Rating 4.5 out of 5

I don’t like CCTV cameras at the best of times – they always make me feel more versus less wary when I’m out. Having read Her Watchful Eye, I’m now even more convinced I would get rid of them all if I had a chance. Mainly because Ruby – one of the main characters in Julie Corbin’s new book – uses them to spy on her a young woman rather when she should be using them to prevent crime.
I get why she does it and I sort of don’t blame her. But at the same time it’s pretty creepy. It’s how Hannah (the young woman being spied on) feels when she finds out, though her reaction is not quite what you might expect.
That’s because Hannah and Ruby have a bond (which I won’t share because of spoilers) and it makes their relationship very complicated and very messy – perfect for a book where nothing is how it first appears and no one is quite who they seem to be.
This is the type of book I love – with red herrings galore and twists and turns that mean I’m never quite sure what will happen next. And Julie Corbin is one of those authors that does this type of story really well. Ruby and Hannah are such interesting, unreliable, characters – though there is something strangely likeable about both of them – that it’s impossible not to get drawn in. And the plot is lovely and complicated without seeming unrealistic.
It’s also a little jarring at times, with one scene in particular making me slightly uncomfortable (but I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to violence). That said, it is probably what made the book stand out for me in a sea of books in this genre. A week or so after reading it, I was still going back to it and thinking about what I’d read and how it had all ended up. That to me is a sign of a good book, and this was definitely one. I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it.

Ruby, an ex-copper works as a CCTV operative in Edinburgh. She sees someone on the screen who she hasn't seen in five years and begins to watch her - going to her job at the restaurant and back to her flat, hanging out with her boyfriend... I thought Lennie, her colleague and friend gave her life some grounding especially when she lets him in.

We learn of the heartaches in Ruby's life and how she can't forget or forgive herself. Her soon to be ex-husband who never wanted a family is soon to be father to twins. All Ruby wanted was a child and a second chance.

A twisty read with an outcome I just didn't see coming! Would recommend.

Wow. Fantastic book. Really drew the reader in. Spent a lot more time reading this than I expected to as I just couldn’t put it down