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Someone's Watching
Marty and his new stepsister run away from home and find refuge in an abandoned hotel, unaware of its secret guest who watches their every move
326 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1983
5 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Neiderman
74 books393 followersAndrew Neiderman is the author of over 44 thrillers, including six of which have been translated onto film, including the big hit, 'The Devil's Advocate', a story in which he also wrote a libretto for the music-stage adaptation. One of his novels, Tender Loving Care, has been adapted into a CD-Rom interactive movie.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
Andrew Neiderman became the ghostwriter for V.C. Andrews following her death in 1986. He was the screenwriter for Rain, a film based on a series of books under Andrews name. Between the novels written under her name and his own, he has published over 100 novels.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 2, 2023
Neiderman's Pin was mentioned in Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction, and while I have not read that yet, I thought I would check out some of his other novels. Someone's Watching possesses some interesting historical details about old Catskill's resorts, but beyond that, meh.
Our main protagonist, Marty, lives with his drunken lout father in an old farm house deep in the Catskills; the closest dwellings around are old, abandoned resorts that at one time catered to the Borst Belt crowd, but those days are past (this was first published in 1983). Marty dropped out of school at 16 to help his old man with repairing cars and such; this and other old jobs constitute their primary source of income. One day Marty's dad comes home with a woman and her teenage daughter and announces they are going to be married, which they do a few days later. Now, Marty's dad has 'eyes' on the 'cocktease' daughter and one day gets his chance and starts raping her, only to have Marty show up and clock the asshole with a coal shovel. Feeling it best to lay low for a spell, Marty and Judy (the daughter) decide to hole up in one of the old, abandoned resorts; seems like a good move, but the old motel is not as abandoned as they thought...
While not a really novel premise, this could have made a decent story nonetheless; alas, it falls flat on almost every level. Marty and Judy are so cardboard it hurts, and this extends to all the characters in Someone's Watching. As everyone is basically a walking trope, there are no real surprises and this felt scripted to say the least. Of course Marty and Judy fall for one another. Of course Marty's dad is gonna look for some payback. Of course there is some creepy dude at the old motel. It was interesting to read about the old motel in its heyday, as narrated by a senile old man still living there (one of the owners), but not interesting enough to really carry the novel. I have read grocery lists that keep me more interested. Not a complete fail, but I cannot recommend it either. 2 sleepy stars.
Our main protagonist, Marty, lives with his drunken lout father in an old farm house deep in the Catskills; the closest dwellings around are old, abandoned resorts that at one time catered to the Borst Belt crowd, but those days are past (this was first published in 1983). Marty dropped out of school at 16 to help his old man with repairing cars and such; this and other old jobs constitute their primary source of income. One day Marty's dad comes home with a woman and her teenage daughter and announces they are going to be married, which they do a few days later. Now, Marty's dad has 'eyes' on the 'cocktease' daughter and one day gets his chance and starts raping her, only to have Marty show up and clock the asshole with a coal shovel. Feeling it best to lay low for a spell, Marty and Judy (the daughter) decide to hole up in one of the old, abandoned resorts; seems like a good move, but the old motel is not as abandoned as they thought...
While not a really novel premise, this could have made a decent story nonetheless; alas, it falls flat on almost every level. Marty and Judy are so cardboard it hurts, and this extends to all the characters in Someone's Watching. As everyone is basically a walking trope, there are no real surprises and this felt scripted to say the least. Of course Marty and Judy fall for one another. Of course Marty's dad is gonna look for some payback. Of course there is some creepy dude at the old motel. It was interesting to read about the old motel in its heyday, as narrated by a senile old man still living there (one of the owners), but not interesting enough to really carry the novel. I have read grocery lists that keep me more interested. Not a complete fail, but I cannot recommend it either. 2 sleepy stars.
November 28, 2017
Great book! Reminded me of Dweller towards the end. The relationship between Marty and Judy pretty much made the novel. A lot of creepiness but that’s as far as the horror aspect went. I was expecting a little more but I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
September 2, 2016
Huh...well that was interesting. Yet another book that defies it's genre novel trappings and tries to just push a unique set of characters to their limit. If you really wanted a trashy horror novel you'll probably be throwing this book against the wall in the last quarter, when it becomes clear that the tense, eerie mood being built upon is only an entity unto itself and is never truly given full reign. This is clearly more of an atmosphere story than one of substance.
