Stalking Natalie

by Skip Coryell

Natalie Katrell was a single mother. Her daughter, six-year old Amethyst, seemed like a miniature copy of herself, with long, blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and a smile that softened the hearts of most people who looked upon her. But neither Natalie nor Amethyst could see the man watching them. He always stayed off in the shadows, hidden around corners, or gazing from behind the innocent pages of a paperback book. Sometimes he sipped tea while at other times he nursed a vanilla latte with a double shot of espresso. But always, without fail, he watched Natalie and her daughter. He was obsessed and Natalie was his next chosen one. What would you do if a serial killer began stalking you and your child? Natalie Katrell was not a violent woman, but when the serial killer pushed, she pushed back! With the help of Sam Colton, NRA personal protection instructor, Natalie got armed and dangerous!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

260 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Skip Coryell now lives with his wife and children in Michigan. He works full time as a professional writer, and “The God Virus” is his eighth published book. He is an avid hunter and sportsman, a Marine Corps veteran, and a graduate of Cornerstone University.

Reviews

[Jamie ♡♡ submits to books ♡♡]

DNF @ 15%

It's me...bored. Just going to move on now.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains spoilers!!! I read this book in one sitting. While the content is disturbing, it was a compelling read. The characters were all strongly developed and there was an interesting mix of behaviors.

While I enjoyed the story, there were a few elements in its development that bothered me. I found it somewhat unbelievable that Natalie was attacked by a different individual than the one that was stalking her. In addition to the two bad attackers she also had a stalker priest who she fell in love with over the course of a few days. I also found that there were loose plot lines associated with the priest and the mysterious janitor that felt undeveloped to me.

But despite the issues with the plot, I kept rooting for Natalie and wanted to get to the end of the story.

Reader received a complimentary copy from Good Reads First Reads.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stalking Natalie is a fast and semi suspenseful read. There are a few unpredictable twists and turns, but it is bogged down by gaps in the story and events that don't make sense (who knows for a fact that her house has been invaded for three nights in a row while she sleeps and doesn't tell anyone until after the third night?). The book is saved by some likable characters and a desire to see Natalie prevail.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads "first-reads" giveaway. This book was really good. The main characters natalie and sam were well developed and believable the child Amythest was annoying and not very well developed even though she had a small part in the book. The plot kept me on my toes, one minute I thought I had it all figured out and then bam! Another twist. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book and was looking forward to reading it. I wasn't that crazy over it. I thought it was odd with its references to God and the whole thing was a bit creepy in the uncomfortable sense of the word.

[Devin Coryell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie is taking a personal safety course. She understands so much more now, her awareness of her surroundings has increased two hundred per cent. But the gun frightens her. Sam, her instructor, knows how to turn the fear into respect for the weapon; Natalie still doesn't think she could actually shoot anyone. But she can't shake the feeling she is being watched, followed. Her life to this point had left her believing she was a type of victim; she won't accept that now - she has a 6 year old daughter to keep safe. So she goes to a job she hates every day, editing manuals is boring but at least she has a steady paycheck. And Mark, the strange man in the cubicle across the aisle, can be annoying with his staring and his silence. Natalie is trying to be nice to him, when she suddenly needed help one day he had been there for her but he isn't an easy person to thank. Then Natalie's life becomes more complicated...

This is an interesting story twisting and turning along it's way. The handgun issue figures prominently, as does gun safety. As someone with a schizoid view on this subject, the book presents an intriguing look at why some people prefer to be armed.

The author does choose some extremes - Natalie's love interest for example. The story works, but it is not subtle.

And when you read this book I defy you to not burst out laughing near the end - it is great. Enjoy.

I won this book on Goodreads.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie is stuck in a job she hates and just wants to spend time with her daughter, Amethyst. Meanwhile, a serial killer has been terrorizing their small city so she feels a need to learn how to defend herself and her daughter. That is where she meets Sam. Sam is a retired LEO and was a marine in Vietnam. He now teaches self defense, and Natalie is one of his newest students.

Now, the serial killer - known by the police as the 'vanilla killer' has decided Natalie is his 'chosen one'. Has she learned enough from Sam to defend herself and her daughter? She's about to find out!

