Because I'm Watching
A Novel
-
-
4.5 • 48 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Welcome back to Virtue Falls, Washington, where one woman is being held captive by her own delusions. . .
“Smart, dramatic…with unexpected twists, psychological tension, and emotional depth.”—Kirkus Reviews on Christina Dodd's Because I'm Watching.
She had survived, but she is still held captive…
Of her memories, her loneliness, her delusions. But are they truly delusions?
The survivor of a college dorm massacre, a woman accused of her lover’s murder, Madeline Hewitson is haunted by ghosts and tormented by a killer only she can see. At night, she works, writing and drawing the monster that slithers through her imagination, and living in fear of those moments when the doors of her mind unhinge and her nightmare lives in the daylight.
A seasoned military veteran, Jacob Denisov lives alone in his small, darkened home, sleepless, starving, and angry. Every day he lives with the guilt that comes from his own failures and the carnage that followed. When neighbor Madeline Hewitson drives her car through the front wall of his house, she breaks his house—and his life—wide open. Forced to view the world outside, Jacob watches Maddie, recognizes a kindred spirit and wonders what she fears more than herself. Has someone caught her in a twisted labyrinth of revenge and compassion, guilt and redemption, murder and madness?
When Maddie's imaginary killer takes form, she fights back. But will she be strong enough to triumph, or is the killer she fears no more than a shadow, an illusion…that watches?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Dodd's intriguing third Virtue Falls contemporary romance (after Obsession Falls), traumatized and disreputable Madeline Hewitson is the author of bestselling thrillers but they are published under a pseudonym, and her brother, Andrew, is the public face of the author. Maddie's fear-driven inspiration began when she was the sole survivor of a mass killing while she was a college student; later, two years before her move to Virtue Falls, Wash., she was cleared of suspicion in the unsolved murder of her lover, Easton. Text messages interspersed throughout the narrative reveal that someone is committed to keeping her "afraid, insane, malleable." Military veteran Jacob Denisov endeavors to make his home across the street from Maddie's into a refuge from the torment of events he and his team suffered in North Korea; when an exhausted Maddie accidentally drives into his front wall, she smashes through his literal and emotional barricades. An engaging cast of Virtue Falls locals adds depth and multiple subplots as the mysteries around Maddie reach unsatisfactory resolutions.
Customer Reviews
Because I'm Watching
Is another thrilling installment in Christina Dodd's Virtual Falls series. I can't wait for the next one to see what happens.
Great who-dunnit with romance
This was a really great who-dunnit book! A whole cast of characters that could be the bad guy, or was Maddie really crazy, because with her past, who could blame her for being crazy? And then you have Jacob suffering from PTSD, a vet with his own traumatic backstory, not wanting help of any kind from anyone. And then Maddie literally crashes into his dark world, dragging him, with help, back into the light. And even as he's falling for her, he's not sure if she is crazy or if someone is just trying to make her seem crazy to the rest of the town.
I couldn't put the book down, it was so good. All of the Virtue Fall books can be read alone, although you get a sense of the town and its people if you read them all. This one touched a spot for me though, as I am married to a vet who has his own moments of PTSD and I could do nothing but feel and pull for Jacob throughout the book. Ms. Dodd painted a true and solid picture of Jacobs torment. I hope it helps us all remember what we owe in thanks to our military men and women, past and present.