I Know You

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Pub Date 19 Oct 2021 | Archive Date 15 Feb 2022
Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer

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Description

In this tense thriller from the bestselling author of What You Did and The Other Wife, a woman finds a dead body. Will she make the same mistake as last time?

When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.

With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she was someone else—Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together.

But with her behaviour raising suspicion and the police closing in, Rachel can’t help wondering: Was her discovery in the woods really just an awful coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who knows who she is, and wants revenge…

In this tense thriller from the bestselling author of What You Did and The Other Wife, a woman finds a dead body. Will she make the same mistake as last time?

When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the...


A Note From the Publisher

Claire McGowan was born in 1981 in a small Irish village where the most exciting thing that ever happened was some cows getting loose on the road. She is the author of The Fall, What You Did, The Other Wife, The Push and the acclaimed Paula Maguire crime series. She also writes women’s fiction under the name Eva Woods.

Claire McGowan was born in 1981 in a small Irish village where the most exciting thing that ever happened was some cows getting loose on the road. She is the author of The Fall, What You Did, The...


Advance Praise

“Gripping, incredibly tense and twisty with real emotional heart.” —Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

“A totally compelling read. McGowan is brilliant at writing from the point of view of a woman trapped by her own toxic reputation.” —William Shaw, author of the DS Alexandra Cupidi series


“Gripping, incredibly tense and twisty with real emotional heart.” —Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

“A totally compelling read. McGowan is brilliant at writing from the point of view of a...


Available Editions

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ISBN 9781542019972
PRICE £8.99 (GBP)

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Average rating from 522 members


Featured Reviews

I love all of Claire McGowan's books - she knows how to expertly weave a terrifying scenario into every day life, filled with compelling characters and excellent twists and turns.

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Talk about lousy luck, Rachel has stumbled across a dead body, not once, but twice. The first time she was at the scene when police arrived and ended up being a prime suspect. This time she knows she should run, because the body belongs to the estranged wife of her boyfriend, so she’s already a suspect. Her strategy is to keep her past hidden, because twenty years earlier, she was convicted of murdering the family that she was a nanny for. She went to jail for it, barely escaping the death penalty, and when she was released she changed her identity hoping to finally prove her innocence, but now she’s in trouble again. No one will believe she wasn’t involved this time, so Rachel has to find the real killer herself….and she has a pretty good idea where to look

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Thank you Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Author for this readers ebook copy in return for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, which had me turning the pages from start to finish. Good twists.
this was a gripping read. I enjoyed the characters, thought that it was all just cleverly written.
I couldn't imagine being accused of something you didn't do.... Especially murder!.
I like to think that it would make someone seriously lose their damn mind! I know it would me! Sheesh!.
So I feel for the main character because I couldn't fathom what she is dealing with or feeling!
Providing so many angles and different ideas thoroughly added to my enjoyment of this narrative.
So compulsively readable and intriguing, I could not put this one down until I knew how it ended. Oh the twists and the turns and the theories that I had, that were all wrong by the way! 

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

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Thank you Thomas & Mercer,and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book. This book felt really long. Both POVs were in the first person and there was so much description. The story would have been much tighter if some of it had been edited. But,the story was good, if sometimes a bit muddled. and Casey was a great character. Rachel was ok but annoying. The ending took me by surprise - I had a different idea in mind!

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A cleverly designed and well executed thriller, I Know You will keep you on the edge of your seat until the truth is finally revealed. Claire McGowan delivers a strong and intriguing novel that makes you feel the pain and desperation of being accused of crimes you didn’t commit.

Rachel Caldwell is walking her dog when she stumbles across a dead body in the woods near her home in the British Lake District. While most people would call the police, Rachel’s first instinct is to run away as fast as she can. You see, last time she was found at the scene with dead bodies she was accused and convicted of murdering 3 members of the Safran family for whom she nannied, incarcerated on death row for several years before being exonerated and released. And once the victim is identified, Anna, the estranged wife of her current boyfriend, realizes her instinct was correct since she’s now the prime suspect. Trying to keep her past from coming to light, thinking it’ll make her look even guiltier than the police already believe given the mounting evidence pointing at her, Rachel must figure out on her own what happened to keep herself out of prison once again.

There are two aspects to I Know You that work really well. First, it’s how the story goes back and forth between current day and flashbacks. This approach allows for a slow drip of clarity, doling out puzzle pieces one at a time to build suspense while you build your own hypotheses. Which leads to the second great aspect of keeping you guessing all the way until the end. Even when you think you’ve figured it out, the book offers new information that seeds doubt in your mind, leading you to flip flop on your opinion multiple times for who killed Ana and what happened in the Safran home 20 years ago. So even if you actually do figure it out early on in the book, you won’t be sure until the end. It plays games with your mind and makes you question what’s right in front of you. A great trait of a solid murder mystery.

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I KNOW YOU follows an interesting pattern of the main character's life. In her early years, she was known by her legal name Casey Adams; after turmoil which landed her in an American prison on death row, she got back to England and began using her middle name Rachel and married surname Caldwell (haven't we all? :wink:) Since Rachel is her present time period name, I'll use that.

I felt for Rachel like I did with our real world's Amanda Knox. I cannot imagine how terrifying it would be to end up in prison in a foreign country and on death row no less. Even with a common language, British English and American English differences were enough to cause yet more grief and add to the perceived guilt of poor Rachel.

