The Watcher

Mysteries of Silver Peak #23

by Carole Jefferson

Sadie is excited for her friends Ardis and Mabel Fleagle, who have just purchased an amazing old"painted lady" Victorian house, with plans to restore it to its original glory. But almost immediately, mysterious letters signed by "The Watcher" begin arriving, describing the Fleagles' everyday lives and personal interactions in eerie detail. As Sadie begins looking into the matter, she uncovers not only a web of deceit and intimidation, but also the checkered past of one of Silver Peak's early leading citizens, who lived and died in the Fleagles' house.

Meanwhile a visit with a high school friend who has retired to a life of RV travel has Roz worrying that her bucket list of dream destinations has passed her by. When she begins looking to buy a motor home, Sadie can't help but wonder: Will she lose her best friend to the siren song of the open road?

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

A Guideposts pen name used by a team of authors who write the Silver Peak mysteries, including Susan Page Davis, Nancy Mehl and Lisa Harris.

Reviews

[Jo Anne]

True crime fans might recall the mysterious letters sent to a homeowner in New Jersey. In 2014, a family bought a lovely old mansion in an expensive neighborhood in New Jersey. Before they could move in, they started receiving creepy letters from someone who knew details about the interior of the house and the new family. The letters were signed "The Watcher." The family never moved in and to this day (4/2019) the mystery of the letter writer hasn't been solved. In "The Watcher" Sadie gets involved in a situation that was taken from this scenario. Her friends the Fleagles buy an old house, move in, start renovations and soon the letters start coming. So who wants to scare the Fleagles away from their new home? The former owners, who lost the house in a bank sale? The angry cousin who thinks he should have inherited the house? Was it the Fleagles themselves, trying to get out of the sale because they couldn't afford it? "Carole Jefferson" came up with the perfect bit of info that made sense and that allowed Sadie to find out who was sending the letters. I learned something pretty interesting and wonder if the home owners in New Jersey could use her book to find the real Watcher.

[Linda]

I really like this Christian series, written by many authors under the pen name of Carole Jefferson. The series features Sadie, a 60-ish grandmother, who owns an antique store. The series is set in the mountains of Colorado in a town called Silver Peak.

Sadie is an amateur sleuth. Actually, she's very nosy and gets into police investigations, and usually solves the mystery before the police. While reading this book I thought that it was a good thing that Sadie has an employee- a younger woman named Julie- because Sadie is just never at the store. A morning off here, a lunch there, part of an afternoon, all while she chases down people to interrogate. In this book, Sadie's friends, the Fleagles, have bought a big old Victorian mansion and are restoring it. But someone is sending them scary letters signed "The Watcher". This person seems to know details about what goes on in the house. In addition, there is another mystery regarding the house. A mystery that hasn't been solved in a century and a half. Who murdered the original owner, a railroad tycoon? Are the answers buried in the house? Sadie is determined to solve both mysteries.

[Jacquie Stricklind]

Sadie's friends Ardis and Mabel by an old Victorian house. While restoring and fixing the house up they start receiving letters from 'The Watcher" who knows which rooms their children have and what Ardis and Mabel are doing to the house. They ask Sadie to find out who killed the man who built the house which may also lead them to the writer of the notes. Can Sadie find find out what happened over a hundred years ago. Meanwhile, Roz wants her husband to retire, sell his business, their house, and buy a R.V. What advice does Sadie give her? Read the book to find out if Sadie finds out who the Watcher is?

[Melmo2610]

This had a fantastic mystery. Easily one of the best in the series in my opinion from the standpoint of originality. The bad guy was surprising and the historical mystery aspect was very intriguing. Great easy cozy read.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Elaine]

This is a great story in the MYSTERIES OF SILVER PEAK series. Sadie solves 2 mysteries but nearly pays for that with her life!