When No One Is Watching

A Thriller

By: Alyssa Cole

Narrated by: Susan Dalian, Jay Aaseng

"I was knocked over by the momentum of an intense psychological thriller that doesn’t let go until the final page. This is a terrific read." (Alafair Burke, New York Times best-selling author)

Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning....

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block - her neighbor, Theo.

But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.

When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other - or themselves - long enough to find out before they too disappear?

©2020 Alyssa Cole (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Required Brooklyn reading

Wow, what a great listen and unique way to explain gentrification through this thriller style story. This should be required reading for real estate agents, real estate "investors" and anyone moving into Brooklyn or any other up-and-coming area.

Lululemon ponytail

Wow! This book was amazing! The characters were very relatable! The audio production was very intriguing! I don’t know if I’d enjoy as much if I read the print version.

Scary but True

This was hard to listen to at times because it’s an honest look at horrible things that happen in neighborhoods everyday and the people and systems that support them.

Initially, read like a documentary and ended with the somewhat suspenseful/thriller bit.

Very Slow Burn

I was expecting a lot from this book. I did not like all of the cursing. The plot was good and I enjoyed some of the historical facts. It was just too slow for me.

Phew

I was loving it, and then it picked up it almost got to be too much for me. A great reminder that humanity has both the capacity for evil and kindness in an exciting package that is also shocking and meaningful.

Loved it!!

Great read, awesome story and loved the characters. Can't wait to read more from this author

Pleasantly surprised

I went into this with a bit of a open mind, but I was worried it would be contrived, especially since the blurb compares it to Get Out. There were some parts that felt forced, but overall once the mystery started to unfold I really did love this. And the characters had wonderful back stories, very well done.

Interesting read

The author had me hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed this read overall. It was filled with good pacing and suspense. There’s gentrification and racist themes. This book gave me Antebellum and Get Out Vibes early on. Things I could’ve done without: The love scene & Those damn bedbugs, ugggh!!!

WTT..."What the thriller"

I listen to the audiobook the chapters were off, but the story was ok. Gave it 3 stars because it took so long to get to da thriller part. The story gave you bits of the mystery part to substain til the end but not enough. I got bored😴 during the story but eventually picked back up. The resolve at the end was weak.

Listen to it. Read it. Whichever you choose.

OMG! I so enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I found myself talking to the characters and social issues expressed. Once yelling at Sydney “you better not! It’s not a good idea. Don’t do it.” A definite new favorite.