Echoes of Hitchcock’s VERTIGO from the female gaze in this taut, engrossing thriller!

As soon as I saw EYE OF THE BEHOLDER announced, I knew I had to read it. VERTIGO is one of my favourite films and Hitchcock my favourite director, so to see both of these inspire a contemporary novel that shifted the gaze and obsession from the male to the female perspective was very intriguing for me. Bamford has taken on a source of giant magnitude, but does so with real skill and eloquence. Whilst this book certainly has echoes of VERTIGO and Hitchcockian atmosphere throughout, it’s also uniquely her own. There is a truly chilling mystery at the heart of the book, which is expertly crafted to keep the reader in the dark until the exact moment Bamford wants them to know the truth. I really enjoyed the dizzying effect of the misdirection, red-herrings, and twists within this narrative. They left me feeling like that iconic shot of Hitchcock’s from the film, where he simultaneously zoomed in and panned the camera back to demonstrate Scotty’s (played by Jimmy Stewart) fear of heights.

I was also really drawn to the visceral sense of place in this novel. Maddy’s experience of Angela’s glass house in the Scottish Highlands is really well characterised. The house and the landscape become their own characters and really help to ratchet up the tension and overall eerie atmosphere. I had such strong images of the setting in my head as I read, which is testament to Bamford’s skills as a writer in creating such evocative imagery. Even when the action shifts back to London for the later portion of the novel, there’s a very strong sense of place still. This feels important for the story and again reminded me of VERTIGO, where the locations are so infused with the plot and important to how events unfold.

Resplendent with atmospheric imagery, a dark and sinister plot, and characters you don’t know are trustworthy, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER is a smart and sultry thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page. If you’re a fan of Hitchcock and the unsettling vibe that the legendary director was famous for, this book is an absolute must read!

When Maddy travels to the beautiful landscapes of Scotland to ghostwrite Dr. Angela Reynolds' deeply moving memoir, she never expected to find love amidst the misty hills and ancient castles. However, her world is flipped upside down when she returns to London and learns about the sudden and shocking death of Scott at the book launch. Months later, Maddy's heart skips a beat when she encounters a mysterious doppelgänger of Scott. Overwhelmed by a flood of emotions and unanswered questions, she follows this enigmatic figure, leading her into a web of suspense and intrigue.

This captivating and suspenseful tale unravels a labyrinth of emotions and unforeseen events, making it an interesting choice for fans of psychological noir fiction. However, despite the potential, this was not worth more than 3 stars. This was a good read, but the conclusion didn't blow me away and the pacing was very sporadic for my preferences.

Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Vertigo, Eye of the Beholder follows Maddy a ghost writer who has been tasked with writing a book about Dr Angela Reynolds a world renowned cosmetic surgeon. However, once she gets to the remote cottage and begins to dig a little deeper she realises that not all is as it appears to be.

I was gripped by this slow burn thriller; the quietly sinister backdrop of the remote house as well as as Angela's cold and disquieting demeanour left me feeling chilled. I enjoyed the twists and turns and will definitely be reading more from Emma Bamford. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Eye of the Beholder is billed as a reimagining of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and as someone who is not familiar with this story, I was intrigued to read more.

Maddy has travelled to a remote estate to visit renowned cosmetic surgeon Dr Angela Reynolds, who has commissioned her to ghost-write her new book. However, when Angela leaves her there alone and refuses to answer basic background questions, Maddy realises that she may have more on her hands than she realises.

Looking at the synopsis of Vertigo with the knowledge of hindsight, I would say that this follows some of the same themes and has a few of the same character names. This is very much a different story though and I enjoyed the foray into the ideas of beauty and society’s perception of cosmetic surgery. The ending twist would be more obvious if you know the story, but I think it was fairly predictable anyway and I guessed what was going on very early into the novel. It was still fun to read though, the mansion in the middle of the Highlands made for a great setting for a thriller, with Maddy trying to learn about the backstory of Angela, the introduction of the mysterious Scott and creepy alarm system with things being misplaced, moved and lost throughout.

I did think that the relationship between Maddy and Scott seemed to move very quickly – it made the spiral into obsession and depression from Maddy in the present timeline feel a bit unrealistic. There’s a lot of action in the later half of the book though and I did find it gripping – actually finishing it all in one sitting!

Overall, Eye of the Beholder is a gripping thriller, but it is a little predictable at times, even if you don’t know anything about Vertigo. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read for me. It was a slow burn to begin, and takes nearly half the book for anything to really happen. I am glad that I stuck with it, although I did guess a few of the twists early on.

Maddy is a ghostwriter, and has been hired by a well known cosmetic surgeon, Angela Reynolds, to write her memoir. She is invited to her house in the Scottish Highlands to write and research. But Angela is only there a few hours before jetting off to see patients. Maddy gets increasingly frustrated with the lack of information on Angela, and the woman is not very forthcoming with her life story. Her time at the house is not what she expected ,and she meets Angela’s business partner Scott, and the 2 hit it off.

I don’t really want to say too much more as it will spoil the story for you. It certainly picks up pace in the second half, with so much happening. Maddy was a strange character, she was very obsessive and her relationship with Scott is built up into something so fast despite the fact they hardly know each other. I just went with it while shaking my head at times.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on August 14th.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

This book was okay but a bit annoying. It started a little slow and to be honest, the entire 2 weeks at Varaig were BORING! Maddy goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on (and on and on and on) about her mother dying from cancer. That's really sad, of course she's upset and then you find out it was 14 YEARS AGO. Like, really? She's behaving like it was yesterday the whole time. THEN she behaves like a mental person over someone she spent less than 2 weeks with (who actually spent most of his time hiding from her in his room or on the moors). She then tries to turn a new beau into that person by FORCING him to cut his hair/ shave/ dress like him (not to mention she stalked him to where he worked and wait d HOURS for him to arrive so she could ask him out). Maddy was basically demented and we were supposed to route for her and feel sorry for her. Really, she creeped me out. If the book was about a guy doing that, it would be a horror story. Anyway, yeah, it was okay but the FMC needed a lobotomy.

