As much as I love a remote setting, I didn’t love this one as much as I thought I would. Maddy had the potential to be a great character but she was a bit scanty on brains when it came to both Dr. Reynolds and Scott. There was a lot of loopholes in the story when I was supposed to think that Maddy was either incredibly brave or incredibly dense. I could never quite decide ….

While the story had a decent premise, the main character’s back and forth made it difficult for me to really vibe with her – one way or another. I really wanted to enjoy this story but Maddy’s obsession with Scott and her cowtowing to Dr. Reynolds made it really difficult to not be shocked by the wool being pulled over her eyes.

2.5 rounded up

As a child of the 1980s, I didn’t give skin care a whole lot of thought until I moved to Florida in my forties. Suddenly I was surrounded by women who’d grown up in the state, smoking and basking in the sun, and their faces were as leathery as expensive purses. Now, skin care is a huge business for all ages. Even my beautiful twenty-five-year-old stepson has a daily routine.

Skin care is the entry point of British author Emma Bamford’s second thriller, Eye of the Beholder. A take on the Hitchcock classic Vertigo, the novel centers around ghostwriter Maddy Wight, who’s been hired by Dr. Angela Reynolds to produce her book, Skin Deep. Dr. Reynolds is a millionaire dermatologist with a three-year-long waiting list of clients, and an estate in Scotland where Maddy goes to write the book. But Angela is way too secretive for someone who’s hired a ghostwriter for her autobiography, and she’s more interested in having Maddy keep an eye on Scott, Angela’s business partner, who is also recuperating at the Scottish estate. They bond over Angela’s dogs, and even while Maddy struggles to meet her deadline, she forms a relationship with Scott. But on the day of Angela’s book launch party, Scott is found dead at the bottom of a cliff on the estate.

Maddy is destroyed. She doesn’t believe Scott killed himself. She investigates, makes charts, calls everyone involved in the investigation. And months later, when she finally seems to be getting over it, she sees Scott coming out of a Tube station. Now what?

Bamford’s prose is beautiful, and her descriptions are faultless. Cloudy, overcast Scotland is the perfect setting for a story around a woman obsessed with the sun’s effect on the skin. I loved reading the book and spending time in these locations. While there were times I felt Bamford was heavy-handed with the symbolism, I appreciated how visual her writing was.

I’ve never seen Vertigo, and even so, I was able to predict the plot twist pretty easily. Readers of psychological thrillers are a savvy bunch, and we expect to be ahead of the protagonists (we know they’re in a thriller; they don’t), but I was still frustrated that Maddy didn’t pick up on any of the clues about Scott. While Maddy is a thoughtful, caring protagonist, I wondered why she got so attached to Scott, a man she knew for less than three weeks. I also found the villain’s motivation to be better suited for a story that took place in the 1970s rather than today, and many of the villain’s choices were puzzling.

Bamford’s overall meaning resonates, though, and works well with her plot. Whether the expression is “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “beauty is only skin deep,” the warning to pay attention to what’s under the surface is clear. Whether you’re the protagonist in a thriller or in your own life, remember that a shiny pretty surface can hide lots of flaws.

Also, wear sunscreen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Eye of the Beholder by Emma Bamford. This psychological thriller is a slow-burn suspense with a captivating premise. Bamford’s writing is atmospheric and vivid, drawing you into the isolated and eerie setting. The tension builds gradually as the mystery unfolds, though at times the pacing felt a bit sluggish. The characters, particularly the protagonist, are intriguing but could have been more fully fleshed out to add more emotional depth. While some plot twists were predictable, the overall atmosphere and suspense made it an engaging read. Eye of the Beholder is a solid thriller, perfect for fans of slow-burn, character-driven mysteries.

Okay, so I first want to state that I absolutely love a good mystery, I love thrillers, I love suspense. That said, this was A LOT slower of a book than I was expecting, and that's the main reason it's taken me so long to finish it. It isn't that I disliked the writing or even the content, but with slow burns, I tend to sometimes find myself distracted or not as excited to get back to reading after I've taken a break from it. The beginning of this pulled me in so quickly, but then it just takes awhile to get back to that level and I wish it'd maybe been paced a little bit differently. Still, the final ending reveal made the slow slog through worth it!

