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Folly Island #2
Keeping Watch
Acclaimed as one of the most original talents to emerge in the last decade, award-winning author Laurie R. King returns to Folly Island to deliver her most stunning achievement yet--a breathtaking novel of suspense that explores the very essence of good and evil.
Allen Carmichael came back from Vietnam a lifetime ago--but only now was he ready to return home. For years, he’s lived on the fringes of the law, using a soldier’s skills to keep watch over those too young to defend themselves. Some consider him nothing but a kidnapper for hire--the best in the business; others call him a hero. His specialty has been rescuing children from abusive parents and escorting them to loving homes. But after twenty-five years, he is ready to take on his final case--a case that could destroy him.
The boy’s name is He believes his father is going to kill him. Allen is convinced that the twelve-year-old is right and devises a strategy to save him. His last job done, Allen heads back to Folly Island, where he plans to settle into a quiet life. But not long after his return, a small plane piloted by the boy’s father’s crashes, leaving behind debris--but no body. Now it is up to Allen to resolve whether Jamie’s father is dead or alive--and to make sure Jamie himself stays out of harm’s way. But a series of ominous events leads Allen to question whether Jamie’s father is really the enemy after all. Or if the real threat is far more unspeakable...and the killer unimaginable.
Riveting, harrowing, and unforgettable, Keeping Watch takes psychological suspense to its most dizzying heights and proves again why Laurie R. King has been called by both readers and critics an undisputed master of suspense.
Allen Carmichael came back from Vietnam a lifetime ago--but only now was he ready to return home. For years, he’s lived on the fringes of the law, using a soldier’s skills to keep watch over those too young to defend themselves. Some consider him nothing but a kidnapper for hire--the best in the business; others call him a hero. His specialty has been rescuing children from abusive parents and escorting them to loving homes. But after twenty-five years, he is ready to take on his final case--a case that could destroy him.
The boy’s name is He believes his father is going to kill him. Allen is convinced that the twelve-year-old is right and devises a strategy to save him. His last job done, Allen heads back to Folly Island, where he plans to settle into a quiet life. But not long after his return, a small plane piloted by the boy’s father’s crashes, leaving behind debris--but no body. Now it is up to Allen to resolve whether Jamie’s father is dead or alive--and to make sure Jamie himself stays out of harm’s way. But a series of ominous events leads Allen to question whether Jamie’s father is really the enemy after all. Or if the real threat is far more unspeakable...and the killer unimaginable.
Riveting, harrowing, and unforgettable, Keeping Watch takes psychological suspense to its most dizzying heights and proves again why Laurie R. King has been called by both readers and critics an undisputed master of suspense.
386 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
137 people are currently reading
1038 people want to read
About the author
Laurie R. King
135 books6,840 followersEdgar-winning mystery writer Laurie R. King writes series and standalone novels. Her official forum is
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
THE LRK VIRTUAL BOOK CLUB here on Goodreads--please join us for book-discussing fun.
King's 2018 novel, Island of the Mad, sees Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes travel from London's Bedlam to the glitter of Venice's Lido,where Young Things and the friends of Cole Porter pass Mussolini's Blackshirts in the streets. The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series follows a brilliant young woman who becomes the student, then partner, of the great detective. [click here for an excerpt of the first in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice] The Stuyvesant and Grey series (Touchstone; The Bones of Paris) takes place in Europe between the Wars. The Kate Martinelli series follows an SFPD detective's cases on a female Rembrandt, a holy fool, and more. [Click for an excerpt of A Grave Talent]
King lives in northern California, which serves as backdrop for some of her books.
Please note that Laurie checks her Goodreads inbox intermittently, so it may take some time to receive a reply. A quicker response may be possible via email to info@laurierking.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
May 30, 2009
This is more a companion book than a sequel to Folly, as this work touches only briefly on Folly's main character, Rae. I must say I enjoyed this book immensely, and felt the book was a much more rewarding read than Folly. This could very well be King's magnum opus. The way she weaves the stories and backgrounds of the two main characters, Allen and Jamie, is quite masterful. I thought King proved remarkably adept at telling a story from the male point-of-view.