McGowan did a perfect job of bouncing through time from the Casey years to the Rachel years. Casey's nineteen-year-old naïve period as an au pair for a pretentious, high-maintenance Los Angeles couple with two children are chapters of pure muscle-tightening tension. Expect to grind your teeth when reading about Casey trying to deal with a spoiled and abused little girl, Madison, and her anorexic, angry mother Abigail. David, the husband/father, seems like Casey only ally and she dreams of being cast in one of his films. David's drinking and mercurial moods give Casey mixed signals. For such a young woman who was still trying to hold onto her dreams, the family drives her to the brink of collapse.

The entire Safran family except for baby Carson is composed of manipulative, self-serving people. When everyone except the baby is murdered, the nanny -- who dared to have social media images of her partying back in England -- was quickly arrested and convicted. The Innocence Project handles her appeal in what the media dubbed The Mary Poppins Murders.

The present/later years when going by Rachel, readers are lulled into a false sense of security, but never truly lets her guard down. She is protective of anyone offering her food or drinks. She changes her hair and dresses frumpy to be sure she's never called promiscuous again. Rachel volunteers at a dog shelter where she is truly happy though never relaxed. She falls in love with the wrong man, Alex, and her life falls apart in the worst ways. What are the odds of Rachel stumbling upon yet another dead body? This time, at least she's in her home country but in a quiet, small town. Of course you know she'll be the prime suspect again.

What McGowan does that keeps the suspense going is methodically dropping in new potential suspects in the murder of Anna Devine. Where does Jeremy, Rachel's ex-husband and only champion, fit into the equation? Did someone follow Rachel from the US to the UK specifically to frame her again for murder?

The ending, not necessarily the reveal of Anna Devine's killer, but the events that unfold are quite surprising. Rachel isn't the only one with a secret identity (to be honest, I figured out this other person easily), but she has to make another decision about whether someone is friend or foe. Then she has to weigh her past, her previous behavior, her experience with the judicial systems (and the public and media) -- and decide what course of action is best. Does Rachel rise to the occasion and face another battle or does she flee? I won't dare spoil that.

Rachel represents the average heterosexual woman who makes terrible mistakes in judgment as most of us do at one time or another, especially when only nineteen. She has one friend and yet she doesn't feel connected to him at all. Even Jeremy wanted something from her -- love. No one ever gives Rachel a helping hand simply to be nice. She is weathered and traumatized. As a grown woman, Rachel's dog is honestly the only unconditional love she has and even that gets taken away from her for a while.

While I Know You may get on lists for "women's fiction" or "women's reading" or "women in crime" -- Rachel is the type of protagonist that men should read to see this side of what some women want. She can be shallow (a defense mechanism). She can be passionate. Ultimately, it's Rachel's street smarts that keep her alive. Male readers are perhaps used to the "unkillable male hero" like John McClane or Harry Bosch. This portrayal of intimate partner/domestic violence shows all the flaws of the female hero that is often lacking in male counterparts.

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I was tempted to mark this down a notch (but only to 4.5) because it took me a few chapters to get into it but decided to ignore that because once I was in there, I enjoyed it very much.
There are two stories, Casey's and Rachel's. They are the same person, the former being a younger version of a woman who has a nasty habit of getting accused of murders she didn't commit. I found Casey's story the most compelling of the two but that's not to say that I didn't enjoy what Rachel had to say too. I will look out fro more by this author if this is the standard that I can expect.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Clearly the author is a master of prose and storytelling! Quite an interesting plot and twists. I can appreciate the discussions demonstrating the differences between the UK and the US throughout.

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It seems every book or almost every book I read lately has then and now time periods…I prefer remaining in the present time with a general omniscient narrator or told in the first person…the chapters of each person’s viewpoint and the chapters going into the past do not permit a novel to flow…Entertaining…so to speak…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…. There is murder and mayhem…intrigue…some romance albeit it not healthy relationships…child abuse…dysfunctional family dynamics…the story is a quick read and guessing early on the murderer is evident…The author is good at her craft when weaving a story together with a plausible ending…

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This was a pretty entertaining read! I liked the back and forth between past and present, it gave the storyline some dynamic and kept the reader guessing, although I did figure out the twists and the ending anyway, but I didn't mind that much. Casey was a really fun character and I grew quite attached to her, whereas Rachel was a bit boring. I did like how the storylines came together in the end, I would've liked a bit more from the ending though, just something more shocking and twisted. The plot and pacing itself were good though, although I felt the book was quite long and therefore I sometimes grew a bit bored.

I liked the writing style, especially in Casey's POV chapters, it was really dynamic and easy to read and probably the reason I finished this in one sitting. I might look at other books of this author, I really liked how the story was delivered.

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Good book!! Wow I felt so bad for the main character! Although she wasn't as innocent as I thought lol thus book had suspense, intrigue, and a great who done it! So many twists and turns! I'm usually really good at guessing the bad guy but this book took me a while to figure everything out! I definitely recommend reading this one! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

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(Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.)

i say this all the time: i’m not a fan of flashbacks but i really enjoyed them in this one. i think i preferred reading casey’s POV more than rachel, but i was equally interested in both mysteries.

the story was suspenseful enough, though i managed to correctly the guess the killer of both crimes early on, which i think was quite obvious/easy once you’re deep into both narratives, and have picked up on enough hints. i didn’t expect the ending, but kinda knew it was somewhat headed there, so there’s that.

i really liked the writing style and i’m sure i’ll be picking up more of this author. all in all, decent mystery and interesting story! i can’t say it was anything mind blowing, but it was definitely good!

