Jennifer Pashley's The Watcher is a hauntingly atmospheric thriller that explores the dark complexities of small-town life and the human psyche. The novel centers around two sisters, Abilene and Joanie, whose troubled pasts intertwine with a series of mysterious disappearances in their rural community. Pashley's skillful storytelling immerses readers in a chilling landscape where secrets lurk behind every corner and the line between reality and paranoia blurs. The eerie tension builds steadily, keeping readers hooked as they navigate the twists and turns of the sisters' harrowing journey.

Pashley's prose is both lyrical and unsettling, capturing the raw emotions and psychological turmoil of her characters. Abilene's fierce determination to protect her sister contrasts sharply with Joanie's vulnerability, creating a dynamic that drives the narrative forward. The novel's richly drawn setting adds to the sense of isolation and danger, making the reader feel as though they are part of the claustrophobic world Pashley has created. The Watcher is a compelling read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers with depth and nuance, offering a profound exploration of family bonds, trauma, and the shadows that linger in forgotten places.

DNF @ 45%. I tried, but the writing style simply wasn't for me and the story wasn't moving at the pace I prefer. Will work for others.

Pretty good series debut, but to be honest I read so many series about female detectives that they have started to all feel the same.

I love a good thriller, and one with a twist when I wasn't expecting it is even better! If you enjoy books that keep you guessing, this one is for you. This book centers around the life and traumas of a teenage boy who is just looking to belong. Having been abandoned by his father at an early age and repeatedly rejected by his tragic mother, he is perfectly vulnerable for the manipulative characters he meets. You'll love the twist at the end, especially if you're rooting for this young man.
Sadly, the main female character gets lost in all the young man's drama. So if you're looking for a strong female character, this is not the book for you.
Worth the read--it's quick and will draw you in.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of this book!

I have to admit that I choose this book by the stunning cover. It got my attention straight away and I’m glad I did it. The book is te first in a crime novel series and the seething is a small town. it had all te elements for a good suspense novel and it exceeded my expectations. The dialogues are well developed and and the characters believable and engaging. I would definitely recommend this book.

This story is told from two perspectives and - at first - two timelines: the first is Kateri Fisher, an investigator with the Spring Falls Police Department in the present day, when she is called to the grisly scene of a crime. Pearl Jenkins is missing, there’s a ton of blood everywhere and her daughter is found hidden in a closet. The second narrator is Shannon Jenkins, Pearl’s 19-year-old son. His story starts several months before the crime, when life in the Jenkins home begins to fall apart: the family’s trailer is about to be auctioned off, the water and electricity are shut off and Pearl doesn’t seem to care. Shannon, at his wit’s end, is forced to turn to two mysterious men who enter his life, though he knows little about either. The stories intersect at the bloody trailer, where nobody seems to know what happened, but. No one seems to want to tell the truth about what led up to that day either...

I hope that explanation was clear, because the story is complex, but it makes sense hen you’re reading it. And it’s very good. The author really knows how to set a scene and draw characters who are very vivid and make you want to know more about them. There’s a lot of background with Shannon and his family that also plays into things, but I won’t spoil any of that. It’s also very good.

The ending wasn’t a huge surprise, though there were some twists that the author peppers in to really keep things interesting. There’s a whole world that the author creates in the book that she works with to pull the threads together to create the ending. It’s really very good.

As indicated in the title, this appears to be the first in a coming series centered around Kateri, and I definitely would read more about her. She has her own dark past to explore and I really liked her as a character. She is the perfect blend of vulnerable and tough, in my opinion.

If you’re looking for a new mystery series, I would say give this one a try. It’s got some great storytelling and a complex plot that will keep you interested throughout!

This book just didnt hold my attention. Some parts were good but others not so much. It is told by 2 different points of view. Most of the mystery was obvious . Alot of things were unanswered for me.

4.5 Stars - I really enjoyed this police procedural. Heartfelt, intense and spooky.
This had rich characters with emotional depth that you really felt for. Mysterious and intense atmosphere. A good build up of tension and twists. I think the behaviour of certain characters were a dead giveaway from the beginning, but for the most part I played along just to see how the pieces would fall together. A bit slow at the start but worth it when it does pick up.

There were just a few parts I felt skeptical towards, but were passable for the sake of storytelling - A coroner's inability to identify human bone, a characters sudden growth of conscience at the end, a cop's drinking/driving choices just after a dangerous cop-killer had been identified.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Pashley and Crooked Lane Books for this advanced digital copy for review.

This was a very good character driven crime tale. It grabbed me at the beginning and didn’t let go., all the way to the surprise ending. The writing is atmospheric of the small town and culture. Kateri is a character that I want to read more about.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Watcher focuses on the first case in Kateri's Fisher new assignment in Spring Falls, a small town in upstate New York. She gets a call and finds a lot of blood in Pearl Jenkin's cabin on the outskirts of town. Along with the blood, she finds a child that nobody knew about. Pearl Jenkins is a known hermit and nobody knew much about her and her family so Kateri has a hard time determining who's responsible for the crime.
I enjoyed this book. It's written from two different perspectives, that of Kateri's and that of Shannon's (Pearl Jenkins' other child). I found myself feeling sorry for Shannon from the beginning. He was treated as a suspect in many crimes just because of his family.
From beginning to end, this story hooked me and I found myself quite eager to find out who did the crime. When I did find out, I was stunned. The ending was truly a surprise.
I would definitely try more books by this author

This book would be rated 'R' in my opinion. There were a lot of adult themes within this book.

