Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book!

I love a good thriller. I love a good suspense with an iron plot. This was good, but the plot was not as tight as I hoped. Also, there were some points that seemed a little hard to believe? Was it just me?

Maddy Wight, freelance ghostwriter, accepts a job offer to write Dr. Angela Reynolds memoir. Her first client that will allow her joint credit, finally a chance for recognition. Choppered off to Angela’s Scotland home for the project, her sanctuary that is cleverly out of view from the sky, Maddy lands in secluded Varaig. Soon she is intensely aware that Angela is dismissing most of her questions, each void raising more questions. Something is off, why is she making her answers so unattainable?

Left alone in the secluded house with picturesque views of the moorland, Maddy is surprised to discover Scott, Angela’s business partner, arrive to quietly co-exist & delve into his work in peace. Scott becomes more than unexpected support as odd occurrences happen within the silence: unidentified footsteps in the house, the Manikin repositioned again, evidence of a face-print on the glass walls from the outside.

Back in London, Maddy is anxiously waiting to reunite with Scott at the book launch, only to crumble when she hears Scott had jumped off the cliff in Varaig. Devastated, alone and refusing to believe Scott took his own life, she spirals into what others tell her is mad behavior. Is she mad when she looks up at the Tube station and Scott, a dead man, is standing in front of her? If beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder, how much can you trust what you see?

This book was a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo. I’d have to say, I found this an exceptional homage. This was an entertaining mystery that was well written. I would definitely read another book from this author.

Thank you Gallery/Scott Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

A dark and suspenseful thriller that is indeed reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, right down to the character names. Although it took some time for the plot to really pull me in, I found this book to be a mostly enjoyable and gripping read.

First off, I have to say that although I know this book was set in the modern day, it really feels like something that was written back in the 1950s or 60s. Maybe it's just because I knew it was inspired by Vertigo, but every time Maddy would mention something super modern, liked Linkedin or Instagram, it'd completely throw me off. I mean, obviously social media wasn't the only issue here – there were also laptops, cell phones, high-tech security cameras, and other random items that would have been horribly anachronistic in a 1950s setting. It still just had that old school thriller vibe for me, though. *shrugs*

Secondly, don't expect a particularly plausible plot (say that three times fast) from this one. There's definitely a suspension of disbelief required to make the story work. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into details, but Maddy not realizing … certain things about Connor just seems slightly ridiculous. Really, she just isn't very observant at all – parts of the mystery seemed blatantly obvious from the very beginning, stuff that Maddy didn't really begin to figure out until the final pages of the book.

Overall, though, Eye of the Beholder is a lot of fun. It's twisty and turny and the last 60% or so is basically unputdownable. Even though I'd figured out at least part of the mystery by that point, the suspense and foreboding as Maddy starts to unravel the story behind Scott's death is tremendous. I was anxious to see if my guesses were right, and there were also a few twists that I didn't see coming at all. I could definitely see this being an Alfred Hitchcock film … which I guess makes sense, considering the Vertigo connection.

Oh, and the setting is fantastic. A remote manor in the Scottish Highlands? With treacherous cliffs and fog and strangely moody men? Be still my gothic-loving heart.

Final rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up. If you like atmospheric and suspenseful tales of murder and mystery where all is not necessarily what it seems, you'll likely enjoy this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, revenge, gas lighting, a bit of a who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!