The Watcher: A dark addictive thriller with the ultimate psychological twist

The Watcher: A dark addictive thriller with the ultimate psychological twist
Ross Armstrong

She’s watching you, but who’s watching her?Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can’t help spying on her neighbours.Until one day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars and soon her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat.But can Lily really trust everything she sees?

ROSS ARMSTRONG is a British stage and screen actor who has performed in the West End of London, on Broadway and in theatres throughout the UK. Among others, he has acted opposite Jude Law (Hamlet), Joseph Fiennes (Cyrano de Bergerac), Kim Cattrall (Antony and Cleopatra) and Maxine Peake (The Deep Blue Sea). His TV appearances include Foyle’s War, Jonathan Creek, Mr Selfridge, DCI Banks and most recently, Ripper Street.

After gaining a BA in English Literature and Theatre at Warwick University, Ross joined the National Youth Theatre where his contemporaries included Matt Smith and Rafe Spall. A three year course at RADA followed and whilst there he won the RADA Poetry Writing Award. The idea for his debut novel The Watcher came to him when he moved into a new apartment block and discovered whilst looking at the moon through binoculars that he could see into his neighbours’ homes. Thankfully for them, he put down his binoculars and picked up his pen.

He is an avid cricket fan and hosts a regular podcast for All Out Cricket magazine. He also has a monthly column in You and Your Wedding magazine as he prepares for his own wedding in 2017.

For Catherine

Acknowledgements (#ulink_6acc76fc-25bf-5d9d-9a75-0dbd66c0a80f)

Thanks to Catherine for her wonderful thoughts, general wisdom and a world of other things too.

To Al and Antonia, and particularly their children Evan and Darcy, for being the most consistent source of real life danger and violence I face on a regular basis.

To Jim for not going ahead with the long-mooted novel Lennon and Presley Detective Agency, leaving me as the sole author in the family to date.

To Juliet Mushens for being the best trinity of editor, agent and friend one could wish for.

To all at the Woodberry Wetlands for teaching me about the birds.

Everyone at HQ for their incredible support, dynamism and hard work from the very first moment we met.

My parents for everything, particularly for working for 50 years so their son could have the temerity of doing two Batchelor of Arts degrees when it was still economically possible to do so, which only qualified him to read books and act in detective-based TV shows. And for being my greatest champions and friends.

In ways big and small, there have been many people kind enough to read or listen to my words and not berate me for wasting their time. Every moment was immeasurably valuable to me. So, thanks to: Chris Farrar, John Hollingworth, Tom McHugh, Jules Stevens, David Hart, Fred Ridgeway, Jo Kloska, Richy Riddell, Natasha James, Jack McNamara, Jane Boston, Alex Odell, Dan Ings and Ben McLeish.

If there is anyone else who thinks themselves largely responsible for me getting to write this thing that has given me so much pleasure whom I have neglected to mention, I’m sure you’re right and I apologise unreservedly.

Contents

Cover (#uab6e826c-72f3-50d7-b5cb-6d1727d5ad2e)

About the Author (#u1fd5905d-4feb-5ae2-ae35-110ea7e38528)

Title Page (#u77697d71-ea60-572e-a702-a57184c02d70)

Dedication (#ub60dc013-ca89-51dc-93c6-2e7e910e58ed)

Acknowledgements (#ulink_4dc51cb6-4d56-5282-bc77-363e76db1419)

7 days till it comes. (#ulink_9add1ac3-3eca-5477-8b16-b1743ea09124)

Part One: The Look (#ulink_e337a9dc-31ef-5ff2-b9e3-3ec0f8220818)

42 days till it comes. (#ulink_bed85414-e589-5900-a837-b63fae440327)

35 days till it comes. (#ulink_a3601a9e-7223-59c7-a359-ff4ec18c6c9d)

33 days till it comes. (#ulink_e2b103de-bdad-5eb2-a956-e261f1dde0aa)

30 days till it comes. (#ulink_e732e382-e0cc-5aea-81d7-0bb919792bf9)

Part Two: The night. And the day that followed. (#ulink_96238d6c-bd27-5818-b383-aafd9d49dac2)

20 days till it comes. Night. 10 p.m. (#ulink_981aa562-d819-5846-8568-0b5447c69b80)

19 days till it comes. 11 a.m. Work. (#ulink_0e332fcb-eb3b-52f9-8301-715c62ea831a)

20 days till it comes (Dr Lily Gullick). 11 p.m. (#ulink_b126eca5-10b8-5a84-85fc-7f043e6397d3)

19 days till it comes. 2.30 p.m. (#ulink_22a618c2-a16b-5eab-ad26-114ec02f6d15)

Back to Last Night (#ulink_4ea1817d-0b3b-5821-9c56-7be12fa961cb)

20 days till it comes. Night. 11.45 p.m. (#ulink_fb7f898b-1267-5ce7-ad3a-1f7928878878)

Night. 12.30 a.m. (#ulink_33314b22-59ff-5ad0-9ed8-b1e93d71cc15)

Night. 3 a.m. (#ulink_a2e9824a-b557-5fba-aac9-d482d7459b6b)

19 days till it comes. 5.32 p.m. (#ulink_9c41f31b-56a8-5163-a7ec-4dc56875b7da)

Part Three: The Woman in Canada House (#ulink_bfb3ff43-55f9-529e-b54c-170ee2414a61)

18 days till it comes. 10 a.m. (#ulink_1db33286-6e05-5820-b34f-2c246800902c)

16 days till it comes. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker. (#ulink_f8cc792d-6c99-51d1-9ed0-30bd8776ad17)

Part Four: The Twitch (#litres_trial_promo)

15 days till it comes. 2.02 a.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

15 days till it comes. 2.32 a.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

15 days till it comes. Time: Unknown. (#litres_trial_promo)

15 days till it comes. Far too late. (#litres_trial_promo)

14 days till it comes. 7 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Five: Birding (#litres_trial_promo)

13 days till it comes. 8.30 a.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

12 days till it comes. 4 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)