I, Witness is the debut novel from English writer and journalist Niki Mackay, who skilfully weaves four point of view narratives into a compelling modern mystery of sordid family secrets and familial abuse.

Six years ago, beautiful and wealthy teenager Naomi Andrews was stabbed to death during a house party in Kingston-upon-Thames. Her best friend, Kate Reynolds was charged with voluntary manslaughter. At the time, Kate confessed. But upon her release from prison she visits Madison Attalee – the detective who was first on the scene the night of Naomi’s murder. Chain-smoking, recovering alcoholic Madison is no longer in the force; she’s now a private investigator. Kate, driven by a desire to truly be free, tells Madison she’s innocent and wants her to prove she didn’t kill Naomi.

The novel opens with a gruesome scene from the past – the apparent suicide of a woman, who tells us she is a terrible mother. We soon learn the woman is Ruth Reynolds, Kate’s mother. I, Witness is grounded in the exploration of the mother/daughter relationships of its four main characters; Madison’s alcoholic mother and her own daughter who she only gets to see for two hours each fortnight, Kate who wonders if her mother ever actually loved her, Claudia Reynolds, who would do anything to protect her 3-year old daughter, and Naomi’s mother, Anthea Andrews, who has been changed irrevocably, unable to cope with the loss of her beloved daughter.

The story alternates between these four women, told in first person point of view. At first I was concerned that with so many points of view, one or more of the characters would be less engaging that the main characters, Madison and Kate. Not the case. Niki Mackay has written all four women with distinct goals and meaningful story arcs, and as a reader, I was rooting for each of them. Claudia appears to be the perfect housewife, but is actually the victim of domestic violence. She develops a friendship with Kate which gives her the strength to do what she needs to. Anthea is furious that Kate has returned to town and is hell bent on getting revenge for Naomi’s death; stalking Kate and breaking into her house, and it’s this unpredictability that makes her very interesting.

Perhaps secondary to the stories of each of these women is the mystery of who really killed Naomi. There’s a good list of potential suspects – several of them members of the dysfunctional Reynolds family, none of whom ever visited Kate in prison. Her father, James, is suspiciously absent, and all of the children have been deeply affected by the loss of their mother – older brother Marcus is a violent and unfaithful husband, and sister, Martha has been confined by her family to a psychiatric ward dressed as a spa. Niki Mackay deftly crafts the story in a way that each and every character has a role to play in the events leading to Naomi’s murder and in the subsequent happenings resulting in Kate’s arrest and imprisonment. The confrontation scene where the identity of the murder is finally revealed is suitably disturbing and dramatic.

I, Witness is the first in a series of novels featuring protagonist Madison Attalee and I was pleased to see a few characters from this story will continue into the next instalment, including her reliable and trusty assistant, Emma and a surprise addition to the team.

Book blurb...
Meet Madison Attalee: an ex-police officer turned Private Investigator who will stop at nothing to solve a case.
They say I'm a murderer.
Six years ago, Kate Reynolds was found holding the body of her best friend; covered in blood, and clutching the knife that killed her.

I plead guilty.

Kate has been in prison ever since, but now her sentence is up. She is being released.

But the truth is, I didn't do it.

There's only one person who can help: Private Investigator Madison Attallee, the first officer on the scene all those years ago.

But there's someone out there who doesn't want Kate digging up the past. Someone who is willing to keep the truth buried at any cost.

My thoughts…
This gripping thriller hooked me straight up, adding strong characters and a plot line that escalates to a dramatic conclusion.
Madison Attalee, private investigator, is perfectly portrayed and brings this mystery to it’s sensational conclusion while dealing with her own issues.
Guessing who was good and who was evil was not easy. Well done.
All the characters had a purpose and the reader rewards were well placed within the plot, but guessing who was good and who was evil was not easy. Well done.
I felt for Kate and hated her brother and father. Family secrets did not help Kate at all.
There was a small theme of abuse in this story, however the more positive themes of happiness and freedom feature, making this an enjoyable read.

EXCERPT: There was a girl in the middle of the floor. She was the one bleeding. But that day she managed not to be the main event. Not for me anyway. Kate Reynolds was the star. Half smiling at me as I walked in, her hands gripped into the other girl's dead flesh, the knife grazing her bare knee as she rocked back and forth. She was gibbering. Whispering.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: They say I'm a murderer.

Six years ago, Kate Reynolds was found holding the body of her best friend; covered in blood, and clutching the knife that killed her.

I plead guilty.

Kate has been in prison ever since, but now her sentence is up. She is being released.

But the truth is, I didn't do it.

There's only one person who can help: Private Investigator Madison Attalee, the first officer on the scene all those years ago.

But there's someone out there who doesn't want Kate digging up the past. Someone who is willing to keep the truth buried at any cost.

MY THOUGHTS: I am so pleased that this is the first book of a new series. Madison Attalee is one interesting character! And this appears to be author Niki Mackay's debut book! Definitely an author to follow if I, Witness is any indication.

'The whispers of the past have a habit of steering through the generations no matter how much we try and bury them.' This is a quote from I, Witness and the basis of the book. Niki Mackay has created a family of mostly mentally unstable characters and woven a compelling story of secrets, lies, deceit, manipulation and violence around them and inserts a P.I. with her own demons to try and unravel the events leading up to Kate’s arrest for the murder of her best friend.

The writing flows seamlessly and the story is told from multiple points of view, something that doesn't always work for me but, in this case, is brilliantly executed. The dialogue is natural and flowing, the twists and turns unexpected but viable.

There's hardly a topic that Mackay doesn't touch on in this gripping page turner - mental illness, domestic violence, alcoholism, adultery to name a few - but she does it with great finesse and works it all neatly into a twisty tale of jaw-dropping revelations that leaves me wanting more.

4.5 shooting stars for a book I read in less than 24 hours.

Thank you to Hachette Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of I, Witness by Niki Mackay for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

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After 6 years of serving time it's time for Kate to find out the truth. Did she do it? Did she really kill her best friend? To find out she'll need help from PI Madison. Will the truth help her Kate, or just make her life worse? I Witness is a refreshing crime-thriller that'll keep you guessing...will you see it coming, because I didn't. This is the first in the Madison Attalee series (To be published on the 19th of April) and I hope it isn't the last.