I See You

I See You begins with a warning:

You do the same thing every day.
You know exactly where you’re going. You’re not alone.
Zoe Walker is on her commute home, going through her normal, everyday routine, when she sees something that derails her normal, everyday life: her face, in an advert in the newspaper, in a section used for escorts and phone sex lines. Who placed the ad? Why? The number listed isn’t real, and the website given goes to a blank page. Is this a prank, a coincidence, or something more?

Later, Zoe recognizes a face from a past advert–in a news story about a woman who was raped and murdered. Digging in to the ads, Zoe finds that several women featured have been the victims of crime. With the police finally involved, the show more real purpose of the ads is revealed, and Zoe may be the future victim of a mysterious and violent stalker.

This was a fantastic thriller. To me, the most compelling thing about the book is how Mackintosh takes the normal everyday paranoia that comes from being a woman traveling alone, and dials it to eleven. It’s always there, the constant push-pull of balancing alertness with reason: is it better to make eye contact with the stranger on the train or to ignore all the other passengers? Are there other people around or am I suddenly alone? Is he following me or simply on his way home? Are those running footsteps after me or simply someone late for the bus? The hyper-vigilance is routine, whether you’re traveling home on the bus after a late night of work or making your way through the parking garage at night. It is something not often discussed, but will provoke a visceral reaction when reading the book. This is your everyday life, if all the worst case scenarios floating around in your head suddenly come true.

Mackintosh is a fine writer, and her former career as a police officer stands her in good stead with the finer details of police procedure. Fans of Ruth Ware, Lisa Gardener, and Paula Hawkins will likely enjoy this book.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

"I see you, but you don't see me. Until I want you to."

....can I just say that I'm glad I don't take public transportation?

I was wary of reading this because I didn't enjoy I Let You Go all that much. It was - for me at least - a let down. BUT..this one? I loved it.
The concept alone is enough to creep anyone out. Imagine casually looking through the newspaper on the train and finding YOUR picture in a random advertisement. Then imagine discovering that other women whose images recently appeared in the same ad have fallen victim to some terrible crimes. This is the situation the main character, Zoe, finds herself in.
This book is written in a way that paints several characters as suspicious. That being said, I never once suspected the show more actual culprit. And that ending...brilliant.

I See You is part police procedural, part thriller. And it was fantastic. Also, creepy. Super creepy.
If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, I highly suggest picking this one up! show less

I finished this book about an hour ago and I am still shaking. Zoe Walker takes the train to work every day to her boring job. However, one day she realizes her photo has been taken and placed in the newspaper as part of an ad for a dating service. Upon further investigation she soon realizes other women have also had their photos in the papers, and that these women have been mugged, raped and some even killed. Not wanting to become the next victim in this sick game, she works with the police to solve the case. The ending is simply unexpected and too, too frightening to contemplate. This is a must read book for anyone who loves a great story or who loves a good scare! I shall not be sleeping well tonight!

Clare Mackintosh’s first novel was an excellent twisty thriller. There are plenty of clues scattered throughout the novel, but no matter how many times you guess the ending, you are wrong. The ending comes as a complete surprise and changes the meaning of the entire story.

Given its excellence, there were high hopes for Ms. Mackintosh’s second novel. I See You should be just as amazing and equally thrilling. After all, what is more terrifying than someone stalking you without your knowledge? Unfortunately, lightning does not strike twice in this particular case.

The main disappointment is the fact that the ending is too predictable. You can envision how the story is going to end much too easily. Nothing is really a surprise. To make show more matters worse, you can accurately predict the ending less than halfway through the story. This is the death knell for thrillers because the minute you do so, the suspense disappears. Such is the case with I See You.

Moreover, Zoe is just plain annoying. She should be sympathetic as she has all of the reasons one should sympathize with her. Divorced, working a job that doesn’t thrill her but keeps her busy, struggling to accept her children’s life choices, and then dropped into the middle of this mystery that has all-too-real consequences. What she comes across as though is whiny, self-absorbed, and meddling. You are not rooting against her so much as you are just waiting for something to happen that will make her see the errors of her ways.

The female detective who takes an interest in Zoe’s case is not much better. She is a person who thinks she has everyone and everything all figured out and rules are made to be broken if she feels it necessary. Except there is no reason for her to do so, and it just adds a layer of unnecessary frustration. Between the main character who I just wanted to stop being so selfish and the detective who I just wanted to get her head out of her ass and start listening to her superiors who knew better than she did, I was already rather aggravated with the story. When I figured out the culprit behind the crime at the halfway point, that is when I became truly disappointed.

Had her first novel not been so stellar with an ending that is the ultimate in shocks, I See You would have been a decent thriller. Because it was however, I was looking for the twist as well as the clues, and doing so ruined the story for me. While you should never judge one book by another, it is difficult to refrain from doing just that when written by the same author. In this case, I suspect that those unfamiliar with Ms. Mackintosh’s previous novel will thoroughly enjoy this one. Those readers who enjoyed it though will be disappointed with her sophomore novel. show less

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 . . .

