By: Terri Parlato
Narrators: Rebecca Quinn Robertson, Christina Moore, Nick Mills
Recorded Books
ISBN: 978-1496738622
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: 12/24/2024
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Amid the depths of a bleak Boston winter, a recently married couple find their lives and their relationship unraveling after a series of deadly accidents, in this brilliantly twisting domestic thriller perfect for fans of Stacy Willingham, Greer Hendricks, and Megan Miranda.
Accidents happen, no matter how careful or well-intentioned you are. Psychiatrist Eve Thayer frequently reassures her patients of that fact. There are even times when accidents have good consequences—like when Eve met her now-husband, Nathan, at his collision shop after another car ran her off the road.
After a whirlwind courtship, Nathan and Eve have settled into domestic life. They have a lovely home on a quiet street, a beautiful baby girl, and even the perfect babysitter to care for her. And yet, something isn’t quite right.
The stress in Eva’s life is mounting, both professionally and personally. Though the clinic where she works has been remodeled since its notorious days as an institution for the criminally insane, she feels increasingly uneasy there. And in her own neighborhood, a break-in at a nearby empty house hasn't helped, either.
Detective Rita Myers hasn’t yet figured out whether Eve is a target or a suspect, but every disturbing discovery in this usually peaceful neighborhood seems to revolve around her. Only as a deadly ice storm crashes through does it become clear just how far from perfect Eve and Nathan’s lives really are. And as the cracks in the surface come to light, so do the sinister secrets that lie beneath . . .
About the Author
All the Dark Places author Terri Parlato was born and raised in upstate New York. She currently lives in a small north Georgia town with her husband and their dog, Lucy. She spends her time writing, reading, and visiting craft breweries with her husband.
Inspired by the small towns of New England, Watch Your Back and her previous two novels are set in the fictional town of Graybridge, Massachusetts. Terri is a die-hard history nerd and loves exploring Boston and the surrounding areas. She has even located the grave of her six times great-grandfather in a small cemetery in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where generations of her family lived before moving to upstate New York.
Terri holds a BA in English Education from the State University of New York at Albany and an MS in Technical Writing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While she has always been a writer, Terri spent most of her professional career as a high school English teacher. She and her husband have three children. Terri is an animal lover, baseball fan and a rock music enthusiast.
Connect with Terri
Terri's Books
WATCH YOUR BACK
WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS
ALL THE DARK PLACES
Exceptional Authors. Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
Behind the Book & the Author
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
with bestselling author Terri Parlato
Welcome to the December 2024 #AuthorElevatorSeries, the last one of this year! Wrapping up 2024 is special guest bestselling author Terri Parlato, who is joining us today with her latest thriller, WATCH YOUR BACK.
Join us as Terri shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close and personal fun moments from this talented author.
Welcome, Terri!
Behind the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for WATCH YOUR BACK?
TERRI: Psychiatrist Eve Thayer’s life is unravelling. Her marriage is in trouble and her career is pushing her beyond her limits. Just when she thinks her life can’t get any worse, an unknown enemy surfaces and her very life and that of her family is in jeopardy.
Q. SETTING: Tell us more about the book setting (and winter) and why you selected it.
TERRI: I grew up in upstate New York where we had lots of snow, and I’ve always loved it. Yet there’s also a creepy side to snow in its ability to cover everything up and the challenges it presents to drivers and human life in general. I love that dichotomy—beauty and danger. I tend to use winter in my stories for those reasons. In WATCH YOUR BACK, I thought a winter setting would fit in well with the unsettling evil that plagues main character Eve. This book, like my first two books, is set in my fictional small town of Graybridge, Massachusetts.
Q. WRITING: Do you have a favorite chapter or scene in the novel you enjoyed writing the most?
TERRI: I enjoyed writing the ice storm scene. By the time it hits, Eve’s problems have mounted and with the storm trapping her at the psychiatric hospital, her fears escalate even more. It’s getting to the point in the story where Eve needs to find that inner strength that will carry her through. Also, in this book, we see Detective Rita continue to work through her demons. I really felt connected to the scene where Rita and her brother go through their deceased big brother Ricky’s things.
Q. TAKEAWAY: What important message, theme, or takeaway would you like readers to be left with when reading your book?
TERRI: That life is unpredictable and often fraught with unexpected troubles, but we have the capacity to overcome. It is not always easy to stay strong when facing adversity, but we, as human beings, are stronger than we sometimes realize.
