Outstanding thriller for readers looking for a twist a la Gone Girl. Mackintosh is a must buy for librarians. Her writing always has a twist you don't see coming and this book was no different. Just wait for the epilogue

I read Ms. Mackintosh's first book and enjoyed it. I'm afraid that her second book didn't hold me like the first did. The premise was great, pictures of females and their commutes listed on a website so you can "meet" them. Original plot, however, the writing wasn't as good and I kept hoping I would be at the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This book is not my first rodeo with Clare Mackintosh and most certainly will not be the last, but maybe the next time I read her, I will not be home alone!

I See You takes the reader underground where women are being stalked and all sorts of outcomes are happening. Two have been murdered, but some are just getting the creeps, on one such metro ride, Zoe Walker sees her own face on an advertisement and she pushes the police to figure out what is going on.

From the beginning, I knew this book was one of those that you can't put down. From chapter to chapter, I needed to know who the stalker was and how they found out so much information! The way Clare writes just keeps a reader reading page to page!

I am putting Clare Mackintosh in my top for mystery/thrillers and she is definitely an auto buy from now on. I was surprised when I went to look her up and she only has two books and I have read and loved them both. Keep writing Clare!

I See You is the first book that I have read by Clare Mackintosh. Although it started out a little slow, I will say that it picked up the pace halfway in. After that, all bets were off. Part of my issue may been that it was based in London and it took me a while to relate to some of the descriptions and colloquialisms that were used. As a mystery suspense, this was definitely one of the more intriguing books that I have read in awhile. It is almost impossible to have predicted how this thing ends.

I See You is the story of bookkeeper Zoe Walker and what happens after she notices what she believes to be a picture of her in the back pages of the London Gazette. That picture is accompanied by a reference to a website called FindTheOne.com. However, it’s not what you think it is. Instead of a dating website, it’s something far more sinister. After the police are made aware of other photos linked to actual crimes against women, things really start to take a turn. Zoe begins to get more and more paranoid as more information develops. On the other side of all of this, we also get to see the investigation from the perspective of Transit Cop Kelly Swift who is trying to redeem herself. Kelly has a lot of baggage related to her twin sister and also regarding an incident that happened with a suspect years ago. As Zoe and Kelly exchange information, hints at who the true criminal is begin to surface and I never saw it coming.

There is so much more that I would like to say about this thriller but I would be giving away all of the good parts. Trust me, it’s well worth the read. You will be on the edge of your seat and likely watching your back the next time, you step out in public.

I enjoyed this book. I found the twists to be entertaining. A few times I became frustrated with the mom because she made decisions that I thought were ridiculous or she came across as so weak and whiny, but it was a small enough part of the story that I still really enjoyed getting lost in the story.

This is the first book that I've read by Clare Mackintosh. She is relatively new to novels with her debut, I Let You Go, being published in November of 2014. With that said, I really enjoyed her writing. If this book is any indication, I expect that I will be reading a lot more of her work in the future.

For the most part, I found the characters and location to be well developed. The bad guy was pretty creepy during those sections, which was great. Those parts gave me a bit of a Joe vibe, for those of you that read You. Those sections were short, but well done. Best of all, I wasn't sure who the bad guy was until close to the end and I was engaged and wanted to keep reading the whole time.

I found the end of this story to be somewhat weak in parts. I liked the twists, but again the mom frustrated me. I found myself wanting to shout at her a couple of times. Certain things could have happened that would have prevented certain situations, if she used her brain. I found it a bit frustrating and felt it may have been forced a bit to fit where she wanted the story to go, but maybe it was more realistic in some ways. I suppose if you are in a terrifying situation you may not think clearly. I think my issue was partly that I was viewing the scene through the lens of a mother of adult children and thinking about how I would react, which was very different from what she did.

Overall, I really enjoyed this first story by Clare Mackintosh and will look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Stevie‘s review of I See You by Clare Mackintosh
Women’s Crime Fiction published by Berkley 21 Feb 17

Identity theft and stalking are two crimes everyone is very aware of these days, and a perpetrator who combines aspects of both offences against the same victim is much to be feared. Such is the premise of Clare Mackintosh’s second book, which starts out every bit as complex and twisty as her first. Of course the problem second books face, especially following on from a successful first book, is whether the author can keep to or surpass the standards she has already set for herself. In this case, it’s fair to say the author succeeded.