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While this was a mystery I read quickly, actually skimmed quickly, I have conflicting thoughts about it. A little too much of the slash genre for me. Perhaps not so much blood and better development of the story line would have helped.

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Another great read by Claire McGowan!! This was an intense, terrifying thriller that had me biting my nails!

Meet Rachel Caldwell. While walking her dog one morning, alone in the woods, she stumbles upon a dead body. So, what does she do? Well folks, she runs for her life! Because this isn't her first rodeo. This has happened to her before. And to make matters worse, she soon discovers that the dead body is her boyfriend's soon to be "ex" wife, making Rachel the prime suspect.

Twenty years ago, Casey Adams flies to LA to become a nanny and home helper to the well renowned Safran family: David, Abby and their two children, Madison (5) and Carson (6mos.). Worst mistake of her life! One morning, when Casey returns back to the Safran house after taking Carson for a stroll, she finds herself in the middle of a crime scene. David, Abby and Madison are all dead. Murdered. She calls 911 and hides with the baby in a closet. When the police arrive, Casey is immediately placed under arrest for the murders. She is convicted at trial and sentenced to death row. After spending 4 years in prison, with the help of a friend and volunteers of the Innocence Project, Casey is exonerated at her appeal for lack of sufficient evidence and set free. If only the rest of the world were that forgiving. They all still see her as a murderer. So, to save face and with the hope of becoming invisible, Casey moves back to her homeland in the UK and changes her name to Rachel Caldwell.

Bouncing back and forth between past and present, the reader has two mysteries that need to be solved. Who killed Anna? And what really happened at the Safran home twenty years ago?

While I enjoyed this story a lot, I felt that I had it all figured out too soon. I was hoping for just a little more. With that being said, I definitely recommend this book to others. It is a very well worth the read!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK / Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me advanced access to this digital copy!

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Rachel finds a body in the woods while walking her dog. She runs away and doesn't call the police. The victim is found to be her boyfriend Alex's estranged wife, Anna. She is now the prime suspect. Twenty years earlier Rachel had a different life, she was named Casey and working as a nanny for a family in Los Angeles. The entire family was murdered except for the young son Carson. All the evidence was against her and she went to prison. She was able to get out on an appeal but now it seems her past is back to haunt her. After changing her identity someone knows who she is. Are they framing her for the murder of Alex's wife or did she really commit both of these crimes?

This was my favorite novel from Claire McGowan to date. I loved the alternating time lines and characters. The story about Casey being a nanny for a wealthy family in L.A. was very intriguing. I thought I had all of the answers figured out in this mystery but I was clearly wrong. I highly recommend this fantastic novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

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This thriller let me spellbound. It’s an intricately weaved story full of twists and turns. I didn’t see the ending coming but I loved it. I highly recommend this for all thriller lovers.

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This was a sold 4.5 for me, it it told by two different perspectives, two different timeline, what happens when you find a body. what happens if it isn't the first body you have found? This was an enjoyable quick read, i guessed a lot of the twists but that didn't take away from reading it. There are also some side issues discussed, who is innocent, who gets saved, who is considered important and how that plays into the criminal justice system

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For me,there were few surprises in this book,other than how much Casey whinged about ONLY being 19 and having to do SO much.
The story went pretty much where I expected it to.
However,it was an enjoyable read,with a good dual narrative,and just the right amount of information at the right time.
I curled up with it one afternoon and raced through it.

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You get two engaging and thoroughly entertaining mysteries in one with this thriller by Claire McGowan! I was immediately interested in the story and characters, and the ending wrapped everything up nicely; I was able to guess one of the big plot twists, but several other twists were fun and surprising; a little slow at the mid-point. I recommend this book, as well as, MGowan’s What You Did. I look forward to more books by this author!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

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Outstanding Suspense…
Outstanding suspense from a talented author which starts with a hook and doesn’t let the grip go until the very last page. Characters are entirely credible and well defined and the plot is brilliantly conceived, becoming tense and almost claustrophobic very quickly as the reader is drawn into the protagonists’ emotional state and predicaments. An edge of seat read.

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#IKnowYou #NetGalley
A good novel.
Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.
With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she was someone else—Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together. But with her behaviour raising suspicion and the police closing in, Rachel can’t help wondering: Was her discovery in the woods really just an awful coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder?
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

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What happens if you find a body? If you are a reader of thrillers, you probably have already imagined how you would act, what you would do. Now, what would you do if this wasn't the first body you had ever found?
Rachel lives a quiet lonely life in a small town. She stumbles upon a body in the woods and makes a decision that changes her life - what would you do?

I enjoyed this novel - very twisty, very interesting and fast moving. I liked the point of view of Casey much more than that of Rachel. I didn't guess the ending and it was very satisfying. If you like murder and mayhem and twisty domestic thrillers, than this is a book for you! #NetGalley #IKnowYou

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3.5⭐️
This is my first book by this popular author. A psychological standalone thriller.
The main character has led a tumultuous life.
In her earlier years she was Casey a young nanny working in LA when her employers are murdered she is found guilty of the crime and sent to prison. She was released on appeal.
Now 20 years later with a new identity as Rachel she finds a body in the woods, this time her instinct is to run.
The book is told between the 2 time frames using the main characters 2 identities.
Rachel / Casey doesn’t come over as a likeable character but when we see what she’s been through it did make me feel sorry for the her, there are some emotional scenes, which are well written.
My favourite character is the doggedly determined Jeremy, although he was somewhat obsessive.

