A dark and twisty tale that will keep you on your toes and unable to put this book down.
I loved this story about loner security man Derek Flint. He lives alone with his mother and has no real interests outside of his work, it is pretty much all he is interested in. Derek is very disciplined with his work and has very high standards, he is secretive and keeps himself to himself making him a really interesting character. The story takes a dark turn when we learn more about what Derek is doing during his workday and when he goes home making this reader uneasy. Just as you begin to think things could not get worse, they really do and the author has plenty of surprises in store for the reader. A dark and twisty tale that will keep you on your toes and unable to put this book down.
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Stone has created a thought-provoking story by taking something integral to our everyday lives and turning it into something dark and twisted.
The central premise of this book - that we could be under surveillance without our knowledge - is a real thought-provoker. Our lives are becoming more and more dependent on technology to protect us: Stone takes that fact and turns it on us. What we believe is there for our security could in fact be being used to put us in harm's way.
Whilst the initial plot really caught my imagination, I'm afraid none of the protagonists did. We weren't really given a chance to get to know and sympathize with the victims, and the stalker of the title was quite rightly a deeply distasteful person. I don't think this distracted from the storyline until the twist as the end which I feel would have worked better if I'd had some shred of empathy with his character. The ending jarred for me and felt out of sync with the pace and style of the rest of the story.
An entertaining thriller that you'll race through and enjoy, but don't expect the characters to stay with you for a long time afterwards. Perfect book for settling down to in an evening.
Stalker is an entertaining and at times very tense thriller about Derek, a self-employed middle-aged fellow who installs security systems in people's homes, whilst secretly watching them to maintain a feeling of being a part of their lives. The plot is fast-paced and satisfyingly gripping, and it's good to have a protagonist/semi-villain whose motives are, in a way, pure (though not totally pure, obviously - just in his own internal logic).
My main issue is with the characters themselves. Derek is by far the most interesting of them (as he should be), but beyond that the two police officers, Beth and Matt, are instantly forgettable, and the three real villains are more like pantomime villains than captivating bad guys. Derek's brief change of character a third of the way through is in a similar vein; you can almost hear him cackle as lightning flashes around his spooky castle lair high up on a mountain.
All that said, in a book like this it's the story that is the most important aspect to me, and that part of it was fine. I'd happily pick up more of the authors work.
Big brother is watching you. Do not upset him
From the onset this book gripped your imagination. The story pulled you in and took you on a roller coaster ride. Told from different character's views the story unfolds. Having CCTV fitted by a company, the main man then watches the home of various customers and what people get up to when they think mo one is watching. A good novel, hard to put down in places but the ending seemed to be a let down to otherwise a very good plot and storyline.
I wouldn't change a thing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery with lots of twists and turns and a good ending.
I couldn't put the book down once I started it. It is well written and it flows very well and keeps you guessing all the way through the book. The main characters are Derek Flint, his mother, his apprentice Paul, and the police, a DC Beth Mayes and Matt Davis.
The main character Derek, is a lonely misfit who is also very socially an outcast. He installed CCTV security systems for people in their home or work place. Derek watches all of his customers at home on his computer. He thinks of them as family. Unfortunately, he makes a mistake which then snowballs and he ends up in a life and death situation.
I found Derek really interesting. He felt he had a very bad life since his Dad walked out when he was young. His mother wasn't very loving or social with him, which could have lead to him being as he is.
I enjoyed the book very much. This book shows how dangerous the internet and dark web can be. I had quite a few favourite moments, but if I have to say, it is at the end, when Derek helps the police solve some crimes. My least favourite part was how nosy people can be but this happens in daily life all the time.
I wouldn't change a thing. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery with lots of twists and turns and a good ending.
It is a story of the internet, the dark web and the prejudices of people. I enjoyed this book and I'm sure if you picked up a copy you would to
This was a good read.
it is a story of stalking. But who is the stalker and who is the stalkee, is that a word?
The main character is Derek Flint, who is an installer of CCTV equipment. But is he what he seems? Not only does he install cameras but sets them up so he can watch his customers go about their business. He may say he does this with the best of intentions; but Derek has a secret in his past, which if people were to know, it would colour their opinion of him.
So is Derek the stalker?
This is a book that has you constantly revising your opinions and trying to second guess the author.
All characters are well rounded and have an important part to play in the story. The writing is superb and has you eagerly turning the pages.
It is a story of the internet, the dark web and the prejudices of people.
I enjoyed this book and I'm sure if you picked up a copy you would to. So go on it would be money well spent.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anybody who likes a bit of a dark story/character and it was certainly very gripping. I looked forward to reading it once I'd started and look forward to more books from this author.
I really enjoyed 'The Darkness Within' by Lisa Stone, so when I had the chance to review this, I was really pleased. I definitely wasn't disappointed. I loved this book! It was a great read and gripping and thought-provoking.
Derek Flint is one of the main characters in the book. He is a bit of a loner who lives with his mother. As the story unfolds, it looks at the difficult relationship Derek and his mother have and why. The main focus of the story though is the fact that Derek runs his own security business. He installs and 'monitors' security cameras in both residential homes and businesses. You begin to wonder about what is behind Derek's close interest in the families and business he works with and when some disturbing events happen, is Derek behind them in some way. DC Beth Mayes becomes involved in investigating these events and crimes and this leads her and her partner to look at the neighbourhood in which Derek lives and the people he works with, more closely.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anybody who likes a bit of a dark story/character and it was certainly very gripping. I looked forward to reading it once I'd started and look forward to more books from this author.
If you're after one of those reads, that's fast paced and keeps you pondering as to what's coming next, then I can highly recommend Stalker, by Lisa Stone.
Derek Flint is a loner. He lives with his mother and spends his
evenings watching his clients on the CCTV cameras he has installed inside their homes. He likes their companionship - even if it's through a screen.
When a series of crimes hits Derek's neighbourhood, DC Beth Mayes begins to suspect he's involved
A fictional story that could easily filter into real life, and that's what makes this story edge of the seat stuff.
I loved the tension created in every short sharp chapter, this is the clever way in which Stone keeps you reading on for more. The central character is a loner, unnerving and quite frankly creepy, but that's also what makes him interesting. In fact, at times I felt for him. His controlling mother, and past have been partly responsible for the way in which he lives his life through others.
Some of the twists in the plot you do some coming, others not. I won't reveal the ending, that's for you to find out.
I really enjoyed this book – and I was not sure that I would!
I really enjoyed this book – and I was not sure that I would!
Two chapters in and I was hooked, there's lots of twists and turns and the book is very thought provoking. It makes you slightly paranoid - wondering who could be watching you?!
Stalker is a fabulous read and definitely one for any fan of thrillers / psychological thriller books.