I started 2024 with @terriparlatoauthor’s book What Waits In The Woods and started 2025 reading her newest book and continuation of the Detective Rita Myers series, Watch Your Back.

This third book has sealed Parlato as a must read author for me. I love the character, Detective Rita Myers. She has depth and is flawed, but she is smart and dedicated to her investigations. The twists in this story were surprising and kept coming, especially in the second half of the book.

I highly recommend this book and Parlato’s other books especially if you enjoy dark crime fiction with complex domestic relationships.

Oh, Rita how I have missed you! This is the third book of the series that features Detective Rita Myers and I enjoyed this book as much as I did the others. Rita is a character I would want as a friend. She’s authentic, intelligent, and empathetic with a witty sense of humor. I enjoy her thoughts and perspective as the story develops. Once again, Terri Paralto delivers an intense, suspenseful, gripping mystery that pulled me in immediately. I look forward to future books by this author. Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for my copy.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

"Watch Your Back" by Terri Parlato is a gripping and heart-pounding psychological thriller that takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of suspense and emotion. Parlato masterfully crafts a story that is chilling and captivating.

The novel follows the life of Grace, a woman whose seemingly perfect world is shattered when she begins to receive ominous and threatening messages. As the threats escalate, Grace is forced to confront her past and unravel the mystery of who is behind these attacks. The tension builds steadily as she delves deeper into a web of deceit, betrayal, and hidden secrets.

Parlato's writing is sharp and evocative, creating a palpable sense of fear and urgency. The characters are richly developed, each with their own complexities and motivations that add depth to the narrative. Grace, in particular, is a compelling protagonist whose strength and vulnerability resonate with readers.

The plot is intricately woven, with unexpected twists and turns that keep readers guessing. Just when you think you have figured out the mystery, Parlato throws in another curveball that keeps you hooked. The pacing is impeccable, with a perfect balance of action, suspense, and character development.

"Watch Your Back" apart is its exploration of themes such as trust, paranoia, and the impact of past traumas on present actions. Parlato skillfully portrays the psychological toll of living in fear and the lengths to which people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.

"Watch Your Back" is a standout thriller that showcases Terri Parlato's talent for crafting suspenseful and emotionally resonant stories. It is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone who enjoys a well-written, edge-of-your-seat narrative. This novel will leave you breathless and eager for more from this talented author.

Eve is a psychiatrist who is married to Nathan, a collision center manager, and they have a beautiful little 9 month old girl, Rosewyn. When Rosie is taken from her babysitter's home, the parents and the sitter are devastated. The police step in immediately and identify several potential suspects who are all well described with possible motives.
This police procedural was a quick read, although it did tend to get repetitive, it kept me guessing right along with them.
The ending as a let down because it was predictable, and the connections were too far fetched. However, it was an engaging book and one that I'd recommend.

3.5 ⭐️ for me on this one
I absolutely tore through it, and really didn’t see the end coming…in a bad way. (You thrillers readers know what I mean)
Eve is a psychiatrist in and old psych hospital.
Life seems to be going well, but when her sweet baby daughter is taken from her home, her life goes upside down. Who did this to her family, and is it connected to one of her patients?
This is a twisty ride. I listened to it quickly, and it’s a well done audio. Recommend, just wish the ending didn’t feel so coincidental.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

I was enjoying this book up until the final portion, but then it started to lose its grip. The big reveal was predictable, and the motivations behind the actions felt far-fetched. There wasn’t any twist to keep me on edge, and the ending seemed rushed as the author worked to wrap everything up—though some threads were still left hanging.

Eve and Nathan are married and dealing with the disappearance of their daughter, which forces them to face their pasts and secrets as they try to figure out who would harm them.

One thing the book did well was provide a strong list of potential suspects. I enjoyed bouncing between theories, but when the truth came out, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed—it was the most obvious choice. The story had a lot of potential, but it didn’t quite reach it in the end.

This was a quick read with a great plot and unexpected twists. While this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone, which is what I did. While I wasn't exactly crazy about any of the characters, they were written well and fully developed. In order to enjoy this to the fullest, however, I had to suspend disbelief. If you enjoy domestic storylines with police procedural and don't mind a little bit of unbelievability, you will like this one. Three stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC.

4 Stars – A Gripping Domestic Thriller with Layers of Suspense

Terri Parlato’s Watch Your Back expertly combines a domestic thriller’s sinister undercurrents with the methodical unraveling of a police procedural. With short chapters, multiple POVs, and an escalating sense of dread, this book had me hooked from start to finish.

