When I Wasn't Watching

This book follows the lives of Lucy Wyatt (formerly Randall), her ex-husband Ethan, her teenage son Ricky and DI Matt Winston, following the release from prison of Terry Prince. Eight years ago, when he was just fourteen, Prince took Lucy and Ethan's three year old son, Jack, and murdered him. This book looks at the repercussions his release has on the family and the police officer who helped to catch him.

This is a very good read. It wasn't what I expected as I thought it would be more of a crime thriller, but it's more a story of family dynamics and how they dealt with something that has such far-reaching consequences for their lives.

It's a well-written story, with interesting perspectives and good characterisations. I enjoyed reading it and there were a couple of nice twists in it which I didn't see coming.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

When I Wasn't Watching, is a book that I initially judged solely on it's cover, and yes, I am aware that I should never do that, but it looked so good that I couldn't resist it!

I'm glad I didn't because it is a wonderful book!

Lucy's young son Jack is brutally murdered by a local teenager, Terry Prince. Eight years on sees Terry being released from the instution that detains him for 'good behaviour'. Lucy as Jack's Mother and Matt Winston DI with the local police force (at the time worked closely with the family) are the first to know.

Matt was instrumental in finding Jack just hours after he had gone missing and bringing his killer to justice. He was inexplicably drawn to Lucy back then amongst the tragedy and grief of the situation. So when he finds himself at her house when her now teenage son Ricky starts misbehaving himself he almost can't believe his luck.

Matt and Lucy begin to confide in each other and share anger at the release of Terry Prince. Lucy's ex-husband Ethan also devasted at the release of Prince begins to reappear in Lucy's life. Although he is no longer a father figure to Ricky, he begins to hassle Lucy, using his wife and Prince's release to make her feel guilty at her growing interest in Matt.

Ricky becomes more withdrawn and rebellious, unwanting of his father's attention, and unwilling to accept a new man in his Mother's life.

Ethan meanwhile, is adamant that his current wife doesn't understand the 'situation' as Lucy does. But Lucy is bitter and recalls how he once stood there and told her that she didn't understand even though it was her that was grieving the most for the loss of their son whilst Ethan was having yet another affair.

When a little boy goes missing in almost identical circumstance to Jack and a man believed to be Terry Prince is attacked and left for dead, Matt faces a difficult scenario as he questions what he knows about the two men in Lucy's life.

When I wasn't watching is a novel focusing on every mothers worst nightmare and is beautiful story about trust, grief and relationships. Highly recommended!

'When I Wasn't Watching' is certainly a gripping and compelling read. From the very first chapter I am happy to say I was completely and utterly hooked. The characters were extremely well written, and their actions completely believable. This had me going through a whole set of emotions and I really lost myself in the story! I will be recommending this book to my friends and will certainly look out for other books by this author.

Eight years ago Lucy and Ethan lost their two year old toddler to a fourteen year old killer, a mere child himself. Eight years later the murderer is released with a new identity to a secret address. There is public outcry at the short sentence and feelings are running high. When, within days of the murderer's release, another toddler disappears from his garden, vigilantes are eager to mete out their own justice with devastating consequences.

Lucy and Ethan's marriage couldn't cope with the devastation and emotional turmoil left by the void of their baby's abduction and murder. Ethan turned to other women for comfort and remarried while Lucy lived on autopilot looking after her elder son Ricky. Eight years on and Ricky, reaching puberty, feels the guilt of not playing with his little brother that day and sending him to the garden and his killer instead. The mix of his guilt and teenage hormones result in his showing a lot of anger, sadness and doubt. When he is picked up by Matt for shoplifting, it comes to light that he was the officer dealing with Ricky's little brother's disappearance eight years earlier. Matt's renewed meeting with Lucy strikes an emotional chord in him and a tentative relationship begins.

Many issues and emotions are explored in this book - how the death of a child individually affects the mother, father, brother and marriage. The unfairness of it being alright for Ethan to remarry yet Lucy is pilloried by her son, mother and ex-husband for having a relationship with Matt. I've just skimmed the surface, the book has so much more depth and intensity.