Zoe Walker has a very ordinary life that will be familiar to many UK readers, as well as to city-dwellers around the world. After marrying – and having two children – at quite a young age, Zoe has returned to work, not to pursue the high-flying career she once dreamed of, but as a bookkeeper and general dogsbody for an obnoxious estate agent, as well as doing odd bits of accounting work for friends and neighbours in her spare time. Zoe’s days follow a monotonous regime, until one day an advert for an escort service catches her eye, and she realises that the woman depicted on the newspaper page is her – or at least a woman who looks very like her.

Although she’s worried about the newspaper ad, Zoe tries to forget about the incident, until she comes across a similar ad while clearing up her boss’s office. This time the photograph is that of a woman Zoe recognises as the victim of a recent murder, the ad having appeared shortly before the woman’s death was reported. Zoe tracks down more reports relating to the crime and realises that the woman had previously been the victim of a minor theft – and that may have been how the killer got into her house. Zoe manages to contact the police officer who dealt with that case and convinces her that the crimes are linked.

Kelly Swift had been on the brink of a promising career as a detective, until she lost her temper with a man she had arrested for sex crimes. Now demoted to working in the community, she is determined to get justice for the victim Zoe identifies, and then for other women, whose identities have appeared in ads shortly prior to their being victims of violent or sexual crimes. Meanwhile, it becomes obvious, first to us readers, and then to Zoe and Kelly, that the person behind the fraudulent ads has a particular interest in Zoe.

This book kept me guessing right up to the very end, with some real edge-of-the-seat thrills as Zoe and her family found themselves in danger, while Kelly and those few detectives on the murder team who took the women seriously struggled to draw the perpetrators out into the open. Even the very end left me curious about what would happen to them all next. Highly recommended.

Grade: A

Clare Mackintosh has hit it out of the park again! I loved this book. It was an immediate, suck you in thriller with interesting characters, wonderful plot development, and an interesting ending. There is also an extra ending, if you will, that I am not 100% sure is necessary.

I found the writing style to be beautifully written, just as I did with her first novel, I Let You Go. And while this is another psychological thriller, I found her including technology to make this piece stand out a bit for me.

I love the premise – Zoe find herself randomly in an ad for a dating website, and while her husband discourages her from looking more into it (he believes she signed up for the site and is denying it), she can’t seem to drop it. So instead, she looks more into it, checking out past editions and seeing other pictures of women. And soon she realizes that hey…these women look familiar. And why do they look familiar? Because they have been on the news for various reason – having been robbed, stalked, and in some cases, murdered.

Zoe was a very interesting character. I also enjoyed Kelly, the detective that makes sure she stays on this case. They are both well written, developed characters with a good combination of flaws and positive attributes. I also enjoyed Zoe’s children, Katie and Justin. And Zoe’s friend/Justin’s boss, Melissa, could have her own book and I would read it. I, however, was not as interested in Simon, Zoe’s husband, or Matt, the father of Katie and Justin. I felt like they were lacking. Overall, though, I found the characters interesting and I did root for Zoe and Kelly throughout the entirety of the book.

The book is divided up into two perspectives – Zoe’s and Kelly’s. This is a great way to progress the book, as we get parts of the story from Zoe, a victim-turned-investigator, and Kelly, the detective who believes there is more to this story than some of the other officers. And I enjoy that Mackintosh took the time to make Kelly more of a complete character (we meet her family, learn some of her history as to why she became a cop, some of the trouble she got into while on the force, etc) as opposed to “just a cop”.

The plot development is good and I really enjoyed the ending. However, there is a type of epilogue that I am not sure is completely necessary. I feel like the book ends just fine without it. Other than that, I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading it again in the future.

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 website, a grainy image 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 . . .

What did I think:
5 stars
This book is amazing it's every thing you want in a thriller, it's reach's out and grabs you and pulls you into the story and won't let go, it's well written, suspenseful , and the plot is like no there , can't wait to read more by this author.

