Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

 

In the middle of the night, a mother gets up to check on her two young children. Hearing a noise she is convinced that there is someone in the house. When she sees the outline of a stranger on the stairs her only thought is of the survival of her and her children.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra is another of those books that has gained a buzz on Twitter, hence it joined my TBR pile. I was desperate to read it but I'm a bit of a wimp so had to pick my time perfectly, I have been known to stop reading if a book scares me. Initially, it was going to be holiday reading but I decided against reading this in a strange house. After that, I had to think about the timings of my OH being away from home.

This book is so gripping that you are likely to read it in one sitting. The opening chapter, in fact, the opening line, is chilling and sets the tone for the remainder of the book. The setting adds to the atmosphere; an old house, which some locals are convinced is haunted, a remote setting, heavy snowfall, the middle of the night and a woman alone with young children. 

The old rambling house is as much of a character in the story as the mother and the intruder. The mother's knowledge of all the noises the house makes is what first alerts her. You then feel her terror and the frantic race against time to collect her children together and hide. Luckily there is a panel that leads to a small crawl space, a panel so well disguised that it is almost impossible to spot.

With her children safe they then have to listen as the intruder searches. Once again it's her knowledge of the sounds the house makes that allows her to track his movements. As she listens she realises that somehow this stranger knows them, that she has seen him somewhere before.

I'm not going to add any more, this really is one of those books where saying anymore is likely to spoil the tension. You have to read it for yourself, experience the terror, the loss of control and wonder what you would do in a similar situation.

Author Details

Tracy Sierra was born and raised in the Colorado mountains. She is an attorney who currently lives in New England in an antique colonial-era home complete with its own secret room. When not writing, she spends time with her husband and two children. Nightwatching is her debut novel.