It's Not What You Think: A Novel

Nadeeka and Jamie are really happy together but there’s a niggling doubt in Nadeeka’s mind, something about Jamie’s behaviour that makes her think he’s cheating on her. Rushing home to confirm her suspicions, she in fact finds Jamie dead and police on the scene. From there it becomes very clear that it’s not what she or the reader thinks.

I think it’s fairly common knowledge that there may be some twists in this book and Clare Mackintosh certainly does know how to do an excellent twist. I loved that nothing was obvious in this story, but even setting aside the clever twists, this is simply a first-rate thriller with a compelling story that I wanted to be reading all the time. The writing and plotting are flawless, the show more characters are so brilliantly depicted and the pacing is timed to perfection.

It’s Not What You Think was one of the books I was most looking forward to reading this year and it delivered on every level. I thought it was superb. show less

Nadeeka is convinced her partner Jamie is having an affair. She races home to confront him but instead finds that Jamie is dead.

I've read some of the books by Clare Mackintosh and enjoyed them. This one I didn't really enjoy.

This story has some very controversial themes surrounding immigration. The storyline is very of our time and I can see alot of readers not liking it. This for me wasn't the issue why I didn't enjoy it. I'm not saying I enjoyed the issues raised I just looked on it as what the story was about.

For me the reason I didn't enjoy the book was because it was police procedure. I used to read a lot of books following police but fell out of love with them along time ago.

I kept plodding on with the book but when the big twist show more was revealed I had already guessed and had at this point totally lost interest.

Clare Mackintosh is a good author and I have enjoyed her thrillers so will read more in the future but will stay clear of the detective books. show less

After ditching her unfaithful partner Nadeeka hopes she's found happiness with Jamie but she starts to suspect that he is hiding something from her. She comes home one day to find the police at their house, Jamie has been killed. However when she tries to find out more by going to the police station she discovers that there has been no crime and the officers she claims to have seen don't exist.
There is a really great story at the heart of this book about extremist right wing groups infiltrating all levels of society and hiding in plain sight. The only problem here is that is almost secondary to making the plot of the book incredibly twisty. Don't get me wrong, it's a really great read and definitely ticks all the boxes but I feel the show more driving force is pace. show less

A very solid four star read. Multiple POVs give you glimpses into each character's thoughts, quick chapters allow for a page turning experience and the pacing is on point which provides great suspense. Is it as great as I Let You Go? Nope. But IMO nothing ever will be. So maybe the hype using that comparison will leave readers feeling let down. But comparison is the theif of joy! So go into this with a clear mind and you will not be disappointed! It's a really great read. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read an advanced copy.