Watching Over You
"..plotting and pace of the novel were both first class.."
Synopsis:
Following the tragic death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and tries to start her life over. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.
Unknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons, as the fallout from a horrific childhood causes her unspeakable obsessions to drive her insane.
As Ellla's mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre behaviour makes Charley uneasy. Every step Charley takes to distance herself from Ella backfires, as Ella's obsessions become more and more intense.
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
'Watching Over You' is not a crime novel in the traditional sense of the term, instead it is a novel which features horrific crimes almost as an afterthought. A traditional crime novel would start half way through this tale with someone (Cop/PI/Everyman) investigating, whereas Sherratt has chosen to show us the mind of the perpetrator and the disturbing thoughts which drive her onwards. Both Ella and Charley are convincing characters who are drawn with realism and deft touches, yet this is really Ella's story. The depiction of her descent into madness was chilling and the way Sherratt drew back the curtains on Ella's psychoses entranced me as I turned pages with the glee of a confirmed rubbernecker approaching a motorway pileup. The plotting and pace of the novel were both first class and I look forward to reading more of Mel Sherratt.