This book is not for the faint of heart. The subject matter is very heavy (child abuse, both physical and psycological, peppered with the atrocities of war), and the pictures she paints are quite vivid, though necessary. Ultimately, however, the payoff at the end is well worth it.
A great change of pace from the other Laurie R. King novels I have read.
This book is not for the faint of heart. The subject matter is very heavy (child abuse, both physical and psycological, peppered with the atrocities of war), and the pictures she paints are quite vivid, though necessary. Ultimately, however, the payoff at the end is well worth it.
A great change of pace from the other Laurie R. King novels I have read.
July 1, 2009
This was one of the books I've read in my life that was so well written that I believed it was unnecessary for me to write any of my own. I'd say near perfect.
July 10, 2014
Keeping Watch
Laurie R King
Psychological thriller isn't usually my genre but Keeping Watch is one of the most brilliantly written books I've read in a long while. Laurie King writes with the acuity of the master, never tripping throughout this exquisitely appalling tale.Jamie is a thirteen year old boy whose father is a con man extraordinaire and who has an unusual and terrifying occupation. Allen, a Vietnam vet, is a man dealing with the psychological fallout of his year fighting the Vietcong. The atrocities he witnesses and is forced to participate in lead to a mental state that can only be assuaged by assisting those with no voice of their own. Jamie is one such voiceless.
Keeping Watch drops us squarely into the middle of the Vietnam war offering a vicarious but chillingly real view of the realities of that war. If you've never understood why Vietnam vets suffered when they were returned to 'normal' society, then Keeping Watch will provide the insight you need.
If you enjoy the machinations of a highly intelligent mind turned towards evil, then this book will not allow you to put it down and the characters will stay with you for days after the book is finished.
In its genre, Keeping Watch is an absolute standout. Highly recommended.
Laurie R King
Psychological thriller isn't usually my genre but Keeping Watch is one of the most brilliantly written books I've read in a long while. Laurie King writes with the acuity of the master, never tripping throughout this exquisitely appalling tale.Jamie is a thirteen year old boy whose father is a con man extraordinaire and who has an unusual and terrifying occupation. Allen, a Vietnam vet, is a man dealing with the psychological fallout of his year fighting the Vietcong. The atrocities he witnesses and is forced to participate in lead to a mental state that can only be assuaged by assisting those with no voice of their own. Jamie is one such voiceless.
Keeping Watch drops us squarely into the middle of the Vietnam war offering a vicarious but chillingly real view of the realities of that war. If you've never understood why Vietnam vets suffered when they were returned to 'normal' society, then Keeping Watch will provide the insight you need.
If you enjoy the machinations of a highly intelligent mind turned towards evil, then this book will not allow you to put it down and the characters will stay with you for days after the book is finished.
In its genre, Keeping Watch is an absolute standout. Highly recommended.
October 28, 2015
I like Laurie King's writings. Read a lot of her Mary Russell series. This novel was a completely different writing from her ususal. An account of a Viet Nam vet. His struggle and horror with combat in that insane conflict. It led to his PTSD. Altho PTSD was not defined immediately after that war there was no doubt it existed. The main character, Allan Carmichael became my brother who suffers from the same malady. Years of struggling with that misunderstood mental battle. Then, the all comsuming need/awakening to do something for the people in dire need. The vet in Laurie's story saved abused women and children. My brother chose homeless vets. I felt every line in the story. To me it was a great read.
February 19, 2015
I read this book almost in one sitting. A fabulous story and so well written. Thanks for the recommendation, Debbie.
October 26, 2018
I was guessing I'd read this book not long after it was published since it is supposedly a sequel to Folly, a book I really enjoyed, but I didn't remember anything about it so I chose to read it again. Vague memories of reading it returned when the main character first flashes back to the Vietnam War.
The war reflections feel a little cliche, but maybe that's because it's difficult to bridge the gap between actual experience and the author's telling. I'm sure she didn't personally experience the Vietnam War and that feels obvious.
