Predictable yet gripping thriller
Eye of the Beholder is billed as a reimagining of Hitchcock's Vertigo, and as someone who is not familiar with this story, I was intrigued to read more.
Maddy has travelled to a remote estate to visit renowned cosmetic surgeon Dr Angela Reynolds, who has commissioned her to ghost-write her new book. However, when Angela leaves her there alone and refuses to answer basic background questions, Maddy realises that she may have more on her hands than she realises.
Looking at the synopsis of Vertigo with the knowledge of hindsight, I would say that this follows some of the same themes and has a few of the same character names. This is very much a different story though and I enjoyed the foray into the ideas of beauty and society's perception of cosmetic surgery. The ending twist would be more obvious if you know the story, but I think it was fairly predictable anyway and I guessed what was going on very early into the novel. It was still fun to read though, the mansion in the middle of the Highlands made for a great setting for a thriller, with Maddy trying to learn about the backstory of Angela, the introduction of the mysterious Scott and creepy alarm system with things being misplaced, moved and lost throughout.
I did think that the relationship between Maddy and Scott seemed to move very quickly - it made the spiral into obsession and depression from Maddy in the present timeline feel a bit unrealistic. There's a lot of action in the later half of the book though and I did find it gripping - actually finishing it all in one sitting!
Overall, Eye of the Beholder is a gripping thriller, but it is a little predictable at times, even if you don't know anything about Vertigo. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
