No one is perfect. Good and evil live in us all. Which acts will define us in the end?
Someone needed to stand up for the children.
John knows what it costs when no one does. He saw his sister pay the price.
And once you’ve seen the trademarks of a monster, you can’t unsee them.
John is the man that flies under the radar. He works in home security, silently watching other people’s lives unfold on screens. Their routines become his. Until he notices something: mundane family life that hides the evil lurking just beneath.
The pattern is familiar. The air is heavy with secrets. A little girl trapped in a nightmare. A man desperate to reclaim control over a world that makes him feel weak.
When the system fails yet another little girl, John steps in.
The deeper he goes, the harder it becomes to tell whether he is protecting the innocent—or becoming the very thing he hunts.
Another home security video, another man aglow in his computer light, sending nauseating messages to a child in a chatroom. It never ends.
Once you’ve seen it, vanquishing monsters isn’t a choice. It’s fate.
I was immediately intrigued by the title and blurb of this debut novel—and I’ll tell you right away that this isn’t your typical thriller. It’s fast-paced and has realistic themes that are also disturbing because of how relevant they feel to the world we live in. At its core, it’s a story about vigilante justice, childhood trauma, abuse, predators, surveillance, corruption, and morality. The MMC, John, transforms into a vigilante because of what happened to his sister when they were younger, and his actions become increasingly questionable.
The book opens with an author’s note explaining that although this is a work of fiction, it draws from the “shadows and headlines that shape our world today”—and by the end, I couldn’t help but agree. The story is told in the first-person POV of the MMC, whose real name is Mitch, although he uses the name John very early on as his vigilante life takes shape. In the opening chapters, a powerful public figure, Thomas Walker, comes into John’s tech repair shop with his laptop, and John discovers horrifying material. His boss tells him to leave it alone and pretend he never saw it. But John can’t.
A huge part of what drives John towards vigilantism is guilt he’s carried since childhood regarding his sister. At first, I wondered if we were going to find out what happened to her, but through flashbacks, it’s eventually revealed, and it’s clear how his childhood trauma is the foundation for his obsession with protecting people from predators. After a dramatic sequence of events, he’s forced to flee town and change his identity. All of this happens very early on, and the majority of the story takes place in Miami, where John works for a security company that provides home surveillance. This is where the title comes into play, as John secretly watches in-home camera feeds, searching for people involved in disturbing or criminal behavior. The story includes different mixed-media elements, including surveillance footage, text messages, emails, and digital communications, which make it more immersive and reinforce the idea of how much of our lives can be observed through technology today!
John makes a lot of morally gray decisions, and you’ll question his moral compass. You’ll probably also question whether he’s gone too far and whether what he’s doing can ever be justified. He’s very intelligent and meticulous and thinks he’s always several steps ahead of everyone else. I found myself yelling at him to STOP or telling him not to overlook certain details, as I knew they were going to come back to haunt him later. The people John targets are interesting because they aren’t just inherently evil. The story gives us pieces of their ownhistories and childhood experiences, which add another layer. It doesn’t excuse them by any means, but it makes you think about cycles of abuse, trauma, and how behavior can be repeated from one generation to the next.
The chapters are short to medium, and the pacing is strong throughout. I appreciated that John’s inner thoughts weren’t repetitive, which is often the case in thrillers told from a first-person POV. The story was also the perfect length and didn’t overstay its welcome. Things really heat up when one of John’s vigilante killings ends up hitting much closer to home than he ever expected. The scenes that follow include a lot of tense dialogue, dramatic confrontations, and very clever manipulation of information by John.
My only issue was that there are a few places where you really have to suspend your disbelief. In one scene, John speaks through a camera to an individual doing disturbing things, and it was hard to believe someone who was engaging in that kind of activity would have a camera positioned towards them—but this is fiction, and it works for the story. Also, towards the climax, the timing of certain events and the way characters happen to run into each other felt too convenient. I understand why those scenes were necessary to move the story forward, but I wanted some of the later plot points to feel a little more realistic. That said, the final chapters are very fast paced, and some of John’s decision-making surprised me. The ending is left open, on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I wanted to know what would happen next. The book is listed as the first novel in the Watching John series, and a second book is supposedly in the works—and I definitely plan to pick it up!