Thank you, Terri! Continue reading below for more up close and personal with the author!
Behind the Author
BIRTH STATE? or (Country)
New York (upstate)
ZODIAC SIGN?
I’m right on the Cancer/Leo cusp
FAVORITE FLOWER?
Peony
DOG/CAT LOVER?
Both!
THE FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN AUTHOR—THE ONE YOU CANNOT STOP THINKING OF.
Little Women. I wanted to be Jo March.
FAVORITE READING FORMAT?
Hardcover
FAVORITE TV SERIES? (Or Movie/Video) binge-watch, series, etc.?
This is going to date me, but my favorite show to binge is the 1960’s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows.
MOST MEMORABLE PLACE YOU HAVE TRAVELED?
Ireland
IF YOU COULD ELIMINATE ONE THING FROM YOUR DAILY LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Anxiety
HOW DO YOU RELAX?
I listen to music every day. Mostly rock, blues, and classical. Music is my go-to when I’m stressed.
HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
Good question. More than I can count. Three have been published, but I’ve been writing for decades. I have boxes and boxes of manuscripts and more on my computer.
NAME A TRAIT YOU INHERITED FROM YOUR DAD OR MOM? (Good or bad)
My mom’s sense of humor. She struggled significantly with mental health her entire life, but she never lost her sense of humor. We laughed a lot.
IF YOU COULD CURE ONE DISEASE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Cancer
ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE AN INSPIRING AUTHOR?
Never give up! I became a published author at 63.
WHAT ARE EARLIER JOBS YOU HAD BEFORE BECOMING AN AUTHOR?
I worked a lot of jobs to put myself through college: fast food worker, house cleaner, retail associate. But most of my professional life was spent teaching high school English, which I loved!
COULD YOU RECOMMEND ANY BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE READ RECENTLY AND LOVED?
William Kent Krueger’s The River We Remember
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU CONSIDER BECOMING A WRITER?
From childhood. I don’t remember when exactly. Definitely after I read Little Women and that was when I was very young. Writing is something I’ve always done. It is so much a part of who I am that I never thought about it as a choice.
Thank you, Terri, for spending time with us today!
Praise for Terri Parlato
“Parlato’s multidimensional characters and effective use of red herrings will keep readers invested right up to the gasp-worthy conclusion. Series fans and newcomers alike will look forward to Rita’s next case.”
—Publishers Weekly on What Waits in the Woods
“A failed ballerina’s return home is turned upside down by the appearance of a dead body in her family’s yard…Parlato piles on the rumors, menace, and revelations.”
—Kirkus Reviews on What Waits in the Woods
“Rita’s perspective as an older, single woman with family issues of her own complements Esme’s tale as they each confront the secrets of Graybridge. Another highlight is Esme’s background as a dancer: the fading of her dreams grounds the narrative in realism as she struggles to adjust to her new life, for better or worse.”
—Criminal Element on What Waits in the Woods
“A suspenseful thrill ride…Plenty of red herrings and twists-and-turns will keep readers guessing until the very end.”
—Fresh Fiction on What Waits in the Woods
“A riveting plot.”
—CrimeSpree Magazine on What Waits in the Woods
“A creepy debut most notable for the nightmares it finds beneath apparently untroubled surfaces.”
—Kirkus Reviews on All the Dark Places
“An inexplicable murder kicks off Parlato’s gripping debut…Assured pacing matches accomplished characterizations. Parlato is off to a strong start.”
—Publishers Weekly on All the Dark Places
“Part police procedural, part domestic suspense, All the Dark Places provides mystery fans with the reading experience they crave.”
—Brian Kenney, First Clue on All the Dark Places
“This debut novel is well crafted and hooked me in the first chapter…The plot is deeply involved with several twists to the story to keep readers captivated to its dramatic conclusion.”
—Mystery & Suspense Magazine on All the Dark Places
"Terri Parlato's debut All the Dark Places checks all the right boxes for domestic suspense fans. This chilling whodunnit hooked me on the first page and kept me guessing to the last."
—Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author
“All the Dark Places by Terri Parlato is a must read for anyone who loves a good mystery! The suspense was spine-tingling and the characters were interesting but believable. I loved this book and had to force myself to lay it aside at night. Seriously, a must read!”