I never did remember reading Jamie's story previously. I wonder if I started the book and then chose not to finish because the war story is so disturbing. War stories should be disturbing. So should be stories of tormented children. So I don't love this book. I wouldn't want to read it a third time.
The reason I gave it three stars and can say I like it is because it's good story telling, the main characters grow, and there is some suspense and unpredictability which makes it easy and compelling to read. I like the author's exploration of loyalty, of trust, of listening to one's own conscience, and of following one's own moral code rather than the desires of others who might be in power. Justice is served. Goodness prevails. Even so, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this even to a person who has read the previous book.
Now it's time to catch up on the other book I'm reading, take a break, and then read something a little more lighthearted.
The war reflections feel a little cliche, but maybe that's because it's difficult to bridge the gap between actual experience and the author's telling. I'm sure she didn't personally experience the Vietnam War and that feels obvious.
I never did remember reading Jamie's story previously. I wonder if I started the book and then chose not to finish because the war story is so disturbing. War stories should be disturbing. So should be stories of tormented children. So I don't love this book. I wouldn't want to read it a third time.
The reason I gave it three stars and can say I like it is because it's good story telling, the main characters grow, and there is some suspense and unpredictability which makes it easy and compelling to read. I like the author's exploration of loyalty, of trust, of listening to one's own conscience, and of following one's own moral code rather than the desires of others who might be in power. Justice is served. Goodness prevails. Even so, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this even to a person who has read the previous book.
Now it's time to catch up on the other book I'm reading, take a break, and then read something a little more lighthearted.
July 12, 2024
This was not what I thought.
First, I've been reading Laurie King's Mary Holmes series — fairly light, OK.
This book is not that at all. This story is dark, gritty, a real psychological thriller. Keeping Watch was truly hard to read at times — quite a bit in fact.
But I think that it was important to read. First, its the first book where I really got a close up and in depth feel for what it was like to be a soldier in Vietnam's jungle war. And then there is the focus of the book: how the main character, Allen Carmichael, fights his way to redemption from what he was when he returned home, and did it by using all the skills he learned in the wet, hot jungle in danger and facing unspeakable horrors, to save woman and children from those that have and would continue to abuse them.
Carmichael is ready to put it all aside and settle down for finally some happiness when he is approached to take on one last rescue. And this one is very different from all his prior rescues.
As I said it was very hard to read this book, but it also was hard to put down. My emotions were on a roller coaster the whole time. This story will challenge me for quite a while.
First, I've been reading Laurie King's Mary Holmes series — fairly light, OK.
This book is not that at all. This story is dark, gritty, a real psychological thriller. Keeping Watch was truly hard to read at times — quite a bit in fact.
But I think that it was important to read. First, its the first book where I really got a close up and in depth feel for what it was like to be a soldier in Vietnam's jungle war. And then there is the focus of the book: how the main character, Allen Carmichael, fights his way to redemption from what he was when he returned home, and did it by using all the skills he learned in the wet, hot jungle in danger and facing unspeakable horrors, to save woman and children from those that have and would continue to abuse them.
Carmichael is ready to put it all aside and settle down for finally some happiness when he is approached to take on one last rescue. And this one is very different from all his prior rescues.
As I said it was very hard to read this book, but it also was hard to put down. My emotions were on a roller coaster the whole time. This story will challenge me for quite a while.
July 25, 2018
Karen, Village patron, July 2018, 5 stars:
An excellent read...gives some insight into what soldiers experienced in Viet Nam even though this is a novel and that is only part of the story. Very well written and I highly recommend.
An excellent read...gives some insight into what soldiers experienced in Viet Nam even though this is a novel and that is only part of the story. Very well written and I highly recommend.
January 13, 2022
She is fabulous. Loved this book set in the glorious San Juan Islands.
August 16, 2022
In true Laurie King fashion…does not disappoint.
