Having read this author's 2 previous books I was excited to review this latest one. It certainly didn't disappoint! Mercy Lake has suffered some kind of accident/trauma in the past. She can now no longer go out in daylight and she suffers from vertigo. She goes out during darkness and has started to watch people in her town. If she sees that they need help in any way she tries to provide it, totally anonymously. Then she meets Louis. He also likes to solve people's problems but it seems he is happy to use violence and is more interested in revenge. They start a relationship. Throughout the story we start to piece together what happened to Mercy in the past. This is a really unusual tale, a really exciting read, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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This book is different to what I normally read, I very much enjoyed it. It’s a page turner and full the suspense that keep 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 perfect. I have read the last book by this author which was great, but in my opinion this one was a much better. I will be keeping my eye out for more in the future.
I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the loan of this book.
Wow wow wow this book, like the memory wood, did not disappoint. I read it in 2 sittings I just could not put it down!
A young lady by the name of Mercy watches people late at night, in her small town. She gives them each a name and tries in little ways to help them, without their knowledge.. There is one particular family she watches regularly but she knows if she’s caught she’ll end up with the police at her door, because some years ago, Mercy kidnapped their little boy. So why is she risking her life of isolation to keep watching them? When she meets the mysterious Louis, they decide to help the people Mercy watches in a grander scale. Is Louis the altruistic, kind person he professes to be? Or does he have another motive? Buy and read it to find out! So many twists and turns I couldn’t keep up. I absolutely loved this book, it’s a must read!!

Mercy Lake has been badly damaged by her past. She lives for the night, where she tries to help people in her own special way, but her life changes, again, when one night she needs help herself, and Louis comes to her rescue. Nadia has her own secrets, trying to take care of Oliver, her husbands son, on the way to bringing her own child into the world, but scared, as she’s sure she’s being watched, and there’s only someone from her past who can help her,

A bit of a slow burner, this develops it’s pace nicely as the book goes on. Mercy is an interesting character, well written, not too naive but really vulnerable. Her past has shaped her life to the point she’s at now, where it revolves around the people she watches, weaving stories around the events that threaten to overwhelm them. In her own small way she’s trying to make amends for the life she had before by small acts of kindness passed forward. The introduction of Louis brings a darkness to her life and what she’s trying to do but she’s also desperate for human company and so wants to trust him. I didn’t take to Nadia, but as her story unfolded, I began to understand why. As the pace ramps up towards the end, you realise that wherever you thought this story was going, it’s not anywhere you expected it to go, despite all the clues being there. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was described as ‘The gripping, original, standout new thriller …’. How many times have you read a description similar to that and, afterwards, thought that whoever wrote the description needs a doctor? Over the last couple of years I’ve read hundreds of books, and there are not that many where the description has been true! This one is. Oh … my … word. It happened when I read Sam Lloyd’s The Rising Tide two years ago, and it’s happened again with The People Watcher. The strange thing for me is that I can never usually really enjoy a book that is over-the-top and not totally plausible, but if it's a Sam Lloyd book it seems that I can! The writing is so incredible, and the characters so well described, that I am sucked in from the start. I forget all about housework and shopping and everything else because I just have to get to the end to find out what happens. The best way to read a book in my opinion is to immerse yourself in it, to be able to ‘feel’ it and even become one of the characters. I can’t just read a chapter every day or so, but that’s probably because at my golden age I forget what I’ve read unless I keep going! Anyway, the only time I put this book down (and it happened with The Rising Tide) was when I reached 95%. I was so worked up and gripped that I was almost breathless and I wanted to savour every word of the last 5%. So, I had a brandy and tried to calm down. The ending was such a shock and left me speechless. I normally see things coming, but not this time! So, a big thank you to Sam Lloyd, the publishers and NetGalley. I’ve only one word to say. Phew!!!!

Rating: 4.3/5

The accompanying marketing blurb suggests that this is likely to appeal to fans of Stephen King or C.J. Tudor and this is actually one of those occasions when I would agree. But, having said that, it would be doing a disservice to Sam Lloyd to think that this is merely some kind of facsimile of those other writers. "The People Watcher" is a fine piece of compelling fiction in its own right.

If you are the kind of person who likes their reading matter to start with a bang and then continue at a rip-roaring pace throughout, then this may not be to your liking. This could be described as a "slow burner" - but it smoulders in a totally enthralling manner that is intriguing and absorbing. The characters are fascinating and wonderfully drawn, playing their part in this tangled web of a dark and dramatic mystery. Sam Lloyd's plotting is exemplary as he keeps the audience spellbound and wondering how all the pieces of the story slot together. The clues are revealed along the way, but dropped with subtlety into the narrative like crumbs falling inadvertently onto the ground. Ultimately, there are no leaps of faith required nor the need to grant the author excessive amounts of dramatic licence, the plotting is tight and expertly woven, resulting in a suitably satisfying climax to the story.

