My Little Eye (Starke & Bell) by Stephanie Marland
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 15th June 2018
Purchase: Amazon
★★★★ 4 stars
When I began "My Little Eye" I was sure I would give it about a 2 to 3 star rating, as I found it a little slow to begin. Told from two perspectives - DI Dominic Bell (Dom) and Clementine Starke - the story weaves the online social media world into the real world and their respective attempts at solving the murders of women in London by the media-monikered "The Lover". I was more interested in the police procedural than the online social media aspect and felt it "got in the way" of a good story. However, as the story progressed it became a more addictive read and I found myself turning the pages to reveal just what Clementine knew that Dom (and the police) didn't, and how it was going to play out.
What made the story interesting was Clementine's own backstory. Why she is who she is and why she is obviously more comfortable online that in the real world. My love for backstories made this a far more interesting read, and both Clementine and Dom have their own stories and secrets to tell (or keep) which gives them both character and substance.
After reading another book previously that dabbled with social media and murder, I wasn't sure what to expect with this and I guess it clouded my judgement from the beginning as I didn't really enjoy the previous book as much. But as "My Little Eye" progressed it became clear that this was a book with a formidable story with strong key characters.
The online world is somewhere people can hide behind alias', nicknames, avatars and on the whole, be judge, jury and executioner in the world of opinion. The conversations between the online members using their Twitter handles added that extra realism to the story. But on the other side, there was an element of creepiness about it all. Why anyone would get involved in a group like this, go out and gather evidence and then report back to the group their findings is just a little too extreme for me. But it added that extra creepiness to it. Particularly when "Death Stalker" the self appointed leader of the group had every team member turn on their locations but refrained from revealing his own. No one seemed to know just who he was or why he was really doing this. He was the ultimate puppet master, and the team were his marionettes. I kept silently screaming to Clementine "Don't do it! Don't do it!" when she was undertaking tasks at Death Stalker's request.
And then there is Dom. He who has his own secrets and baggage with a past that is coming back to haunt him...in the form of the IPCC. But then he finds details of the case, previously (and still) undisclosed turning up in the media and cornered by a persistent freelance journalist with questions he should know nothing about. Someone is on his team leaking information. But who is the leak? He's not sure who to trust - both in the past and present - and he is not sure where he stands. Solving this case is paramount not just for the public's safety but for his own peace of mind and redemption.
As Clementine and Dom's world collides for but a moment, I wondered just where it would lead and then BAM! A twist is thrown in to turn the whole case upside down and soon Clementine finds herself in the firing line of both police and the online group.
I was a little disappointed that despite Clementine regaining her memory of what happened in the fire that killed her father and left her physically scarred, we didn't find out more as to "who" the dark shadow was or could have been. I can only hope the author will continue to explore this backstory. I hate unfinished stories.
A slow-burner to start, "My Little Eye" picks up pace to move steadily then roars to a finish that leaves us wanting more. Where do Dom and Clementine go from here? I guess we have to wait for the next book to find out.
What made the story interesting was Clementine's own backstory. Why she is who she is and why she is obviously more comfortable online that in the real world. My love for backstories made this a far more interesting read, and both Clementine and Dom have their own stories and secrets to tell (or keep) which gives them both character and substance.
After reading another book previously that dabbled with social media and murder, I wasn't sure what to expect with this and I guess it clouded my judgement from the beginning as I didn't really enjoy the previous book as much. But as "My Little Eye" progressed it became clear that this was a book with a formidable story with strong key characters.
The online world is somewhere people can hide behind alias', nicknames, avatars and on the whole, be judge, jury and executioner in the world of opinion. The conversations between the online members using their Twitter handles added that extra realism to the story. But on the other side, there was an element of creepiness about it all. Why anyone would get involved in a group like this, go out and gather evidence and then report back to the group their findings is just a little too extreme for me. But it added that extra creepiness to it. Particularly when "Death Stalker" the self appointed leader of the group had every team member turn on their locations but refrained from revealing his own. No one seemed to know just who he was or why he was really doing this. He was the ultimate puppet master, and the team were his marionettes. I kept silently screaming to Clementine "Don't do it! Don't do it!" when she was undertaking tasks at Death Stalker's request.
And then there is Dom. He who has his own secrets and baggage with a past that is coming back to haunt him...in the form of the IPCC. But then he finds details of the case, previously (and still) undisclosed turning up in the media and cornered by a persistent freelance journalist with questions he should know nothing about. Someone is on his team leaking information. But who is the leak? He's not sure who to trust - both in the past and present - and he is not sure where he stands. Solving this case is paramount not just for the public's safety but for his own peace of mind and redemption.
As Clementine and Dom's world collides for but a moment, I wondered just where it would lead and then BAM! A twist is thrown in to turn the whole case upside down and soon Clementine finds herself in the firing line of both police and the online group.
I was a little disappointed that despite Clementine regaining her memory of what happened in the fire that killed her father and left her physically scarred, we didn't find out more as to "who" the dark shadow was or could have been. I can only hope the author will continue to explore this backstory. I hate unfinished stories.
A slow-burner to start, "My Little Eye" picks up pace to move steadily then roars to a finish that leaves us wanting more. Where do Dom and Clementine go from here? I guess we have to wait for the next book to find out.
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