A Book A Week

We’re taught to fear what waits in the dark. We flip on porch lights, clutch our keys a little tighter in empty parking lots, and leave a lamp glowing when we go out, anything to suggest there’s life inside. Logically, we know the dark isn’t dangerous in itself. But try convincing your brain of that. It’s a fear born early. We plug in nightlights, teach kids to be wary of what hides in the shadows, and for every false alarm, there’s just enough truth to keep the fear alive.

It’s in that charged space between logic and imagination that Daphne Woolsoncroft sets the stage for Night Watcher. She conjures a killer who moves within those shadows, lurking just out of sight, ready to strike. The result is a chilling, pulse-pounding read that plays perfectly on our most primal fears.

Nola has never escaped the shadow of that night. As a child, she came face-to-face with one of the most infamous serial killers to ever haunt the Pacific Northwest. Her babysitter, Mia, was murdered downstairs, while Nola was inexplicably spared. The killer wore a white stitched mask, and that image burned into her memory. Dubbed The Hiding Man, he vanished into the darkness and was never caught. For years, Nola lived with the fear he might return.

Now an adult, Nola has made a name for herself as the host of Night Watch, a late-night call-in radio show that delves into unsolved mysteries and conspiracy theories. She tells herself she’s moved on, but the security cameras dotting her property suggest otherwise. The feeling of being watched has never quite left, and lately, it’s grown stronger. When a disturbing call comes in during a live show, from a woman whispering about an intruder in her home, Nola’s blood runs cold. The voice on the other end describes a man wearing a white stitched mask. After all these years, The Hiding Man is back. And this time, he's coming for her.

Night Watcher sees Daphne Woolsoncroft prey on our fear of darkness and the unknown in the best, most skin-crawling way possible. I was immediately creeped out by The Hiding Man, and Woolsoncroft expertly threads that fear through a tense, fast-paced narrative. Shifting perspectives offer a layered look at the hunt—or lack thereof, depending on the POV—for the killer. Inspired by the unsolved murder of her own aunt, Woolsoncroft channels real grief and paranoia into the novel, and it shows.

Even when the pacing slowed briefly, I was too hooked to care. Everything builds toward a pulse-pounding conclusion that left my heart racing more than any thriller I’ve read this year. Night Watcher is a winner. It's smart, scary, and downright impossible to put down.

For more information, visit Amazon and Goodreads. 

(2025, 60)