This book is veryyyy slow burn.
That being said? The pace was worth it in the end.
The story wasn’t always clear, and I feel like the plot could have taken shape earlier then it did. Once it did though, I really enjoyed it. Lots of twists and turns.
Maddy is a struggling ghost writer, and jumps at the opportunity to write the biography of famous cosmetic surgeon Doctor Angela Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds seems to have many secrets, and as Maddy writes about her life and practice more keep adding on.
This book is a great and I loved the similarities to Vertigo.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This book started off with a bang and I was instantly hooked. A ghostwriter goes to a gorgeous home in the Scottish Highlands to help a world famous cosmetic surgeon write her memoir but something is just off with Dr. Angela Reynolds. Maddy hits road blocks at every turn trying to learn about how the surgeon came to be so sought after and nothing seems to be adding up. She does find love along the way but that turns into a mystery all its own.

I really enjoyed learning the aspects of cosmetic surgery that was sprinkled throughout and the twist that happened was actually believable (all along I had an inkling but was like, nah, it’ll throw this one OTT but all good).

Overall, the writing was engrossing and kept me totally entertained throughout. Highly recommend!

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER is a taut and suspenseful thriller filled with duplicity and secrets from the past. Bamford wove a tale where nothing is as it seems and almost no one is who you think they are.

From the opening chapter, I was instantly brought into this story with Maddy. This frantic scene where she thinks she sees a dead lover sets up her reader with a question that has to be answered. And I for one, had to see what would happen next. As we go back in time a bit, a full cast of characters presents themselves. Some are likable, some are not. But all of them appear to be hiding something from Maddy.

Yet, even though the characters are driving the narrative, the author’s ability to craft a mystery pushing the boundaries of what is real and what is a facade is where the story excels. The levels of deception and how it all unraveled were downright addictive.

This book is a mystery wrapped in a mystery with a romance on the side. EYE OF THE BEHOLDER pushes the limits of how much we should trust and uses that to captivate and bring the reader into this world. I for one loved it.

Unfortunately not for me. In a world with SO many books being published, I just don't see this as a must in our collection - though we may purchase a copy as Emma Bamford's previous books have been popular with our patrons.

After a failed abusive relationship Kate and her eight year old son Christopher decide to settle in the small town of Mill Grove Pennsylvania. They are both hoping to have a fresh start. Christopher is a bit of a loner he’s dyslexic and he’s poor so he’s teased about his clothing. One day Kate is late picking Christopher up and when she arrives he’s gone! For one terrifying week everyone is frantically searching for him. When he is found it’s a miracle and he said he was helped by a nice man in the woods. When the police cannot find any proof of a man in the woods they just put it off as a Christopher imagined him due to exhaustion. After his ordeal Christopher almost seems better than before he begins to excel in school all of a sudden he has friends and Kate wins the lottery and she pays her debts off and get to buy a new house! Unbeknownst to anyone including Kate, Christopher is changing. He has headaches and gets thoughts that just come to him and he knows things he shouldn’t. He also sees his imaginary friend in the woods where he disappeared. His imaginary friend is telling him to do things and the first thing he needs to build a tree house in the middle of the woods and to needs built before Christmas, or bad things will happen to everyone Christopher knows and loves. This first half of this book was amazing!! The second half I felt was a bit much and could be confusing and it was dragged out. This book had a lot religion, small town paranoia a battle between good and evil and hysteria. I don’t want to be mean but halfway through I was like ok is this book going to end how much more can be thrown in here? The story was unique I just felt like it was a bit much and a bit confusing and it was almost becoming a chore to read.. I give this three stars! I don’t want to push anyone away but if you plan to read be patient and the time you will need to Invest in it!

A ghostwriter is tapped to travel to a remote Scottish estate to pen the memoir of a reclusive cosmetic surgeon, only to find things aren't what they seem after her ex-who was believed dead-turns back up. This is a slow burn until the romantic element comes into play, after which it devolves into insta-love. I was really intrigued by the premise, but the pacing was very off. This almost felt like two different books. The first half was eerie and atmospheric but not necessarily super thriller-y, while part 2 felt like a traditional thriller.