Spoiler-alert: The hotel creeper never really becomes a monster or acts on his violent emotions of lust and aggressive loneliness. He's just a misunderstood developmentally handicapped weirdo who lives in the air grates. There is no showdown or fight for life in the confines of the hotel. He's just a useless tragic character. He's not even a well-developed tragic martyr as his back story and relationship to the hotel and family are never fully fleshed out enough for you to deeply care or be intrigued.
Really this is more of a slice of life romance between two teens escaping real life horrors like rape, abusive parents, neglect, small town drudgery, grief and what not. They have a slow burn chemistry and friendship that turns into a relationship you can really care about. This ended up being the only redeeming point of what could have been an empty story. Their innocent aim to create an artificial paradise from the stresses of life is poignant in a way.
Frank, the rapey alcoholic abusive dad that initiates the movement of the plot is your run of the mill "kick a puppy level villain" as my sister would say. He's so irredeemable, nasty and rough that it's more unintentionally funny than threatening. He's the kind of one dimensional sociopath that see's his 14 year old stepdaughter sunbathing and thinks "that damn tease! I better teach her a lesson with my dick". This guy was so dead from the moment he was introduced. He's the token throwaway asshole.
My beef with Judy's character is that while I enjoyed her interaction and relationship with Marty, her character otherwise acts as a lust target to drive the action and attention of literally every man she comes across.....but she's 14. That's creepy as hell and the author describing her as having a mature or womanly figure didn't make that anymore reasonable or less pedo. Her breasts get exposed more than a chick in a bodice ripper and nearly every interaction is against her will. Just blegh! Too creepy and unnecessary.
The ending is pretty meh as well. It stretches out this odd unexplained paranoia and then follows it up with nothing. I almost laughed out loud when I got to the bottom of the last page. It was like "We couldn't get rid of this foreboding feeling that the nightmare wasn't over so we went back to the hotel. It was like re-entering a surreal dream. Every sound reverberated back into our heartbeat. Every shadow held the promise of a lurking ghoul. When we got to the basement nothing was there. What a relief!! Then we skipped into the moonlight and snuggled. The end". Like wtf?
So, yeah I have mixed emotions about how the story was handled but I can also admit it was entertaining and not altogether a waste of time. The story had more potential than it lived up to but it's worth it for the great relationship development between Marty and Judy.
Spoiler-alert: The hotel creeper never really becomes a monster or acts on his violent emotions of lust and aggressive loneliness. He's just a misunderstood developmentally handicapped weirdo who lives in the air grates. There is no showdown or fight for life in the confines of the hotel. He's just a useless tragic character. He's not even a well-developed tragic martyr as his back story and relationship to the hotel and family are never fully fleshed out enough for you to deeply care or be intrigued.
Really this is more of a slice of life romance between two teens escaping real life horrors like rape, abusive parents, neglect, small town drudgery, grief and what not. They have a slow burn chemistry and friendship that turns into a relationship you can really care about. This ended up being the only redeeming point of what could have been an empty story. Their innocent aim to create an artificial paradise from the stresses of life is poignant in a way.
Frank, the rapey alcoholic abusive dad that initiates the movement of the plot is your run of the mill "kick a puppy level villain" as my sister would say. He's so irredeemable, nasty and rough that it's more unintentionally funny than threatening. He's the kind of one dimensional sociopath that see's his 14 year old stepdaughter sunbathing and thinks "that damn tease! I better teach her a lesson with my dick". This guy was so dead from the moment he was introduced. He's the token throwaway asshole.
My beef with Judy's character is that while I enjoyed her interaction and relationship with Marty, her character otherwise acts as a lust target to drive the action and attention of literally every man she comes across.....but she's 14. That's creepy as hell and the author describing her as having a mature or womanly figure didn't make that anymore reasonable or less pedo. Her breasts get exposed more than a chick in a bodice ripper and nearly every interaction is against her will. Just blegh! Too creepy and unnecessary.