—Lisa Jackson, # 1 New York Times bestselling author
“A moody, atmospheric thriller perfectly crafted with just enough clues dropped along the way to keep the reader guessing and hopelessly addicted. I know I was.”
—Charlie Donlea, USA Today bestselling author of Twenty Years Later on All the Dark Places
“Hooks you immediately. Sharp characters and a plot full of twists kept the pages turning to the last. Fantastic read!”
—Mary Burton, New York Times bestselling author on All the Dark Places
“From the first pages to the stunning conclusion, All the Dark Places hums with tension. With meticulous plotting and a tenacious detective, Parlato peels back the layers of Molly and Jay’s seemingly ordinary life to reveal that dark secrets rarely stay hidden.”
—Tessa Wegert, author of Dead Wind
“If you are a fan of thrillers that will keep you up at night, whispering "one more chapter" to your alarm clock, Parlato's murder mystery is the book for you. Two women—one with a traumatic past, the other a police detective—come together after a savage killing at a 40th birthday party rocks a tight-knight Massachusetts community. You know what they say about small towns: They often have big secrets.”
—Enews (eonline.com) on All the Dark Places
My Review
Terri Parlato (favorite author) returns following ALL THE DARK PLACES and WHAT WAITS IN THE WOODS with her latest gripping domestic thriller, WATCH YOUR BACK.
Detective Rita Myers (#3) returns with a new case, shrouded in mystery and suspense. Something sinister happens in her ordinarily peaceful Boston suburb when she has to determine if psychiatrist Eve Thayer is a victim or a suspect. The plot thickens as the mystery deepens, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
“An atmospheric and chilling whodunit! Fans will be anxiously awaiting more Detective Rita Myers!”
About...
Set in Boston in the winter, Eve, a psychiatrist, and Nathan, who runs a collision body shop, have been married for about a year with a baby girl, Rosewyn. Their professions (and personal lives) play a significant role in the unfolding of the plot. In fact, they met one another after her car ran off the road during an ice storm.
They have a lovely home and a wonderful babysitter, Barbara, age 56 who lives a few blocks away
However, due to the stresses of her job, they do not have much time together for their marriage. Nathan spends a lot of time taking care of the baby.
Then strange things begin occurring at Eve's work, her patients, and the neighborhood, which seem to revolve around Eve.
The Graybridge West Psychiatric Center was built in 1940 and functioned as a psychiatric hospital until it closed in the early 2000s after years of complaints of patient neglect and mistreatment. It has been refurbished. Years ago, it was part of the psychiatric hospital where criminally and mentally ill patients were kept for shock therapy and other treatments.
What is Nathan hiding?
Detective Rita Myers is back, and FBI agent Joe works out of the Boston office (friends but more than friends).
When a tragedy occurs, and their baby goes missing, the cracks in the marriage rise to the surface, and sinister dark secrets begin to emerge.
Who is out to destroy them?
My thoughts...
WATCH YOUR BACK is a gripping novel of psychological suspense, a rollercoaster of a read that delves into a parent's worst nightmare and the devastating secrets within families. The psychological suspense will keep readers on their toes, eager to uncover the dark secrets hidden within the pages.
As with Terri's other books, I love that they are set in Boston area in the winter. The chilling atmosphere of the setting adds a layer of immersion, making the story even more spine-chilling and captivating for the readers (perfect for wintry December reading).
Multiple red herrings and a host of sinister characters help keep the pages turning. Suspicion, betrayal, and dark secrets abound―all hidden just beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect suburban life.
The ongoing mystery of what happened to Rosewyn and the motive is intriguing and slow-burning. Will Nathan and Eve be able to overcome their tragedy, or will it tear them apart?
The story is told from alternating POVs: Nathan, Eve, and Rita, giving readers a clear picture of what each character is thinking. I love Rita's character (balancing business and personal life) and her relationship with Joe. I'm looking forward to more from her in upcoming books.
If you have not read Terri's previous books, WATCH YOUR BACK may be read as a standalone; however, I would recommend reading the previous two!
Recs...
WATCH YOUR BACK is for fans of the author and those who enjoy Megan Miranda, Stacy Willingham, B. A. Paris, Mary Burton, and Sarah Pearse.
Interview...
Stay tuned for my December Featured #AuthorElevatorSeries QA with Terri as we go behind the scenes of WATCH YOUR BACK and this talented author.
Thanks to Kensington Books for a digital review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Dec 24, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars
