Watching You by Helen Fields

 

Edinburgh's murder investigation team is at a loss looking for clues to three unsolved murders committed over a short period of time. Enlisting the help of forensic profiler Connie Woolwine, they soon realise they have a serial killer to contend with.

I still find it difficult to believe that I only discovered Helen Fields' novels in 2021 when I read One For Sorrow, the seventh book in the Luc Callanach series. Since then, I've consumed all but two of the author's novels. I've loved everything I've read and one of the things I've particularly enjoyed is the way in which some of the characters pop up in other series.  Watching You is a prime example of this. The setting is Edinburgh, home of the murder investigation team that Luc Callanach and Ava Turner are part of. Both detectives are absent, so it is down to DS Lively and DS Salter to lead the investigation, with Detective Superintendent Overbeck keeping a close eye on proceedings. To help the investigation, Dr Connie Woolwine (The Shadow Man/The Institution) and her partner Brodie Baarda are brought in to consult, and the pair enlist the help of Midnight Jones (Profile K/The Profiler). Anyone picking up this book as their first taste of the author's work shouldn't be concerned as the story works well as a standalone one and will probably entice you to go back and read the rest of the back catalogue.

The story goes at a blistering pace as we go from the first victim being dragged to their death, through to the conclusion of events. The author puts you into the mind of some of the victims as they live their final few moments, graphic and grisly descriptions are avoided, but it is still enough to give you an unsettling feeling.

I have never been a fan of Sam Lively, but in Watching You, we see a completely different side to the brusque and uncouth DS who is regularly a pain in Luc Callanach's side. As the investigation intensifies, we get a greater understanding of why he behaves as he does and even see a softer, more caring side.

As the bodies begin to pile up, it takes consultant Connie Woolwine to link the deaths and spot the connection, local surgeon Beth Waterfall, whom DS Lively is attracted to. We are given brief glimpses into Beth's background, and this is the most chilling aspect of the whole novel. We discover that Beth's daughter Molly was a successful artist until she attracted a stalker who made her life a living hell. The lengths that the stalker went to are truly terrifying and incredibly plausible. No matter how hard she tried, Molly could not escape the grip of the stalker, and her life spiraled out of control with devastating consequences.

Everything leads to an intense conclusion, with more than one life in jeopardy, as the killer homes in on his target. Not content with a cold and sadistic serial killer, Helen Fields throws in a couple of almighty twists at the end, which I certainly didn't see coming and raises the brilliance of the book. I also loved the final scene in the police station, which warmed my heart, putting to rest a fear that had existed for four years.

Watching You by Helen Fields will be published on 28th August 2025 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Helen Fields’ first love was drama and music. From a very young age she spent all her free time acting and singing until law captured her attention as a career path. She studied law at the University of East Anglia, then went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London.

After completing her pupillage, she joined chambers in Middle Temple where she practised criminal and family law for thirteen years. Undertaking cases that ranged from Children Act proceedings and domestic violence injunctions, to large scale drug importation and murder, Helen spent years working with the police, CPS, Social Services, expert witnesses and in Courts Martials.

After her second child was born, Helen left the Bar. Together with her husband David, she went on to run Wailing Banshee Ltd, a film production company, acting as script writer and producer.

Helen self-published two fantasy books as a way of testing herself and her writing abilities. She enjoyed the creative process so much that she began writing in a much more disciplined way, and decided to move into the traditional publishing arena through an agent.

Beyond writing, she has a passion for theatre and cinema, often boring friends and family with lengthy reviews and critiques. Taking her cue from her children, she has recently taken up karate and indoor sky diving. Helen and her husband now live in Hampshire with their three children and two dogs.