March 27, 2021
This book is quite possibly one of my favorite books ever. It’s got everything I adore: amazing war scenes, a found father/son relationship and a soldier trying to redeem himself. I just love this book. It made me laugh, smile, yell and even get very creeped out once or twice. The twists were compelling and the story was fast paced and clever. I adore Allen; he’s very much a Rambo character who decides to save a bunch of children. It was dark and painful but also beautiful and heroic. I do wish Allen wasn’t the “better man” at one point (without spoiling I’ll just say I would have given him a pass). I definitely plan on buying this one (since someone else at my library kept borrowing it and it was loan war) and reading it many more times.
October 4, 2024
This is quite a change of pace for fans of Laurie R. Kings fans of her Mary Russell series. In this "can't put it down" novel, King takes us to Viet Nam during the height of the war to follow how it affects young Allen Carmichael. Allen goes from an idealistic volunteer to an emotionless grunt in a matter of months. The things he saw and did during his tour haunt him the rest of his life and shape the man he becomes and the profession he chooses. After surviving the drug addiction and homelessness that haunted so many Viet Nam vets, he find a use for his jungle survival skills and a purpose for his life in saving battered and abused women and children from horrific domestic situations that the law can't help them with. He keeps the shadier side of his activities from his brother the sheriff until his last case that he can't leave behind. In rescuing a teenage boy from an emotionally abusive father, Allen gets entangles in an FBI criminal investigation and risks his own freedom to carry through and make sure the boy is safe. This book is an excellent read, but the descriptions of things that happened in Viet Nam (taken from interviews with veterans) and of domestic abuse endured by the women and children he rescues make it heart-wrenching at times. It is not for the faint of heart.
November 20, 2020
I'm so torn about this review, mainly cause I'm grumpy the book is over. I don't want it to be over. I don't want Allen and Jamie to be gone. Maybe I should just re-read it. When I started this book, I was hooked. Instantly. And I continued to be hooked. I devoured and savored this book. I wanted to read it all in one sitting and I didn't want it to be finished.
I adored, ADORED, the Vietnam scenes. I loved how that was handled and explained. I loved the broken man saving the broken children. How could I not?
My only tiny taste of dissatisfaction came from Allen not beating the ever living daylights out of Jamie's Dad. I really wanted wanted him to destroy that man, but I also get it. He had grown and knew what to do. Ugh. I just want to read it again.
This book was dense, like 300+pages of denseness, compared to the 300+ pages of mostly white space of the last few books I've read.
So, my only real problem with this book was the description of the Glock's safety and it gleaming. Glocks don't have safeties and they're black. They don't gleam. That inaccuracy pulled me out of the book for a bit, but I'll still probably buy it and read it again soon.
Possibly my favorite work of fiction read this year that wasn't something I've read before.
Rated R: war violence, domestic violence, violence to children
I adored, ADORED, the Vietnam scenes. I loved how that was handled and explained. I loved the broken man saving the broken children. How could I not?
My only tiny taste of dissatisfaction came from Allen not beating the ever living daylights out of Jamie's Dad. I really wanted wanted him to destroy that man, but I also get it. He had grown and knew what to do. Ugh. I just want to read it again.
This book was dense, like 300+pages of denseness, compared to the 300+ pages of mostly white space of the last few books I've read.
So, my only real problem with this book was the description of the Glock's safety and it gleaming. Glocks don't have safeties and they're black. They don't gleam. That inaccuracy pulled me out of the book for a bit, but I'll still probably buy it and read it again soon.
Possibly my favorite work of fiction read this year that wasn't something I've read before.
Rated R: war violence, domestic violence, violence to children
October 22, 2011
I was well into this book before I realized it was the same characters from the book Folly! I liked that book a lot too! I am going to have to look into reading more by Laurie R. King! I would say that Keeping Watch is more a companion to Folly than a sequel as there is very little story line carry over...some of the same characters, but each book is certainly a complete, stand alone book without the other. But, if you plan to read both, read Folly first! This book was not only about Alan Carmichael's experience in Vietnam and how it effected him the rest of his life but it was about how he made his living by rescuing women and kids from abusive situations. There is certainly accounts of violence in this story but it's not constantly in your face. The characters are developed well and very believable and the story (which at first seemed a little hard to follow) was realistic...i.e. the child, Jamie is portrayed as both loving and hating his abusive father. There is some suspense in the relationship with Jamie and his father that keeps you wondering until the very end about how it will all turn out! Worth reading!
