but it will scare you in other ways. The story starts off quite safely, with Marcus Valentine, a well respected consultant surgeon and Georgie Maclean, a pregnant personal trainer. However, when the two have a chance meeting in traffic, Valentine's obsession starts.

The pace at which the doctor's fantasies escalate is alarming, as are the lengths he will go to. As you read further into the novel, more and more breadcrumbs about the main characters' pasts are uncovered.

In a similar way to Peter James' other books, the narrative is told from both sides of the story which in this case makes it all the more disturbing. As the reader you will find yourself questioning what really lies behind the facade of the individuals you put your trust in.

Doctor Marcus Valentine seems to have it all. A loving wife, three children and a great job. But there's something missing, there always has been - or rather, someone. Driving to work one morning, his mind wanders elsewhere, he almost knocked down a female jogger ) a crossing. Marcus becomes infatuated with her. She's the spitting image of a girl he was crazy about in his teens. Lynette had dumped him harshly. For years, Marcus has fantasised about seeing her again. But could his obession destroy them both?
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This is a fast paced thriller where the tension builds with every turn of the page. Georgie is a avid runner. She uploads her times and circuits on the app Run Master. People can go on and track and follow runners. Marcus has an unhealthy obession towards Georgie that nearly ends in dire consequences. This is quite a gripping rewd. The pace is steady. Another good standalone from Peter James.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Panmacmillian for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Consultant obstetrician Marcus Valentine is obsessed with personal trainer Georgie Maclean from the first moment he saw her. This obsession becomes a dangerously out of control beast.

There is nothing likeable about Marcus, his jealous behaviour is creepy and chilling and his character comes across very clearly. There are some sections of high intensity, there is tension and the ending is good. However, much of the plot is predictable, some of the dialogue is nauseatingly cheesy and at times the over-detail feels like plot padding.

Overall, it’s quite an entertaining read but there is nothing particularly original or memorable here. I like the Jersey setting which makes a good backdrop to the storytelling.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the arc for an honest review.

Anything by Peter James is worth reading and this is an excellent standalone thriller featuring obsession, unreciprocated love, stalking, harassment and eventually - pure evil.

Well plotted and excellently written it is based in Jersey rather than his customary Brighton and it gripped me from the start.

An excellent read.

Another five star read from Peter James.
This is a stand-alone thriller that I devoured in just one sitting.
Marcus never really got over his first love at school and even though he is now married with children, he still thinks of her.
On his way to work he is rushing through traffic as he’s running late and nearly hits a blonde woman who is out running. When he sees her his world stops as she looks just like Lynette, his first love.
Marcus becomes determined to meet her again and when his wife organises a dinner party, Marcus is shocked to meet the woman face to face as she’s the fiancé of one of his friends.
Georgie doesn’t recognise Marcus but he makes sure he gets to know her that night and leaves her feeling a bit uncomfortable.
In Marcus’ mind, he is meant to be with Georgie so he goes to extreme lengths to try and make it happen.
I won’t say anymore as I really don’t want to spoil it fir you, but I will say this book has some nail biting moments which will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks netgalley and Peter James for this really creepy story, a stand alone and quite different from Peter James’s normal books.
I kept having to put then book down as I did not want to know what was happening.
If I was watching this story on tv I would have put my hands over my eyes not wanting to know what was going to happen next.
This is a real creepy story but not horror and I loved it.
Marcus Valentine was an obsessive doctor and everything had to be perfect, his life was not perfect until he met Georgie , he knew he had to have her and get rid of anything that stood in his way including murder.
Wonderful book.

Wow Peter James has done it again with another fantastic standalone novel, I Follow You is a fast paced thriller that just keeps piling on the suspense until the wonderful end.
When reading this book you have to feel for Georgie who unknowingly becomes the obsession of the suave doctor Marcus Valentine and he will stop at nothing to have her.
I love books but this would make a great Tv series or film.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

I have a bit of history with Peter James. I am about half way through the Roy Grace series and have read Absolute Proof and the Cold Hill books.

I say without hesitation that this is his best book yet. The twin themes of timing and obsession play out over the course of this substations thriller that - cliche as it sounds - I found very hard to put down.

It is set on the island of Jersey and charts the obsession that is developing between a senior doctor and his patient. Marcus Valentine is a layered character and a villian that I feel readers will love to hate. If you are anything like me you will find yourself willing the characters to waken up to the information that the reader has about Valentine. Dramatic irony at its finest!

The central character, Georgie, is a fitness instructor who after a troubled time, is gifted with a longed for baby. When she meets Valentine at a dinner party, the wheels are set in motion for the terrible consequences that will unfold over the course of the novel.

You will find yourself rooting for Georgie and her partner. Roger. On the other hand, some characters will cause you frustration as they seem blind to what seems so obvious to us, the reader.

I could see this as a superior TV thriller - the tension is palpable throughout and the edge of the seat will be your sitting position as you work your way through this one.