Dark and filled with a ton of twists! I enjoyed the tough female lead. I couldn't detect how it would unfold and was mesmerized by Jennifer's ability to keep the clues hidden perfectly throughout the story.

As an introduction to a new crime series, this one is impressive. The story is suspenseful with a taut tension that kept me up much later than I should have been. It's told from two perspectives, Kateri in the present and Shannon in the past leading up to everything happening now. In a lot of cases, I wouldn't care for the back and forth of the tenses, but it works for this story. Jennifer Pashley has crafted an atmospheric tale that both well written, and thoroughly entertaining. This is one series that I'll be reading more of.

‘The Watcher‘ will have you on edge throughout as the tensions build, the mystery deepens, and the danger looms ever closer.

Told from two points of view, Kateri’s and Shannon’s, we’ll get information as to what’s happening in this small, secretive town spread out over time. As Kateri is new to the town and to the police force there, she’s already feeling like an outsider. But time isn’t changing that perception as people in the town of Spring Falls keep their secrets very close. When Pearl, the town hermit or recluse, goes missing leaving behind a pool of blood and a teenager who no one seems to have known much about Kateri is assigned the case. She’s going to come up against a blank wall after wall in trying to put together clues, and she’s not getting much help from the other cops on the job or the residents.

This is a story that I really don’t want to say much about because you need to fall into this world and be surprised, even scared as the story progresses. The details of every character, main or secondary, bring them to life easily making that ‘look over your shoulder creepy feeling’ even stronger. It was hard to get a good take on Kateri for me. I liked her but didn’t always understand the whys of what she was doing. Shannon probably stole this story – and I don’t want to spoil your chance to see and understand Shannon for yourself.

I’m being vague on purpose for as a Thriller/Mystery you need to be surprised and not told every detail in advance. ‘The Watcher‘ kept me reading long past bedtime, it often gave me shivers, insight into the characters, and a feeling of impending doom as it moved along. I enjoyed myself in this world, and should this become a series one day I’d certainly follow Kateri’s adventures into crimes and more.

If you enjoy a good Thriller, if Mystery or Crime drama is your thing, then ‘The Watcher‘ should be on your reading radar to pick up soon.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Unfortunately, I was completely bored with this one..

I was intrigued by the synopsis at first, with the mystery behind what was found and the idea of someone “watching” the characters. But throughout the writing, nothing truly jumped out to me and it all was a bit lackluster. A majority of the twists were a bitt predictable, leaving me to give this one a 2 out of 5 stars.

If you like a slow-burn mystery with ALOT of characterizations built into the writing, this one could be up your darkened alley. Unfortunately, this was just not for me.

Kateri Fisher has been sent to tiny upstate New York town of Spring Fall after a incident. Spring Fall is a town where everyone knows each other. She is sent to a scene were Pearl Jenkins lives. Pearl Jenkins is a hermit and lives in a house in the woods. When Kateri arrives at the scene there is a blood and a five year old child which no one knew existed. Kateri must try and solve the case while dealing with the secrets of the town and elements regarding the crime.

The Watcher is a suspenseful crime drama that introduces us to the town of Spring Falls in upstate New York where you can feel the scratch of the brittle tree branches in the woods, the crisp air that never quite smells clean and fresh and the constant stare of every local that knows everyone and everything. Except for hermit Pearl Jenkins' secret that she has tucked away in her beaten down house: a baby girl born without anyone's knowledge. And now her kitchen is found covered in blood with Pearl missing.

The Watcher by @jenniferpashley
This is a dark, atmospheric crime thriller told in two point of views. Shannon the son of missing mother Pearl and Kateri, the Detective on the case. I gravitate towards novels set in small towns and this didn't disappoint.
I felt that Shanon's point of view was written in more depth than Kateri. We really get to be inside his head. I wish Kateri had a little more depth to her but as a strong female lead she succeeds.
A few parts in this book had me feeling anxious and legitimately creeped out. The twists and turns were good but a little disjointed lending to that atmospheric/dreamy feel.
Overall a gripping mystery with a dark feel will have you questioning who these characters really are.

This was a story filled with suspense by an author I haven't had the pleasure to read before. I was pleasantly surprised by this one, as the premise of a small town detective immersed in a missing person's case when a woman disappears leaving behind a child no one knew about and a bloody scene is typical of most mysteries. However, the author was able to engage me by adding in different points of view.

Starts out strong and only gets better from there. It's edgy and dark. The many twists and turns will have you on the edge of your chair. You will continually look over your shoulder positive someone is there watching. Pick up this winner of a book and make sure you have plenty of time because you won't want to put it down. Happy reading!

Told alternately by Kateri and Shannon, this twisty mystery is all about marginalized people in a small town. Pearl has gone missing, leaving behind a small child. Kateri, the only female detective, is pulled into the case. Shannon is Pearl's son; his narrative brings the reader up to the present and explains what Kateri too will slowly discover. They are both intriguing characters- well written and strong. There's potential for another outing with Kateri. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of the genre.

So for the first book in a series, I was surprised by how little time was spent on the backgrounds of the main characters. I finished the book still feeling like I really didn't know Kateri or what led her to the small town of Spring Falls. I hope the next one in the series helps fill in at least some of those gaps. However, the story was really engaging and I liked many of the characters involved in the actual crime. In fact, I wouldn't mind if Shannon, the teen who has taken responsibility for supporting his mom and secret kid sister, showed up in future installments. (Yes, secret sister.) I felt like we got to know him much more than Detective Fisher. And, like the secret sister, this book was full of interesting little pieces that combined together to make for a really enjoyable read.