I have enjoyed all three of Sam Lloyd's novels to date, with this being quite possibly the best so far. I will certainly be returning for book four.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

I thought The Memory Wood was an interesting premise, but Sam Lloyd’s latest title is even more unusual. The only book that’s given me a similar vibe, because of the relationship between its two lead characters, is Nina Todd Has Gone by Lesley Glaister.
Yet the plot here is highly original and unpredictable. Mercy is a unique protagonist with a criminal record, a brain injury and a fear of daylight. She spends her nights watching the townsfolk where she lives and carries out small, anonymous acts of kindness on their behalf. The slow emergence of her backstory is a good source of suspense and eventually explains why she’s like she is and why she has chosen to watch that particular town.
Despite her unconventional lifestyle, Mercy manages just fine until she meets Louis. He watches people, too, and wants to help, but his interventions compromise Mercy’s hard-won stability. There are elements of folie à deux in the story when Mercy’s Good Samaritan meets Louis’s avenging angel.
And watching them both is Konstantin, a dangerous thug hired by one of the people Mercy has been watching. He agrees to help a woman who has sensed Mercy is close by, but his motives are self-serving and deadly.
The book builds from a slow, almost benevolent, burn to explosions of brutal violence and an unexpected ending.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

This is the epic adventures of Keira Greenaway/Mercy Lake, who only ventures out at night [on her red tricycle in dungaree shorts and clumpy boots!] to keep watch on her neighbours and tries to anonymously help them. She then teams up with Louis.
There's non stop drama and her murky past is always lurking. Full of surprises and twists and turns I found it thoroughly engaging, something different and one not to be missed.

I loved this book from start to finish, it was unsettling from page one and did not let up until the last page, I was left wanting more.

Intriguing characters and a gripping plot, what crime fiction should be!

4.5 rounded up

A squalid hideout, a woman and child, dark figures sliding through trees, a German Shepherd, shocking memories from two years ago and capture. Three years later Mercy Lake is a night person, a fixer of things and lives, existing on the periphery and after an encounter which seems to promise a violent outcome she meets Louis, her rescuer. Or is he? As they become closer it’s clear they’re yin and yang but are his approaches to situations too violent for Mercy? How far is she prepared to go?

I think this is another cracking slow burner thriller from Sam Lloyd with several clever plot elements that make it stand out for me. First of all, Mercy has trauma in her past that has left her with physical problems that explain her peripheral existence and this is used to great effect giving a vertiginous edge to the storytelling and heightening moments of tension. Mercy has good in her heart and her nighttime watches and actions try to right the multitude of wrongs being done. What of Louis? He’s certainly fascinating and charismatic but is he bringing light or dark to Mercy’s world, that is the conundrum. A saviour or a destroyer? This is a terrific part of the plot as you try to figure him out.

The author keeps you on tenterhooks for a long time in understanding Mercy’s past and in perceiving her actions in the present day. Along the route there are many shocking, scary moments which often have a violent outcome. There is plenty tension especially as dangerous nets close in leaving a riot of destruction in its wake.

I love the clever use of music tracks which are used so effectively at key moments and the occasional humour that breaks the tension.

Overall, this is another compelling novel which is very hard to put down so organise a block of time or it’ll be a midnight oil burner! The characterisation is excellent, it takes some unusual angles which I really enjoy, there’s plenty of drama and well thought out plot twists, what’s not to like??!!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was a slow book which failed to keep me entertained. The plot had sounded great but it didn’t seem to deliver. I struggled to keep engaged.

Fantastic opening chapter and then the story slows down somewhat.

I found the main character likeable in a vunruble way and decided early on that her intentions were always well meaning. Its her medical conditions and emotional state that cloud her judgement.

I enjoyed reading about the various residents she 'helps', would have in fact liked more of this side story element. How her past story unfolds is also dealt with well.

I would have preferred there to be no link between her new acquaintance and her past, although not sure what the alternative connection would have been.

Found the ending a little disjointed compared to how the rest of the story flowed but overall enjoyed this novel.

I really wanted to love this book but I struggled to get into it. The start of the book is obviously setting the scene and laying down the foundation for the main character and why she does what she does and the struggles and limitations but to me it just felt like forever before anything really happened. Once it gets into it though, I did start to enjoy the mystery aspect and when it all starts to tie in together, I coildnt put it down! So be prepared for a slow burn but it's worth it in the end. It's a really cleverly written thriller with completely unique characters and premise

The People Watcher by Sam Lloyd is a creepy thriller designed to keep the reader turning pages
Mercy Lake likes to watch people. Severely traumatised by a horrific event in her past , she only goes out at night. riding her red trike from one neighbourhood to the next to check in on the people on her list, each of whom has a nickname . One night on her rounds she meets the charming and charismatic Louis, and slowly she grows to trust him and tell him about the people she watches . It turns out that Louis is something of a watcher too, but it soon becomes apparent that he is a little more hands on in his approach and soon Mercy begins to worry about the lines he is willing to cross and the violence that he seems to enjoy. However it turns out that one of Mercy's targets has a feeling that she is being watched and she's willing to go to extreme lengths to make it stop. As the book moves towards its dramatic finale the full story of how these characters are linked and how the past will come back to haunt them makes for some gripping reading.
This book had some clever ideas but I struggled a little with the pacing, it started out very slowly and felt a bit rushed at the end. Mercy was an interesting character, especially if you enjoy an unreliable narrator but Louis felt like he was too obviously a bad guy, and I kept waiting for the reveal that I knew was coming.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I expect good things from Sam Lloyd, having read his last two books, and this one meets those expectations.
It seemed a constant puzzle as to why our main character was like she was, why the obsession, why many other things, pretty much right up to the final chapters.
Add to that the mistrust of Louis, who was too good to be true, so in my eyes totally untrustworthy.
It's a book that kept me constantly guessing, and that's always good.
Amongst all the tension, the occasional violence, there was a few touching moments that added an extra something.
Enjoyable.