Highly recommended!

I really enjoy Peter James's Roy Grace series, and have enjoyed past standalones, but something about this one didn't work as well for me as it does with others. It's still a good book - but it felt like it was missing a central character that I really cared about.

A great story of love and obsession of a middle aged man that can’t let go of the past entwined with a thriller. I really enjoyed this one!

I have been a fan of The Roy Grace series by Peter James, so I jumped at the chance to read I follow You. A standalone novel from the author and slightly different style of writing but just as good.
Georgie lives on the island of Jersey with her partner Roger who is a pilot. Georgie is an avid runner and a Personal trainer. Between her classes she runs and uploads her times and circuits on the app Run master. Where people can track and follow runners wherever they go. One day whilst running, she is nearly run over by the top Gynaecologist and oncologist Marcus Valentine who is married with three children. When they meet Marcus thinks that Georgie reminds me of an old school girlfriend Lynette who dumped him years ago. This starts an unhealthy obsession towards her, that nearly has dire consequences.
This is another gripping thriller from the author with lost of twists and turns that kept my attention throughout. A bit predictable at times but, still a great read.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘I Follow You’ is an eminently readable book but not one of Peter James’ best. It is a classic tale of good vs evil, obsession, and unrequited love. Sure, there is darkness at the heart of this book and a bottomless pit of evil concentrated in our main protagonist- Marcus Valentine. Marcus is obsessed with fitness trainer, Georgie, and resorts to all sort of dastardly deeds to secure her love. Of course, Georgie doesn’t reciprocate and therein the problem lies. Marcus is rather the pantomime villain of the piece and his true persona over the thin veneer of respectability is easy to glimpse. This makes the book a little superficial in depth, given the characters are either good or bad, with little in-between. There is no moral ambiguity that would have added to the plot and given the reader something more thoughtful to chew on. This aspect of Peter James’ writing seems to have become entrenched lately, along with the stilted dialogue of his characters. It seems James has developed an unchanging formula for his characters’ dialogue depending on whether they are nasty or nice. There is a certain unwavering ‘nice’ middle class aspect of this, too. This has become a feature of his Roy Grace series of books, also. James has a brilliant imagination but this story was a little too predictable for me, including the outcome of the story. Valentine is a clever man but the mistakes that lead to glimpses into his dark soul are somewhat elementary. A linear thriller with entertainment value but nothing more.

In the acknowledgements, Peter James says that he toyed with the idea of making this idea into a Roy Grace novel. The reason he decided on a stand-alone was that he felt it would be moe ‘claustrophobic’; boy was he right. This is a slow burning yet heart hammering book, which keeps the reader on an emotional roller coaster! I literally couldn’t sleep until I’d finished it. For whodunnit and police procedural lovers, this may not be for you as it’s a full on psychological thriller. I loved the Jersey setting.

This was a twister of a thriller which had me gripped from the start. The main characters are Marcus – a pompous, self confident consultant obstetrician, Georgie – a newly pregnant personal fitness trainer and her pilot fiancé Roger. The first part of the book builds up the characters really well and just when I was wondering where the storyline was going it just exploded, with a “never saw that coming” twist which accelerated the thrill of the race to see what happened next. Having read most of Peter James’ books, I’d say this was amongst the best and would recommend his writings to anyone who enjoys crime and thriller books. As a stand alone thriller, this certainly stands out amongst others in the genre – its got it all – well written, strong characters and incredible storyline. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley UK for the free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My first book by this author. It wont be my last. A standalone set in Jersey, a place I know well and in the field of healthcare, which I'm also familiar with. Well executed obsessional novel set in and around the speciality of obstetrics. A classy read that had me gripped. It will do well...

A stand alone novel from the author. Interesting plot with a story line sustaining interest throughout the book. Highly recommended. Thank you.

Long term fan of Pete James and his Roy Grace novels but haven’t read his stand alone novels.

This story is set in Jersey and tells the story of Georgie, who is in a burgeoning relationship with an islander when she is introduced to a obstetrician at a dinner party. Marcus Valentine sees some resemblance in Georgie to a former love of his, that’s leads him down a dangerous path...

Thank you NetGalley and PanMacmillian for my copy of I Follow You - I will be recommending this to my online book club readers.

Jersey's top obstetrician develops an unhealthy obsession with a runner who reminds him of a teenage unrequited love. He follows her on social media, trying to bump into her on runs through looking at her map, and works out where she lives based on where she starts and ends runs. His ultimate desire is for her to become his partner, despite him having a wife and children, and her being engaged and pregnant. I loved this book, as a runner and a reader. It’s very easy to get into and kept me enthralled throughout.

I love Peter James’ writing and have read all of his books. I devoured this one over a rainy weekend. Totally engrossing, fast paced and enthralling. If you haven’t become addicted to this author’s books yet, START READING THEM NOW!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.