NICOLA MORGAN

---

SOME REVIEWS:

The Scotsman (review by Keith Gray)
"Edinburgh-based Nicola Morgan uses the capital as a backdrop for her slick and twisted thriller Deathwatch (Walker £6.99). Cat McPherson is about to become victim of perhaps the most disturbing of all crimes for a teenage girl, stalking. Cat is a successful young athlete and we get the feeling she might be able to handle herself physically, but her stalker is also playing mind games. In fact, the novel touches on psychological fear and torture in several different forms: phobias, Gulf War Syndrome and schizophrenia. For Cat, her fear is of insects and Morgan makes sure the novel is creepy enough for anyone with even a slight distaste of all things crawly. Plotted like a crime novel with plenty of cliff-hangers and red-herrings, this feels like a story aimed at teenage girls who want more grit, who find Twilight and its ilk too wimpy."

---

Jill Murphy, giving a five star review on the Bookbag:

"Cat McPherson is a talented athlete. She’s winning competitions left right and centre, and she’s a hot tip for a future Olympic medal. She’s also just fourteen, and understandably she wants to spend time hanging out with her friends. She’s building up the courage to approach her parents about cutting back on training, when events rather get in the way.

"For Cat has a stalker. Is it her ex-boyfriend or the retired scientist who both have an obsessive interest in insects? Or is it the young schizophrenic boy? How long will it take Cat to even notice that someone has an unhealthy interest in her? Will she realise how careless she is about giving away personal details on the web? By the time she does, will it all be too late?

"It’s genuinely creepy, this book. I dislike insects as much as Cat does, so when a spider jumped out of a bouquet of flowers and ran across her shoulder, I spent the next hour shuddering and dusting myself down. There are a number of scenes every reader will recognise - walking home in the dark or the rain, and worrying about footsteps behind you, or the hooded figure coming your way. We also get to sit behind the eyes of Cat’s stalker, and that is exceedingly uncomfortable.

"It’s also very contemporary, buying into issues familiar to all teens - stalking, internet privacy, and parental pressure. Cat spends a lot of time on Phiz - it’s a bit like Facebook - and learns some painful lessons there about giving away too much about yourself to people you don’t know at all. Less familiar to readers perhaps, but equally contemporary, is the illuminating treatment Morgan gives to post-traumatic stress.

"It’s a successful thriller too - there are a host of suspects, all fully-fleshed characters, and red herrings aplenty. Of course, I didn’t work out the identity of Cat’s stalker until about three sentences before Morgan told me, but that’s par for my not-good-at-whodunnits course. I hope readers don’t guess either though, because the sense of menace if you don’t is absolutely palpable and renders the book a real page-turner. I read in one, rather breathless, sitting.

"If I had one nit-picking criticsm to make, and I know Nicola enjoys picking over words as much as I do, I’d say there are a tad too many verbless sentences. They do build tension and are perfect in this kind of psychological thriller, but if I noticed them, it probably means there are one or two too many. And if that’s the worst thing I can find to say about Deathwatch, then I think you can see how highly I’m recommending it.

Five stars it is then!"

---

Nikki Gamble on Writeaway:

"Deathwatch is a finely crafted intelligent thriller. The drip feed of detail creates real suspense and just as we think we are getting a grip on Cat’s stalker, new suspects challenge our assumptions and judgements. This is no simple good versus evil thriller. Each character has a story and to some extent we can empathize with their negative feelings about Cat – a girl who has pretty much everything and sometimes acts with the familiar naivety and self obsession of youth. It raises some quite specific teenage issues – social networking and internet security, for example – but doesn’t preach or patronise. Other big subjects - stalking, mental health and Gulf War syndrome - are handled with similar sensitivity. The author doesn’t offer solutions but she certainly sets up discussions about responsibilities, relationships and the judgements we make about others. Sinister, tense, thought-provoking and entertaining, this is a fine teen read."

---

Vanessa Robertson, of The Children’s Bookshop, Edinburgh:

"I thought this was an outstanding book.  Nicola manages to introduce the various suspects without the characterisation feeling forced and Cat is a convincing teenage girl; questioning the assumptions being made about her future, the nature of friendship, being too trusting in her use of on-line sites and the personal details she shares there.  The feeling of menace and suspense is established from the beginning and builds steadily until the climax of the plot where the stalker is revealed and Cat has to run for her life.  And Nicola builds a life for the stalker, with a family and a history so that the reader can see how they became so obsessed and hate-filled, so that you sympathise to a degree with a three-dimensional character rather than a cardboard cut-out villain.  I really enjoyed it and I know we’ll be selling masses of copies of Deathwatch when it’s published.

"Something that did strike me at the end was that Nicola is clearly a talented crime writer and it would be interesting to see her write a crime novel aimed at a grown up readership…"

---

The Herald (review by Anne Johnstone)  -  not on-line

"...As the story hurtles towards its surprising and truly terrifying climax, Morgan cleverly interweaves several themes with her customary attention to detail: stalking (inlcuding by internet), entomology, the pressures on outstanding young athletes torn between their own ambition and the desire for normal teenage fun, schizophrenia and Gulf War Syndrome. But ultimately this is a book about the importance of holding onto your dreams and the corrosive power of despair. ... Morgan excels at getting inside the teenage brain ..."

