When No One is Watching, Alyssa Cole

This is the kind of thriller that lays a lot of groundwork and then creeps up on you. When things go wrong, they swiftly get worse. There is a lot of history in this book, and I think Cole does a fantastic job of showing the reader the ramifications of gentrification. We also see how Black neighborhoods were kept poor on purpose with little help to keep, and maintain their homes. Cole’s characters and experiences are real, even “Bodega Becky” which we see every day in America. I liked the alternating points of view. When No One is Watching is well crafted, and I’m glad I read it; nicely done.

Random-related thought: Someone gave this 1 star because there is “really foul language”, and I just can’t with that. (◔_◔).

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When No One is Watching is available on Amazon for $10.99.

About the Book:
Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo.

But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.

When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other—or themselves—long enough to find out before they too disappear?