Clare Mackintosh's I See You (Berkley Penguin, digital galley), which will have you looking over your shoulder like London commuter Zoe Walker, who routinely takes the underground Tube to her real estate job. Then one day she spots a blurry photo of herself in a tabloid ad for what appears to be an internet dating site. What? How? She discovers that the ad runs daily, each time with the photo of a different woman -- and that these women are being stalked and assaulted. One has been murdered. Zoe takes her worries to Transport police officer Kelly Swift, whose third-person perspective on events alternates with Zoe's first-person narrative, upping the suspense. Mackintosh displayed her suspense writing chops with last year's I Let You Go. This book's another thrill ride if you're willing to ignore some improbable plot points.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

Clare Mackintosh's sophomore novel brings readers into a scene that is horrifyingly familiar, bringing terror and unease to your front door in I SEE YOU. While not as addictive and compelling as her debut, I See You will certainly cause you to think twice before you carry out habitual daily routines again.

When someone asks you to think of something that's truly terrifying, what's the first thing you think of? Probably something personal to you—whether it be your own mortality, the thought of losing a loved one, or perhaps losing everything you own.

The concept behind Mackintosh's I SEE YOU will give you chills because what happened to Zoe Walker could (in a way) happen to all of us. We are all creatures of habit, many of us carrying out the same tasks everyday. What if someone dangerous caught on to your routine and aimed to do you harm? The thought of that is horrifying, right? It's so scary because it would be so simple and the consequences could be deadly.

With all of that said, it's that thought and that concept that made me read I See You and ultimately made me like it. I always like it when I read a thriller that has elements that are relatable. The ability to put myself in the protagonist's shoes makes the book that much more chilling to me as a reader. It's that whole "What if that were me" thing that made this one so creepy.

This book asks a lot of its readers in the area of believability. We're asked to believe that many men if given the chance to essentially have access to a women's every move would immediately go straight for criminal mischief. Um...no. I didn't buy this at all. Mackintosh takes the simplistic idea of someone watching you (a concept I liked in its purest form) and adds a complexity to it that I won't go into so as not to spoil the reading experience. But suffice it to say, it's the complexity that I found to be more than a little far-fetched that took me out of that "what if it were me" mindset because I had a hard time buying what she was asking the reader to believe.

Like in most thrillers, Mackintosh adds in a fair share of red herrings leading up to the big reveal as to who is behind findtheone.com. But I found the reveal a bit underwhelming and if I'm honest, unconvincing and overdramatic.

This one was a little on the boring side and I wasn't wowed by it. Could be that I've read too many other fabulous books lately.

Last year my #1 thriller read was "I let you go" by Clare Mackintosh. It was a debut novel and I couldn't imagine that she could possibly retain that caliber in a second novel.

She did!

"I see you" has two main female protagonists.

Forty year old Zoe Walker, who works in London and commutes every day in the London Underground. One day in November, after a long and tiring day she is on her way home in the subway when she sees a 'singles advert' with a picture of a woman who looks like HER! That is strange enough in and of itself, until she realizes that on other days other woman are pictured and one of them has recently been murdered!

Zoe lives with her partner Simon and her two grown children, Justin and Katie. She left her ex-husband Matt when he was unfaithful, though she now realizes that he does still love her. She married Matt when she was very young as her pregnancy with Justin interrupted their plans. Her children do not understand why she left their father as she has never fully explained his infidelity. Justin in particular has never taken to her new partner Simon and is not afraid to show his animosity.

Kelly Swift is a young, keen, ambitious, and very talented copper. She has an identical twin sister, Lexi, who although now happily married and the mother of two boys - was raped while attending university. Kelly took the trauma of the rape even harder than Lexi did, and still suffers from nightmares. Four years ago, when working a rape case, she lost control and attacked a suspect. She was 'off sick' for nine months and then reinstated to duty as a PC. A demotion as punishment for losing control. When Zoe Walker telephones her and alerts her to the 'adverts' her detective's nose senses something deeper. It seems that other crimes against women can be connected to the adverts... When the team in charge of the latest murder dismiss her concerns she contacts her old boss to put in a good word for her. He does and she is transferred temporarily to the Murder Investigation Team. When her new DI recognizes the validity of her concerns that the murder is directly connected to the newspaper advertisements, Operation FURNISS is opened. They trace the adverts to a website: FindTheOne.com In two weeks , due to savvy police work, they connect three murders, six sexual assaults, and more than a dozen other crimes against women directly to the adverts.