May 13, 2009
A gripping psychological thriller that was far better than I expected (I should have know that Laurie R. King would deliver). Allen Carmichael, a fifty-something Vietnam vet, is about to retire from his current vocation, which is helping abused women and children "disapear" to safety. He turned to this line of work more than 20 years before--partly to exorcise his war-created demons but also to take advantage of a skill set he had already started to hone in the jungles of Vietnam.
As is often the case, the last case he reluctantly agrees to take on--before settling down and traveling with his girlfriend, Rae--is the one that proves problematic. It involves Jamie O'Connell, a 12-year old who has been subtly brutalized by his father for years. The initial "spiriting away" of Jamie off to rural Montana goes without a hitch. It's when Jamie's father's plane crashes three months later that trouble starts.
King spends a signficant amount of time exploring Carmichael's experiences in Vietnam and that helps to make the current plot that much more laden with menace.
As is often the case, the last case he reluctantly agrees to take on--before settling down and traveling with his girlfriend, Rae--is the one that proves problematic. It involves Jamie O'Connell, a 12-year old who has been subtly brutalized by his father for years. The initial "spiriting away" of Jamie off to rural Montana goes without a hitch. It's when Jamie's father's plane crashes three months later that trouble starts.
King spends a signficant amount of time exploring Carmichael's experiences in Vietnam and that helps to make the current plot that much more laden with menace.
April 25, 2016
An amazingly powerful book, vivid in its imagery and emotion. It did, at times get a little heavy handed with the psychoanalytical aspect, but in the end, that all seemed to serve a purpose. If you are a fan of King's "Beekeeper's Apprentice" series, be forewarned that this is very different - much more akin to its companion novel "Folly", but even more intense, dark and brooding, but also rewarding.
January 29, 2014
By far one of my all time favorite books!! This book was like two wonderfully written stories intertwined into one book, but so skillfully written that that they easily flow into one amazing book. Not only does the book take you into the depths and tragedies of Vietnam, but also gives you a heart warming and heart wrenching story of the abuse and rescue of children by a savior born of Vietnam.
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March 3, 2013A mystery writer at the top of her form.
May 15, 2016
Full of suspense, and the pain and power of humans and the human spirit.
October 4, 2017
I am a Laurie King fan, having read the entire Mary Russel Series as well as the Kate Martinelli books. This book was well written with memorable characters. The premise, a Vietnam Vet trying to find a way to make amends for the wrongs he felt he committed during his time in the war was good.
My biggest issue with the book and reason for 3 stars is that other than the fact that the characters had the same names as those in Folly and grew up in the same island village, this book was not a sequel to Folly. In fact, the main character from Folly barely graces the pages but for a brief appearance. The content was different, the subject matter different, everything about this book was different from Folly but for names and briefly, the places. In short, I felt tricked into purchasing a sequel which was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a sequel.
I am a reader of many genres of fiction and non-fiction alike, including historical fiction. However, Vietnam is not an area of interest for me. With 1/3 of this book taking place in the jungles and battles of Vietnam, I found it hard to stick with the subject, hoping it would soon end so we could get on with the story I was hoping I had purchased. Once the war was finally put away, the Folly story never returned. Not really.
As a stand alone work for those interested in a L.R. King-style book that encompasses Vietnam War history and a suspenseful drama related to the escape of abused children from their abusers, this is a good book. Do not however, expect it to be a return to Folly, unless you are simply interested in meeting back up with the town Sheriff and a spin around the island with Ed.
My biggest issue with the book and reason for 3 stars is that other than the fact that the characters had the same names as those in Folly and grew up in the same island village, this book was not a sequel to Folly. In fact, the main character from Folly barely graces the pages but for a brief appearance. The content was different, the subject matter different, everything about this book was different from Folly but for names and briefly, the places. In short, I felt tricked into purchasing a sequel which was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a sequel.
