Eyes on you by Kate White

Robin Trainer seems to have it all - she is co-anchor on one of the hottest cable shows and her book is gaining widespread attention ahead of its official release.  It seems as though all the hard work and drama of the past few years is behind her, her star is shining brightly and growing brighter by the day.   But with the good comes the bad, and it seems as though someone is not as happy about her success as they should be - or it least that's how it seems when Robin finds a sinister note at her books launch party.  Shaken by the note but shaking it off, she soon discovers that it is not a one off event.  As each little, and not so little, act of sabotage and vandalism occurs Robin can't help but feel unsettled and unbalanced.  

Each event brings back memories from the past, the feelings of items stained and ruined by a vindictive stepmother who made Robin appear to be unstable and a liar.  She thought she had left the events of her childhood behind, but as the number of incidents mounts Robin begins to experience feelings of doubt and confusion.  Is she seeing shadows where there aren't any?  Is what she feeling real, or is a tortured childhood reaching out to ruin her future at a time when she should finally be happy?  Forced to think on her feet and face her demons, Robin needs to figure out what is really happening - before it is too late.

One of the fun parts about reading thrillers is trying to figure out whodunnit before the author reveals all - the "funnest" reads are the ones that convincingly string you along for the whole book offering you tempting tidbits about who it could be, right until the big reveal at the end of the book.  Eyes on you was one of the better thrillers I have read in recent years because you are presented with quite a few plausible candidates for the "bad guy" and it was very satisfying to know that the little tingles of "I wonder" were right on the money - and by the end of the book I didn't care that I had changed my mind a few times because my original idea was right on the money!  

I have read one other Kate White, and that was a shorter story that was satisfying but was not as absorbing and twisted as Eyes on you.  One of the appealing aspects was the fact that because Robin is essentially "damaged" you can't help but wonder if what she is experiencing is really what she is experiencing - or if she is seeing it all through her tainted past and trust issues.  One of the most endearing aspects of Robin is that she is so human, she is flawed, she makes mistakes, and she seems to have clung onto some of the naivety we lose when we become fully functioning "adults".  This is not a perfect read, there are some fumbles and odd phrases with the writing - but in some ways that makes the book a better read.  

It is not easy for an author to switch from one sub genre of crime to another, but White has managed to create a fun and light crime/romance on one hand, and on the other she has created this atmospheric psychological thriller that makes you doubt what you know.  

If you like this book then try:

• The wrong man by Kate White
• The postcard killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
• Normal by Graeme Cameron
• The survivors club by Lisa Gardner
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• The slaughter man by Tony Parsons
• The surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
• One step too far by Tina Seskis
• The basement by Stephen Leather
• Level 26: Dark origins by Anthony E. Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski
• Now you see her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
• The postcard killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
• Private Oz by James Patterson and Michael White
• Darkly dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• Kill switch by Neal Baer & Jonathan Greene
• The edge of normal by Carla Norton

Reviewed by Brilla