The people watcher by Sam Lloyd is a bit of a slow burner and a bit muddled at the start and its not one of the best books I have read this year but it was an intriguing read, and worth persevering with.

The story is about Mercy who lives by night and likes to do nice things for people who she thinks are as lost and lonely as her, but when she meets Louis, he manages to turn her secluded life upside down and then the secrets she has been trying to hide will be finally exposed.

What a story. From the first page it’s filled with tension and suspense. Who is this strange girl who lives in the dark. Her past is only hinted at and the reader is drawn along and becomes engrossed into the story - wanting to know what brought her to the point she’s found herself.
It’s a thriller in the complete sense of the word and I could not put it down. I had to find out how she’d come to this point and how her story would evolve. When the end came, I was not expecting what happened and had no inkling of what was coming.
This author really knows how to spin a dark tale and you should treat yourself to this dark thriller.

This is a very unusual story line, with a complicated character in Mercy Lake, who likes helping people anonymously. This she only does during the night being unable to venture out during daylight hour. Its during one of her night time trips that she meets Louis who will make a huge change in her life. From here on in the storyline takes on a darker character that has you page turning to the finale.

This book is another triumph! The characters in the previous two books I have read by this author
seemed to physically grab me, pin me in place and say "You may not like the type of person I am but pay attention to me! I wont make excuses for how and what I am, but I need to explain. Hear me! Understand me!" And, with each sentence I do begin to understand a little more until the urge to reveal all of the secrets hidden in the pages is out of my control and it is a strain to put the book down. So, I was hoping for more of the same with this third novel and I am pleased to say I was not disappointed. Mercy Lake and Louis seem to be yin and yang at first but as the characters share information about themselves it seems they might be more than that. It isn't until the last chapter that the reader finds out what the actual truth of the matter is. I enjoyed every page and am looking forward to the next book.

I received and advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and the author Sam Lloyd.
Wasn't for me, an interesting concept but it didn't quite work in delivery and the characters felt under-developed and one dimensional. The story arc also felt too predictable for it to be gripping and enjoyable. 2 stars.

Absolutely great book. Lots of intrigue and suspense. The main characters are very well written. Nice ending as well.

Unique And Engaging.,
The tale of Mercy Lake - Mercy likes to help, likes to fix things, likes to assist. Mercy is a people watcher - who only ever goes out at night. When Mercy meets Louis she gradually lets him into her life. As things progress secrets may out and truths may be discovered. A slow and tantalising burn of suspense which suddenly quickly develops as threads meet and the denouement explodes. Unique and engaging.

Woweeee this latest book from the amazingly talented Sam Lloyd certainly hits the spot as far as gripping thrillers go I absolutely loved it.
Mercy Lake is a people watcher and someone who likes to fix things for needy souls using the cover of night due to her phobia of daylight creeps around the neighbourhood visiting the people she cares about without their knowledge. But Mercy is much more than she seems and after a traumatic incident where she meets the enigmatic Louis things began to take a sinister turn and my goodness I had no idea where this book was going !
There are so many twists in the story and it’s very gruesome but what I loved was the many emotions I felt when reading it, the story builds up slowly releasing bits of information that as the book progresses it all begins to make sense but what surprised me most was just how much I loved Mercy.
Its a story that’s hard to describe because it’s very different and I think this is the best book that Sam Lloyd has written, it was a thriller yes …but oh so much more than that !
So for me a 5 star read and one I would highly recommend I can’t fault it and many thanks Mr Lloyd it was a wild ride!
My thanks also to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A brilliantly written gripping read that keeps you hooked from page one and does not disappoint throughout, absolutely superb

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Story by Sam Lloyd ⭐⭐

What a Fantastic opening! But then unfortunately for me I didnt get into this book. I really wanted to as the premise sounded fantastic but it just never happened for me.

Well it’s a bit odd. It’s a good read. But a bit odd. I wasn’t sure as it’s not my usual genre so I didn’t read it late at night. But I did think about it when I wasn’t reading it which is a good sign.

The People Watcher tells the story of Mercy Lake who, because of a tragic incident a few years earlier, only ever goes out at night riding round the town on her red tricycle . She keeps an eye on several vulnerable people leaving them small gifts or putting out their bins etc. She watches one particular family, the Raffertys, who have a young son. We gradually find out what the connection is between them and Mercy. One night when her tricycle gets a puncture she is being hassled by some young men at a Texaco petrol station. She is rescued by Louis and they become friends. However Louis is not quite the knight in shining armour that Mercy thinks he is.
I've really enjoyed reading Sam Lloyd's previous two books so was delighted to get the chance of reading his latest. It's another cracking read which I enjoyed immensely and with an ending I wasn't expecting at all.

Another outstanding book from Sam Lloyd. I loved The Rising Tide but think I loved The People Watcher even more. I couldn’t put this book down and just wanted to know how it ended. The characters were so rich especially Mercy and I didn’t expect the twist at the end. Thank you to netgalley and the author for allowing me to review this brilliant book.

WOW! This was a really weird book to get into & certainly rather confusing but….It’s a page turner and so full of suspense, it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. It has plenty of twists and turns that you don’t expect.. the ending was a shocker. The characters were really intriguing, the story itself was great and the style of writing was fascinating.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a great read, had me hooked right from the start, the storyline and the characters were great. Would recommend to others.

I don't even know where to start with this one, I just LOVED this book! The People Watcher is set across two timelines and tells the story of Mercy Lake, both in her former life and in her present. In the present day, Mercy Lake is a night person and a people watcher; she knows everyone in the small town and intervenes in their lives in small and positive ways. Then one day, she meets Louis and Mercy slowly lets him into her life. Alongside this, we glean an insight into Mercy's past which builds up to an explosive conclusion, making sense of her present.

I was gripped right from the first chapter of this book and my interest never waned. This was a book that kept me up late reading 'just one more chapter'. It was full of twists and turns, and even when I thought I knew what was coming, I was shocked.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

The People Watcher Is a compelling hard to put down book .Mercy likes to watch people and because she is severely traumatised from horrific past events ,she only goes out when it is dark riding her tricycle arround the neighbourhood checking up on the people she watches trying to help their lives a little bit but along comes LouIs who is also a watcher but is he what he seems ?The story is quite slow to start off with but gradually it gathers pace and wow the ending was for me so unexpected but just right somehow .Loved it .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

I found this book difficult to get into initially.. it was unclear what the story was and how all the characters fitted together . I actually felt really sorry for Mercy/ Keira. What a sad and lonely existence she leads, trying to improve the lives of others. A good ending befitting the storyline..

Just when I was about to give up on the book, it gripped me! Such a pity it took so long to get into.
Thank you to Sam Lloyd and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The first few pages were a good start but then it became difficult to want to read as it was so slow to develop. I was 75% through the book when suddenly I could not put the book down. To me the scene setting was well written but became mundane and I lost real interest in Mercy. The last 25% had me gripped trying to resolve what was really going on but it felt very rushed after such a slow start.
The description of Mercy and her medical conditions were well explained and I loved her kindness.
The different people interactions were well described and it was easy to see why Mercy called people such lovely nicknames. I did like the fact that she met Louis and fell in love as it added a dimension to Mercy that would not have been visible otherwise.