---

Reviews by teenage readers:

Polly Bartlett (13) I read Deathwatch in one night. It is one of those books that you just can’t put down. Deathwatch addresses the issue of the day - teenagers spending too much time on social networking sites. Cat McPherson leads a normal life. She has a loving family and is a talented athlete, until Cat lands herself a stalker. Is it Danny- her ex boyfriend, Danny’s brother- a young schizophrenic, or a retired insect collector? And will Cat even notice? I thought this was an outstanding book. The plot had many twists, that kept me gripped throughout. It was cleverly written, revolving round all of the charaters. There is a feeling of suspense, that carries on from the first word, all the way to the last.

Roman (13) I really enjoyed this book, it gripped me from the start with a modern storyline which centres around a girl called Cat who chats online to friends, but things go horribly wrong when someone starts to stalk her.  This is an easy and compelling read with a really exciting ending, and would definitely be of interest to girls and boys.  

Alana (14) Deathwatch has all the ingredients of a perfect teen thriller. Cat is an up and coming athlete and everyone thinks she has it all: big house, well off parents, great friends, popularity and a budding career ahead of her – what could possibly go wrong? Well, apparently a lot!  Cat has Phizz, an internet site, which for teenagers is forbidden fruit because most parents disapprove. One day, when she’s on, she starts getting “followed” by a stranger with an image of a spider as his display picture. This for Cat is horrendous; she has a fear of all insects. When the boy won’t leave her Phizz friends list, she expects it to be her ex-boyfriend Danny trying to creep her out, but she couldn’t be more wrong….Soon she realises there is an unusual face at her training sessions . Could it be a talent scout, the coach of a rival club or her stalker? Deathwatch will keep you hooked from start to finish to find out who, from the many suspects, the stalker is.

Priya (14) Deathwatch is an amazing read because it is one of few books that manages to keep teenage readers interested right until the last sentence. Nicola Morgan manages to make the main character, Cat, easy to relate to, a job that not a lot of adults could achieve. It teaches teenagers to be thinking about their future, friendship and not be too generous with details posted on the internet. I am sure anyone who reads ’Deathwatch’ will agree that it is a real page turner.

The best teenage read of 2009!

Zoe (14)  I read Deathwatch in only one day as I found it so exciting. It’s about the average girl with an average life, who suddenly finds out she is being stalked. The story is totally gripping and impossible to put down. This book is one of Nicola’s best and I’m sure you will love it! My favourite part of the book is the end, when all is revealed, but I’m not going to give it away as it’s so good! Deathwatch is a real page turner!

Emily (14)  I found Deathwatch an extremely exciting and unique novel. I have read several other of Nicola Morgan’s books and my high expectations were not disappointed. There are very few books about teenagers that I have enjoyed as they are a hard writing style to capture but Nicola has managed it exceptionally well.

Caitlin (14)  Deathwatch is an amazing book. Cat McPherson is a character that all teenagers can relate to and the problems she faces, other than the stalker, are problems that many teenage girls can relate to. The book also raises the important issue of how much information should be given on internet sites. The stalker aspect makes it thrilling and means that you end up reading Deathwatch constantly until you have finished it. I would happily recommend it to anyone. 

Ailsa (14)  … The subtle introduction of many different possible stalkers keeps the reader interested whilst reading this gripping novel. What particularly fascinates me is the realism of the mistakes that the heroine makes: she displays too much information on easily hacked networking sites, something which many teenagers do and feels irritated and often ignores her parents’ rules about walking home at night, which many teenagers can relate to. This left me and would leave many other young readers wondering whether, in not so exceptional circumstances, they would be susceptible to the same sequence of events that the heroine of this novel experienced, and kept me reading right to the very end, to see how this heroine, who was not so unlike myself, fared in this chillingly psychological novel.

Alison (14) Deathwatch is a very topical and gripping book. …The story puts everyday problems into perspective as Cat faces real dangers and life-threatening situations. The book is very well written, and allows the reader to understand and sympathise with Cat.  Along with the thrilling chapters of the book, parts of Deathwatch are full of mystery and suspicion, humour and drama. It contains many gripping scenes and cliff-hangers that make it impossible not to turn the page.  The novel … kept the reader guessing till the very last chapter; as all great adventures do.

Jane (14)  Having a stalker was always a thing I thought only happened in films but Nicola Morgan managed to make the stalker and the way they followed Cat realistic. … All the way through the book I found myself on the edge of my seat in anticipation of finding out who the stalker was and when it was revealed it was a great surprise and a great twist. Deathwatch was a thrilling book that I couldn’t put down.

Mhairhi -  A Great Read, very addictive. I liked this book as it was very well written and I couldn’t put it down. I can relate to Cat with her teenage problems, etc. Her ex-boyfriend, Danny is also an easy character to understand, with family problems and an average teenage life.

Astrid  -  DEATHWATCH is an exciting, interesting novel. As it’s about a teenage girl facing everyday problems, I found it easy to relate to her. We follow her through school, friend and boy troubles which many of us have all experienced ourselves. The only difference is she’s being stalked. Nicola manages to introduce the possible suspects without giving away the answer, which keeps you reading on. I have read many of Nicola’s other books and I definitely think this is one of her best. Although it would relate to most teenagers I still think it would be enjoyed by a large age group anyway.  I really enjoyed it and would seriously recommend it.

Gemma  -  Deathwatch is set in the peaceful city of Edinburgh, where an unsuspecting teenager lives , Cat McPherson.  Cat is a sporty and out going person, who knows all about the pressures of competitive competition, who is pursued by a mysterious stranger. I really enjoyed reading this book, it kept me on seat the entire time. This book is a real page turner. I think that teenagers will thoroughly enjoy this novel because they will be able to relate to Cat.

---