I enjoyed this book but much preferred the Memory Wood. A slow burn but good story. I would recommend this author

Sam Lloyd is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me, I loved the memory wood and really liked this one. It didn’t quite meet the expectations of the memory wood for me but it still kept me guessing, had me on the edge of my seat and creeped me out with how atmospheric it was! Very good book!

I don't know what to make of this book. The characters are certainly 'different'. It was a slow burn for me and didn't like the characters.

Another slow burn story with well written characters and an original plot, I liked Mercy and I liked Lewis, it was good to learn more about their personalities, I just wish the book would’ve been faster paced as I lost interest now and again.
Glad I saw it through to the satisfying ending which tied up all loose ends perfectly.

I loved this book. I've read The Memory Wood too, which was fantastic.
The People Watcher was intriguing from start to finish with twists and turns along the way.
I would definitely recommend this book and thanks to Netgalley for my free copy.

Thank you to netgalley for my arc.

I really enjoyed this author’s last book. But this one I had to make myself finish.

I focuses on one character and all that she has lost over the years. She is a recluse, only coming out at a night and helping the people she watches.

One night she meets someone and a friendship blossoms. But it soon takes an unexpected turn.

It is a complicated plot and one of the twists at the end was clever. However, the pace just never changed and I found the repetition of the routine from the characters boring.

An original thriller with an interesting character who only comes out at night. Intriguing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Sam Lloyd’s previous novels were published to great acclaim, so I was delighted to be granted an ARC of ‘The People Watcher’ to review. The novel is rooted in the concept of the imperfect protagonist, or unreliable narrator, this time in the shape of fictional Mercy Lake who is recovering from traumatic brain injury. As bright light causes her pain, Mercy only ventures out at night but nevertheless has a strong grip on what goes on in her local community, and some fairly unique ideas in which she wants to intervene positively in her neighbours’ lives. Mercy forms an unlikely allegiance with Louis, himself a people watcher, and it is impossible to predict what come next …

It would be unfair to compare Mercy’s trajectory with that of Eleanor Oliphant, the equally unusual but mesmerising heroine of Gail Honeyman’s 2017 book but suffice to say that Sam Lloyd’s novel will probably also appeal to readers of Honeyman’s stand-out novel. I would like to express my special thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free digital ARC that allowed me to read this novel ahead of publication in exchange for this honest, unbiased review.

Mercy Lake is a people watcher. She has a phobia of sunlight so she only goes out at night. Due to a catastrophic brain injury her balance is poor, this has resulted in a tricycle being her favoured method of transport. She looks out for people & tries to help them but the family she watches the most are the ones that live in the big modern house, especially the little boy who lives there. One night she has a puncture & whilst at the fillings station a group of lads start to hassle her. Her saviour is Louis, the driver of a VW van. It seems he is also a night person & as she confides in him he assists in her good deeds- only sometimes a bit more directly than she would have! Along with Mercy's story we have Nadia's story- the lady in the big modern house. Gradually we find out Mercy's past.

The descriptions of Mercy's night life was fascinating & I liked the way things knitted together
This was an unusual book. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

Well paced and immersive, the protagonist is flawed and relatable .

Read if you like slow burn thrillers that give you chills.

Mercy Lake watches people from afar. She is a bit of a guardian angel, also helping them out without their knowledge. When she meets Louis and introduces him to her people watching, she comes to realize that Louis has a more violent approach to her calm one. 

This book had an exciting start - I was fully invested until about the 60% mark when I felt the story did drag a little bit (it is definitely a slow burn) but it then picked up again towards the end with the ending leaving me shocked and thrilled at not having guessed which way the story was going to go. I'm excited to read more by this author!

Having read and loved The Memory Wood I couldn’t wait to jump into this book. If you like dark, twisted reads then you really will enjoy this. For some it might be a bit too disturbing but that is what makes this book. Mercy is a great character and you can’t help but love her and her quirky ways. And Louis, well, you wouldn’t want to meet him on a dark night if you’ve done wrong. This book is a page turner and, warning, may keep you up all night. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for letting me read and review this book.

It's been a few days since I finished this book and I'm still not quite sure what to think of it.
There were parts of the book that I loved, but I also got bored at times and had to force myself to keep reading.

The premise sounded really interesting: Mercy Lake is a night person and she has her reasons why she never ventures out during daytime. Every night she watches people and wants to help them. But Mercy has her own problems and they seem to stem from something that happened a few years ago. Mercy‘s lifestyle may be unconventional but she seems to manage just fine.
But then she meets Louis. He watches people too and wants to help Mercy…but what if his help brings more darkness into Mercy’s life?

The story is definitely original and complex, a solid read. But unfortunately I didn’t love it.

This was my first book by Sam Llyod. I recently bought his first book, The Memory Wood, and can’t wait to read it.

