Title: THE LOVER
Author: MARY WATSON
ISBN: 9748085756061
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 376
Source: Review copy from Publisher
Blog Tour Organised by Random Things Tours
You never know what happens behind closed doors.
Rafe seems like your perfect man – intelligent, charming, attractive.
You think you’ve met the one.
You go back to his house one night and fall asleep in his arms.
When you wake, you reach out for him. But something feels cold beside you.
Rafe is dead – murdered in bed as you lay next to him – and everyone is going to think you did it…
Official Summary
14 August 2026
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for the invitation to participate in this blog tour. The Lover is already available in bookstores, and I have happily added a hard copy to my bookshelf.
After thoroughly enjoying The Cleaner, I was looking forward to reading another thriller from South African-born author Mary Watson, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Beautifully written and packed with suspense, The Lover centres on Hazel, a woman who has finally escaped a controlling husband and is determined never to find herself in that situation again.
When Hazel ends her relationship with her new boyfriend—who also happens to be her boss—her life begins to unravel. Suddenly, things at work start going terribly wrong, and she becomes convinced that Rafe is behind it all. Even after filing a formal complaint, Rafe insists he is innocent, leaving Hazel questioning everything she thought she knew.
This is a dark, gripping story of obsession, manipulation, and control. Watson keeps the tension high throughout, delivering clever twists that continually shift your perspective. I raced through this book in a single day because I simply couldn’t put it down.
As Hazel begins to investigate the strange events surrounding her workplace, she starts to wonder whether she has been wrong about Rafe all along. Just when she thinks she may finally be getting closer to the truth, a shocking event changes everything. Suddenly, Hazel finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation, with everyone convinced she is guilty. As suspicion closes in from every direction, she must uncover the truth before it’s too late.
The final act was brilliantly executed, with twist after twist leading to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. I genuinely didn’t see it coming, and I loved the way everything came together. The Lover is another excellent thriller from Mary Watson, earning a well-deserved four-star rating from me.
REMEMBER TO VISIT THE OTHER TOUR STOPS
Also by Mary Watson
THE CLEANER
It’s not dust she’s looking for.
It’s dirt.
Esmie is supposed to be invisible. Just a cleaner with a foreign accent that no one quite has time to place. Her uniform of leggings and a duster allows her to explore the homes of the wealthy, unseen; an outsider creeping around the edges of privilege.
But as she sweeps through the exclusive Woodlands gated neighbourhood, cleaning is the last thing on her mind. Treading silently over the polished wooden floorboards and cloud-soft carpets, Esmie gathers up the mess of broken marriages, quiet deceptions and careless failures. She tucks away their fragments, keeping them safe. For now.
Because one of the residents took from her the person she loves most. She’s not here to clean; she’s here for revenge – and she’ll get it using the weapons her employers unwittingly handed her along with the keys to their own secrets…
About The Author
Author bio from the author’s site
I grew up in Cape Town where I worked as an art museum custodian, library assistant, actress in children’s musicals, front-of-house duty manager, and university lecturer. My PhD was in film studies and I’ve always been obsessed with stories.
I attempted my first book (with illustrations) when I was five. At sixteen, I had a vivid dream about a girl and her father who walked a magic garden, hiding an awful secret. This grew into a collection of connected short stories, Moss (Kwela, 2004) which I wrote under the mentorship of André Brink at the University of Cape Town. I was awarded the Caine Prize in 2006. My second book, The Cutting Room (Penguin South Africa, 2013), is about ghosts, sort of, and crime.
In 2009, I moved to Galway, Ireland. After The Cutting Room, I knew I wanted to write a fantasy book. When my youngest child was born, I found reading YA books kept me awake during the long nights. I was lost in stories of brave girls. Of magic worlds and dystopias, zombies and vampires, queens and assassins while (almost) everyone around me slept, and the first seeds of The Wren Hunt were planted.
Thank you for visiting, you support means the world to me. I hope you enjoy this one and look forward to hearing your thoughts. The good news – this one is available in local bookstores. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
