I See You by Clare Mackintosh
Berkley Publishing Group
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Date Read: November 23, 2016
Source: First to Read
★★★★☆
The author of the smash bestseller, I Let You Go, propels readers into a dark and claustrophobic thriller, in which a normal, everyday woman becomes trapped in the confines of her normal, everyday world…
Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her…
It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com.
Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including rape and murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose…a discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. For now Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.
And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…
I liked this one. The premise of the story really grabbed me because the idea of someone watching when you don’t know it is just plain scary. I wouldn’t say the book scared me but the idea behind the story is frightening only because of how realistic it really is. I was pulled into this book rather quickly and read the entire book in about a day so it definitely held my attention. This was a very entertaining read that kept me guessing right up until the end.
Zoe is like a lot of other people in that she is a creature of routine. She takes the same route to work and back everyday and follows the same routine. Could this behavior have set her up as a target of a new website? When Zoe notices a picture in the classified section of the paper, she thinks it looks like her but can’t believe it. Her loved ones convince her that it couldn’t be but she can’t quite let it go and shares what she has seen with a local detective.
Kelly gets involved in the case after talking to Zoe. She wants in on the case and pulls a few strings to be assigned to the unit handling it for a period of time. She connects with Zoe and is willing to bend a few rules if that is what it takes to keep her safe. Some women have been victims of crime after their photo ended up in the paper and there has even been a murder. The police are determined to figure out what is going on and stop the crimes from occurring.
This book took a lot of twists and turns and I wasn’t ever quite sure who might be responsible. I think that Zoe’s feeling of fear and helplessness were accurately displayed while she still had the strength and resolve to continue on with her life. Kelly’s perspective added a lot to the book and really illustrated how difficult of a case this really was. I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters but I found myself really wanting to see everyone come out of this unharmed with the culprit caught.
I would recommend this book to fans of mystery thrillers. This was a fast paced and exciting novel that had a realistic feel. This is the first book by Clare Mackintosh that I have had a chance to read and I would definitely pick up her work again in the future.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via First to Read.
About the Author
Photo: © Charlie Hopkinson Clare Mackintosh, the international bestselling author of I Let You Go, spent twelve years on the police force in England and has written for The Guardian, Good Housekeeping, and other publications. A columnist for Cotswold Life and Writing Magazine, she is the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival.
I have this book and have plans on reading it during my short Christmas break. Sounds like a good mystery.
I've never seen this one before. I like the sound of this and how the atmosphere seems to be so well written! adding this one to my tbr. Great review 🙂
My library won't have this one yet, it is brand new but I'm putting it on my list. Thanks!!
The blurb on this one gives me chills! It reminds me of a Criminal Minds episode where people were finding missing posters of themselves before they were missing. Needless to say it didn't end well! This sounds so good and I'm glad to hear that it lived up to expectations. Can't wait to read it!