I See You – Clare Mackintosh

Published by Sphere/Little, Brown

Ebook & Hardback: 28 July 2016

Paperback: 20 April 2017

You do the same thing every day.
You know exactly where you’re going.
You’re not alone.

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it’s there. There’s no explanation: just a grainy image, a website address and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it’s just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

I See You is an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning psychological thriller from the author of I Let You Go – one of the most exciting and successful British debut talents of 2015

Before talking about I See You, I would just like to say congratulations to Clare who last night won the Theakstons Old Peculier crime novel of the year award for her debut thriller, I Let You Go.   So well deserved.

This isn’t going to be an in depth review as I really don’t want to give anything away that could spoil the book for those who haven’t yet read it.

When I first started reading this I found myself nodding in agreement – I stand on the same part of the platform for my daily train commute – I know where the doors will open, which carriage to sit in so that I have a quick exit to the steps at my destination stop – never thinking for one minute that someone could be watching. That’s the frightening part of this story – actions that you do automatically as part of your daily routine could place you in danger.

Zoe Walker is just an ordinary woman, with a job and a family until she sees her photo in the classified/dating section of a local newspaper. Of course it couldn’t possibly be her. It must be someone who looks just like her – nobody would put her photo in a paper. Would they?

Along with Zoe, the other main character is a British Transport police officer Kelly.  Kelly is an ambitious character and extremely likeable but a bit of a loose cannon. Now she has a chance to try and redeem herself. She has a habit of doing the wrong thing but for the right reason and there were times when I was shouting at her, “no don’t do that” but you actually do need people like Kelly in the world who will put themselves on the line for others.

I absolutely loved the author’s debut, I Let You Go, and I did wonder how a second book would fare against the massive success of the first. However I See You more than matches up.  It’s another excellent psychological crime thriller and right from the outset the story will grab you and you will keep turning those pages.  The concept of the story is quite believable and the very ordinariness of the characters and their lives are what makes it intriguing and so very addictive – you can’t help but think ‘just one more chapter….’   I think I must have suspected almost every character along the way in my quest to guess the outcome. That chilling voice (written in italics) makes you worry as to what will happen next – and to whom.   Once you start reading you won’t want to put it down – trust me. I loved it and hope you do too.

My thanks to Kirsteen and the publisher for an advance copy to review.

About the author:

Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their three children.

Clare’s debut novel, I Let You Go, is a Sunday Times bestseller and was the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It was selected for both the Richard and Judy Book Club, and was the winning title of the readers’ vote for the summer 2015 selection, and ITV’s Loose Women’s Loose Books.

Clare is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity which supports the work carried out in the John Radcliffe Hospital’s Silver Star unit, providing special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy.

For more information visit Clare’s website www.claremackintosh.com or find her at www.facebook.com/ClareMackWrites or on Twitter @ClareMackint0sh #ILetYouGo