When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

 “The landscape of my life is unrecognizable; Gifford Place doesn’t feel like home,” thinks Sydney Green, who has returned to her Brooklyn neighborhood after a failed marriage and some years away.  Things are changing on her street. The close community has been invaded by wealthy young white professionals who look down on the mostly older, black, economically struggling residents and are confrontational with others.  

Her anxiety about the street increases during a local walking tour when it becomes clear that the rich cultural heritage and black history of the area is completely overlooked and the tour guide dismisses the current vibrant tightly knit community.  In addition, Sydney is worried about her mother’s failing health and the untenable contract that her mother has signed while Sydney was gone.  All seems hopeless, and sleepless nights, too much alcohol, a childhood friendship going sour, add to her unease.  

Meanwhile, across the street, Theo, one of the white residents whose pony-tailed girlfriend Kim is one of the newcomer ringleaders, watches Sydney surreptitiously.  His own precarious situation with Kim has him in a kind of purgatory, trapped in a house that he poured all his savings into with a girlfriend who is more past than present and probably with a new man.  Theo becomes interested in the other residents of the street and attends a neighborhood meeting for the longstanding block party.  

Although Sydney is highly skeptical of Theo’s interest, she accepts his help as she is determined to highlight the history of the area by creating her own walking tour.  They start an uneasy relationship that expands beyond the historical research into trying to figure out what has happened to Mr. Perkins, “the mayor of Gifford Place,” and his dog Count, to the families who seem to leave in the night, to the abandoned hospital that has unexplained lights and activity, and to Sydney’s best friend who ghosts her.  

When No One Is Watching is a thriller on steroids.  It has all the elements of a classic thriller, such as the down-and-out protagonists, multiple points of view (which may or may not be reliabe), propulsive plot, escalating suspense,  danger, characters who question their sanity.  It introduces some new things into this scheme that make it absolutely terrifying and incredibly timely.  Terrifying, because it proposes ideas that could be all too true regarding the gentrification of urban, predominately Black neighborhoods, and timely, because in 2020, we have witnessed by video the unjust and merciless tactics used against people of color.  There are many sub-genres of thrillers; welcome to the new social thriller, with a title here that would be excellent for discussion. 

Alyssa Cole is a prolific author, and this is her first thriller.  The book has been optioned for film, and in a recent interview, she says that she has many more ideas for thrillers, historicals and her popular romance series.  Read on!

This new title is out today, September 1.  Thanks to William Morrow and Edelweiss for an advance copy.