This is the first book I've read by Michelle Kelly and look forward to future publications. She writes fluidly and intelligently about modern issues with good descriptions, particularly of the sex scenes ! The plot is well thought out with no loose ends and I would certainly recommend it to my friends.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/A3PWUC2AET6J6F

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1953696-angela

What was really interesting about this book was that it dealt with the aftermath of a horrific crime. Lucy’s son was killed by a teenager in very traumatic circumstances and now the murderer is due out on parole release. It is a still crime novel as a new crime is committed but the focus is equally on the past crime and the fallout from that.

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First Line of I wasn’t watching by Michelle Kelly:

"They told her over the phone.”

My thoughts on When I wasn’t watching by Michelle Kelly:

This was such a relatable book. Obviously (and luckily) not many people will have experienced the horrors that Lucy and her family have gone through. But we have seen similar stories in the media and your mind does wander down into thinking about how you would cope if it came to your doorstep.

I thought reading about Lucy’s thoughts and feeling the weight of grief made this an emotional read. I also appreciated that this book took a wide 360 degree swing and examined the lives of all those involved in the crime including the offender and his family. It was disturbing but very, very thought-provoking.

However a theme that I haven’t ever seen covered in another book and which really made me think was how a mother who has lost a child struggles to still be seen as a woman and not just a grieving mother. There are some explicit sex scenes in the book and they felt a little out of synch with the rest of the book. But I liked the paradoxical mix of the grieving mother and the frenzied love-making as it reminds you of all the all emotions and conflicting feelings that are boiling up deep within her

“Was she expected to be on her own forever? To spend the rest of her life locked in the prison of her grief while the whole world carried on without her?”

The romance element to the book added some lightness and a welcome relief to some of the heavier overtones. I believed in the couple and wanted to see things work for them. Even though we just got glimpses of how ‘right’ they felt for each other, I could feel the deep pull and attraction that each of them had for the other.

The feel of the book was a mix of psychological thriller with a domestic setting and a romance book. And it feels equally balanced on both sides so I think it will appeal to fans of both genres, especially if you like your thrillers with a domestic feel. I did find the mystery easy enough to figure out. As there were other angles to the book, I didn’t overly mind this but it always a little disappointing when the suspense doesn't hold out.

Overall this was a fairly unique read and I will definitely read more by Michelle Kelly to see what else she will come up with.
Who should read When I wasn’t watching by Michelle Kelly?

I’d recommend this to those who like crime fiction with some romance scattered into the mix. I’d also recommend it to those who like to ponder over the moral dilemmas in books as you will find much to think about here. It would also make a good book club choice (do be aware there is some crude language though).

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina UK for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

ARC provided by NetGalley:
As so often happens after a tragic family event, Lucy's life as she knows it slowly disintegrates after the brutal murder of her young son. And when she's finally beginning to put a bit of normalcy back into her life, she finds out that her son's murderer, himself not more than a child, has been released from prison. Just like that, her life is in turmoil once again as she tries to with an ex-husband, a possible new love interest, and a troubled teenage son. This is a good story, but not a great one. It had enough suspense and enough of a storyline to keep me interested but fell somewhat flat at the end.

When I Wasn't Watching ~ Michelle Kelly

This was the first book by Michelle Kelly that I have read and I really enjoyed it.

I was first drawn to the book by the "lost Teddy on the stairs". It depicts a sad, lost child somewhere looking for their beloved toy.

The chapters were short and yet detailed, they urged me to keep reading to find out how the story would end.

The only thing I didn't like was the "out of the blue" love scene between the two main characters. It made the book a bit disjointed and I didn't think it added much to the harrowing story.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will certainly read other books in this genre by Michelle Kelly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it at record pace. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns, which were both compelling and interesting. The story line was fast paced with thoroughly believable characters and it kept me engrossed throughout.

I will be looking out for more books by this Author!

I enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. Our main character Lucy is trying to get to grips after her life is blown apart due to the murder of her young son. Just when she is getting back to some sort of order she discovers the murder is being released from prison. This opens a whole can of worms. You may be led to believe it is a crime thriller at first, but it is more about family dynamics and how our main character copes with a brutal tragedy while trying to keep herself afloat. It took me a while to finish this book but I give it five stars.