‘While Nobody Is Watching’ by Michelle Dunne is a debut psychological thriller and one I found to be a page-turner from the start. This is exactly why I love my book blogging, discovering books that I love written by people who can spin an excellent story that holds me from start to finish.
We are introduced to Lindsay Ryan who three years ago was Corporal Lindsay Ryan, peacekeeping in Syria with a promising career in front of her. Then life threw a curveball in a terrible way in the form of a little girl accidentally setting off an IED, killing two and injuring Lindsay. Since that day Lindsay has blamed herself and has suffered from severe PTSD to the present day.
In the present day, she is back home in Cork city. She has a new career working with troubled kids in and around Cork city. She is quite an inspiration for a fair few of them aa well, what they don’t know or see is that Lindsay is struggling, no sleeping and flashbacks are terrorising her when alone. Lindsay also feels like she is being watched at work, at home and even in the night as darkness falls and her nightmares take over. As it escalates we see Lindsay wondering if this is paranoia or something else?
It is a story that deals with serious subjects that affect a lot of ex-military and it is something that, in my opinion, needs highlighting more in this day and age. Michelle Dunne has woven a tale that plants itself firmly in your imagination with her detailed descriptions of the settings and her excellent characterisation. The depth of feeling in this book brings everybody to life and the sensitivity with which she handles the seriousness of the subjects is very clear.
I loved Lindsay’s dog Frank and their relationship is beautiful. I thought that Franks’ devotion to Lindsay perfect and just shows the bonds animals and humans are capable of.
A psychological thriller that encompasses, trust, friendships and even loyalty within its intriguing plot that had me trying to guess who the culprit was constantly. A great read and I would recommend it, definitely.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Bad Press Ink for the copy of the book.
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