The ending is pretty meh as well. It stretches out this odd unexplained paranoia and then follows it up with nothing. I almost laughed out loud when I got to the bottom of the last page. It was like "We couldn't get rid of this foreboding feeling that the nightmare wasn't over so we went back to the hotel. It was like re-entering a surreal dream. Every sound reverberated back into our heartbeat. Every shadow held the promise of a lurking ghoul. When we got to the basement nothing was there. What a relief!! Then we skipped into the moonlight and snuggled. The end". Like wtf?
So, yeah I have mixed emotions about how the story was handled but I can also admit it was entertaining and not altogether a waste of time. The story had more potential than it lived up to but it's worth it for the great relationship development between Marty and Judy.
December 1, 2010
I really liked this book. I don't understand why people on this site that read it previously have no opinion. This book is essentially about Marty and his father Frank. Frank is an alcoholic and a violent one. One day, Frank brings home a woman and her teenage daughter Judy. He announces that he's marrying Elaine and they're moving in. Marty notices how Frank is constantly eyeing Judy, making comments on her figure.
Marty and Judy grow close, since both of their parents are pretty much alcoholics. Judy confides in Marty that she doesn't want to ever be left alone in the house with Frank because he makes her uncomfortable, purposely bumping into her, pinching her, etc. One day, Judy is outside tanning and Frank comes home drunk. Poor Judy ends up being violated but saved by Marty. They don't know if Frank is dead or not, but they flee to an old abandoned hotel nearby.
At least, they thought it was abandoned. From there on the story escalates to the ending, which was just like watching a movie in my mind as the story played out. LIked the characters, liked the storyline and really enjoyed the ending as well. If you're a fan of this author, and this is only the 2nd book of his that I've read, you should read this book. I give him an A+.
Marty and Judy grow close, since both of their parents are pretty much alcoholics. Judy confides in Marty that she doesn't want to ever be left alone in the house with Frank because he makes her uncomfortable, purposely bumping into her, pinching her, etc. One day, Judy is outside tanning and Frank comes home drunk. Poor Judy ends up being violated but saved by Marty. They don't know if Frank is dead or not, but they flee to an old abandoned hotel nearby.
At least, they thought it was abandoned. From there on the story escalates to the ending, which was just like watching a movie in my mind as the story played out. LIked the characters, liked the storyline and really enjoyed the ending as well. If you're a fan of this author, and this is only the 2nd book of his that I've read, you should read this book. I give him an A+.
October 12, 2024
This book had such promise! I loved the first third of this book, getting to know our main characters and seeing them in all sorts of troubling situations. Then, when we arrived at the abandoned hotel down the road the creep factor skyrocketed and I loved it all! The idea that “someone” was watching these two protagonists as they tried to leave their haunted pasts behind was excellently handled. I was scared each time we read from that “someone’s” perspective as they just stood in the shadows and lurked.
Unfortunately from there the story diverges toward something I wasn’t quite as keen on. I thought as the story unwound the creepy factors fell away and what could’ve been a really dangerous and compelling plot line became just a bit bland. It still had moments for me, and it read incredibly fast so I can’t take too many stars away for how the plot unwound, but I was just a bit disappointed in the direction it took.
The ending brought the book back up because of how explosive the last few chapters are. Could there have still been a bit more? Yes, of course. But I enjoyed what we got nonetheless.
Unfortunately from there the story diverges toward something I wasn’t quite as keen on. I thought as the story unwound the creepy factors fell away and what could’ve been a really dangerous and compelling plot line became just a bit bland. It still had moments for me, and it read incredibly fast so I can’t take too many stars away for how the plot unwound, but I was just a bit disappointed in the direction it took.
The ending brought the book back up because of how explosive the last few chapters are. Could there have still been a bit more? Yes, of course. But I enjoyed what we got nonetheless.
December 8, 2022
All filler, no thriller.
February 18, 2024
This is the 3rd Andrew Neiderman book and my least favorite. It has cliche characters, not creepy at all, and some plot holes. And oh I wanted to shake Judy and tell her to grow some balls- she was little Miss “Damsel in Distress”.
The storyline actually isn’t too bad, but the writing was not great. I think that the biggest problem that I had was that every guy in the book seemed to idolize the 14 year old, Judy- and she was such a cookie cutter character. Marty’s dad Frank was a major pedophile, which was already appalling.
The “breathing presence in the shadows” was basically just a creepy old troll (aka hermit) who doesn’t get out much. I would find the grumpy old troll from “Dora the Explorer” creepier than him.