In my humble opinion, there are few things better than a book with a well written twist. There you are, just reading along your merry way and BAM! Maybe you were ready for it, maybe you weren’t, but if it’s truly a twist, your mind may possibly short out for show more a moment, and it’s glorious. Now, I said there are few things better, but my absolute favorite thing is a book that ends well. When I say well, I don’t mean happily ever after with all the loose ends neatly tucked away. On the contrary, a good ending (again in my opinion) ends true to life. In real life, happily ever after is a rarity, and complete wrapping up of loose ends is nigh on an impossibility. Clare Mackintosh has apparently accepted these life truths and is unafraid to employ them in her books. I’m not going to say anything about the plot, because I don’t want to accidentally give away anything, but Ms. Mackintosh has produced another absorbing page turner. Her characters are multi-dimensional, and the dialogue flows naturally. Under normally circumstances, I would give I See You four stars, but because the ending left me cackling with glee (literally, as my coworker can attest), this, for me, is a five star read. show less

4.5 stars.

Fast-paced with a very unique premise, I See You by Clare Mackintosh is a chilling mystery that is suspense-laden and downright creepy.

Zoe Walker is like many Londoners who rely on public transportation to go to and from work every day. Her daily routine is quite predictable and she rarely varies her route or where she sits on her daily commute. Passing time on her ride home one day, Zoe is stunned to find a picture of herself along with a phone number and web address in the classified section of the newspaper. Despite her family and friends' assurances she is not the person in the photo, she is curious enough to continue checking the classified section. Zoe soon makes a stunning connection between some of the women in the show more advertisements and recent victims of increasingly violent crimes. She reports her suspicions to British Transport Police Detective Constable Kelly Swift who in turn manages to get assigned to the Murder Investigation Team (MIT). Working closely with Detective Inspector Nick Rampello, she and the other members of the MIT make a horrifying discovery: someone is stalking daily commuters and putting their information up for sale on a secret website. Quickly realizing two women who were recently murdered and a rape victim were featured in the adverts, Kelly and Nick are under pressure to uncover the identity of the person running the site before someone else is attacked. The stakes are even higher for Zoe who is growing increasingly worried about her safety.

Zoe is a divorced mum of two adult children, nineteen year old Katie, an aspiring actress and twenty-two year old Justin, who has finally turned his life around after a couple of brushes with the law when he was younger. She and her two children live with her significant other, Simon, who dotes on her but cannot seem to quell his jealousy over her ex-husband Matt, who drives a taxi for a living. Zoe commutes to her job in London where she works at a real estate office that specializes in commercial properties. Close friends with her neighbors, Melissa and Neil, Zoe is mostly happy with her life although she frets over her children's futures.

DC Kelly Swift is an excellent investigator but after she got into some trouble during a case a few years earlier, her career has stalled. After Zoe calls her with her suspicions about recent cases being linked to the classified adverts, she convinces an old boss of hers to let her work with the MIT. Kelly is instrumental in finding the first big break in their investigation but their first solid lead quickly run into a dead end. Realizing time is not on their side, Nick puts someone from cyber crimes on the case and while they uncover valuable information, will it be enough to identify the person who is running the website?

Once Zoe has a better idea of what is going on with the adverts, she becomes more and more worried about her security. She uncovers shocking information about Simon but her biggest concern is Katie's new boyfriend. However, it is an innocuous discovery that sets a horrifying plan into action that threatens those she holds most dear. Will Kelly and Nick find the evidence they need to catch the person behind the website before it is too late?

I See You by Clare Mackintosh is a spellbinding police procedural that has many unexpected twists and turns. A vast pool of suspects and a series of misdirects and red herrings will keep readers guessing the perpetrator's identity right up until the novel's stunning conclusion. Although the final plot twist is not completely unexpected, it is still a stunning revelation that leaves a few loose ends dangling. I highly recommend this intricately plotted and devilishly clever mystery to fans of the genre. show less

Zoe Walker has a daily routine. She walks to the train station, waits on the platform, finds her favorite spot the car. On her way home one evening, a bewildered Zoe spots her picture in a newspaper classified advertisement. When she investigates the advertisement, she discovers that each day a different woman’s picture has appeared in the ad. The included phone number doesn’t work, and the website listed there, FindTheOne.com, doesn’t appear to be active.

Zoe soon comes to realize that each women pictured in the newspaper ad ultimately becomes a crime victim and those crimes are increasingly violent. Feeling frightened and paranoid, Zoe contacts the police. But when she discovers the true purpose of the advertisement, will Zoe show more find that she’s become the chosen one?

The intriguing premise for Zoe’s story fills readers with a sense of dread, keeping them wondering exactly how the narrative will play out.
However, despite the diverse, well-described characters, this creepy tale of women unknowingly under surveillance requires massive doses of suspending disbelief for the sake of the story-telling.

It’s understandable that Zoe would be creeped-out and frightened, but the slowly-unfolded reveal regarding the newspaper advertisements strains believability and the ultimate reason behind the entire plot seems considerably out of proportion to the plot hatched in this tale.
And, even if readers ignore all that, the fact remains that the shifty criminals still know how to do what they do without any outside assistance.

But then there’s that final twist, the ones readers are not at all likely to see coming . . . . show less