I found the pace slow, it felt like it dragged for much of the book.
There’s a fair bit of repetition. The basic premise of the plot is good.
I felt that the final section of the book is much stronger and more engaging with a good infusion of tension.
I think you would enjoy this book if you are happy with a slow burn concentrating on the characterisation.

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✨BOOK REVIEW

Thank you to @netgalley and @amazonpubliahingg for my ARC of I Know You by Claire McGowen.

SYNOPSIS; When Rachel stumbles upon a dead body on her daily morning walk with her dog, she does not alert the police like a normal person. No, she runs home, goes about her morning as she normally would and pretends she never saw it. That is what you do when the last time you discovered a dead body you ended up wrongly convicted of murder. When the police come knocking on her door a few hours later, she learns that the body belongs to the wife - soon to be ex- of her lover, Alex. Before she knows it, evidence is piling up against her and she begins to search for the victims killer, realizing she is only person who is going to get her out of this mess…

- [ ] This novel follows two mysteries, the brutal murders of the family that Casey / Rachel nannied for twenty years ago in America, and the present day murder of Anna, Casey / Rachel’s lover’s wife.
- [ ] The dual timeline POV was interesting and suspenseful, keeping my engaged throughout. As a true crime fan, I particularly enjoyed the past storyline and the homage to the Casey Anthony case.
- [ ] While I really enjoyed reading this novel and found the story fresh, I did feel as though the ending was a bit predictable; I successfully guessed how the past murder went down, and saw as one of the major “twists” coming from very early on. Still, I enjoyed this story and appreciated how it high lighted how screwed up the American justice system can be and the repercussions being falsely convicted can have on someone’s life.

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I Know You is a gripping read that ends up being less about the mystery and more about the strong female lead. McGowan manages to make her main gal endearing to the reader, even though we aren’t completely certain if she is the protagonist she claims to be (who doesn’t love a slightly unreliable narrator?)

While the mystery aspect wasn’t all that mysterious for me, I still found myself drawn in and unable to put this book down. I read it in less than 24 hours.

At the start of the novel we are introduced Rachel, a quiet middle-aged woman who has just started to find happiness with her new love interest, Alex. One morning, while walking her dog, Rachel comes across a dead body and everything changes. Being tangled up in a homicide investigation means some very dark secrets from Rachel’s past have come back to haunt her and the small town she now calls home. McGowan masterfully bounce back and forth between the present day murder and a mystery that has been unsolved for over 20 years and manages to keep the reader rooting for the most obvious suspect to be deemed innocent.

As I said before, the outcome of both conflicts in the story do not provide any jaw-dropping twists, but McGowan builds up a solid story with proper foreshadowing and the right amount of suspense to keep a reader enthralled.

I’m looking forward to reading another of her books!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
Wow, what a terrific psychological thriller this is, I couldn't wait to get back to it, to the point of ignoring most of my chores.
Rachel is walking her dog in the early morning as usual, when she finds a body in the woods. At least she thinks it is, wasn't there a hand sticking out? As fast as she can, she runs away, back to her house, terrified. Unfortunately, the victim is her boyfriend's soon to be ex-wife and she becomes the main suspect.
A nightmare come true, because 20 years ago she was a nanny in LA, a 19-year old innocent trying to cope with a dysfunctional family in a strange country and an unfriendly city. The family was killed, except for the baby who was with her hiding in a closet and Casey, as Rachel was then, ended up in jail for the murders. When released she went back to the UK, changed her name and location and started a new life, all the while terrified she would be discovered. That's why she ran ... a big mistake.
I really loved the book, loved Rachel and was fascinated by the descriptions of LA and death row prison life (horrifying!). A must-read, highly entertaining and recommended!

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While I liked the dual timeline story, I still felt this was so implausible. I knew who the killers where early on so the rest of the story just seemed like fluff to me, I feel there could have been more suspense in the story to keep you guessing longer.

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This was such a great read. I read it one session it was so addictive as I wanted to know how it ended - even though I had guessed the ending, there was enough doubt to make it interesting.

I had one unresolved issue though - how she was funding her lifestyle. I must have missed this explanation.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

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This is another great thriller by Claire McGowan. I was super excited to read this new book and wasn’t disappointed.
There were plenty of twists and turns throughout that kept the intrigue level high.
It’s 4 stars overall for me as I felt the pace slowed midway through.
However, overall it’s a great book and one that I’d recommend.

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While walking her dog, in the woods behind her house, Rachel stumbles across a body. Most people would call the police but Rachel knows what she has to do...run. The body is identified as the estranged wife of the man she has been seeing and once again Rachel finds herself as the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Twenty years prior, Rachel went by the name of Casey, a young nanny from the UK hoping to make it as an actress in LA. When the family she was working for is brutally murdered, Casey is accused of the crime narrowly escaping the death sentence with an appeal. Someone knows who Rachel really is, mounting evidence points to her, and she is running out of time to find the real killer.

I Know You is a new crime thriller/mystery in which a woman's suspicious behavior at a murder scene suggest she is the killer. The story follows Rachel (present day) and Casey (Rachel 20 years prior) as she navigates through two murder investigations in which she is the prime suspect. This novel was what I consider to be a perfect weekend read. It wasn't too complex but offered just enough mystery and intrigue to not want to put it down. This was a quick read in which the main character makes poor choices and ends up in wrong place at the wrong time…coincidence or part of a killer’s devious plan.

