The stalker by Sally Spencer.
A great read with some good characters. Little slow in places. 4*.

An undoubtedly intriguing premise. For me, it suffered when it threw the romance in. I just can't handle the insta-love, and I wasn't expecting it in this book. It threw me off. I liked the main character, a single mother who is struggling a bit with the responsibility of her demanding job as a defense attorney and two children. She is not working on the kind of huge cases the papers follow religiously, and she's not making the kind of money that would bring. That means the roof leaking or any other kind of unexpected expense is a problem, and it made her easy to relate to. The villian, who remains unknown through most of the book, is both fascinating and undeniably creepy. There are a lot of stereotypes here, reminded me of an old school cop show. Probably wouldn't fly quite as well on television today. It is based in the 90's, and I can imagine it on TV back then.

Beth Baker has been having some good luck lately, after a string of bad. Her husband killed himself years ago, leaving her to raise their two children alone. She's barely keeping afloat and has no time to herself. Her roof is leaking. But her bank is suddenly more generous and she's winning court cases she thought for sure she'd lose. It starts to happen so much that other people start to get suspicious. Just too many witnesses refusing to talk or changing their mind. Are they being intimidated? Two cops are assigned to feel her out, make sure she's on the up and up. They have no idea she is playing by the rules, but The Angel is not.

He's been watching her for a long time, noting her every move. Admiring her from a distance, never close enough to arouse suspicion... but he's been doing what he can to help her out. Punishing those who wrong her, intimidating those who can make her life better. To him, Beth is perfect. But no one is without flaws... what will he do when he discovers Beth is only human?

I couldn’t finish this book, I like the author’s writing and have enjoyed many of their books before but this one wasn’t one I could get into. I will try again when the author’s next book is released as I am a fan of theirs.

Beth Baker has a "Guardian Angel" and he will do anything to protect her even kill. When she starts winning cases in court that should have had no chance of winning the officials start to become suspicious and assign a Detective to investigate. There are a list of suspects and I was not expecting the ending. This book engaged me from start to finish and I would highly recommend it.

This book really reminded me of a cop show for some reason. It was an ok read but I just couldn't get really involved in it for some reason, I think it felt a little dated for me.

She has a stalker .. she just doesn't know it. Beth Baker lost her husband to suicide. She's now trying to raise 2 children on her own. She's a junior partner in a law firm that is not listed in the Top 10.. nor even the TOP 1000... when it comes to clients.

She has the same issues a lot of us have. What to do when the roof leaks ... where is the money going to come from? Other bills keep her mailman busy. She's been turned down by the back for a loan. She's losing her cases, because let's face it ... her clients are not all fine upstanding citizens.

But one day, things seem to be changing for the better. The janitor at work offers to fix her roof .. no charge. The bank calls and tells her they've changed their minds ... the loan is hers. She's winning more cases in court.
But then .... a car cuts her off in traffic. Later that man is involved in a horrible car accident. She's accosted by three members of a gang .. later their headquarters are destroyed and all but one of their members is dead.

His mission is to protect her, and if, in the process, other people are hurt – or even end up dead – that is fine with him. He is called The Angel.

Warning bells are sounding in the offices of the Chief of Police and in turn, the District Attorney. Why is Beth winning more cases in her capacity of defense attorney? Cases that she should never have won .... missing witnesses, witnesses that change their minds.

Is she somehow manipulating these witnesses?

That's what Detective Sam Brody and his partner want to know. And as they investigate and toss around some theories, they had no clue that the Angel was also watching them.

This was an engaging book ... it has the feel of an older crime procedural. Sam and his partner don't exactly follow the rules when interrogating people, although they do stop short of producing a wet hose. Beth is a solid character .. a single woman just trying to make it ...

The reader has a choice of several suspects.... guaranteed to keep you guessing until the very end. All in all, this is an entertaining read.

My thanks to the author / Endeavour Press / Netgalley who provided a digital copy of this novel. The opinion(s) expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this book.! There were so many possible suspects for the "Angel" that I just stopped guessing and enjoyed the roller coaster ride. I really liked everything about this book, all the great characters, lots of action and suspense! I highly recommend this book!

what sounded like a great read sadly wasn't, i really found it hard to get into.

An interesting read on a cold wet day, certainly did not get my imagination going.

It was an okay read. Not great, but not bad either. If you like the typical cop shows on tv, you'll like this story.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Endeavour Press!

After being impressed by Spencer's new novel The Shivering Turn, I decided to try Stalker. It definitely isn't a novel for everyone. It reads like an American 80s cop drama ala Miami Vice - very stereotyped. Beth Baker is a criminal lawyer trying to make ends meet and care for her children after her husband's suicide. Brody and his partner are assigned to investigate her when a number of cases unexpectedly go her way. There are a few things which got under my skin. Brody is described as a good cop, but he and his partner plant drugs on a suspect and use threats to get him to talk. Once given the case, they automatically assume Beth's guilt looking only for evidence to arrest her. It is only after Brody becomes attracted to her that he believes she could be innocent - jeesh.

You have lots of cop drama stereotypes, an African American partner who goes with the flow, generic Hispanic gang members, a balaclava wearing religious nut who takes out all the gang members with a single machine gun..and you guessed it, the bad guy is the one person never questioned. If it was an hour tv episode it would be tolerable, but it is too dated in story and style for modern readers.

3/5

I received a copy of Stalker from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

I loved this book! Beth is distraught when her husband commits suicide and she is left to take care of her two kids while working full time. (Un)fortunately for her she has a Guardian Angel who is watching out for her by going behind the scenes to help and protect her. There are many suspects, many twists, and lots of surprises before the exciting conclusion. Had I the time, I would have consumed this in one sitting; as it was, I stayed up late to finish it. Highly recommended!