Vertigo and Alfred Hitchcock are in my favorite pilea and I wanted to like the story so much. Initially, it was gonna be a 5-star read. As the story developed more, I found myself becoming more disappointed. It's a terrific story and it really could have been outstanding. The writing flowed easily, the chapters were a little too long, but, it was still a good read. All of the characters played well and made the story flow. All except one, that it .... the main character. While I understand her role and what she had to do for the story, I hated her as a character. My dislike for her grew more as I read the story. I cared nothing for her or whar she was feeling. Unlikable characters isn't a problem, it was her and the way she was written. She was an entitled, selfish, arrogant person who cared about nothing but her own personal satisfaction.

By the end, I just wanted it over.

#NETGALLEY #emmabamford. #eyeofthebeholder

"𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙪𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮."

Madeline “Maddy” Wight has landed the job ghostwriting the memoir of world-famous cosmetic surgeon Dr. Angela Reynolds. While staying on the doctor’s remote estate in the Scottish Highlands, Madeline discovers Angela’s moody, attractive partner Scott De Luca is there as well. Nothing is as it seems, least of all her subject. Something is wrong, but she can’t quite explain it. Unexpected passion eases her fears but tragedy is around the corner. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, it’s quite the challenge our author has taken on. Upon her arrival Maddy delves into researching Angela, surprised that she is unable to find anything of substance about her history. Not even pictures from her youth. As Maddy questions Angela about her past on a video call, inquiring where she was born, her birthday, who her parents are, she is met with resistance. Nothing Maddy asks, in Angela’s mind, is ‘of relevance’. Her goal is for Maddie to focus on the present and the future only, the memoir is to be only about her work, Skin Deep, period! Heading outside after days of being cooped up and alone, the estate is a bit less frightening until she is startled by Scott De Luca. The man is high strung, but his presence is the perfect chance for her to probe him about Angela. He ends up being more elusive than she had hoped. Between the internet cutting out and the eeriness of the wild empty place, it plays games with her mind. It’s the perfect setting for seduction and before long she and Scott become lovers.

As she uncovers more about Angela, she realizes this elegantly, successful beautiful woman isn’t who she appears to be. And when a tragedy occurs on the cliffs involving Scott, the book deals with the aftermath, Maddy’s disbelief, her grief. Back in London, she sees Scott in a group of soccer fans, but how can that be when he is dead? She follows him, sneaking into the club he enters, but when she finally catches up to Scott, he claims his name is Connor before she is forced out of the club by a bouncer and into a cab by Scott/Connor, claiming mistaken identity. The taxi cab driver kindly hands her the telephone number Connor/Scott gave him for payment, but when she calls Scott/Connor the next day, he doesn’t answer nor return her calls. With a bit of sleuthing (the number was written on the back of a cafe receipt) this is where Connor works. Seeing him in person now, she realizes there are a few differences, that maybe he isn’t Scott.

So begins a tangled web, and it all goes back to Angela and identity. Seeing isn’t always believing. She isn’t done with Angela, because she knows that sometimes there is something sinister lurking behind beauty. She must know why Scott really took his life and how Connor, who looks so much like him, fits into the puzzling story.

It’s a decent read, but not quite what Hitchcock fans will expect. There are plenty of convenient coincidences, but it is fiction. I wish there was more time spent on the estate, because there wasn’t enough ‘unsettling moments’ for me. The twists are good but the problem I had was Angela isn’t believable. I think she needed to be developed more as a character, that’s just my opinion. Her past is certainly intriguing and there was room for complexity. I know she is meant to be deceptive in her perfection, and the shallowness people think about in relation to cosmetic surgery fits her image, but I wanted more out of her. It’s a quick read that was a blend between romance and thriller which isn’t my usual choice. I was looking for something a bit more unnerving but there are people who will enjoy it.

Published August 6, 2024

Gallery Books

I am a MASSIVE Alfred Hitchcock fan and was excited to read this book, which was inspired by Vertigo.

I'll start with the positives: Eye of the Beholder took place at a remote estate in the highlands of Scotland and the book does a great job of conjuring up the misty rolling hills of Scotland, dotted with heather and thistles.

Other than that, I found Eye of the Beholder a miss.

The story is all atmosphere and gaslighting and NO plot at all. Maddy gets hired as a ghostwriter and is (inexplicably) sent to the Scottish Highlands to sit in a room alone and write an autobiography of a dermatologist to the stars. Angela, the dermatologist, is not around and only speaks to her over Skype. She doesn't want Maddy to do any research into her past. Okay then. There was a prior ghostwriter who got fired.

