Someone is watching Cat McPherson. Is it a young schizophrenic, a retired scientist, or Cat’s ex-boyfriend? Or it could be someone else entirely. An obsession with insects seems to link them all. And Cat hates insects. She’s easy prey, especially as she has given away so much about herself on an internet site which her parents have forbidden her to use. But does she even realise that she is being stalked? A talented athlete, Cat’s too busy with the pressures of training and deciding whether she really wants to run for a living. The trouble is, soon she will have to run for her life …

 Deathwatch is a finely crafted intelligent thriller. The drip feed of detail creates real suspense and just as we think we are getting a grip on Cat’s stalker, new suspects challenge our assumptions and judgements. This is no simple good versus evil thriller. Each character has a story and to some extent we can empathize with their negative feelings about Cat – a girl who has pretty much everything and sometimes acts with the familiar naivety and self obsession of youth. It raises some quite specific teenage issues – social networking and internet security, for example – but doesn’t preach or patronise. Other big subjects - stalking, mental health and Gulf War syndrome - are handled with similar sensitivity. The author doesn’t offer solutions but she certainly sets up discussions about responsibilities, relationships and the judgements we make about others. Sinister, tense, thought-provoking and entertaining, this is a fine teen read.

2009-06-09