An extremely pacey debut comparable to “Rear Window” and “The Kind Worth Killing”. Full of twists and turns, this  clever psychological thriller will keep the reader constantly guessing about the heroine

THE WATCHER
by Ross Armstrong
On submission
Agent: United Talent Agency

Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat, opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can’t help spying on her neighbours, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified. After befriending a vocal critic of the new apartment blocks, Jean, she is shocked when Jean is found dead. Everything points to natural causes, but Jean was convinced that someone wanted to silence her, and Lily decides it’s up to her to unravel mystery. The police label her a timewaster, but when a young student on the estate goes missing, Lily knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat.

THE WATCHER is told in the form of a birdwatching journal, narrated to Lily’s estranged father, whose calls and text messages she is constantly avoiding, for reasons which slowly become clear. As the narrative progresses and Lily grows increasingly isolated from everyone around her, we start to suspect that things aren’t quite as they seem. Is Lily a vigilante hero, or a troubled young woman chasing after a phantom? 

Ross Armstrong is an actor, based in London. He recently appeared in the new series of Jonathan Creek, Foyles War and WPC56 amongst other things. He has also just finished performing a new play about Oppenheimer for the RSC in the West End.