I received a copy of Stalking Natalie as a Goodreads First-Read. I enjoyed the story overall, and I felt the author made valid arguments towards the public's right to exercise our 2nd amendment rights. However, Natalie seemed overly focused on her daughter. I appreciated the way Sam taught Natalie to not be afraid of the gun, as well as his method for teaching children to respect dangerous items - not just guns.

This is one I will recommend to friends! I have a very good friend who went through MANY of the things Natalie did. Since that day/night she has changed her name, acquired her blackbelt, and trains others in self-defense and firearms. Her daughter has also been taught how to defend herself, and I'm extremely proud of both of them.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a contest and I have to admit that I did not like it at all. I did finish it, however, as I had read reviews and they made me want to see what I was missing.
Main reasons I disliked the book were as follows:
1) I did not like the characters. They did not seem like real people and the main character, Natalie, was just irritating. She kept whining about wanting to spend time with her daughter, but then kept whining about how much she didn't like watching her kid's movies or playing games with her kid. Sure, being a single mom is hard, but grow up already. Natalie kept complaining like a spoiled brat.

2) The plot wasn't unique in any way. I figured out the "twist" in the first couple pages.

3) The entire book was a rant about morality and the need to own a gun. I wanted to read a novel, not hear a sermon.

4) The non-editing really bothered me. There were so many mistakes that should have been caught by the editor, such as the use of the wrong tense, incorrect punctuation, use of the wrong word (eg. the word is beholden not beholding).

With all that being said, I did like the character of Sam. His backstory made his beliefs and actions believable and understandable. His character was another reason I finished the book, as I wanted to see what would happen to him.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a goodreads giveaway. I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, because it is not the type of book I normally read. But I actually really liked it. Its a quick and easy read, but don't let that fool you about the plot. The story sucks you in and flips you around and when you think you're right side up you discover you've always been standing on your head. The story is about a young single mom and her daughter. The mom, Natalie, thinks she may be being stalked so she purchases a gun and takes marksmanship and concealed weapon classes with her instructor Sam who is a former Marine and an ex cop. Meanwhile, there is a serial killer running about the city. Natalie works at a proof reading company and every day looks forward to getting home to her daughter. One of her co workers is secretly in love with Natalie, but all he does is stare at her from his desk. Natalie is frustrated by a job she hates, being single and having to be away from her daughter. Sam becomes a father figure and sounding board in Natalie's life when she becomes a target of the serial killer. I don't want to say too much more so I don't give away any secrets, but I truly enjoyed the ride and didn't put the book down until I reached the back cover.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stalking Natalie is a fascinating read. The suspense and ever changing plot kept my interest.Natalie does make some bad choices in men, considering the father left before the baby was even born.Natalie gets the feeling she is being watched,is it her co worker Mike or someone else. She buys a gun and takes some gun classes to learn how to shoot.She almost gets raped and killed in a parking lot but she manages to shoot the rapist. Than there is the stalker! Is it her coworker or his brother stalking her? The question is does he even have a brother or does he have a split personality? Mike is quiet , shy, can,t meet her eye, rarely talks.Where as his brother Kayne is more outgoing but he is also a serial killer who feels he is doing Gods work righting peoples wrongs, from having an affair to stealing- by killing them.If you like murder mysteries i highly recommend this one look forward to reading more books by Skip Coryell

[Ac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stalking Natalie was a fast easy read. A suspenseful story with some really disturbing scenes.The reason I wanted to read this story was intriguing idea of being trapped with a stalker, it had so many possibilities. It certainly did not end the way I thought it would

I only had a couple of problems with the book. First was the main character really is annoying in her self dialogue. She sounded and sometimes acted like 12 year old. Yes, there are single moms struggling with jobs they hate, not enough money and loneliness but you deal with it and grow up.
Second were random characters/story lines added nothing to the story to move it along.There were also plot issues that sometimes feel like we were missing part of the book.

Overall this is a good book that makes you think about your morals,ethics and choices made.