Having read the first two books by this author I was delighted to read this latest title. Yet another slow burner, well written and different, yet again, to his other two books.
Mercy Lake is a lonely, different, damaged character who lives on the edge of the community she has settled in. She is sympathetic to other loners in the town and where she can she tries to help out. She is there for a reason and Louis, who she meets by chance, inveigles his way into her night life. As she is portrayed, one wonders why such a striking man wants to build a relationship with her.
Despite her reservations Mercy allows Louis to involve himself in her attempts to do good, but his methods make her uneasy. Her gentle manner is in complete contrast to Louis' bursts of temper.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Sam Lloyd/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a very different read this proved to be
A very twisted, enthralling psychological thriller as you'll see.
Mercy Lake doesn't like daylight
She prefers going out and about at night.
Her red tricycle is how she explores
And watching others, her own problems she ignores.

If someone needs help, she'll secretly help out.
But why? What is she about?
She's flawed, troubled and often strange
The story is like a jigsaw that needs extra pieces to arrange.
Slowly snippets from the past add to what you think you know
Making you wonder just where the story will go.

This is an unsettling read that keeps you on edge throughout
As you endeavour to guess what it is really about!
A page turner that keeps you enthralled all the way
With a huge twist at the end - that's all I'll say!
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

“It’s night when we first meet. You should know – here at the end of things, or perhaps at the beginning of their ending – that I mostly live after dark. There are Day People and Night People, and I am absolutely the latter.”

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The People Watcher’ by Sam Lloyd.

In recent years Sam Lloyd has written two outstanding thrillers: ‘The Memory Wood’ and ‘The Rising Tide’. I loved both and was excited to settle down with his third novel. I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

A few plot details to provide context: Mercy Lake lives an unusual life. Trapped indoors during the day due to a phobia about the sun, she uses the cover of night to watch people in her town. If someone needs help she secretly steps in. Still, while most are strangers there is one family that she has a personal connection to as we learn in the Prologue (no spoilers).

Her life changes when she meets Louis, who steps in when she is being hassled by some local youths. She soon feels that in Louis she has found a kindred spirit and introduces him to her world and to those she protects. Yet Louis has a very different approach believing that ‘small acts of kindness are far less effective than fear'. No further details to avoid spoilers.

The majority of the novel is narrated by Mercy complemented by chapters from other points of view. We also learn of Mercy’s past including her traumatic brain injury.

Overall, I found ‘The People Watcher’ a highly engaging, character-led thriller that slowly builds to a powerful, shocking conclusion.

Highly recommended.

Mercy Lake fixes things and people but only at night. She never ventures out during the day. Her life seems to be going as she wants until Louis comes along. He throws her for a loop and makes her question her whole existence but who is he and why is he here?

This was an interesting premise and a twisted story. You're never sure who is good and who is bad. The plot is a real slow burn but it's building to a twist filled ending. None of the characters are particularly likeable but it fits with the story. The ending was well done and finished the story cleverly. It just didn't thrill me quite as much as I'd hoped. A dark twisted read.

Another brilliant read by Sam Lloyd!!
He has this amazing way of hooking you from the first chapter.


"In a world as cruel and random as this one, small acts of kindness are far less effective than fear"

Who is Mercy Lake?
In her world there are day people and night people; Mercy is a night person. Mercy also likes to watch people.

"I collect lives - and intervene in them - the way others collect Pokemon cards, perfume bottles, or parking fines. Until now I've never considered how creepy it must seem"

But Mercy is a troubled and damaged soul. She has many phobias, shows obsessional behavior, and suffers from olfactory hallucinations. All because of a brain injury. She suffers from dizzy spells and vertigo. She's scared of daylight and never ventures outside during the day.
She likes to fix stuff but she loves to fix people.

Initially, you think she has definitely lost her marbles but the more you get to know her and understand what drives her, you realize what an amazing person she is.
When she crosses paths with Louis you wonder if he will be her knight in shining armor.
"Do you ever get the feeling,' he asks, 'that what at first seems random is actually something more mysterious?"
How true this will be in the end.

An amazing read that I can highly recommend!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The People Watcher is the second book I’ve read by Sam Lloyd and again I was blown away by the originality of the storyline and his sleight of hand plotting.
Mercy Lake is Night People. Terrified of daylight, she has only left her flat during the dark for the last 5 years. Haunted by a major trauma which also has seriously affected her health, she spends her time trying to anonymously help the residents of the local town and keep an eye on a family who seem to be linked to her past.
One night a random encounter with a stranger opens her up to another way of getting help for the locals, rather more extreme than she would have considered. While she and Louis start righting wrongs, they are also being watched by an even more terrifying presence.
The story moves at a rapid pace, with flashbacks that slowly reveal what happened to Mercy 5 years ago. The characterisation is very original, I’ve never come across a heroine quite like Mercy before. The ending has a great twist that I didn’t see coming. A thoroughly enjoyable and ingenious novel!

The People Watcher is the third book by Sam Lloyd and he’s kicked it out of the park yet again with his very imaginative mind!
In short, Mercy Lake is an odd bod who likes to fix things, especially the people she watches during the night and it all ratchets up a gear when she meets Louis, the yin to her yang!
This was one of those reads which surprises you, it’s both very different and very clever…I was totally drawn into this twisty dark tale. Fascinating characterisation which created such a spellbinding read…all threads meaningful and tied up expertly. I felt I was living in a different universe with them! I love the storytelling that Sam delivers, I highly recommend.
Big thanks to Sam Lloyd, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.