Wow!! What a book, I have devoured this gem in just one sitting. Completely unable and unwilling to put this down. This is the best book by this author yet.

Mercy is an interesting character and one I’ve been unsure of. Events have left her afraid of the day, only venturing out at night. Louis is an individual who she crosses paths with accidentally. The two of them together is a very unique and intriguing experience.

We also have Nadia, a character who is quite edgy and almost paranoid throughout this one. You definitely get the impression that she knows more than she says.

The opening of this has gripped me, instantly I was unwilling to put this down. I craved more and more following the shocking and jaw dropping opening.

Lloyd has delivered on every level with this book. It’s intriguing, perfectly paced and guaranteed to keep you turning the pages until you reach the ending.

Louis and Mercy together become involved in some interesting and intense situations. I have felt as though I’ve watched these play out ahead of me. This is definitely a screen worthy plod.

I found this completely unpredictable, there is no way I could’ve predicted anything that takes place on the pages of this. I think that’s part of the reason I’ve raced through. It’s been brilliant to follow the journey with the characters.

There is plenty of tension and violence packed in the pages of this one. Lloyd has really created a masterpiece with this book. I’ve read the previous books by Lloyd but this is definitely my favourite.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to other readers. It’s brilliant and I’ve loved it.

Keira suffers from cerebral palsy, agoraphobia and heliophobia, which explains why her attempt to kidnap a child didn’t get very far. Two years suspended sentence, mitigation because of her condition (caused by a near fatal blow to the back of her head by person or persons unknown) and because the two-year-old child, Ollie, wasn’t harmed. There are other factors which are revealed slowly as the plot unrolls. She is still under an exclusion order preventing her stalking the child and his parents, which hasn’t stopped her changing her name to Mercy Lake, moving to the small town on the edge of which they live in a large mansion, and spying on them essentially every night. Night being the operative word because, of course, Mercy doesn’t go out during daylight and relies on her electric trike to get around. In addition to spying on Ollie and his family, she also watches various other people, “Night people”, working out their life story and trying, in small ways, to covertly help those who seem troubled. This fairly peaceful routine is disrupted when Louis, a newcomer to the “Night” community, arrives and quickly subverts her aims, motives, and methods – to no good effect.
This is a psychological thriller, not just because of Keira/Mercy’s problems, but because of Louis’s behaviour, Ollie’s parents actions (especially those of his mother), and the reasons why Keira was nearly killed two years ago and the origin of her fixation on Ollie. The writing style is very descriptive and the actions of the main characters are disturbing in themselves and disturbingly evocative as written. It is not easy to like any of the characters, but that is, in some ways, an advantage. There are some good twists and it takes a while for the reader to gather sufficient clues to the mystery and the underlying crime. The ending has an inevitability about it but still comes as a surprise. I give it 4.5 rounded up.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I read The Rising Tide by Sam a couple of years ago which I enjoyed and I was definitely not disappointed by his newest thriller, The People Watcher - actually, I struggled to put it down! It’s an eerie, twisty slow burner that genuinely creeped me out and gave me goosebumps.

I was fascinated by the character of Mercy Lake and desperately wanted to unravel the mystery that surrounded her. Mercy is presented as a kind and compassionate soul who watches over the residents in her neighbourhood and protects/helps them where she can all while battling some extreme issues that stem from an undisclosed incident that took place 5 years ago. Little breadcrumbs are scattered throughout the story as to why Mercy is the way she is and I was kept guessing right up until the end.

The overriding feeling I had while reading this book is unease - I just had a creeping sense that I shouldn’t relax or get too comfortable because danger was lurking just around the corner - and I really admire authors that can make you feel that way simply through words.