I am not a professional reviewer just to let you know, I'm more of a professional romance book reader who loves happy endings. I won this book in the First Reads contest/giveaways.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads give away. I appreciate the autographed copy. Thanks, Skip. I'd give it 3.5 stars. It was a quick read, fast paced, and suspenseful. It has violence in it and is pro gun, so if you're against that, then it's probably not the book for you. I didn't mind those things. There were a few typos toward the end. I figured out several things fairly early in the book. It posed several religious questions without really giving any answers (and that's ok). It made me think, which I like. There were times I liked Natalie, but other times found her whiny and selfish acting much younger than she supposed to be. She wants to spend time with her daughter, works long hours at a job she doesn't like,and also wants time for herself. As a mom, I understand that. But I would never let my 6 year old watch a rated R movie and cover his/her eyes during the scary parts. Maybe that's just me. Couldn't she watch the movie after putting her daughter to bed? Even though I had a few problems with it, I still liked it. As I read, I kept picturing Sam Elliott as Sam Colton.

[Kurt Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as part of a goodreads giveaway. This book is a well written piece of literature. The author obviously took the time to write a good story. The characters are well thought out. Natalie the main character has great depth to her and the same goes for Sam Colton. I wish a little more background would have accompanied Mark. I felt like I wasn't able to get to know him very well, but that could have been intentional. I have to admit that I tried to out guess the book through every chapter and am happy to say that the book won. I was constantly on my toes about who was doing what and for what reasons. I am being vague because I don't want to give anything away. This story is great and I would recommend it to anyone that wants and easy read and likes mystery/thriller type of books. I would love to follow more adventures of the Colton/Katrell Investigation Service. Hopefully they will be on the way.

[Juana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. Definitely worth the time to read it. It's an interesting plot, well written and easy to read. This story really gives you a taste of all the characters it gives you the opportunity to get to know all the charecters a little even the weirdest ones. You get the chance to read what they are thinking even if its just a few paragraphs.

Skip Coryell did an amazing job with this story. The only thing I didn't like was who the killer was it was kind of sad to find out who it was. Its sad for the reasons that anybody who reads it would be sad about too.

In less than the middle of the story you find out who the killer is, but I was puzzled, when I got to chapter 37 I started putting the pieces together and after that I couldn't sleep I had to finish reading this book. That's what In my opinion a well written book does to you.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is based on a free copy of the book received from the publisher through the Goodreads Advance Reader process.

The City is under siege. There have been four rape murders and Natalie, along with every other women in town, is on edge. In fact Natalie has bought a gun and is taking shooting lessons.
After all she is a single mom with a 6 year old daughter, Amethyst, and she’s not going to let a stranger take that away from her.

Natalie is attacked and manages to kill her assailant, who was a convicted pedophile recently paroled. But is he the serial killer ? What about the creepy guy in her office ?

There is a superb twist at the end of the book that you won’t see coming, I know I didn’t.
Characters are well developed and the story line proceeds quickly.

A delightful read

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this as a giveaway on First Reads from the author - Thank you, I enjoyed it!!

This would be about a 3.5 star rating for me. It's a pretty quick read, with some interesting characters. It was fun getting to know Natalie and her daughter Amethyst, and I really liked the character of Sam. I wish he had been younger for Natalie ;)

My main reasons for downgrading it:
- I figured out quite a bit of the plot before the end of the book (and I like to be surprised)
- Some of the scenes are too violent and disturbing for my taste
- Parts of this got pretty religious and slowed down the book for me, but others might really enjoy this

Overall, this was a decent read that flows well and has some interesting surprises if you haven't figured them out before reaching the end of the book.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won this as a give-away on Goodreads.com, and it was a great read! The characters were believable, some were likable, and my favorite was Sam Colten. He had some very valid and pertinent points about right to carry, self-defense, and so on. It's not for everyone, but it's a personal choice that requires a LOT of thought. I'm a sheepdog, according to Sam; how about you???

I enjoyed reading this book, it was relatively a quick read, and will be looking into some of Skip Cpryell's other books. If they're as good as this one, I'll be getting them! If you like suspense books, you'll like this one. I am kinda hoping Coryell will be making a series from this book...hint hint!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stalking Natalie is a good, suspense-filled read and I would probably give it a 3.5 star rating if I could. The plot is engaging; but in places, the dialogue and some of the incidents seem somewhat contrived. Natalie Katrell, a single mother, is the main character in the story, but she sometimes does and says things that makes her character questionable and not quite believable. Sam Colton, who was both a former Marine and cop and now teaches Natalie's personal protection class, is a bright spot in the book. His character is very likable and believable. Thank you Goodreads First Reads and Skip Coryell for the gift of this book.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

What strong characters, and a well written mystery. The twists and turns were not expected and I usually see these things coming. There were the obvious ones that were the “red herring” to the big reveal. This was in essence though a pro gun novel, and I understand why, but seemed a bit over the top for me. I get that this young lady went from a frightened little girl to a strong independent woman, but the fact she needed a gun to do that bothers me a little. I enjoyed how it was written, and I found reasoning’s of Sam Colton to be enjoyable. This was a very quick read, and works well as a mystery to read on the beach, but you may find yourself looking at people in a different way.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tale reminds me of attending a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, on Halloween a few years ago. Scenes meant to be tension filled now seemed humorous. Of course with this work I had not had a previous encounter, but the predictable nature of the plot coupled with cliché’ riddled dialog made many of the scenes seem laughable. The less than imaginative title of this book tells you all you need to know about the story line. The author is an expert on personal defense and the sections of the book dealing with this topic are detailed and very informative, but on the whole I thought the final product a bit amateurish.

[R.G. Yoho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike some of Coryell's other books, which occasionally incorporate a sense of the supernatural into their plots, this one is coldly realistic and plausible. Perhaps that is what makes it such a great thriller from start to finish.

Those of you who have no interest in self-defense, this book should make you reconsider. It is also a great primer on the reasons and philosophies of self-defense.

I don't think you can read this book without looking at the world through a different set of eyes. It should naturally inspire a prudent sense of care and awareness of a person's daily surroundings. Therefore, it is quite likely that the timid and the mutton-minded will not like the book.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My reaction during this book was probably priceless if anybody was watching me at work.I'm sure I had my mouth open on one or more occasions.I was actually almost late back from both my breaks and my lunch because o this book,it is that amazing.It kept me gasping,on the edge of my seat and wondering who,what and why the whole time.I even think I had a tear at a part.I can't get over how I devoured this book.I defiantly didn't expect to like it this much!The best suspense-filled thriller that I have ever read!

[Phoenix Carvelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review copy won on Goodreads.com on 3-22-12.

I love the transformation of Natalie throughout the book. Sam is a gem! I love his character! He is a bit like my dad! Sam's neighbor, Roger, is a hoot! The characters are well developed. Stalking Natalie brings to light very real and very frightening situations. Ladies, let's pay attention to Sam's advice too. The action is nonstop from start to finish. This is a well written book. The author clearly knows the subject matter. Very well done! I recommend it!

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

With stand your ground in the news lately this book is timely. It has a good mix of religon and day to day life. The twists and turns through out the story really keep you guessing (even if the title tells it all)The book is well done and a very easy read. I would suggest that you read this with an open mind or you may find yourself having nightmares along with the characters in this book. I won this on goodreads give aways and would pay to read it knowing what I do about the book...

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this as part of the goodreads giveaways. This book was very predictable. I knew almost exactly what was going to happen, but I still thought it was really good. This book made me think, and I've been thinking ever since, about Mark's predicament. When he dies, does he go to Heaven, will half of him go to Heaven? I don't feign to know. But I do know, that this was a short, easy read, but overall a good book.

[Sandra Halford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads give away...I started reading it but before I got to far into it my daughter swiped it and read it in one day...she loved the book, but figured out parts of the plot before hand and spoiled it just a little for me. The book is pretty good, with a twist you don't see coming. If you like mystries should read this. Some of the writing was a little reaching and comparisoa a little much reaching, but otherwise decent.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I am not trying to be unnecessarily rude, but this was the worst book I've read in a long time. The writing was juvenile, the characters were like cardboard cutouts of human beings, and the dialogue was so boringly predictable, I honestly laughed out loud at times. Honestly, a child's name is Amethyst? Ugh, no thank you! I will be donating this book to the recycling bin or the library drop-off if they'll have it.

[Joanie Hoffman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed. Like someone else wrote, it was creepy in a not good way. I felt like the author has a pro-guns agenda (and I have no problems with owning guns)and some sort of religious issue. Characters were wimpy and cartoonish. I left this book on the break room table at work. Someone took it. Maybe they will like it better than I did.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good story. I love that it was not over the top with exesive drama, but more to the point. The religion was in perfect amounts. The humor was great .. I found myself relating it to NCIS. LOVED