Meanwhile, Zoe Walker and many other women are being targeted and are in real danger.

This was a FANTASTIC crime thriller - reminding me why I love the genre! It contained every element that I appreciate. A tight plot, well fleshed out characters, a red-herring or two, a couple of jaw-dropping twists and an ending that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand to attention. Well done Clare Mackintosh!!

Although "I see you" is a stand-alone novel, I personally would LOVE to see policewoman Kelly Swift return in further novels. She was a great character.

I am grateful to Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this great novel.

Not too long ago, I read Clare Mackintosh's I Let You Go and I was very impressed with the suspense, the authentic feel of the story and an ending that was a complete shocker. Mackintosh has a special gift in weaving a tale that is thrilling and addictive. Needless to say, I was excited to get my hands on I See You. I was not disappointed! I think that I See You may have been even better than I Let You Go.


Zoe is mom to two young adults, Justin and Katie. Katie has her heart set on being an actress while Justin is furious with his mother for leaving his father and moving in another man, Simon. While commuting to work one day, Zoe notices that her picture is featured in an advertisement for a unique matchmaking website. Zoe soon realizes that women who have had their photos featured in the ads are being targeted as victims of crimes. Will Zoe or someone she knows be the next victim?


I am a big fan of Mackintosh's storytelling and impressed with her writing style. Her books read very quickly and there are twists and turns that make it difficult to put the book down. I think what makes this novel so truly terrifying is that it is such a real possibility. Social media has coerced us into mindlessly, but willingly, giving up our personal information. That information can easily be used, and is sometimes used, to harm the users of social media. Another theme that struck me is the fact that we don't often know those who we feel we are close to as much as we believe.


So who are these men?

They're your friends. They're your father, your brother, your best friend, your neighbor, your boss. They're the people you see every day; the people you travel to and from work with.

You're shocked. You think you know them better than that.

You're wrong.



Oftentimes, we are very vigilant when we are in public; worried that we could be harmed by a stranger. And we could be but, more often than not, it is someone we know who is the monster lurking in the shadows. I think Mackintosh's previous work in law enforcement has gifted her with a unique ability to present crime fiction in a way that feels very authentic. I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers or mysteries. I sincerely hope that Clare Mackintosh will put out more thrillers in the future. I will be one of the first in line to read them!

It took me a long time to get into this story for a few different reasons. First, the story progresses by going through alternating perspectives. In the first few chapters, this was more confusing than helpful. It's not clear how the two separate story lines have anything to do with each other at first. It also didn't help that I had trouble connecting with the characters. This was especially true with Zoe Walker who annoyed me greatly. I felt for her circumstances but found myself growing frustrated not only with her thought process but also many of her behaviors. I hated the way she treated her family and live in boyfriend.

I connected a little more with Kelly but found myself actually growing angry with her based on her interactions with her twin sister. While her personality is vastly different from Zoe's, she also made a series of decisions that were frustrating. What I found even more irritating was how little repercussion she seemed to really have based on these poor decisions. As an example, she chooses to disclose certain information at a critical point in the investigation which is in direct opposition to a direct order from the lead detective on the case. Sure, she's lectured, but it comes off more as a slap on the wrist and nothing else really comes of it. It's not that it isn't possible but it wasn't the only example of her sort of 'getting away' with doing her own thing.

As you can tell I had a lot of issues with the story but somehow they all seemed to evaporate once I got into the last fourth of the book. I went from being sort of annoyed with the characters to being glued to the pages, devouring the final few chapters. I had a few ideas of who 'the bad guy' could be but then was really surprised. I was able to guess a few of the other details and twists but was still left in shock with the final chapter. The story does wrap up but the end has a wide opening that leaves plenty of room for a possible sequel.

Overall, a decent mystery with a dash of thriller and suspense there at the end. While this book didn't bother me all that much, I have to mention that it does include themes surrounding sexual assault, murder, and other victimization of women. None of these are portrayed graphically in any way but if you are sensitive to these topics you might want to take caution with this title.

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 website, a grainy image 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 …

By now it is probably all too clear that I am into the thriller genre, but wow did I See You blow me away! It starts with Zoe Walker going about her business and coming across a photo that looks eerily similar to her in an ad in the paper with a website address that leads nowhere. Her family convinces her the photo couldn’t possibly be of her, so she laughs it off as if it is nothing of concern.