The story follows psychiatrist Eve Thayer, whose seemingly idyllic life with her husband Nathan and their baby girl begins to unravel under the weight of secrets and mounting stress. Professionally, Eve feels uneasy working at a clinic with a dark past, while closer to home, a neighborhood break-in raises tensions. Detective Rita Myers is drawn into the web of mysteries surrounding Eve’s life, uncovering a series of shocking revelations as an ice storm forces truths to the surface.

Told from the alternating perspectives of Eve, Nathan, and Rita, the narrative creates a perfect storm of plausible red herrings and cleverly obscured clues. While I pride myself on catching a few twists, others left me genuinely surprised—though some of the later reveals edged toward the over-the-top. That said, the story’s addictive pacing and immersive storytelling more than made up for it.

The characters were all well-crafted, and I appreciated how the book cast suspicion on nearly everyone, keeping me doubting and second-guessing until the very end. Despite learning afterward that this is part of a series featuring Detective Rita Myers, it works seamlessly as a standalone. While I’d be open to reading more about Rita, I didn’t feel like I missed out on any crucial backstory.

The prologue, however, felt unnecessary—it added little to the overall plot, and the story could have started stronger without it. Still, the blend of domestic suspense and investigative drama made this whodunit shine. While the ending and some character motivations stretched believability, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

Thank you to Terri Parlato, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

This book was just ok for me. I didn’t really like any of the characters. I do appreciate the multiple POVs from the main characters Eve, Rita and Nathan. Overall i thought this book was repetitive. The prologue seemed promising and really had y hopes pretty high. But after a few chapters it just got repetitive and slow. By the end i was ready for it to end. The ending was a little far fetched and not completely surprising. Overall i did rate this a 3 star… it’s a decent read and of course if you’re wanting a detective/crime thriller it’s not the worst ever.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Detective Rita Meyers is back in another installment. A psychological thriller mixed with police procedural, this one takes you on a wild ride. Some of it feels a bit farfetched but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Psychologist Eve Thayer seemingly has it all but someone out there is determined to take it all away. How far will this person go to make Eve’s world fall apart?

Dr. Eve Thayer - closed off, standoffish, and career oriented. She never intended to get married but she did. Eve's marriage was strained to a man, those in her circle.really did not care for.
Nathan Liddle- Eve's husband and manager of a collision shop. He was their daughter's primary caretaker, as well as a.cheating husband.
Detective Rita Myers-- investigating the case of the kidnapping of the couples daughter. Please note she had family issues of her own.
I found it unrealistic how the kidnapper just happens to be connected to the neighbor/ sitter, patient in the hospital, Eve, and Nathan. Connections one and two maybe; connection 3-- Eve ok I can see it.
After the killer was revealed, the story could have ended there.

I must say, I do look forward to reading more of this authors work.

WATCH YOUR BACK by Terri Parlato was a thrill of domestic suspense.

Psychiatrist Eve Thayer has an enviable life, with a loving husband, Nathan, and a beautiful nine month old daughter, Rosewyn. She manages the medical staff at a private psychiatric treatment center in Graybridge, Boston. She and Nathan feel lucky to have found nanny, Barbara Singleton who has cared for Rosewyn since she was six weeks old. But when the baby is taken from Barbara’s home, the hunt is on to find her. How much does Eve really know about Barbara‘s background? Could her obsessed patient have taken the baby? What about the woman who is renovating the house down the street, and has reported break-ins and burglaries at her home?

Detective Rita Myers and her partner, Charles Fuller call in the FBI on the hunt for the baby. Then suddenly the baby is returned but with a message. Nathan is cheating on Eve. As the police continue in their hunt for the kidnappers, Eve and Nathan struggle with his infidelity. Detective Myers seems to believe that all of the recent happenings always connect to Eve. Disgruntled patient? Nathan’s mistress? The police follow the clues. Just what is going on in Eve’s life? And how can Rita and her team get to the bottom of things?

This book had me turning pages well into the night as I raced through to find out who was responsible for taking the baby, and eventually bringing her back. The red herrings kept me guessing and the twist and turns came fast and furious. I believe this is my first Terri Parlato suspense, but I look forward to delving into her others. Hers will be a name I keep on my ‘authors to watch for’ list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kenssington Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I would rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars.

This was an enjoyable thriller.

I liked the writing for the most part and I really liked both Eve and Nathan as characters. The only issue that I had was that it was both unrealistic that everything would have gone down the way that it did and yet somehow entirely predictable at the same time.

It was a fun read though.

