👁️ Police Procedural Thriller
👁️ High Body Count
👁️ Stalking
👁️ Forensic/Criminal Psychology
👁️ Mind Blowing Twists

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

📍 Publication Date: 28.08.25 📍

“Do you ever get the feeling somebody is watching you”

As multiple bodies start to wrack up in Edinburgh, the police are convinced it is the work of a serial killer. The only difficulty is they are struggling to find the connection between all of the murder victims. All are viciously murdered in differing ways making it difficult to find the link. No visible M.O. or clear motive!

Beth Waterfall is a successful surgeon who lost her daughter after she was stalked, pursued and shadowed relentlessly leaving her terrified and emotionally exhausted. Beth’s grief and strength is gut wrenching and inspiring.

It was fantastic to reconnect with the much loved and original character, Connie Woolwine, who is a forensic profiler. This psychological aspect of the book fascinates me. Connie is unique with a forensic and analytical mind. She has an extraordinary way of immersing herself into the mind of the perpetrator in order to establish answers and perspective.

The characterisation is incredibly crafted and detailed. This book gives you everything. Heartache, a dark fast paced police investigation, psychology behind these sadistic criminals, high body count, love and friendship. Then just to add a little icing to the cake, big juicy mind blowing plot twists that you will NEVER see coming. I loved this book!

Thank you @netgalley @helenfields_author @avonbooksuk for allowing me to have an advanced copy of this magnificent book

I loved this! Police procedurals are one of my favourite genres and this was an epic one. This was my first Helen Fields book and although it’s part of a series it read perfectly as a standalone and I will be checking out the others immediately! I absolutely loved all the characters in this and the pacing was spot on. 5/5!

Thank you NetGalley for this advance e-ARC of Helen Fields' new book - just what I needed to get my reading mojo back! Helen Fields never fails to engage my attention and I devoured this book in a couple of days. Thrilling, captivating and suspenseful - exactly what you want in a crime book. I love all the characters that make reappearances throughout Helen's books, and love the psychology that ends up in books featuring Dr Connie Woolwine - I was straight to google once I finished. I would recommend this book to all crime thriller fans, and I can't wait for the next!

An absorbing and well-structured thriller which builds and builds, with a decent set of characters. It never delves too far into their personal lives, a failing some books have which spend far too long with matters that only pad out and distract from the story itself. Fields doesn't fall into this trap. The story is a well crafted and surprising tale, with plenty of killings (made clear from the start of the first chapter!) and readers will find surprises come along when they least expect them. I'll definitely be reading more of Helen Fields' books and heartily recommend this one.

4.5 stars

Watching You by Helen Fields takes you on a darker journey than the butterfly on its cover might imply. It explores online stalking and malicious deepfake abuse on top of the actual murders which are sometime's a bit graphic and from the victim's POV as they realise they are dying.

Molly’s dread resonated deeply with me because I know someone who endured a similar digital nightmare. The constant fear that someone could recognize those deepfakes shows how swiftly online cruelty can shatter a life. Thankfully, those around her knew that her ex was behind it, but she felt that fear when outside. It impacted her work, her relationships, friendships no matter how much we tried to rally behind her and Molly didn't have that.

This one has some good twists. One I expected and another that surprised me. But it is a pretty dark psychological police procedural. We follow the killer as the bodies drop and the police as they put it together that these random murders are linked and they have a serial killer on their hands. Then flashbacks to Molly as she deals with an online stalker and her mum left to pick up the pieces as someone watches her too.

Helen Fields writes strong, memorable women. There’s Connie, the forensic psychologist whose insights guide the investigation; Beth, the talented surgeon who becomes romantically involved with DS Lively; and both Lively’s partner and boss at the police station. But I sometimes found myself going back to find which one was speaking. There are also multiple POVs and shifting timelines if that isn't for you.

This is part of a series but very readable as a standalone. The Scottish vocabulary is all mainstream stuff too, no looking up words to find out what they are talking about unlike some. I originally thought that the banter between the team would be a bit much but it is a nice break from the darker side of the book.

Overall, an enjoyable but dark read that I didn't want to put down. There is plenty of character development and the pacing is good with a good mix of dark and lighter moments. Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for the advance copy for review. Watching You is available on August 28th.

I have read most of Helen Field’s books and all of this series. This is a cracking addition to the story. Loved the interaction between the characters, great banter. The ending was a revelation. There were lots of twists and turns. Thought I had solved it only to have a curve ball thrown! Looking forward to the next one!

It’s always a good day when Helen Fields releases a new book. ‘Watching You’ features the enigma that is Dr Connie Woolwine, her faithful sidekick Brodie Baarda as well as some ‘old familiars’ – DS Lively and DS Salter. I love every one of these characters, they each have their own unique personalities and quirks, but I will admit that Lively is my favourite – his witty comebacks often have me laughing out loud!

All in all, this book is an expertly written police procedural, which successfully combines shifting timelines and psychological elements with suspense, twists and turns and the odd red herring. It is a fastmoving tale, which is both gripping and thought-provoking. Very highly recommended.

⭐️Spoiler Free Review ⭐️

Thanks @netgalley @helenfields_author & the publishers for the ARC.

I have ALWAYS been a fan of Helen Fields books and once again this hasn't disappointed! This is the 2nd book where we meet profiler Dr Connie Woolwine and it is set in Edinburgh where a serial killer is on the loose!
It is fast paced, tense, suspenseful and really kept my attention throughout! I was totally engrossed!
The book was so well written with different chapters from different perspectives which added to the drama! And then the ending...I'm saying no more apart from you need to give this a go!