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I had to stay up to finish this one. A quick read and mystery within a mystery which is not always something I love. This was done well. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 10/19/21

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Rachel is shocked to stumble upon a body in the woods, but instead of calling the police she runs... because she has been through this before and ended up being put on death row. As she finds out she knows the victim, it seems she is again the prime suspect of a murder... Determined not to be wrongly convicted again, she must find out who the killer is and why they are setting her up for the murder...

A thrilling and tense story that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking ending. Full of twists and turns, this book really does keep you guessing. Recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

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This was the first book by this author that I have read and it was a fun read. It hooked me right from the beginning, and even though it was kind of obvious what was going on I still enjoyed it.

Rachel used to be Casey aka the Mary Poppins killer. She was nannying in LA when the family was murdered and she was charged with their deaths and put on death row. Only she was released on appeal and now is trying to live a quiet life back home in the UK. She doesn't want anyone to know who she really is, she has a boyfriend and a volunteer position at an animal shelter and things are good. Until she comes across another dead body and runs. The police track her down and it looks like someone is trying to set her up but who? And why?

Now our main character was a bit...at one point she says you should use Occam's razor to figure this all out...only she definitely doesn't. She jumps to some odd conclusions at times, especially after finding out certain things. Even though I thought it was obvious, Rachel couldn't put 2 and 2 together...but I still enjoyed it. Normally I might find that annoying, but the way she was written and the writing in general I didn't mind. It all comes out in the end. I enjoyed that she had previously been incarcerated for murder and so she has that driving some of her actions. She reacts a bit differently at times than someone who doesn't know how the system can wrong you. That doesn't have that first-hand experience. This was a fun read and I would definitely read more from the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

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This is the third novel I've read by Claire McGowan and I was drawn to it by the synopsis. This is a dual timeline novel which starts in the present day with Rachel discovering a dead body in the woods in Cumbria. We discover that this is not the first time this has happened to Rachel. Twenty years earlier she was Casey and while nannying for a family in LA discovered the bodies of 3 of the family members. I love a dual timeline novel and this did not disappoint. I preferred the earlier time line and found I could really empathise with nineteen year old Casey and the situation she found herself in while in LA. Overall, a gripping plot and a novel I'd recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

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Read through netgalley
This is the story about 19 year old Casey, who while working as a nanny becomes embroiled in murder and is sent to deathrow - then later (after her release and change of name) she finds the body of her boyfriends wife dead. Instead of being sensible, she pegs it and there starts the dramas. It’s a little obvious at the end but I still enjoyed this and the book is full of little twists to keep it interesting. I liked the characters and the story did make me want to find out what happened so would recommend.
4 stars because only my absolute favours books get 5 but it was still a great thriller.

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Claire McGowan, I Know You, Thomas & Mercer, Seattle, 2021

Thank you, NetGalley for this uncorrected advance proof for review.

I Know you has a large amount of wonderfully poignant material, a little bit of dross, some good plotting, characterisation and social commentary, and a story line that works reasonably well. I found I Know You a good read, although I have some reservations.

First to those reservations, which centre mainly around the main character. I found the almost constant reiteration of Casey’s plea that she was young, naïve, small, unable to cope somewhat tedious, even while I sympathised with her situation. Rachel’s misunderstanding the reason for Anna’s stress and demands was also difficult to believe and did not sit well with the way in which her character had been developed in the earlier part of her life.

Those concerns aside, I Know You is extremely good social commentary on women’s roles, the way in which mothers can influence for good or bad, the impact of men on those mothers and the questions raised about guilt and punishment. Casey is encouraged by her mother to seek a future in Hollywood, building upon her own past very minor success. Another failed actress mother, English but now in Hollywood, does the same to her five-year-old daughter, imposing unreasonable and life-threatening demands upon her. In the background is a stepfather and biological father, each of whom has his negative impact on the women and children in their lives. A professional woman, on death row for murdering her children, completes the mother motif. Would it have been any different for these women if post-natal depression, fear of failure and need for an understudy to compete for fame, or just human kindness been an influence in their lives?

Portrayal of the American legal and prison system is perhaps harsh – but where the death penalty remains, and is enacted, it is certainly arguable that this is deserved. Prison cells, prison, interaction with police officers in America and the UK, and contact with prisoners on death row is strongly realised – and in turn, frustrating, frightening, and horrific. Casey and Rachel excite sympathy. What might initially appear to be irrational behaviour is challenged by explanations that ring true.

The novel moves between Casey and Rachel’s stories, one set in LA, the other in the quiet pleasant environment of England’s Lake District. One features the distraught and imposed upon nanny from England; the other, the carefully confected character who volunteers at a dog care facility. When the two characters collide after a murder, and Rachel can no longer hide her past, the pursuit for the person or people who committed the murder, publicised Rachel’s past and jeopardises her future draws the story back into the legal system, apprehension, and private investigation.

Ends are tied up, perhaps not as happily as some readers might like, reasonably but realistically. Together with the other positive features of the novel, this makes for a satisfying read. Although not as clever as The Fall, the first of Claire McGowan’s work I read, shall be happy to read more.

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Not a huge stand out, but really on the top side of not bad. The main character had a couple of weird blind spots, but watching her unravel this thing on her own was worth sitting through her occasional short sightedness.

