They’re Watching combines action, strong characterisation, and a genuine, mesmerising mystery to produce what is regarded as one of his unforgettable novels so far.
Things start to get really bad for him when someone begins sending him DVDs. The recordings on the discs show him and his wife going about their everyday activities, such as leaving the house or sleeping in their beds. Whoever is doing this invasion of their privacy seems to have intimate knowledge of every facet, every nook and cranny of their lives. Patrick and Ariana discover all too soon how this is being done, but still don’t know who is behind it or the reason for it.
Then things get even worse. The people who have invaded their lives begin giving Patrick unusual errands that are the stuff of reality television. The motivation behind these, though, takes a malevolent turn when he suddenly finds himself on the wrong end of a violent setup. Soon Patrick is investigated by the police and the other authorities, hounded by the press, and beset on all sides. To fight back, he needs to find out who is doing what they’re doing, and why.While reading They’re Watching, one gets the impression that Patrick is caught up in situations in which he appears extremely guilty. And indeed, there is a cinematic feel to the book too, which demonstrates Hurwitz’s skills as a screenwriter. Hurwitz also keeps his complex plot tightly reined in and easy to follow all the way to the end, where the reason that the bad things have been happening to innocent people is finally revealed.
Hurwitz’s writing style, using first person conversation, works well as the readers get inside the head of the protagonist, Patrick Davis, following him through every high and low moments of his life as he journeys down a path that leads to an almost impossible conclusion. An interesting story replete with enough plot twists and heart-stopping action to capture the readers’ interest till the end.