The People Watcher is a clever and absorbing story with intriguing characters, a well-executed plot and a boatload of tension. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Thanks to Random House UK & Netgalley for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mercy Lake likes to fix things. To fix people. Trapped inside during daylight hours, hostage to her phobias, she uses the cover of night to watch people in her town. And if someone needs her help, she steps in - secretly and with compassion. When Mercy meets Louis, her lonely, unusual life, is suddenly filled with excitement. Because Louis likes intervening in other people's lives too, only he prefers a more direct, even violent approach. As they grow closer, Mercy is enchanted but frightened by his actions. How many lines is he willing to cross? And how much is he prepared to risk?

Mercy's life is fully controlled by her phobias. She never leaves her house in daylight hours and spends the night spying on the people who live around her. Then Louis comes into her life, he also likes to people watch, but for very different reasons. This rollercoaster read had me on the edge of my seat. The characters were well developed and intriguing. The plotline is more than a little creepy and complex. We are slowly drip-fed snippets from the past along the way. The ending was a shocker.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #SamLlyod for my ARC of #ThePeopleWatcher in exchange for an honest review.

An enticing read!! Intriguing characters that reveal some surprising truths about themselves which gradually emerge throughout the storyline. I loved the author's first book, The Memory Wood, but was slightly underwhelmed by the second, The Rising Tide, so I was not sure what to expect with this one. However I was not disappointed!!! I couldn't put it down and the storyline was so different to anything else I've read. So now I am really looking forward to the next book the author creates!! Highly recommend if you like a good thriller with something a bit different!

I never repeat the blurb. Read this in one day, although that may be due to having no power in the house - thank God the Kindle was charged. slightly confused storytelling but that was totally understandable given the actual plot and state of mind of the main protagonist. Great read. Slightly unlikely in terms of story, but certainly passed a tricky day.

The People Watcher is an excellent, unsettling and very different thriller from anything I’ve read this year.

A book that really hooks you in, and everything I thought I had worked out was never what happened.

It’s unique, complex and just hold your intrigue, it’s really very good,

The pacing feels right as Sam Lloyd slowly and surely builds to the brilliant crescendo.

. It’s fine writing. One o& my favourites of the year from a massively talented author.

Sometimes on a warm day, one likes to sit outside a pub with a drink in hand, or lounge on a park bench with a yummy ice cream. And sometimes one might like to watch people from behind a pair of dark sunglasses, make up stories about them, imagine their lives. Just me? Right, moving swiftly on then.

That's not quite what goes on in Sam Lloyd's 'The People Watcher' as Mercy Lake knows a fair bit about the stories and lives of the residents in her town. It's what she does after all. Watch people and possibly also try to help them somehow. A little kindness goes a long way, does it not? But Mercy has issues. A rather long list of them, as it goes. These all seem to stem from something that happened to her a few years ago. It's also somehow connected as to why she's here, doing what she does.

Mercy's life may not amount to much from an outsider's point-of-view, but she's coping as best as she can. There's something admirable about her, in a way. The way she tries to make someone else's life better, while her own is a bit of a mess. As the reader, you want good things for her. You hope there's another life for her out there. Could that possibly be with Louis? He too likes to watch people and help them, but let's just say he is more from the dark side. The two have an instant connection though.

Lots of questions in need of answers. Why is Mercy the way she is? Why is the Rafferty family so important to her? It takes a while for the pieces of the puzzle to come together. Obviously, or this would have been a really short book. But I had a fabulous time trying to work things out. I thought I had a bit of an inkling but I was never quite sure of where things were heading. In hindsight, I doubt I could have predicted how the whole picture came together.

I have to admit there was one character I found somewhat superfluous to the story. It seemed to me that things would have worked out just perfectly without that particular personage. I didn't quite see the need for them, nor their actions. It often felt rather gratuitous to me.

'The People Watcher' is an intriguing and compelling psychological thriller. There's an underlying current of tension, that feeling in your bones that you shouldn't get too comfortable because there's danger somewhere. You just don't know where it's going to come from. I was fascinated by the subtle changes that Louis brings about, captivated by this odd relationship he and Mercy seem to have, wondering how far Mercy would be willing to go, and always utterly absorbed by the tale Sam Lloyd was spinning me. 'The People Watcher' is a clever, well-plotted and entertaining story that held my attention throughout, and most definitely my favourite Sam Lloyd to date.

Mercy Lake is the People Watcher. She also calls herself one of the Night People as she can no longer stand daylight. She spends her nights spying on people who she thinks need help and then carries out small acts of kindness to make their lives a little easier. She doesn’t always know their names so she gives them nicknames such as Lovesick Lorna, Lost Travis, Cold Hand Carl and William the Navigator. Her favourite person to watch is a little boy called Ollie Rafferty. She likes to appear dressed as a fairy at his bedroom window with gifts of discarded classic toys that she has found discarded and repaired. She also likes to watch his parents Simon and Nadia.

Mercy wasn’t always Mercy Lake. She was once a normal, healthy young woman until a traumatic event not only took away her family, but left her body mangled and her brain damaged and misfiring. As her poor balance often causes her to fall and she can no longer drive, she gets around on a big red tricycle that keeps her stable. That’s all she needs in the small town of Cranner’s Ford at night, that and her binoculars.

One night when some local boys are giving her grief, she meets Louis. He lives in a campervan and told her he was just passing through town, but he becomes intrigued with her and what she does at night and starts following her around. When she becomes close to him, she lets him help her in her quest to help those who need it. But then he starts to take it one step further, meting out small punishments to those who are hurting Mercy’s favourite people, until one night he goes too far, much to Mercy’s alarm.

Sam Lloyd has written a cracker of a slow burn thriller. Mercy is one of the most original and intriguing characters invented and Louis is the classic handsome and charismatic charmer with a dark underside, who has us gripping our seats in fear of what he’s going to do next. Mercy’s backstory of how she came to be so injured and all that happened to her afterwards is heartbreaking and is slowly revealed through flashbacks, so that we gradually come to understand why watching Ollie and his parents is so important to her. The tension really ramps up as situations get out of control and erupt into violence. The pacing is perfect and there are some great plot twists, as well as occasional humour to temper the shocks. Definitely a page turner that insists on being read in great big bites.

This was a bit of a weird read for me. But I read and enjoyed both this author's other books - The Memory Wood and The Rising Tide - so I stuck with it and am very glad I did as it did all come together nicely at the end.
It's all a bit interconnected and convoluted so it's hard to say much about the story without spoilers. So... Mercy Lake is a bit of a funny fish. She fears daylight and only come out at night - riding her red electric trike around and about as she watches people. And, the more she watches them, the more she gets to know them, and know what they need, and tries to help them.
But there's someone else she watches, and for an entirely different reason... and she is not supposed to...
She is mostly ticking along OK. Until the day she meets Louis by chance at a petrol station when he swoops in to save her from being abused. But is he really the knight in shining armour he first appears to be...?
So Mercy is a bit - not quite bonkers but getting there. She's definitely a little different. And not just with the day/night thing. We know she is suffering from something that happened to her and that something is drip fed throughout the book until, by the end the raw truth is all exposed.
But it takes a while to get there. It's definitely a slow, convoluted burn of a story. With what is going on in the foreground as well as Marcy's past as it is also divulged. But the past is important to illustrate the present and explain Mercy's actions. And state of mind.
All in all, a worthy addition to an already impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Ooh I liked this book a lot. Right up my street with it's twisty turns and giving people nicknames which is something that I do. Take Norris and Dorris across the road for example (not their real names of course). And a page turner too as I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out what happened. Definitely recommended.

The people watcher is a complex book. Mercy Lake is clearly traumatised, but is this by her past actions or those of others?

Throughout the book I was hooked, being fed snippets of the past along the way. Just enough to make me question who was who and what happened in Italy.

None of the characters are very likeable, Mercy veers in and out of likeableness, at times seeming to be bad and at others good.

I did not see the twist coming and enjoyed the ending. A dark and complex tale but a good read.

I really enjoyed this read even though I did find it very confusing during the first few chapters with all the different characters who just didn't seem connected in any way other than they lived in the same town. All was made clear as the story progressed and as we saw Mercy and Louis team up and try to help them to live happier lives. Some of them they helped directly by leaving them little gifts and hints, some they helped in more direct ways, I'll leave that for you to find out for yourself!
The chapters were quite short, very easy to read and kept me coming back quickly to keep the story going until I reached the ending and knew all there was to know! The first did have a massive hook where I really needed to know what on earth was going on here and why this was happening, in time I did find out, at the right time too and then there was the last big twist that I really didn't see coming but there were hints that I had overlooked that made this an easy to believe twisty ending to a really readable book.

Definitely not your run of the mill crime thriller. I loved the main character Mercy who is a night person. After a traumatic brain injury in her past she can only venture out at night. Mercy is also a people watcher and likes to help in own way. Unfortunately there is also another people watcher who has a more hands on approach. I devoured this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page at 2.am. Yes this book is that good. Almost five stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The People Watcher is my first read by author Sam Lloyd. Sam Lloyd knows how to write captivating, heart breaking and realistic characters. I loved the depth and vividness that we are treated to with the main character, Mercy Lake. I felt for her, I felt sad for her and I very much wanted to see her succeed. The secondary characters in this story are excellent and unique in their own right and enjoyable to read about. An absolute page turner because of the characters, despite it being a bit of a slow burn at times. There is an unsettling sense of dread while reading this one and a feeling that no matter how you guess you won’t be able to guess what is coming. The story held my interest and made me want to keep reading. I’d read more by this author.

Thanks to netgalley and publishers for arc of this novel
I have to give a truthful review and so I will say this book was a bit slow for the majority of it you had to read 3/4 of it to get to the best bit
Having said that I did want to get to the end and find out what was going to happen to this young girl Mercy who having survived a brutal attack was now trying to look out for her nephew
But was also looking out in her own way for all the other people in her little part of town who had it really hard in life for whatever reason
She wanted to be their fairy godmother until she met Louis

I loved this book so much that I couldn't put it down. The people watcher by Sam Lloyd is a brilliant and twisty slow-burning thriller that kept me guessing until the very end.
The author did a great job of creating a complex and realistic character in Keira, who is obsessed with watching other people's lives through her binoculars. She is not a typical heroine, but a flawed and troubled person who makes some questionable choices. The plot was well-paced and full of surprises, and the writing was engaging and immersive. The author also used some clever techniques to make the reader question what they see and who they believe.
This was one of the best thrillers I've read in some time and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good psychological suspense.

What an intriguing book, I can't say I hung on every word as I was confused in parts at least until it all began to fit together. But it is definitely a gripping read.
Mercy is quirky with more than a few issues but you couldn't help but like her character as she only wanted to help people. Then she meets Louis and her life and routines begin to change. I had no idea how this book would end, There was a feeling of suspense and unease running through it, possibly due to Mercy's own anxieties but intensified once Konstantinos came onto the scene.

I know I’ll be in the minority with this review as so many people have loved this book but for me I just couldn’t get on with it and found it didn’t hold my interest. I did finish it as there was a ‘shocking’ ending promised, but it wasn’t really a surprise to me. I couldn’t gel with any of the characters and didn’t really enjoy reading it. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot more emotionally complex than I had expected from the title, and a lot more ethically aware. I enjoyed that the main character genuinely believed she was helping and, for the most part, was actually successful with her moments of quiet/invisible kindness. I found her personal mystery gripping and loved her transformation over the course of the book.

Her 'helper' was more what I had expected from reading the blurb. Here was the deluded confusion of violence with kindness, which I had thought would be the centre of the whole novel, but was actually only an increasingly tense part of it.

The writing was very well done and the characters incredibly well realised. I'm not sure the blurb and cover are entirely successful in representing the kind of book this is, as I expect a lot of people will come in expecting You by Caroline Kepnes and that's definitely not what this is -- although it's a very interesting response to that kind of story or perspective. I would definitely read more work by this author.