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Rachel has finally hit her stride in life- she has a nice boyfriend, a job which makes her happy, and she is free. Twenty years ago, Rachel was Casey, a nanny for a family who ended up murdered, with Casey as the prime suspect.

So when Rachel finds a body in the woods near her home, she doesn’t report it, and she goes directly home. Except she will end up as the prime suspect in this case as well.

Is Rachel/Casey a murderer? Or is she being framed?

I loved I Know You and couldn’t put it down. Rachel’s character was well written and the plot moved quickly and was well-developed. It’s a unique story. I can’t wait to read more from Ms. McGowan.

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If you have been wrongly convicted of murder, you react very different to seeing a dead body than most people would! Rachel finds herself in this predicament and once again is involved in a murder investigation. This was a good story and keeps you guessing!

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A contender for my book of the year! I Know You is a brilliant duel timeline psychological thriller that reminded me of the Louise Woodward murder case from a few years ago. Casey, a teenager from the UK goes to LA to become a nanny for an all American family but it isn’t the perfect Hollywood lifestyle she is expecting….
I absolutely loved the twists and turns thrown up by the past when in the present day a murder takes place and a very obvious suspect is the one to find the body. This book is so perfectly crafted to keep the reader engaged in each of the timelines, desperately seeking answers to two murder cases set years apart but knowing there must be a connection…but what or who is it?
A brilliant pageturner from start to finish and one of the best books I’ve read in 2021.

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Rachel finds a body in the woods and runs. Last time she was found guilty of murder! But then acquitted. The problem is the body is her boyfriends estranged wife, and all the evidence seems to be pointing to her. The more digging Rachel seems to do, the more the police see it as evidence that she did it, after all shes,done it before. Loved this novel did keep you guessing as to who was trying to frame Rachel!

This is the first novel i have read from Claire McGowan but will definitely be looking for more in the future.Many thanks to Net galley for giving me the pleasure of reading this novel.

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I Know You - Claire McGowan

My first time reading this author.

Told with a past and present narrative, twenty years ago naive English 19 year Casey is working as a Nanny for a California, present day and Rachel is living a quiet life in the Lake District, until she stumbles across a murdered body and runs from the scene.

I thought there was a strong story, good character development, some twists and nothing jarred. There are some good original elements throughout.

It ends strongly but overall I found it quite a slow read and perhaps a little long.

I honestly think if it were cut down a little I would have enjoyed it much more.

A real 3.5 stars for me, 3 would be a bit mean and I wouldn’t want to discourage others who might love it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer.

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This is a very addictive and fast-paced thriller. How many murder victims can one person find? Rachel apparently just stumbled into her second, but she can’t call the police because, when this happened to her in the past, she was convicted of the murders. The novel tells both stories, the original crime in 2000, when Rachel, then Casey was a teenage nanny, and the new case, when the victim is the estranged wife of her boyfriend. If she went to death row in California last time, she doesn’t want to go back to prison back home in England. Rachel is such a likable character that I could not help but rooting for her. She volunteers in an animal shelter and loves all critters so, even when she was acting stupid, I wanted her to do well. The story set in the present was a little predictable. I saw the twists coming and knew whodunit almost from the beginning. I still wanted her to figure it out, so I kept reading. The murders in the past, however, kept me in the dark. I thought I knew what had happened but was totally off base. The reader knows that she obviously was somehow released from death row and made it back to England, but it’s not clear who the murderer was. I liked the ending of both stories. One small detail is that, as an American, it bothered me a little how she compared both Justice systems and declared the US to be corrupt and the lawyers too expensive. This is not the place for a political discussion and I’m not saying that in some cases it may be so, but I doubt if the UK’s system is perfect and I assume Prince Andrew’s lawyers don’t come cheap. That said, I enjoyed this novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Amazon Publishing UK,# Thomas & Mercer!

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An excellent novel that is full of intrigue with plenty of twists and turns that keep you glued to the pages. The story opened up and developed in a very clever way with the past/present in individual chapters on Casey and Rachel. A wonderful twisty, thought provoking conclusion that wrapped up a brilliantly written novel. Well done Claire McGowan on this highly recommended book which deserves a solid five stars.

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This book was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my first by Claire McGowan but definitely not my last. I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails with every page. I highly recommend this book

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I really enjoyed this domestic thriller! Amazing characters that I really connected with. A well woven tale delivered with expertise. Nice POVs of past and present as the story unfolded.
Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

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Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this!

I really do look forward to reading to all of Claire McGowan's new books!

This one was no exception.

Casey has two identities; one that was guilty of murder and then found to be innocent later on. Her new identity is also now accused of murder. How on earth does the same woman come across multiple murders, and be arrested for being the murderer in each case?

I love the flashbacks between the two timelines and Casey/Rachel. Poor girl has been stuck with a lot of bad luck being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However; do we really know if she has bad luck or is she the cause of the murders? I'm looking forward to another book Claire!

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What a DELIGHT!! Absolutely thrilling non stop page turning addictive read!!! So refreshing to have a nice paced suspense story hold my attention from the very start to the very end!

Casey, a 19 year old girl from the UK who heads over to the states to be a nanny for a washed up actress named Anna, a producer husband named David, their starlet glamour daughter who is 5 named Madison and a happy little 6 month old baby boy named Carson. She thinks this will be her pass to make it to Hollywood but disaster happens. She comes home one day and finds the family murdered and all signs point to her. She spends 5 years in jail and finds freedom and fast forward to 15 years after that and she has reinvented herself as Rachel back in the UK. All is well until one morning she’s out on her usual walk with her pup and comes across a dead body. All her instincts tell her to run, so she does, but was that a mistake towards the uphill battle of once again finding herself looking guilty.

