Someone is Watching; Joy Fielding

Someone is Watching; Joy Fielding

Ballantine - 2015

In this thriller Bailey Carpenter is a special investigator for a big Miami law firm.  On the surface Bailey appears to really have her act together. She's smart, great at her job and enjoys the type of work she does. She also stands to inherit a fortune from her father's estate. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack. 

Despite all she has going for her, Bailey's personal life is a disaster. She's involved with her boss who is married and one night when she is out on a late night surveillance of a deadbeat dad, she is attacked and raped.  She never saw her assailant who was masked, the only things etched on her brain are the black Nike sneakers and that he was wearing gloves. Then there was his voice,, when the rape was all over he whispered the words...."tell me you love me."

Unable to eat, sleep or work Bailey is a prisoner in her apartment. The stress and paralyzing anxiety has taken her to a new low in her life.  She still hasn't gotten over the death of her father 4-months earlier, and now to make things even more stressful is the fact that her half-siblings are suing for a portion of her father's estate, which he left solely to Bailey and her loser brother, Heath.

There is a lot of suspense, tension and nail-biting moments in this story, as Bailey sees most everyman she encounters as the man who might have raped her. She makes matters worst when she starts observing a man in another high rise across the way with binoculars. At times what she sees in that other apartment frightens her and, then one day she notices him looking back into her apartment.

The author does a good job holding the readers interest, and ratcheting up tension but, never making the story seem too violent. There's a lot going on in this story as well as several ancillary characters. and a few unexpected twists as well. A nice change of pace from the types of books I've read lately. If you enjoy thrillers - try this one.

4/5 stars

(eGalley)