Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft @daphne.woolsoncroft @hlaserwolf @thewillcollyer @hachetteaudio @hachetteaudio.bsky.social @librofm @libro.fm #NightWatcher

the setup…
Twenty years ago when Nola Strate was eight years old, she experienced the trauma of a lifetime when she came face to face with the serial killer known as The Hiding Man in her home in Portland, Oregon. She’s the only one to have seen his frightening, eerie mask. Now she’s the late night radio host of Night Watch where callers relate their experiences with paranormal events. Her father Chick previously originated and hosted the show before turning it over to her. While she’s come to terms with her childhood experience, lately Nola’s feeling like someone is watching and stalking her. Then a woman calls in, terrified that someone is in her house, the description so similar to Nola’s it brings all of the memories back to the present. She’s convinced that after all these years, The Hiding Man has resurfaced.

the heart of the story…
We get the points of view from Nola, Detective Jack De Lacey who investigated the murder twenty years ago and The Hiding Man. Nola’s instincts are dead on and even though she’s surrounded by well meaning people who tell her she’s imagining things, she never lets her guard down. I was trusting no one and my list of suspects kept shifting as well as my theories.

the narration…
Helen Laser and Will Collyer are wonderful storytellers and this one needed all their skills. Laser kept the tension high and Collyer kept me off balance. They delivered a great performance.

the bottom line…
The hype was earned here and I was uncomfortable from start to finish. It’s creepy and highly atmospheric. Nola made some risky moves, the kind where you want to scream, “no, don’t go in there!” which I found nerve wracking. While the ending wasn’t as twisty as I would have liked, it still was exciting. I’m now an instant fan.

Book Info

• Release Date: July 8, 2025
• Narrators: Helen Laser & Will Collyer
• Audio Length: 9 hours, 7 minutes
• Publisher: Hachette Audio

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(Thanks to Hachette Audio and Libro.fm for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)