Oh the fun this book was! It was paced beautifully and presented back and forth between Rachel and her present nightmare and when she was Casey and the lead up to the day she found the family murdered. I was completely caught up with the characters and the words made you feel the frustrations the anxiousness the GAHH of it all!! Absolute captivating read and one I recommend!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

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Rachel's boyfriend's wife is found murdered. Rachel is the first to find the body but she doesn't call the police right away. Rachel has secrets that the author reveals by seamlessly jumping back in time to when Rachel was a 19 year old nanny in America.
This was an amazing book.! Just the right amount of characters, a well developed plot that kept me guessing and I loved the two settings of America and England.

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I loved this book, I read it quickly in one sitting as I needed to know what happened. It was tense, twisty and dark and had me hooked right from the first page up until the last. A really enjoyable read and a great author

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As Rachel is walking her dog in the English woodlands, she comes across a body but runs away, failing to report it to police or even check for life signs. So begins I Know You by Claire McGowan becoming immediately more complicated, given the victim is her boyfriend’s ex-wife. Another story told in a flashback to America in the year 2000 is that of Casey, an English nanny working in a struggling family. As both stories unfold, complications occur, revealing the darker side of human nature. An enjoyable domestic noir with interesting characters and inevitable twists – an above average three-and-a half-star rating.

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This fast-paced mystery features dual timelines and a protagonist at the heart of two separate murder investigations, 20 years apart.

The twisty storyline will keep you reading, although the writing often feels disjointed. The plot was engaging, and I didn't see the ending coming.

I definitely recommend this book for fans of thrillers!

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A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, hmm...comes to mind. I have to admit that I'm perplexed about the number of rave reviews. Not terrible, but serviceable. My main complaint is that the alternating timelines (which I enjoy when done right) is that each back and forth seemed to be stuck on repeat like an old-school CD player. She just kept saying the same thing over & over and I I think "I didn't do it" was stated at least twice on every page. The conclusion did come as a bit of a surprise, so that was welcome.

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I enjoyed this book - it really pulled me into the story & kept me wanting to know what was happening. I loved the dual timeline and seeing what had happened in Rachel's past, when she was Casey & convicted of the murder of all but one member of the family she nannies for. There's lots of twists and tension, and it ends in a way that I didn't see coming.

