She's got that look that kills, that woman, she's really tough: WITH MY LITTLE EYE.

With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Actress Meribel Mills receives an escalating set of letters from a stalker she deems "Marker Man" thanks to his scented marker covered notes whose drawings depict her chopped up or in danger. Even worse, they come directly to her home in LA and seem to indicate he's watching her every move. So Meribel and her tween daughter pack up and move across the country to Atlanta. But before she knows it, Marker Man is back at it, with intimate knowledge of her movements in her new city. Meribel feels watched--but by whom?

Whew... this was a slow one at first! I usually love Jackson's thrillers, but EYE didn't have the usual zing. This felt like a version of YOU, but from the perspective of the stalked (mostly). The beginning is a lot of description and repetitive lead up with not a lot of excitement. The best part of the book was Honor, Meribel's adopted almost thirteen-year-old daughter. Autistic and awesome, Honor carries the book with her literal wit and humor. Meribel is a great mom, too, even if she makes some questionable decisions in other parts of her life. There's an ex-boyfriend, an ex-husband, and a new neighbor who all play roles.

EYE picks up as it goes along and gets exciting as it nears the end. There's a very dark twist that I quite enjoyed, as well. A lot goes on, for sure, even if at times it feels like a typical stalker novel. Where it rises above is the surprises and the lovely relationship between Honor and Meribel. The messages about exactly what the boundaries of stalking entail also make you think--is it stalking to look at someone's Instagram without them knowing? Looking up an ex online? How much does Meribel "deserve" her stalker by being a famous actress? When does someone cross the line?

Overall, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it, even it was not quite as thrilling as I'd hoped. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from William Morrow and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.



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