I am a reader of many genres of fiction and non-fiction alike, including historical fiction. However, Vietnam is not an area of interest for me. With 1/3 of this book taking place in the jungles and battles of Vietnam, I found it hard to stick with the subject, hoping it would soon end so we could get on with the story I was hoping I had purchased. Once the war was finally put away, the Folly story never returned. Not really.
As a stand alone work for those interested in a L.R. King-style book that encompasses Vietnam War history and a suspenseful drama related to the escape of abused children from their abusers, this is a good book. Do not however, expect it to be a return to Folly, unless you are simply interested in meeting back up with the town Sheriff and a spin around the island with Ed.
March 14, 2023
Allen Carmichael returned from Vietnam like countless other soldiers: fundamentally altered, emotionally broken, and incapable of reentering civilized society.
While the narrative volleys us between past and present, we watch—horrified—as a young man endures the atrocities of the wartime jungle and then returns home to a family that cannot cope with his PTSD. As a result, he’s homeless, drunk, and lost for years until he finds a way to silence the shrieks that haunt his dreams. Carmichael, using the unique toolbox that war has provided, joins a network that helps battered wives and children escape their abusers. It’s not legal, but it’s effective.
We meet Carmichael when he’s on the verge of retiring, but then he agrees to help one more child. As he cautiously transports Jamie to his new foster home, Carmichael’s sharpened instincts detect something not quite right. Is Jamie the tortured child he claims to be, or is there something sinister at play?
The author skillfully weaves our hero’s life events together. I was drawn to his suffering and his approach to survival. In Keeping Watch, King provides enough graphic detail to illustrate the heinousness of war and evil, and what humans are capable (or incapable) of bearing. I found it hard to put down; it kept me intrigued by feeding me information little by little and creating tension with each new fact revealed. The ending was not what I thought it would be but allowed me the closure I needed.
I read this book years ago, and it has remained a favorite. I highly recommend this spellbinding story by Laurie R. King.
While the narrative volleys us between past and present, we watch—horrified—as a young man endures the atrocities of the wartime jungle and then returns home to a family that cannot cope with his PTSD. As a result, he’s homeless, drunk, and lost for years until he finds a way to silence the shrieks that haunt his dreams. Carmichael, using the unique toolbox that war has provided, joins a network that helps battered wives and children escape their abusers. It’s not legal, but it’s effective.
We meet Carmichael when he’s on the verge of retiring, but then he agrees to help one more child. As he cautiously transports Jamie to his new foster home, Carmichael’s sharpened instincts detect something not quite right. Is Jamie the tortured child he claims to be, or is there something sinister at play?
The author skillfully weaves our hero’s life events together. I was drawn to his suffering and his approach to survival. In Keeping Watch, King provides enough graphic detail to illustrate the heinousness of war and evil, and what humans are capable (or incapable) of bearing. I found it hard to put down; it kept me intrigued by feeding me information little by little and creating tension with each new fact revealed. The ending was not what I thought it would be but allowed me the closure I needed.
I read this book years ago, and it has remained a favorite. I highly recommend this spellbinding story by Laurie R. King.
July 25, 2017
Allen Carmichael is a Vietnam vet, still haunted by the atrocities that he had seen--and done--there. Years after returning home, he has become "a civilian mercenary in the service of abused children and their mothers, disappearing them from harm", acting sometimes as advocate, or adviser, and other times as kidnapper, "escorting them to safe and loving homes". But after 25 years of this, he is finally ready for a quiet and, hopefully, peaceful life. Until he hears about Jamie O'Connell--a 12-year-old boy in desperate need of Allen's particular expertise in rescuing him from the cruel and threatening hands of his father.
But once Allen has Jamie safely away from his home and his father, a series of ominous events begin to lead to questions about whether Jamie's father is really the enemy at all... or if the real threat is far more unimaginable and much closer to Allen himself.
A very well-written story and it does keep you wondering until the very end.