Happy to ready more by Bamford.

Once I got into this, I did enjoy it, it’s def a real slow burner. I started it thinking it was more of a mystery novel with the “Hitchcock” mention in the blurb but I found it to be more of a romance and while I do enjoy a romance there wasn’t much suspence and mystery to it, it was a bit predictable to be honest. But it’s well written and it did keep me gripped til the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy.

I finished this book, even though it was a bit of a slow-burner. I found the character of Maddy likeable and easy to relate to. Some of the other characters were a bit stereotypical.
There were plot twists, but some of these seemed contrived. The plot itself was highly unrealistic, but entertaining enough to keep me reading.

Mandy is hired by the famous cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Angela Reynolds, to ghost write her memoir. She travels to remote Scotland to start her research and shares her time there with Angela’s business partner Scott. Once there strange things start to happen and Angela seems more elusive than ever.

This story is inspired a lot by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which did come across and it seemed like an intriguing read. After finishing I am still trying to process my thoughts. I found that this was well written and the ghostwriter aspect interesting. The author does a great job creating an eerie, remote atmosphere, you can really get a feel of the setting.

Although I enjoyed some of this story, I did find myself confused at certain elements and felt like they were never really resolved. Although there are twists and turns, I did find myself predicting some of what would happen, therefore there were no major shock moments. There was also a romantic sub plot that I was not expecting. The characters were written well, however I didn’t fully connect with them. This is definitely a slow burn, which works well creating the atmosphere and building suspense, however maybe a bit too slow for me. There are definitely some really strong aspects of this novel and I can see others loving it. Genre wise, I would say it is more of a romantic mystery than the usual generic thriller. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Ghostwriter Maddy Wight is great at her job: bringing other people’s lives to the forefront and making them sing on the page. When renowned cosmetic surgeon Angela Reynolds hires her, but doesn’t want any personal information to be included, Maddy’s confused but ploughs on. After all, she’s living in Angela’s Scottish retreat with her two dogs and – after a while – her boss’s business partner. Maddy, however, is convinced someone is watching her.

Not what I expected at all did not seem to be the read I expected,after several pages I became drawn into the story.So many surpriseing twists and turns leading the reader down many different paths,throughout the book and onto a completely unexpected end.Well worth a read.

I was very much looking forward to this book as I really enjoy Hitchcock.

This is an ultra slow burn novel, and it lacks a great deal in readability. I am used to the unlikable narrator trope but Maddy took this a little bit too far and became detestable,

I think this might be a great read for any reader that enjoys middling thrillers with lots of romance, as I don't read romance I think this was a bad fit.

a gripping, well-written, albeit flawed thriller.

the setting, characters and maddy's experience with grief were some of my favourite parts of the story. however, this had a lot of romance, that i wasn't expecting, and the insta-lust threw me off guard, the twist was also not my favourite as it just didn't seem plausible. despite this, it did help me get out of a horrible slump, which i am thankful to the author for.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

So when I read the summary for this I was intrigued but at the same time I felt slightly overwhelmed, like if the blurb had so much information, how was the book going to be? In the end I basically devoured this, all the free time I had was spent reading it.

This was good!! I didnt know what to expect and it really surprised me. I loved the main character, but less so her best friend Sacha. Angela was such a well crafted character, and the setting had me hooked from the start. Really liked the ending, the twists were great, not too far fetched and fit perfectly with the pace and the vibe of the story.

This book got off to a fantastic start, I loved the setting, the concept and the main character. However I couldn't believe in her relationship with Scott - why would you stay in such an isolated setting with a person like this? And didn't think the twist was plausible. However it's extremely well written and others may well enjoy it more

This is a good thriller. It is slow and atmospheric. The tension builds up well and kept me entertained. The elements of romance are a nice touch.

This is a twisty suspense novel with Believable characters. There are clues and red herrings throughout and the ending is a satisfying.conclusion. I found myself reading into the small hours to find out what happens next. A good read.

I had such an adrenaline rush whilst reading this book, so much suspense and tension all the way through,

When Maddy travels to Scotland to ghost write the memoir of cosmetic surgeon Dr Angela Reynolds, the last thing she expects is to fall in love in such an isolated and remote place.

Angela's home has a decidedly creepy vibe that makes her uncomfortable, and Maddy is unexpectedly taken with Angela's brooding, attractive business partner, Scott.

After she returns to London to complete the book, Maddy is shocked and devastated when Scott's death coincides with the book's launch party.

But not as shocked and devastated as she will be, months afterwards, to encounter someone who looks remarkably like Scott in a tube station. So, of course, Maddy follows him...

This is an intriguing, suspenseful story that maintains a high level of tension throughout. A good choice for fans of psychological noir. It gets 3.5 stars.

Keenly Observed..
Nothing is as it seems in this enigmatic mystery. When Maddie is hired as a ghostwriter for a cosmetic surgeon and her memoirs, she is more than eager. Maddie wants to get her writing career jump started again but once ensconced in a glass walled house in the remote Scottish highlands she feels that something is most definitely off. Is she being watched? Events are soon to spiral and circumstances soon to become more and more bizarre. Billed as a reimagining of Hitchcock’s Virtigo, this is an immersive and engaging mystery with an ever present underlying vein of menace, keenly observed and deftly crafted.