The one redeeming quality that I did find in this book was the “abandoned hotel”. I love reading anything about abandoned places.
Content warning for some sexism
The storyline actually isn’t too bad, but the writing was not great. I think that the biggest problem that I had was that every guy in the book seemed to idolize the 14 year old, Judy- and she was such a cookie cutter character. Marty’s dad Frank was a major pedophile, which was already appalling.
The “breathing presence in the shadows” was basically just a creepy old troll (aka hermit) who doesn’t get out much. I would find the grumpy old troll from “Dora the Explorer” creepier than him.
The one redeeming quality that I did find in this book was the “abandoned hotel”. I love reading anything about abandoned places.
Content warning for some sexism
December 1, 2017
Not my favorite, but still gave it an average rating.
The end of the book really gave it closure because for a moment there I was wondering how it was going to come to an end for Eric. What happened to him could be good or bad depending upon the way you look at it. He only existed in the hotel and really didn't live. His family for the most part had turned their backs on him, which was pretty sad.
Judy struck me as way to naive. I really questioned her actions throughout the book. From the second she decided to go outside and get a tan, I knew it wasn't going to bode well for her. I do think that she recovered well (for the most part) for what happened to her, although it could be considered as Hero Syndrome for jumping into Marty's arms (even though she was halfway there to begin with).
I found the style of writing too choppy with not enough details. There are other books by him that are better.
The end of the book really gave it closure because for a moment there I was wondering how it was going to come to an end for Eric. What happened to him could be good or bad depending upon the way you look at it. He only existed in the hotel and really didn't live. His family for the most part had turned their backs on him, which was pretty sad.
Judy struck me as way to naive. I really questioned her actions throughout the book. From the second she decided to go outside and get a tan, I knew it wasn't going to bode well for her. I do think that she recovered well (for the most part) for what happened to her, although it could be considered as Hero Syndrome for jumping into Marty's arms (even though she was halfway there to begin with).
I found the style of writing too choppy with not enough details. There are other books by him that are better.
November 7, 2025
Except for a couple of rough scenes dealing with sexual assault, this could have easily been a YA novel.
Not one of Neiderman's best efforts. Nothing special here.
Not one of Neiderman's best efforts. Nothing special here.
November 14, 2025
Fun very different book to read. Great story.
January 26, 2012
This Neiderman novel is set in a hotel which seems to be abandoned at first, but, as the title indicates, someone's watching the couple who decide to stay there. I was
pleased to see that this is one of Neiderman's higher rated novels and not pleased to have to take those numbers down just a bit. I really didn't enjoy this book
either. The flashbacks were annoying as hell, the characters (all of them) were annoying as hell, the suspense factor of the book seemed to just be about drawing out
the book by making the characters perform uninteresting little chores, which was annoying as hell, and the ending was stupid... and annoying as hell. I seem to write
annoying reviews for books like this to try and show how I felt while reading them. I don't know how to make it much clearer because, like always, I don't mention much
of the plot in a review since the damn internet will give you 80% of it if you look for more than half a second, but I wouldn't bother much with this one. Neiderman has
it in him to write good books, but since I dislike most of the ones I have read, he seems to rarely hit the bullseye. Well, I haven't read a bullseye yet but I'm sure
that slim little novel is out there somewhere and I plan on finding it which is why I keep trying, and trying, and trying.
pleased to see that this is one of Neiderman's higher rated novels and not pleased to have to take those numbers down just a bit. I really didn't enjoy this book
either. The flashbacks were annoying as hell, the characters (all of them) were annoying as hell, the suspense factor of the book seemed to just be about drawing out
the book by making the characters perform uninteresting little chores, which was annoying as hell, and the ending was stupid... and annoying as hell. I seem to write
annoying reviews for books like this to try and show how I felt while reading them. I don't know how to make it much clearer because, like always, I don't mention much
of the plot in a review since the damn internet will give you 80% of it if you look for more than half a second, but I wouldn't bother much with this one. Neiderman has
it in him to write good books, but since I dislike most of the ones I have read, he seems to rarely hit the bullseye. Well, I haven't read a bullseye yet but I'm sure
that slim little novel is out there somewhere and I plan on finding it which is why I keep trying, and trying, and trying.
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December 8, 2012not very good, dumb plot
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews