Angela Clarke - Watch Me

Published by Avon

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

The News Building

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2017

Copyright © Angela Clarke 2017

Angela Clarke asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008174613

Ebook Edition © December 2015 ISBN: 9780008174620

Version: 2017-01-10

‘ Watch Me sees the return of Nas and Freddie from Follow Me and goes further into their past and the guilt it has left them with. Fast paced and full of excitement, it’s hard to know where each chapter will take you in this thoroughly unpredictable ride. It kept me gripped and I cannot wait for the third instalment to see what happens next.’

Katerina Diamond, author ofThe Teacher

‘ Watch Me is another zinging thriller in this social media crime series from Angela Clarke. From Snapchat to doxing to revenge porn, each turn of the page will make you reconsider your Internet life, and will definitely leave you worrying who’s watching you. Smart, sassy and totally on point, following Nas and Freddie’s investigations are a must.’

Sarah Pinborough, author ofBehind Her Eyes

‘The clock is ticking in Angela Clarke’s excellent new novel Watch Me . DS Nasreen Cudmore and her friend Freddie Venton receive a chilling message via social media – they only have 24 hours to save the life of a young woman. Who has taken her? The answer lies online but the deeper they delve the more dangerous the situation becomes. Someone is watching their every move. Creepy, clever and unnerving; you won’t ever want to log on again.’

C. L. Taylor, author ofThe Missing

‘Starts with heart-pounding suspense; and the excitement intensifies throughout.’

Sharon Bolton, author ofDaisy in Chains

‘I loved this! An utterly addictive, gripping thriller.’

Robert Bryndza, author of international number one bestsellerThe Girl in the Ice.

‘Stylish, pacy and packs a bruising punch.’

Sarah Hilary, author of the DI Marnie Rome series.

‘A sharp, punchy, fast-paced thriller, that will keep you hooked until the very last page.’

Casey Kelleher, author ofBad Blood

‘Fast, feminist and sharp as a knife. Just ripped through Watch Me by Angela Clarke and recommend you do the same. If you dare.’

Anna Mazzola, author ofThe Unseeing

‘Clarke drags you into the dark world of the internet in this edgy, tense, social-media thriller. You’ll hold your breath, as you turn pages at speed to find out the next twist in a world filled with complex characters who are wonderfully vivid, with real depth and warmth. I for one can’t wait for the next book in this series.’

Rebecca Bradley, author of the Detective Hannah Robbins Series

‘An utterly compelling, brilliantly plotted tale that expertly ramps up the tension and drags the reader in as the pages turn and the clock ticks down.’

Neil Broadfoot, author ofAll The Devils

‘Ingenious, fast-paced and full of dark wit. This is crime writing with attitude.’

Mark Edwards, bestselling author ofFollow You Home

‘Written in the sharpest style, the story races along, leaving the reader almost as breathless as the heroine – but there is a verve to it that is impossible to resist … Clarke is certainly someone to watch’

Daily Mail

‘A very contemporary nightmare, delivered with panache’

Independent

‘Freddie is a magnificently monstrous character’

Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4

‘Clarke has made an appealing flawed female lead who’ll make immediate sense to readers who enjoyed Rachel in The Girl on the Train . An invigorating cat-and-mouse game, with a dark and filthy wit that deliciously spikes the regular drenchings of gore’

Crime Scene Magazine

‘Slick and clever’

Sun

‘Set in a London of East End hipsters, Tinder hook-ups, and internships, this tongue-in-cheek tale explores murder in the age of social media’

Sunday Mirror

‘A chilling debut’

Hello

‘ Follow Me is compelling, a proper page-turner’

Emerald Street

‘Angela Clarke brings dazzling wit and a sharp sense of contemporary life to a fast-paced serial killer novel with serious style’

Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan series

‘In Follow Me , Clarke creates a completely compelling world, and a complex heroine. Freddie is refreshing and fascinating – a credible addition to the crime canon and a great alternative for anyone who has grown frustrated with the male dominated world of the whodunnit. Follow Me is literally gripping – the tension levels were forcing me to clutch the book so hard that my hands hurt!’

Daisy Buchanan,Grazia

‘A fascinating murder mystery and a dark, ironic commentary on modern social media’

Paul Finch, author ofStalkers

‘Gripping, darkly funny and feminist, I loved Follow Me ’

Caroline Criado-Perez

‘Pacey, gripping, and so up-to-the-minute you better read it quick!’

Claire McGowan, author ofThe Fall

‘Smart, fast paced, fresh and frightening. Follow Me is a gripping debut’

Rowan Coleman, author ofThe Memory Book

‘ Follow Me is a well written, taut, absolutely fascinating and scarily good crime novel that is too true to life … It will certainly make you look at social media and Twitter in particular with the utmost scepticism and horror. Outstanding! Clearly the start of a wonderful series, superbly written. I definitely want more’

Ayo Onatade,Shots magazine

Dedicated to Laura Higgins

and to all those who work tirelessly to help and advocate change at www.RevengePornHelpline.org.uk

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for WATCH ME by Angela Clarke

Praise for FOLLOW ME by Angela Clarke

Dedication