I was specifically intrigued by the first portion of the book, describing Allen's time in Vietnam, and how it was described in such precise and intimate detail, as if the author had actually been there herself. Or had been able to scrape the minds of several vets in order to get the truly visceral sense of place--not just the emotions: raw, blunted, overwhelmed..., but also the senses: the scents, the sounds, even the sixth sense that many vets report developing... it was eerily perfect.
But once Allen has Jamie safely away from his home and his father, a series of ominous events begin to lead to questions about whether Jamie's father is really the enemy at all... or if the real threat is far more unimaginable and much closer to Allen himself.
A very well-written story and it does keep you wondering until the very end.
I was specifically intrigued by the first portion of the book, describing Allen's time in Vietnam, and how it was described in such precise and intimate detail, as if the author had actually been there herself. Or had been able to scrape the minds of several vets in order to get the truly visceral sense of place--not just the emotions: raw, blunted, overwhelmed..., but also the senses: the scents, the sounds, even the sixth sense that many vets report developing... it was eerily perfect.
June 13, 2021
I am undecided about star rank…between 3.5 to 4 to I went for the 4.
I had trouble connecting with this second book of the series, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first. With both it took me some time….maybe 1/4 of the book…to become settled into committing to finish it. The beginning was a bit disjointed although ultimately you do understand why the begins as it does.
A broken child, a broken, but determines Viet Nam vet. A network that operates outside if the law to “disappear” children and women (and the occasional man one would think) from extremely abusive homes. A father who abuses his son in the most sinister ways. These elements and more combine to flesh out this book that can be both very distressing and very warm.
Although both of these issues are serious and deserve attention I felt that the combination felt awkward at times. Did I enjoy the book? Yes, mostly I did. It piqued my curiosity to keep reding, but in the end I was not feeling clear whether it was worth the read or not.
I had trouble connecting with this second book of the series, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first. With both it took me some time….maybe 1/4 of the book…to become settled into committing to finish it. The beginning was a bit disjointed although ultimately you do understand why the begins as it does.
A broken child, a broken, but determines Viet Nam vet. A network that operates outside if the law to “disappear” children and women (and the occasional man one would think) from extremely abusive homes. A father who abuses his son in the most sinister ways. These elements and more combine to flesh out this book that can be both very distressing and very warm.
Although both of these issues are serious and deserve attention I felt that the combination felt awkward at times. Did I enjoy the book? Yes, mostly I did. It piqued my curiosity to keep reding, but in the end I was not feeling clear whether it was worth the read or not.
April 29, 2020
Laurie King is on my list of favorite authors. I started with the spectacular The Beekeeper's Apprentice and proceeded to read everything I could get my hands on. When I read Folly, the book proceeding this one, I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning, as this seemed to be a very different kind of story from the Mary Russell/Sherlock tales that I had become accustomed to reading. I was right - it was different but no less compelling a read and that carries on to this book.
Keeping Watch is a gripping story that deals with some really difficult topics in a way that makes you feel as though you are part of the action without going so far as to make it impossible to sleep at night. The two main characters are completely damaged by their experiences but are also completely sympathetic, despite their actions. Child abuse, PTSD, the Vietnam War and the atrocities committed by both sides, homelessness and mental health are all woven into a story that grabs you from the beginning and just won't let you go. There's also a wonderful thread of doubt surrounding the characters that winds throughout the story. Until the end, you aren't sure about motivations or how things have really happened - did events occur the way they're presented or is it all a set up?
Highly recommended~
Keeping Watch is a gripping story that deals with some really difficult topics in a way that makes you feel as though you are part of the action without going so far as to make it impossible to sleep at night. The two main characters are completely damaged by their experiences but are also completely sympathetic, despite their actions. Child abuse, PTSD, the Vietnam War and the atrocities committed by both sides, homelessness and mental health are all woven into a story that grabs you from the beginning and just won't let you go. There's also a wonderful thread of doubt surrounding the characters that winds throughout the story. Until the end, you aren't sure about motivations or how things have really happened - did events occur the way they're presented or is it all a set up?