There’s also a second author’s note at the end that’s really interesting. The author says that if the book left you uncomfortable or undecided, then it did its job, because the bigger question is whether it would have been worse for John to do nothing. And this is exactly why I think this book is perfect for a book club or buddy read to discuss all of this afterwards!
If any of this sounds intriguing, or if you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with disturbingly realistic themes, morally gray vigilante characters, and surveillance, I recommend adding this one to your TBR. And if you’re an audiobook listener, I recommend the audio! Andrew Morrison does a great job with the pacing and intensity, and his narration brings John to life really well. It’s a very straightforward listen that you can enjoy at a faster speed or while multitasking, and it’ll keep you engaged from start to finish.
Narrator Performance
Watching John by Christina Patterson is narrated by seasoned narrator Andrew Morrison.
Right from the opening chapters, Morrison gives protagonist John a highly intelligent, introspective voice layered with regret and determination. You can tell that John’s a very driven individual but also haunted by his past, and I was curious to know why. When John discovers the incriminating material on Thomas Walker’s laptop, Morrison does a fantastic job conveying how affected John is by what he’s seeing and how he can’t let it go. During John’s conversations with his boss about what he’s discovered, Morrison emphasizes John’s inner conflict of his desire to investigate and his boss’s insistence to stay as far away from the situation as possible.
A major highlight of the performance was John’s intense confrontation with Thomas outside the nightclub. Morrison captures the tension of the entire scene, particularly as Thomas underestimates John. Morrison gives Thomas a confident, arrogant voice that shifts to sound more uncertain as he realizes that John may be more dangerous than he first thought.
Once John is living under his new identity in Miami, you can hear a change in his demeanor. Morisson portrays him with a calmer, more settled voice, capturing how he’s established a new life, job, and security. In John’s interactions with his coworker Alex, the tension between them is immediately noticeable through the narration, and you can hear John’s growing suspicion of Alex as the story unfolds.
The biggest highlights of the performance for me were the scenes where John carries out his vigilante killings. These scenes are extremely gripping, immersive, and disturbing, and Morrison brings so much intensity to them that I couldn’t put the audiobook down. Morrison conveys well how John’s able to remain calm and controlled despite the high-stakes situation he’s undertaking, and you can hear him thinking through every step while managing his fear and adrenaline.
The performance really shines when one of John’s killings comes back to haunt him and he starts manipulating data and conversations to keep his secrets. I loved how effectively Morrison contrasted the turmoil happening inside John’s head and the calm demeanor he presents to those around him, in particular his boss Frank. Morrison also handled John’s reactions well when he realizes that his carefully constructed plan might be falling apart.
The final climactic scenes were extremely effective. There were definitely moments where I had to suspend my disbelief because of the convenient timing of certain events and how long it takes some characters to put the pieces together, but I still found those scenes gripping because of the delivery. When the story presents one last surprise and ends on a cliffhanger, I was holding onto every word, and Morrison’s delivery left me with so much to think about afterward. And definitely don’t skip the author’s note at the end. Morrison narrates it with lots of expression, and you can hear the sincerity behind the author’s words and the ideas she wanted readers to take away from the story.
If you enjoy thrillers with morally gray characters, vigilante protagonists, surveillance, revenge, and questions about whether doing something bad can ever be justified for the right reasons, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this audiobook. It’s bingeable and easy to follow while multitasking or listening at a faster speed and will keep you engaged from start to finish!
Narrator Performance
Watching John by Christina Patterson is narrated by seasoned narrator Andrew Morrison.
Right from the opening chapters, Morrison gives protagonist John a highly intelligent, introspective voice layered with regret and determination. You can tell that John’s a very driven individual but also haunted by his past, and I was curious to know why. When John discovers the incriminating material on Thomas Walker’s laptop, Morrison does a fantastic job conveying how affected John is by what he’s seeing and how he can’t let it go. During John’s conversations with his boss about what he’s discovered, Morrison emphasizes John’s inner conflict of his desire to investigate and his boss’s insistence to stay as far away from the situation as possible.
A major highlight of the performance was John’s intense confrontation with Thomas outside the nightclub. Morrison captures the tension of the entire scene, particularly as Thomas underestimates John. Morrison gives Thomas a confident, arrogant voice that shifts to sound more uncertain as he realizes that John may be more dangerous than he first thought.
Once John is living under his new identity in Miami, you can hear a change in his demeanor. Morisson portrays him with a calmer, more settled voice, capturing how he’s established a new life, job, and security. In John’s interactions with his coworker Alex, the tension between them is immediately noticeable through the narration, and you can hear John’s growing suspicion of Alex as the story unfolds.