After that, there were mildly suspicious happenings that go nowhere.

When something finally does happen it is NOT EVEN ON THE PAGE. Maddy learns about it later. But it seems to send Maddy a bit off the deep end

It probably would have been a DNF but I was just wondering if anything would ever happen so I stuck with it, hoping it was one of those books with a bang-up ending. The last quarter of the book or so was better, but not really worth slogging through.

Overall, I think murky gaslighting plots work a lot better on the screen.

First of all, the synopsis for Eye of the Beholder gives too much of the plot away. If you’re interested in this novel, I encourage you to avoid reading the full synopsis and steer clear of reviews that summarize the plot in a lot of detail.

Even if you do go into this book completely blind, though, I’m guessing that you, like me, will see the twists coming from a mile away. And I’m guessing that you, like me, will be pretty annoyed about the suspension of disbelief that this entire book requires.

Don’t get me wrong, Eye of the Beholder isn’t all bad. Set in the Scottish Highlands, it’s intensely atmospheric, with vivid descriptions of the remote, gloomy landscape, which serves as a contrast for the trendy modern home where much of the book takes place. I like how Emma Bamford plays with the idea of perception throughout the novel, from the title on down. She also laces the narrative with a pervasive sense of unease, which works well for the story she’s telling. She provides some thought-provoking commentary and insights about the beauty industry. And I appreciate her efforts to re-work Vertigo for a modern audience – although I’m not sure she went far enough with it or said anything new or worthwhile.

Almost everything else about Eye of the Beholder, though, did not work for me: the slow and uneven pacing, the repetitive nature of the plot, the insta-love, the painfully obvious twists, the outlandish reveals that felt more suited to something from Scooby Doo. There was so much potential here, but the execution just didn’t work for me. Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for the complimentary reading opportunity.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one. I got 150 pages in and it was just so slow and repetitive. I liked the plot and the location but everything else was so drawn out.

Thank you Gallery Books for providing the eARC of this book for review.

I was excited to read this book because the premise sounded so interesting. I enjoyed the beginning of the story. I loved the secluded setting in the Scottish Highlands and the mystery intrigued me. The atmosphere felt ominous and unsettling. I liked the author’s writing.

The story moved too slowly and I lost interest after a while. The book is not that long but it took me forever to read. I felt like not much really happened for much of the story. A lot of the action took place at the end, and the ending was disappointing.

I felt that the main character made some questionable decisions throughout the story. The romance between Maddy and Scott felt awkward. I did not feel like there was much chemistry between these characters. Maddy’s intense love (or obsession) for Scott felt creepy. The whole relationship between Maddy and Scott was just strange.

Overall, this was not the book for me. You might enjoy this story if you like slower-paced mysteries.

Full review to come & to be posted... But what an addicting thriller!! Little bit of a slow burn at the beginning, which really paid off. A solid read for all thriller lovers!

A ghostwriter is hired by a renowned plastic surgeon to write her memoir. The tale is reminiscent of Hitchcock's Vertigo and feels very much like an old school style thriller.

The pacing of this one is slow burn at first, but turns into an unputdownable novel. The setting of the Scottish Highlands lends the right amount of creepy to the story, and helps the reader imagine what's on the page.

Quite a weird little book that tried to do a lot of things. The author hit and miss in about equal measure. Some of the characters were unliakeble to the point of being pathetic. They were fairly flat. The plot meandered and was still predictable. And none of this needed to happen. This was the worst way possible for someone to achieve their goals. There were so many easier and less convoluted ways to get where they needed to get.

Ghostwriter Maddygets her biggest commission yet—Dr. Angela Reynolds, an icy cosmetic surgeon. But this isn’t atypical commission. Maddy has to write the book primarily by herself at Angela’s remote Scottish mansion. Angela is very reticent and hesitant to tell Maddie about any of the usual things you would find in an auto biography. When Angela‘s business partner, Scott shows up at the mansion, they generally avoid each other but end up growing close. As the book’s deadline moves up, Maddy learns things are not what they seem. Murder & deception ensue.

This book is a slow burn & might be a little too slow for others, but I enjoyed it and wanted to know what was happening next.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Emma Bamford, and publisher Gallery Books, Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with a complimentary arc.