I enjoyed this! The ending was unexpected and the twist was entertaining and the pacing throughout is good. I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Terri Parlato,Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first 3 chapters are great for learning bits about the 3 main characters who’s POV we’re reading from. Eve, a psychiatric doctor, new wife and first time mother who is stressed about juggling those three titles. Nathan, devoted father, new husband and works a job he isn’t married to. Rita, our hero detective. The introductions were not rushed, not choppy, the different POVs made everything nice and smooth. We got a feeling about what each character is going through right off the bat. I did not realize this was a part of a series, this worked out great as a stand alone if you have not read the other Rita Myers books. I’m always wary of reading a book that's a part of a series worried that I’ll be lost & won’t understand the character dynamic. Did not have that issue at all with Watch Your Back. The way we get introduced to Rita, we get enough of her professional and personal life for it to feel natural.
As mentioned, Eve is struggling to juggle all the different titles that she carries. She wants to be a superwoman and feels like she is falling flat at one aspect or another in her life. Nathan comes off as a loving father right off but also as a neglected husband. SPOILER, we find out Nathan has been cheating on Eve because of how much time she works. He feels crappy about it, but he still does it. The couple were lucky enough to find a nice older lady to watch their daughter for them. From the outside, everything looks great. No one needs to know all the little secrets between the couple. Until Rosewynn, Eve & Nathan’s baby girl, goes missing at the babysitter’s house.. Eve & Nathan start being targeted, stalked and attacked. They live mundane, domesticated lives - who would be out to get them? Their little secrets start coming out. Eve feels like she is losing her mind and trusts no one. Nathan is racked with guilt. It’s up to Rita to find out who is behind the kidnapping of Rosewynn and the other attacks the couple endured after the kidnapping.
The start is a little slow, as it progresses you get more and more hooked. The end had a few great twists that leave you saying WTF? If you’re like me where you sit back and reflect on what you just read, you start to see the little clues leading up to the end. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions from the red herons sprinkled throughout. All in all, great book. I definitely look forward to reading more from Terri Parlato.
Thank you Netgalley & Kingston Publishing for the ARC and the opportunity to end my year with such a great read!





This review will be getting posted on my blog, facebook page, instagram and goodreads. It can currently be found on Goodreads. The other sites reviews will be getting published 12/31.

As a mental health doctor, you can expect a certain amount of stress in your life. But does that include having your baby kidnapped?

Nathan and Eve Thayer appear on the surface to have a near perfect life, even though they seem mismatched - with Eve being a doctor, and Nathan a mechanic.

And when their baby goes missing, everything falls apart, exposing not only the cracks in the Thayers' marriage, but also unexpected secrets that they are keeping from each other.

The question is, who would steal their baby? And why? This domestic thriller was entertaining if a little far-fetched, and ends with an unexpected twist.

Although this was the 3rd book in Detective Rita Myers series, it could be read as a standalone. In fact I had never read Teri Parlato books before and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It kept me intrigued and guessing the characters intentions, some admirable while the other narfarious..

Read this if you like:
-psychological domestic thrillers with police procedural mixed in
-multiple POVs
-unlikeable characters with questionable motives -‘did they do it?’
-twists and turns with a satisfying ending
-red herrings
-multi layered story with interconnected plots
-the psychiatric setting
-picture perfect marriages that aren’t what they seem

My rating:
4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this eARC that will be released December 24 2024.

Watch Your Back is the third installment of the Detective Rita Myers series, I read it as a standalone and it was SO GOOD. It kicks off with a jaw-dropping first chapter. One of the characters wakes up from a coma in a hospital and doesn’t know how they got there and believes someone is trying to kill them. I was completely sucked into the story. It was tense and at no point did I guess any of the reveals. This is the perfect read for domestic suspense lovers!

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley & Kensington Publishing for an eARC of Watch your Back by Terri Paralto. 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for NetGalley & Goodreads.

Love reading Paralto’s books set in Boston as I myself read in the New England snowy winter. A recently married couple, Eve and Nathan, met at his shop after another car ran her off the road. They live in the suburbs with a beautiful baby girl. Things start taking a turn, quickly, with a local neighborhood break-in, and issues at the psychiatric facility where Eve works. Then, the accidents get closer to home. Is Eve being targeted? Is she behind all of this? What about Nathan?

I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t my favorite of this author’s. I felt some repetition, but enjoyed the ending and thought it was well plotted.

Thank you so much to Kensington Books for the ARC!

This is my third book by Terri Parlato and all of them have been based around Detective Rita and her cases. She's really becoming a favorite detective character for me!

This one started off INTENSE right off the bat and I was totally enthralled in the story and the characters! A husband falling (or pushed?) down the stairs and in the hospital, a baby missing from her crib and that was all just in the beginning! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

I didn't trust anyone in this story and that made it so fun!

The way that things wrapped up was... interesting. I will say that I was tracking to rate this book 4 stars the whole way and then the ending had me kind of 🤔🤔 I will say I definitely didn't see it coming, so there's that 😂

Overall, a fun and quick read with less than satisfying ending for me. I still think it's worth the read though!