The biggest highlights of the performance for me were the scenes where John carries out his vigilante killings. These scenes are extremely gripping, immersive, and disturbing, and Morrison brings so much intensity to them that I couldn’t put the audiobook down. Morrison conveys well how John’s able to remain calm and controlled despite the high-stakes situation he’s undertaking, and you can hear him thinking through every step while managing his fear and adrenaline.
The performance really shines when one of John’s killings comes back to haunt him and he starts manipulating data and conversations to keep his secrets. I loved how effectively Morrison contrasted the turmoil happening inside John’s head and the calm demeanor he presents to those around him, in particular his boss Frank. Morrison also handled John’s reactions well when he realizes that his carefully constructed plan might be falling apart.
The final climactic scenes were extremely effective. There were definitely moments where I had to suspend my disbelief because of the convenient timing of certain events and how long it takes some characters to put the pieces together, but I still found those scenes gripping because of the delivery. When the story presents one last surprise and ends on a cliffhanger, I was holding onto every word, and Morrison’s delivery left me with so much to think about afterward. And definitely don’t skip the author’s note at the end. Morrison narrates it with lots of expression, and you can hear the sincerity behind the author’s words and the ideas she wanted readers to take away from the story.
If you enjoy thrillers with morally gray characters, vigilante protagonists, surveillance, revenge, and questions about whether doing something bad can ever be justified for the right reasons, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this audiobook. It’s bingeable and easy to follow while multitasking or listening at a faster speed and will keep you engaged from start to finish!
Watching John by Christina Patterson is narrated by seasoned narrator Andrew Morrison.
Right from the opening chapters, Morrison gives protagonist John a highly intelligent, introspective voice layered with regret and determination. You can tell that John’s a very driven individual but also haunted by his past, and I was curious to know why. When John discovers the incriminating material on Thomas Walker’s laptop, Morrison does a fantastic job conveying how affected John is by what he’s seeing and how he can’t let it go. During John’s conversations with his boss about what he’s discovered, Morrison emphasizes John’s inner conflict of his desire to investigate and his boss’s insistence to stay as far away from the situation as possible.
A major highlight of the performance was John’s intense confrontation with Thomas outside the nightclub. Morrison captures the tension of the entire scene, particularly as Thomas underestimates John. Morrison gives Thomas a confident, arrogant voice that shifts to sound more uncertain as he realizes that John may be more dangerous than he first thought.
Once John is living under his new identity in Miami, you can hear a change in his demeanor. Morisson portrays him with a calmer, more settled voice, capturing how he’s established a new life, job, and security. In John’s interactions with his coworker Alex, the tension between them is immediately noticeable through the narration, and you can hear John’s growing suspicion of Alex as the story unfolds.
The biggest highlights of the performance for me were the scenes where John carries out his vigilante killings. These scenes are extremely gripping, immersive, and disturbing, and Morrison brings so much intensity to them that I couldn’t put the audiobook down. Morrison conveys well how John’s able to remain calm and controlled despite the high-stakes situation he’s undertaking, and you can hear him thinking through every step while managing his fear and adrenaline.
The performance really shines when one of John’s killings comes back to haunt him and he starts manipulating data and conversations to keep his secrets. I loved how effectively Morrison contrasted the turmoil happening inside John’s head and the calm demeanor he presents to those around him, in particular his boss Frank. Morrison also handled John’s reactions well when he realizes that his carefully constructed plan might be falling apart.
The final climactic scenes were extremely effective. There were definitely moments where I had to suspend my disbelief because of the convenient timing of certain events and how long it takes some characters to put the pieces together, but I still found those scenes gripping because of the delivery. When the story presents one last surprise and ends on a cliffhanger, I was holding onto every word, and Morrison’s delivery left me with so much to think about afterward. And definitely don’t skip the author’s note at the end. Morrison narrates it with lots of expression, and you can hear the sincerity behind the author’s words and the ideas she wanted readers to take away from the story.
If you enjoy thrillers with morally gray characters, vigilante protagonists, surveillance, revenge, and questions about whether doing something bad can ever be justified for the right reasons, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this audiobook. It’s bingeable and easy to follow while multitasking or listening at a faster speed and will keep you engaged from start to finish!
