The Watchers [Hardcover]

Jon Steele (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 29, 2012

Beneath Lausanne Cathedral, in Switzerland, there is a secret buried before time began, something unknown to angels and men, until now...

Marc Rochat watches over the city at night from the belfry of the cathedral. He lives in a world of shadows and "beforetimes" and imaginary beings.
Katherine Taylor, call girl and daydreamer, is about to discover that her real-life fairy tale is too good to be true.
Jay Harper, private detective, wakes up in a crummy hotel room with no memory. When the telephone rings and he's offered a job, he knows he has no choice but to accept.

Three lives, one purpose: save what's left of paradise before all hell breaks loose.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for THE WATCHERS by Jon Steele:

 

“A seductive cosmic thriller stoked by historic fact, an ancient Jewish religious text, and a literary classic... Steele’s lavishly atmospheric, witty, bloody, and swashbuckling tale of age-old struggles for dominion between angels and demons is the propitious first book in an ambitious series.”

—Booklist (Starred)

 

“An imaginative metaphysical thriller… Steele keeps his tale tantalizingly ambiguous, casting it with fey characters and skillfully concealing until the climax whether apparent weird events haven’t been manipulated to make them seem so. This solidly plotted tale, the first in a trilogy, will appeal to readers who like a hint of uncanny in their fiction.”

—Publishers Weekly

 

“A first novel (and first in a series) from Steele, for years a master cameraman for Independent Television News and author of War Junkie, an underground classic; really smart work for serious thriller readers.”

—Library Journal

 

“Reads like Paradise Lost by way of John Connolly, although Steele, formerly a war reporter, brings hard-edged modernity to this timeless tale as he roots his depiction of evil in the contemporary world. Clever, stylish and epic in scale, it’s a tremendously satisfying debut.”

—Irish Times

About the Author

Jon Steele worked as an award-winning cameraman for twenty-two years, traveling and working through more than seventy countries across six continents for Independent Television News of London.  While based in Moscow and Jerusalem, Steele wrote War Junkie, a gut-wrenching memoir covering a year in the life of a news cameraman.  The book was published in 2002 and is today recognized as a cult classic of war reportage.  In 2003, in Baghdad on the eve of the Iraq War, Steele became disillusioned with television news, put his camera on the ground and quit.

THE WATCHERS is Steele’s first novel. He now lives in Switzerland.        

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Blue Rider Press (May 29, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039915874X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399158742
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous read! May 29, 2012

By Myckyee

Format:Hardcover

I have a short list of books that I love and always keep a copy of. It includes The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Drood and The Black Hills, both written by Dan Simmons, and The Lord of the Rings. These books are characterized by great story-telling abilities by the author. They are not the kind of books (that shall remain nameless, the worst written by an author also with the first name of Dan) that have a cliff hanger at the end of a two page chapter. They are the sort that weave a story so cleverly and rich with story that it takes the reader into another world that is not soon forgotten, long after the characters names can't be recalled. The Watchers by Jon Steele is now on my list.

I loved this book from the first beautifully written and haunting chapter to the last heart-pounding one. Its exotic locale (Lausanne, Switzerland), its clever plot twists and turns and the revelation about two-thirds of the way in of what exactly is going on. Though it's a relatively large book at more than 570 pages, I devoured it in just a few days.

I was besotted with Jay Harper, one of the main characters. I think it was his sense of humor (that gets me every time) and his sure-fire way of seeing through to the heart of any matter. His relentless pursuit of the bad guys didn't hurt either. Another main character, Marc Rochat, tugged at my heart and I cheered for him the whole book through. This book isn't for the faint-at-heart, however. There are a few scenes that are difficult to read so if you don't like to read anything violent, I suggest you skim those few short paragraphs and keep reading - it's worth it!

It was a happy surprise to discover that The Watchers is just the first book in a new trilogy. It's definitely a must-read for the literary thriller crowd and just about anyone who enjoys great writing and a fabulous story.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It's like living in a fairytale. June 2, 2011

By Craobh Rua

Format:Kindle Edition

Jon Steele was born in America and worked a cameraman for ITN for more than twenty years. He has travelled and worked through seventy-eight countries across six continents. He has been stationed in Jerusalem, covered the unrest in Georgia, Rwanda and Sarajevo and filmed a documentary in Iraq. His first book, War Junkie, was an autobiography of his life as a cameraman, and was first published in 2002. He now lives in Switzerland with ihs wife and two cats. "The Watchers" is his first novel and is largely set in Lausanne.

