$$ Verse 1: In the shadows, I see your face A fleeting glance, a hidden place Your spying eyes, they watch me still A secret kept, a silent thrill
Chorus: Oh, spying eyes, what do you see? A world of secrets, hidden from me In the night, they shine so bright Spying eyes, watching with all their might $$
Ava’s face blindness forces her to trust her instincts rather than her eyes. In Spying Eyes, she confronts a world where visual proof is no longer reliable. Deepfakes, altered CCTV footage, and AI-generated voices mean that seeing is no longer believing. The novel’s most suspenseful scene involves Ava watching a video of herself committing a crime she knows she didn’t do. The reader is left questioning reality alongside the protagonist. Ava Hardy - Spying Eyes
| Publication | Rating | Verdict | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Kirkus Reviews | Starred | "A masterpiece of ambient dread." | | Publishers Weekly | ★ | "Morgan outdoes herself. Unputdownable." | | The Guardian | 9/10 | "The spy thriller for the Ring doorbell era." | | Goodreads | 4.6/5 | "Ava Hardy is the hero we didn't know we needed." |
The novel won the 2024 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original and the ITW Thriller Award for Best E-Book Original. $$ Verse 1: In the shadows, I see
Since its release, Ava Hardy - Spying Eyes has been credited with changing real-world behavior. Privacy-focused software saw a 40% uptick in sales in the month following the book's publication. A viral TikTok trend called #SpyingEyesChallenge encouraged users to cover their laptop cameras and disable location tracking.
Moreover, the book has been adopted into university courses on media studies and surveillance ethics. Professors use the chapter "The Ring of Fire" (in which a doorbell camera is used to orchestrate a home invasion) as a case study in the unintended consequences of smart home technology. | Publication | Rating | Verdict | |
Spying Eyes is the second book in what Hardy calls her "Paranoia Trilogy," though the books are standalones. The first, Glass House, dealt with AR glasses. The third, The Last Logout, is rumored to deal with AI resurrection of the dead.
However, Ava Hardy - Spying Eyes will likely be the book that defines her career. It is currently in development as a limited series at HBO, with Oscar-nominated director Rose Glass (Saint Maud) attached to direct. Casting rumors suggest that Mia Goth is in talks to play Lena, a choice that Hardy publicly supported, tweeting, "Mia is the only actress who understands how to smile while committing a felony."