Nothing of concern, that is, until photos of other women appear in the same ad in the same newspaper… and then those women start appearing on the news. As murder victims. Zoe takes the information to a police officer she trusts and only tells her closest friends and family about her concerns for her safety. Soon, she is completely unable to function in daily life, so distraught by the idea that someone is lurking in the shadows, following her every move. As readers will soon discover, she is right to be afraid. The only question is, will the police uncover who is behind the ads in the paper before someone gets to Zoe?

Clare Mackintosh weaves a delicate web of mystery and deceit in the kind of story that will have you glancing over your shoulder and send tingles down your spine as the story unfolds. It isn’t often that a book keeps readers guessing until the very end, but I See You truly offers up so many potential foes that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. I See You is a must-read for thriller fans and one you won’t be able to put down.

Thanks to NETGALLEY and CLARE MACKINTOSH for allowing me to read and give an honest
review.
Imagine that you are reading the classified ads, and you see your photo, in a dating
ad. This is what happens to Zoe Walker, she is freaked out, takes it home and shows her family,
they think its a look alike. The next day Zoe sees another photo, and then woman begin to be
murdered, in cruel bizarre ways.
Zoe begins to feel that someone is following her, things begin to happen at home and at work,
she suspects everyone. Her boss, her boyfriend, her daughters new boyfriend, her best friends
husband.
This is a page turning-edge of your seat psychological thriller, full of twist and turns, ups and
downs. The author did a great job of introducing you to the characters, you become involved in her
family. The story is very strong and will keep you guessing.
Usually I figure out the who, when, what, where and why before the end, but OMG this ending
completely knocked my socks off. I did not see the ending coming, I was shocked at the ending, it was perfect! This novel has it all, mystery, drama, fear, family drama

I thoroughly enjoyed I Let You Go, the author's previous book, so I knew I would love this one too. A plot that is scary and plausible in this day and age of computer technology and even the fact that the Dark Net is out there. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough, even the means to stalk someone and know every move that someone takes, from being at home to the route you take to work.

I felt that this story was character driven, as we got a glimpse into all of the people in the novel. From the protagonist to the bad guy. The plot, how creepy that you look in the paper and see yourself there and you know that you did not put it there. To me that was the scariest part. The story is not just about stalking but there are women being murdered too. How do you get the people around you to believe you when you tell them that you feel that you are being followed. Your family thinks you are overacting and the police don't believe you.

I liked this novel, it kept me wondering who was the bad guy, just when I figured it out, I was wrong. To me a book that keeps you guessing is a good one. At times the story lagged but not enough for it to be distracting. I really liked it and recommend it if you like a good thriller, especially an ending you don't expect!

Zoe Walker rides the train to and from work everyday. As she is riding one day, she is looking at the paper and sees an advertisement with her picture on it. At least she thinks it’s her. It is for one of those dating websites. Her boyfriend and kids don’t think it’s her. The next day, she sees another woman’s face on the ad. The next day, another woman….Maybe it’s some weird fluke until things start happening to the women in the ads. Is she next? She begins getting paranoid about everyone around her on the train, on the street, in her home. Her daughter is starting a play that she got cast in rather strangely. Is someone after her? Her boyfriend is acting strange. Her son seems okay. He is working at her best friend Melissa’s cafe but he is awfully quiet too. She involves Kelly, a police officer with her own demons, who finds herself totally absorbed into what’s happening with these ladies. Will they figure out who’s behind it all in time to save Zoe?

Okay. That ending! I was not expecting that at all. There were times that I was feeling that the story was dragging a bit. Her first book, I Let You Go, did a better job of keeping me enthralled throughout but this was a solid second effort. That ending though! It does have an interesting concept with the “dating” site and what that means. It is not a stretch to believe that it could really happen. But that ending! Do not read ahead to the ending on this one because it will ruin the whole story for you.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Great mystery. The switching between the first person Zoe, and the third person Kelly chapters was a little confusing at first. The story kept me guessing until the end and I loved the open ending with the possibility of turning into a series.

This thriller kept me guessing up until the surprise ending! However, I found the final "reveal" a bit of overkill and not very realistic.