WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING

 

I love collecting and reading horror and thrillers, but Alyssa Coles romance novels are one click purchases for me. When I found out she released a thriller, I was curious about how her treatment of a thriller would be. The  premise is that Sydney’s Brooklyn neighborhood is becoming gentrified. She attempts to fix the education people are receiving about the neighborhood by developing a walking tour highlighting the African American history to uplift her perspective as an African American woman.  Then there are some major twists and turns to how people are leaving the neighborhood that provoke mystery and adds suspense.

This is also a very smart read, uplifting racial dynamics that have been known to take place in forcing African American people out of their homes. In fact, Alyssa Cole as a bibliography at the end of the novel, demonstrating the amount of research that went into the development of the plot.

She also demonstrates mastery of characterization by really fleshing out Sydney’s character showing the complexity of her relationships with white people. One example is her realization that law enforcement is not on her side wen she needs protection, bringing the dynamics of the realities African Americans experience to life.

Everything that makes this book smart could have made the events in the plot line read more like a textbook study, however it was an entertaining, fast paced read. I’d highly recommend this book it you want a psychological triller with social commentary. Just don’t expect one of her books with a happily ever after as this book takes on a dark tone, which I really love!

I am also posting this review on Goodreads