Tense psychological thriller set in Cambridge. Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

This book made me think. I kept trying to decide who the stalker was and why. I have to admit, I didn't see it coming when they were unmasked. The stalker messes with all aspects of Elly's life, until she's doubting everyone. It's hard not to leave spoilers, so you should read it to see if you can unmask the stalker!!

Dr Eloise Shaw (Elly) is a psychologist at Cambridge University and is married to Rafe and they have a son called Jamie. Elly is a prominent expert on stalking and the behaviours that lead stalkers to acting against their victims. Ste book is set in Cambridge and is told over different time periods. Elly, herself, is a victim of stalking with letters written with the words "me or you", silent phone calls and unwanted gifts. Elly has reported all of these to the police but fears there will be no action taken. All the sub plots come together with a dramatic conclusion, that I never saw coming. It is a page turner, nail biting, terrifying read with moments of gasping out loud!

In The Stalker by Kate Rhodes, we follow Elly who assess stalkers in her day to day job. She now has one of her own and at the very opening of this novel, that said stalker causes her to have a concussion and in hospital for a few days.

When Elly leaves the hospital, without the doctors consent, due to having a 17 year old son she is worried about, she finds out that her husband is having an affair. Poor woman and what an opening to the novel.

She leaves and goes to her second home which is nearby. Her stalker follows and we see from the stalkers point of view their thoughts and feeling about Elly.

I did enjoy this novel, but found it quite repetitive at times and I was quite frustrated with Elly as really she should know better in a way.

Anyway, it is well written apart from my few niggles, and I did enjoy for the most part this novel. Fast moving, deep characters and an interesting read.

Thanks to the author, Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Elly has achieved considered success in the academic and media spheres as an expert on stalking. But now the shoe is on the other foot, and she is the one being stalked.

And here's the rub: being an expert on this particular form of criminal behaviour, Elly knows exactly how dangerous the situation is for her.

With her marriage in difficulties, and her strained sibling relationships, there isn't much support available to her. The question is, in a situation where she feels she cannot entirely trust anyone, can Elly identify the stalker before it is too late?

This is a well-paced, tense thriller which does not give up its secrets easily, keeping you guessing until the end. It get 3.5 stars.

Elly, an academic expert in stalker behaviour, has become the target of a stalker herself. She doesn't know who to trust. In addition, her married life is in difficulties and she has a strained relationship with her brother and sister.
I loved the Cambridge setting of the book. The bleak Fenland landscape in winter added to the sombre atmosphere. The author conveys a sense of menace throughout the story as suspicion falls on one character after another. The final twist at the end was totally unexpected. A well-written and enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A slow burn of a psychological thriller. The narrative style did not engage me and the protagonist was somewhat unbelievable and foolish in her actions. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A bit of a slow burner then it got going!
Creepy, unsettling and everything else you would expect from the title.
I felt it lost its way about half way through but overall a decent read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A very slow burn with an unlikeable, unreliable narrator, this wasn’t as thrilling or edge-of-your-seat as I’d hoped.

What I noticed as I was reading:
➤ I found the MC difficult to sympathize with as she refuses to listen to doctors and get medical tests done after a serious head injury, endangers other road users by driving with a serious head injury, and won’t take time to rest and recover. She’s obsessed with her job and lets her emotions guide her choices. She refuses to do the sensible thing at almost every juncture despite being a ‘stalking expert’. This character infuriated me consistently saying “I shouldn’t do [stupid thing] because [list of valid reasons]” and then does the stupid thing anyway… over and over again in every conceivable situation!
➤ The way it's written, I was worried this was a sequel as it felt like we were missing critical context about the MC’s relationship and history with her siblings.
➤ The liberties taken around psychological, legal, and technical terms grated on me. When words are just thrown in to sound technical, it dampens credibility and frustrates the reader. (Example: releasing a dangerous felon on the basis of ‘psychometric testing’; ‘suing’ people for criminal matters, ‘hacking’ into CCTV/access control databases remotely).
➤ I appreciated the language around suicide and reframing it from a ‘crime’ to simply as manner of death. I thought the commentary on this was conscious and thoughtful.
➤ Pacing was off, especially in the middle when the story really dragged. There were a distracting amount of uninteresting subplots (cheating husband, estranged family, weird son, repressed memories, job drama) that took centre stage at various intervals. I wasn’t as wowed by the ending as I’d hoped.
➤ The sense of place was well done. While I understand liberties were taken regarding the geography, I’ve never been to Cambridge so none of that impacted my ability to picture the buildings, place, and atmosphere as it was described.
➤ I hate the retaliatory cheating trope. An eye for an eye isn’t justice, it’s just two childish people being petty.

This is a fine way to spend a rainy couple of afternoons but I wanted more thrills and less melodrama than the book offered. Readers who enjoy slow burn crime fiction might enjoy this, provided you don’t need your characters to be particularly likeable or multi-dimensional.

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thanks, Simon and Schuster UK!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 26th Sept. This book was intriguing and terrifying in every sense! It was a cat-and-mouse game from the point of view of the stalker and the stalked.

I was gripped I stayed up till 2am need I say more? There were many rollercoaster twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.

What an ending I couldn’t believe it! I was shocked, a jaw- dropping finale I’m still thinking about it and one I didn’t see coming! I’d highly recommend this book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!