The Watcher

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This book throws more questions at you than answers. Ordinarily I’d find this frustrating; not that I need everything wrapped up perfectly, but a nice conclusion to a story is satisfying, most of the time. That night, while Anna is asleep, he sets up her presents. He wraps some stuff, puts the food in the fridge, and he leaves the big present unwrapped.

As I said, the plot is very different from what I expected. For me the first half of the novel dragged on a little bit and it didn’t really wow me, but the second half was really creepy. It’s not even what happens in the story but how Martin acts – as he’s getting more and more paranoid and mentally unstable, us readers feel less and less insecure because we have literally no idea what he’s capable of or what he might do next.This book is labelled as a horror novel, but it really isn’t. Yes it has a couple of horrific scenes and is pretty disturbing throughout, but it’s definitely leaning more towards the fast-paced thriller label.

Dr Somerville is convinced Martin is unwell and being in therapy is the best course of action available. Well, he would wouldn’t he? I’m sure the dollar signs were lighting up right before his very eyes. I do have to confess that THE WATCHER is not really horror, in my opinion, but rather a psychological thriller. Still, there are scenes in this book that are outright chilling and will haunt you long after the story is over. I still don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at a plain white box the same way again. I think the biggest problem I have with this book is that it's miscategorized as horror, when really it's a psychological thriller/crime/mystery ... maybe with supernatural overtones (something that's never made explicitly clear one way or the other). I was expecting to be disturbed, creeped out, unsettled, but I didn't experience any of that. Rather I spent my time reading trying to figure out what the hell is really going on here. Is he crazy, or isn't he? Is what he's seeing real, or a product of an over-taxed, diseased mind? Martin decides to seek help. It seems that the help Martin is receiving has opened the doors wide open. Martin is having a hard time trying to figure what exactly is real and just who he is. Martin Gregory is a regular guy. He has a loving wife, 2 dogs affectionally referred to as ‘the boys’, a good job, everything that many would consider to be perfect.I really can’t recommend this enough. Crazed mad man, or dude manipulated with psychotic precision? You decide. It’s not scary in the slightest, just weird. Doesn’t fully make sense and I found it to be boring. I almost didn’t finish it. This book is so weird. It started off very to the point and made sense, but then got very confusing and strange. This review teeters on spoilery, but knowing a little about the plot will not hinder any enjoyment gained from this brilliant book.