Eye Spy by C. M. Ewan review – An edge-of-your-seat thrill ride

Eye Spy by C. M. Ewan: The review

I’m not sure any book has ever made me feel as anxious as C. M. Ewan’s Eye Spy, and I mean that in the best way possible. Punchy, fast-paced, and with not a single moment to spare, Ewan has demonstrated his expertise in creating tense situations that you can’t look away from, even if your heart is in your mouth from start to finish.

Eye Spy tells the story of Mark who’s on his way back from a trip to Paris with his young daughter, Molly, and teenage step-daughter, Freya. It’s been an uneventful trip, and Mark expects an uneventful journey home, too. But when Molly points out a ‘Bad Man’ in baggage check in the train station during a game of eye spy, the three-hour journey home to London spirals quickly into a nightmare.

I don’t need to spoil any more of the plot, because the joy of Eye Spy is experiencing everything as it unravels. Short and sharp chapters, often just three pages long, hold your attention on a knife edge, and from one cliffhanger to another, you’ll be furiously turning the pages, desperate to find out what’s going to happen.

You might think the story here to be somewhat far-fetched, but it’s written so well that it doesn’t matter; it’s easy to suspend disbelief and get lost in Ewan’s high-stakes world for a few hours. It has all the ingredients of a Hollywood thriller, and in fact, if this ever gets turned into a film, I’ll be there on opening night.

Ewan has such a fantastic writing style; accessible, relatable and human, while also being tense and heart-stopping. Not a word has been spared – everything on the page exists purely to either up the tension or make you care about these characters. An incredible novel, and undoubtedly one of the best thrillers of the year. Do not sleep on this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced digital copy of the book. Paperback purchased by me.