"The Watchers" has three lead characters who - on the surface of it, at least - have nothing whatsoever in common. However, the events of the book bring them together, with all Heaven and Hell threatening to break loose. Marc Rochat was born in Quebec, and spent the first ten years of his life there with his mother. He moved to Switzerland after she died of cancer, becoming an 'unofficial' member of his father's rich and very well-connected family. (His father was, unfortuunately, already married when he met Marc's mother). He's now 21 and works as the Guet (or night watchman) at Lausanne Cathedral - though, thanks to his father and grandmother, he's never exactly going to be stuck for cash. Unfortunately, Marc did have a difficult entry into the world - as a result, he has a crooked leg and a great deal goes over his head. An innocent sort, he sees the world a little differently : he worries about bad shadows, spends a little too much time amongst the dead and has conversations with the cathedral's bells. (He even appears to hear their replies).

Katherine Taylor, meanwhile, lives very close to the cathedral, and sees the light from Marc's lantern every night. A 26 year old American, Katherine funded her college education with a starring appearance in the UCLA issue of Playboy. (As a major in International Economics, she probably negotiated an excellent deal for herself). Katherine has now graduated to working as a high-class (and expensive) call girl and was doing very nicely in America - until she ran into a few difficulties with the IRS. Fortunately, she's found a very lucrative position with the 200 Club in Lausanne.

The third of the book's three lead characters is Jay Harper - a PI who's very fond of the History Channel. Seven weeks before we first meet him, he'd been contacted by Guardian Services Ltd about a very well-paid job for the IOC in Lausanne. Unfortunately, he rememers nothing about his life before answering answering that phone call. (At the time, he didn't even known his name, and wasn't aware that he was living in London. As the book goes on, it becomes clear there's more to his memory loss than the empty vodka bottles that were lying strewn around the room). Harper has been hired to deal with a man called Alexander Yuriev - a former Olympian who who has contacted the Head of the IOC about a possible drugs scandal. Unfortunately, he's proving a little difficult to pin down and the drug he had identified was anything but performance-enhancing.

Marc was my favourite character in the book, and I was glad to learn that Lausanne Cathedral does have a Guet in real life. (It's a position that dates back to medieval times, and they're the only city in Europe to keep the tradition alive). The Book of Enoch provides a nice, mildly spooky background to the book - with certain elements of it reminding me of old TV series Hex. It's an easily read book, with the early part of the book doing a good job of establishing the characters. While some of the twists and turns in the later part of the book didn't come as too much of a surprise, it's still an enjoyable read. There is a way open for a couple of sequels and - while "The Watchers" isn't exactly essential reading - I'd be keen to find out what happens next.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sink slowly into this story, and you'll lose all track of time June 1, 2012

By Cathy G. Cole TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

First Line: At first sight, fifty yards off, he couldn't tell who it was walking through the rain, only that the slow-moving form emerging from the shattered village of Neuville-Vitasse was a British soldier.

Just before Christmas in the town of Lausanne, Switzerland, three people will meet in the ancient cathedral beneath which a secret was buried before time began.

Marc Rochat is the young man who calls the hour from the belfry of Lausanne Cathedral each night. He will tell you that he's "strong from the legs up"-- if he's not talking with the cathedral bells, responding to the mews of Monsieur Booty, his cat, or running away from the bad shadows that are gathering.

The young American, Katherine Taylor, is living the tax-free, designer label dream in Switzerland. An extremely beautiful (and extremely high-priced) prostitute, she's just about to find out that her life is indeed too good to be true.

The third person is private investigator Jay Harper, who wakes up in a hotel room with no memory, a love of watching the History Channel, and a job in Lausanne that he has no choice but to accept.

Three very different people who eventually learn that they have one objective: save what little is left of paradise before all hell breaks loose.

If you're in the mood for something in the wham, bam, thank you ma'am genre, do not pick up this book. You won't like it. However, if you're in the mood for an atmospheric work of art in which each of the hundreds of layers is painstakingly applied until you find yourself lost in the canvas and the close intimate friend of its inhabitants Marc, Katherine and Jay... well, you've picked up the right book.

Steele sets his stage meticulously, so there's not much action until the 250 page mark, but I didn't care because he was bringing the town of Lausanne, its citizens, the cathedral, and those three main characters to living, breathing life. As Harper himself says, "Bloody hell, just keeps getting better."

Steele acknowledges in his book that he wrote the first draft of The Watchers in the belfry loge of Lausanne Cathedral. His writing shows a deep love and appreciation of the ancient timbers and bells. I didn't find it odd that the character of Marc listened and spoke to them. Things that old are going to have stories to tell, and someone needs to listen.

All three characters are beautifully realized, and it's difficult for me to choose a favorite between them. The book has a strong foundation consisting of historic fact, an ancient Jewish text, and the literary classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The only thing that didn't win me over completely was the ending. I was ready for something that would knock my socks off, and it fell a bit short-- probably so there would be enough pieces left for the sequels that are to follow!

If you want to pick up a book and lose all track of time, The Watchers is for you.