Highly recommended~
June 15, 2017
This was NOT just another psychological thriller. King's parallel narrative that begins with a man's experiences in Vietnam during the war who eventually meets up with a boy who is being severely abused by his father is brilliant. I really love how she matched a specific event that Carmichael went through in Vietnam with the event that later became his second chance of saving a child. I couldn't put this one down! I only regret that I didn't read the first book before reading this one. I would recommend this to anyone who finds reading about the intricacies of war interesting, as well as understanding the complexities of abuse. I have never really thought of abuse as war, but this really made me think about this idea in a new way.
March 25, 2020
Firstly this is very well written, gripping and difficult to read (for good reasons) as it tell two interconnected stories. One is the tale of the younger Allen as he barely survives his war experiences in 'Nam; the second is his older self rescuing a difficult child from the grip of an abusive father.
It had me turning the pages at the end and the action (throughout the book) was dramatic and tense.
Does the author succeed in blending these two different tales? Obviously the Vietnam story is to explain how Allen became the man he is, but it's a sometimes jarring juxtaposition from the past to the present and one that that, coupled with a sometimes uncomfortable story, leaves this as a 4 not a 5 (but I'm pretty stingy with the 5's).
It had me turning the pages at the end and the action (throughout the book) was dramatic and tense.
Does the author succeed in blending these two different tales? Obviously the Vietnam story is to explain how Allen became the man he is, but it's a sometimes jarring juxtaposition from the past to the present and one that that, coupled with a sometimes uncomfortable story, leaves this as a 4 not a 5 (but I'm pretty stingy with the 5's).
November 9, 2018
If you've ever wondered what it was like in the war in Viet Nam, then this book will explain it to you in specific terms. It's not the story I was envisioning but because the author is Laurie R. King I kept at it and am so glad I did. I will now have a new appreciation for Veteran's day. Now as to how Laurie R. King knows what she knows is rather a good question, but 'know' she does. She gets deeply into the mind of our soldier Allen and we begin to understand the workings of the human mind in ways I certainly have never thought about.
This tale is so absorbing and thought provoking I couldn't put it down.
Thank you Ms. King
This tale is so absorbing and thought provoking I couldn't put it down.
Thank you Ms. King
December 2, 2019
Laurie R King does it again.
Laurie R King has produced another astonishingly good exploration of human behaviour, trauma, mental breakdown and recovery, relationships and unmitigated evil. If you have read Folly, do not be disappointed that Rae Newborn does not figure much in this book. Perhaps there will be a third that tells of her and Allen together , but I somehow think that King will leave that story to our imaginations. I would like to follow Rae and Allen, Tamara, Petra and Jamie, as well as Jerry, Nikki, and Ed through happier times. However, that might not provide the stage best suited to King's talent for exploring human resilience.
Laurie R King has produced another astonishingly good exploration of human behaviour, trauma, mental breakdown and recovery, relationships and unmitigated evil. If you have read Folly, do not be disappointed that Rae Newborn does not figure much in this book. Perhaps there will be a third that tells of her and Allen together , but I somehow think that King will leave that story to our imaginations. I would like to follow Rae and Allen, Tamara, Petra and Jamie, as well as Jerry, Nikki, and Ed through happier times. However, that might not provide the stage best suited to King's talent for exploring human resilience.
February 20, 2019
I loved reading this book; new author for me. The background story of the main character is his time in Vietnam and the impact it had on his life and how it lead to your "job" of rescuing children. The scenes about Vietnam were horrific. Just when you think you have the story line about Jamie figured out there is a twist. The only thing that left me wanting to know more was that I really wanted to know what happened to Alice's children that led her into this line of work. You will not be disappointed in this book.
September 6, 2022
Laurie King really is a superb writer. This is the story of Allen Carmichael, Vietnam vet and rescuer of children. I found the sections about his time in Vietnam difficult to read, sometimes tedious and yet crucial to the story. After years of disassociating himself from others after his return from the war, Allen finds his calling as one who rescues abused children. His last rescue is confusing and difficult and the truth only becomes clear in the very last section. Dark and difficult but recommended.
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