I am a it fan of Helen Fields book but this wasn’t my favourite I am afraid. I liked it but there was a lot going on and it did seem to be dragged out in parts. The writing was amazing as always with this author

I do enjoy a dark and creepy and somewhat messy crime book and Watching You certainly did all of that. A serial killer in Edinburgh, but it is not obvious that it is the same killer. Different ways of killing victims, it is a tough case for the team.

I didn’t realise that this was part of a series, but it certainly can be read as a stand alone book. I have read the other books in the series but it is easy to read without doing so .

I really did not like Connie in this book. She is very hard to get on with, she is just weird and a bit too quirky for me., very strange.

This is a an emotional one, very character driven.

Thanks to Avon Uk for my copy to read. Out on August 28h.

I loved the quirkyness of this one.

Lively is a good character and his relationship with Beth runs alongside the crimes in this. Beth's link with Karl makes this an interesting and suspenseful cat and mouse thriller. However, there's a great twist that is a new one for me. Good to learn something new!! 😁

Connie and Baarda add another element to this and Connie's quirky way of getting into the mind of the perps. She's annoying but likeable at the same time 😂

Really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down!!

I loved this! Police procedurals are one of my favourite genres and this was an epic one. This was my first Helen Fields book and although it’s part of a series it read perfectly as a standalone and I will be checking out the others immediately! I absolutely loved all the characters in this and the pacing was spot on. 5/5!

Loved it!! What a great page turner, DS Livey and his colleagues face a real conundrum. Enter Connie Woolwine and her sidekick to help. Who is killing these random and unconnected people, and why? A very intricate storyline told alternately from the watcher and then everyone else. Scary stalker content which also brought out how stalking should never be underestimated .It had many twist and turns with an explosive ending that blindsided the reader, but was very satisfying and plausible. Love all Helen Fields books, so much research goes into them to make them realistic and I cannot wait for the next one. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Yet another page turner from Helen Fields. Her characters are fascinating, her plots are thrilling and the twists and turns just keep coming. Set in Edinburgh and with D S Lively's team depleted, Dr Connie Woolwine and her partner Brodie Baarda are called in to help. Connie's methods are strange and do not sit right with D S Lively but they have to work together.
The story is told from two viewpoints - the story where the murders keep happening and from the point of view of The Watcher.
Another page turner and another wait for the next book.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Helen Fields/Avon Books UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ooooh what a twisted web! So we bounce around a little bit but absolutely easy to follow, we hear from the killer as they are going after their victims. We don't always get this is crime fiction books so it is always interesting I think to be seeing through their eyes. Beth is going to be the next victim, The Watcher is sick, focused, obsessed and already targeted Beth's daughter now Beth is his obsession. Beth is a medical professional, a surgeon and great at her job, her and DS Lively cross paths through work. Beth finds herself in danger, threats becoming more and more evident and could something be there with her and grumpo Lively. Beth herself is grieving, traumatised but a strong and focused individual so that gives us a lot of insight and an emotive character. DS Lively is quite different and some of their interactions brings banter/light relief (he is a bit of the grump type though he plays well) but also the serious side of police investigation.

Do you know what I love about this book? I have read a fair few of Fields (I checked and I have two I think to catch up on, one I have another I have to buy) and I don't always read in order. However in this one I recognise quite a few characters. The ball busting boss we have met before in other books, Profiler Connie is so weird but in the absolutely best kind of way, Winnie, Midnight also make wee appearances and I love that. I did have to check my other reviews because I was like I know those names so the crossover is something I really appreciate. It also makes me check what book(s) I have missed and will be getting them sorted.

This one has stalking, murder, friendship, love, family, mental health, trauma and that is just for starters. Fields has a gift for creating some horrific baddies interwoven with characters facing some real heartache, loss, recovery so it is a real rollercoaster. 4.5/5 for me this time, Connie could have a series of 20+ and I would read them all, she isn't exactly a main character in this one but defo a central character and I think she scene steals because she is just so unique and genuine!

I really enjoyed this book by Helen Fields "Watching you". This is the first book I have read by Helen, but it definitely wont be my last. There were lots of twists and turns in the book, and I enjoyed guessing right to the very end.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy thriller stories.

A fantastic thriller full of twists along the way. Some brilliant characters including a very eccentric Connie who is a great mix of madness and genius. All of the characters were very believable and authentic and I really took to DS Lively. Not sure if this book is part of a series but will certainly look out for more.

What a thrilling read again and I loved being back with DS Lively in Edinburgh again.
It was the perfect mix of twists and turns and an ending I didn’t see coming.
The new characters especially Connie just made the storyline and plot so much more engaging and I absolutely loved the small mentions of my favourite two and the beginning and end of the book. I’m hoping that means we can meet them all again very soon.
Another pulsating, dark and twist edge of your seat read.
Fabulous.

Helen Fields at her ABSOLUTE best!

I've binge read the previous Connie Woolwine books, and was beyond excited be offered the chance to read her latest. Was not disappointed

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

DS Lively and his team at Police Scotland are back, and crime isn't far behind. A spate of murders happen, and DS Lively starts to believe they are connected to one killer. And in comes Connie Woolwine and Brodie. Connie comes round to the same conclusion, and time is running out to catch him while he is watching.

This author is one of my favourites, and I always look forward to reading her work. This story was captivating, with twists and turns, and the odd red herring thrown in. I really love the characters, DS Lively is brilliantly written, serious with a slice of humour, and Connie and Brodie bounce off each other really well. The story was fantastically written as usual, and was fast paced, it took me no time at all to race to end. I cant wait to see what crimes await Police Scotland next. 5 star book and highly recommended.

Yes!!! This was brilliant Heart pounding intense read I couldn’t put down!!
Beth made my heart break at times she was such an inspiration character
I found Dr Connie to be an interesting character
I really enjoyed the characters
This was a very interesting thriller
What an amazing twists did not see that coming. Lee me away!!
A fantastic read