Title: Nightwatching
Author: Tracy Sierra
Publisher: Viking
Synopsis:
There was someone in the house.
Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. Then she hears a noise – old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it’s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs… In that split second, she has three choices.
Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?
My review:
Nightwatching has one of the tensest openings I’ve read in a long time – and that tension does not let up!
Our protagonist wakes up one night and hears someone in her house. She knows it can’t be her husband but her two kids are both asleep, and she instantly feels on edge. It soon becomes apparent that someone is indeed there – and the terror begins…
I don’t want to give too much away as I think this novel is best if you go into it knowing very little, like I did. If home invasion plots terrify you, this isn’t for you! Tracy Sierra creates such a creeping sense of dread, turning what initially feels like a classic fast-paced, addictive thriller into something more… something much more terrifying.
Nightwatching made me feel so many feelings other than the usual excited, “what will happen next?” feeling that thrillers tend to have. I felt claustrophobic, on edge, anxious, and SO frustrated and angry on behalf of our main character! And the fact that even the narrator herself starts to doubt her sanity makes you wonder if we can truly believe her either – as others around her also start to doubt…
Set aside some time to truly lose yourself in this book. It’s a story that feelings worrying like it could happen to any of us, and I suppose that’s exactly what makes it that extra bit more terrifying. I’d recommend Nightwaching for anyone looking for an addictive novel filled with suspense – and let’s face it, a significant dose of stress!
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to Viking for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.
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