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Wow! What in the twists and turns! Enjoyable, quick and highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan
~~~~~ out 19th October 2021
An incredible psychological thriller. A total roller coster. Someone knows all about Rachel's past and they're making themselves known. In creepy ways 😕brilliant. A perfect Halloween story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks @netgalley @

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This is my fourth book by Claire McGowan and I have loved every one of them, but this one bummed me out. This is the story of Casey/Rachel. Casey was accused of murdering the family she nannies for, was convicted and spent years in jail until she won an appeal. Rachel as she goes by now is accused of murdering her boyfriend's soon to be ex-wife.

The writing itself was really suspenseful and I loved the two timelines with bits of podcasts, newspaper articles and web forums added to the mix. What I didn't like was figuring out who the killer was in both murders and the big reveal I had guessed by page thirty. Maybe I read too many thrillers?

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Rating: 4.0/5

When Rachel comes across a dead body in the woods she decides not to report it, but to run. Why? Because twenty years earlier she also came across a murder scene and reported it - but that resulted in her being accused and convicted of the crime. However, it isn't long before the police discover that she ran from the scene and the finger of suspicion starts to point in Rachel's direction once again. Was it pure chance that Rachel happened across this body in the woods, or is someone trying to frame her? Or perhaps it is Rachel, herself, who is being less than honest and who has something to hide.

Prospective readers could be forgiven for thinking that the premise for this story is a little far-fetched and that it stretches credulity somewhat to think that one person could find herself in the same dramatic predicament on two separate occasions. Yet Claire McGowan manages to construct the scenario in such a way that this seemingly implausible set of circumstances becomes something that the reader is not only prepared to accept, but view as (almost) entirely credible.

The storyline takes place across two time frames: the present day in Cumbria and approximately twenty years earlier in California. The novel is narrated throughout in the first person by Rachel, though in the earlier sections in California she is known as Casey. The choice of the first person narrative is very effective for this type of novel. The reader is regularly required to question how much they can rely on this person's version of events. Rachel's account is occasionally interspersed with newspaper reports and excerpts from online forums, which provide alternative perspectives and give the reader further food for thought - but are these accounts any more or less reliable than Rachel's?

If you are the kind of person who likes their mystery thrillers to move along at a rip-roaring pace from the outset, then this is probably not the book for you. It certainly has its moments of suspense, tension and excitement, but it is constructed in a manner that builds towards its climax, with relevant background information being gradually drip-fed into the proceedings. Although there were occasions when the pace seemed a little becalmed for longer than I would have liked, on the whole this approach was clever, effective and well-handled.

Overall, Claire McGowan has produced a captivating thriller that draws the reader in and delivers the kind of read that most avid readers of the genre should enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this book. The plot was very well thought out and covered some really interesting themes. I loved the two separate timelines and was equally interested in discovering who was behind each of the murders. The side characters were very vividly written and I could definitely picture them.

The only thing I didn't like, and the thing that is preventing this book from being a firm favourite is that I didn't like the main character Rachel. I get that she had been through a lot and had her walls up, but she came across as a bit of a non-person with no discernible personality. She was a bit better when she was Casey but even then her main personality traits seemed to be being nineteen, British and small.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it, I just wish that I'd cared a bit more for the main character.

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A fast paced and twisty crime thriller. Fantastic for anyone who likes a who dun it. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

When Rachel finds a body in the woods she is terrified history is about to repeat itself and that she may again be framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Having been let down by the system before; scared and alone Rachel turns and runs back home leaving the dead body lying on the floor pretending to know nothing about it.

Later it turns out the body is Anna’s who’s husband Alex Rachel happens to be having an affair with. Although the evidence is mounting up against Rachel she knows she is innocent, determined to prove she is not guilty of murder Rachel is convinced she is being framed and sets out to discover who it is that is framing her. One thing is for sure Rachel cannot go back inside.

Of course once the police and of course the press discover that Rachel isn’t actually Rachel and is in fact Casey who at the age of 19 was sentenced to life in prison and is set to receive the death penalty for murdering the family she was working for, the mother Abby who was Stabbed to death, the father David who was shot and the 5 year old Madison who was smothered to death.

With the circumstances of Anna and Abbys death having so many similarities the police are convinced that Rachel is their woman and will do what they can to prove her guilty but Rachel on the other hand is determined to prove her innocent. Is Rachel really unlucky to have found herself in this unfortunate situation or is there more to Rachel’s story than meets the eye.

This book is told from Rachel’s point of view in the current day and from Casey’s 20 years ago. One of the things I really loved about this book is that the author didn’t over complicate things the plot was easy to follow but at the same time there was plenty to hold the reader interest to keep them wanting to come back for more.

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Fantastic edge of your seat mystery. Casey is a young woman from the Uk who takes a job in Los Angeles as a nanny to two young children from a horribly dysfunctional family. When tragedy strikes the family Casey’s life is changed forever. As Casey tries to start over and get her life back she finds her past catching up with her as she finds a body in the woods one morning while walking her dog. Well written excellent mystery that will keep you guessing. Highly recommend.

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I have loved all of Claire McGowan’s previous books and this one did not disappoint! I found it incredibly hard to put down and I was kept guessing who the killer was right until the very end - with my guess changing approximately 5 times!

I found #IKnowYou to be fast-paced and engaging, and the characters were really interesting. I loved the depth that was put into the character(s) of Rachel & Casey. I haven’t read a plot quite like this before and I was captivated!

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Such a good book! When Rachel finds her current flings wife dead on her morning walk, she fleas. Come to find out, Rachel is actually Casey and has been charged with murder before. Did she do it or is someone framing her? The book is suspenseful and told from Rachel and Casey’s point of view.

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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I couldn’t put this thriller down. It kept me on the end of my seat and up all night reading.

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I know You (Claire McGowan) started a little slow for me, but that changed in a hurry! Chapters go back and forth between Rachel (now) and Casey (then). McGowan does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing what happened now, and previously. I want to thank Amazon UK and Thomas & Mercer for an early copy to review.

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I Know You which is Claire McGowan’s latest book kept me up late into the night reading. When Casey was 19 yo, she was a nanny for a family and was charged with murdering 3 of the 4 family members. She went to jail for 5 years then it was overturned. Fast forward 20 years, she moves away, changes her name and she’s out jogging in a park and comes across a dead body in the woods. What? Again? How can this be? This kept me guessing till the end and I really enjoyed the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

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Thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

What can I say? I loved it. I read it within 24 hours. The book kept me engaged all the way through. Just when I thought I had worked it out, I realised I was wrong. I felt my pulse increase many times as I was truly engrossed in the plot. A definite recommend.

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The story is told by the main character under two different names over two timespans and two countries, the UK as Rachel today and in the US as Casey when she was young.

A horrific ordeal faced as a nanny in the US when she was young still impacts on her life today, will there ever be an escape from her previous life.

What can I say Claire McGowan has done it again - another great book from her.
Thank you to the author, Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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What are the odds you’ll come across a murder scene twice in your lifetime? And worse yet – be the prime suspect both times?! When Rachel stumbles across the body of her lover’s estranged wife in the woods behind her house, she knows instantly she’s going to have a problem. Because Rachel hasn’t always been Rachel… twenty years ago, she was “Racy Casey” Adams, a young nanny convicted of murdering the Hollywood family she worked for.

Naturally, the police zero in on Rachel and don’t seem to be considering any other suspects, so it’s up to Rachel to find a way to prove her innocence. The stakes are high and as the evidence against her mounts, it becomes clear that someone out there knows about the past she’s tried so hard to hide.

The dual timeline alternates between Rachel and Casey and gives the reader not one, but two mysteries to puzzle out. Just when you think you have it figured out, there’s another twist to make you second-guess yourself. You won’t want to put this one down until you reach the end!

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What really got me into this story is the opening of the book: Our main charakter Rachel finds a dead body while she is walking her dog. Since I'm out with my dog all of the time I immediately could connect with her and that's what keeps me reading on and on and on.
Anyway. Rachel doesn't call the police but gets away from the scene as fast as she can.
Anna, who also happens to be Alex' ex-wife finds the dead body next. Alex is Rachel's current boyfriend. So plenty of connections going on here! And what's more she now becomes the prime suspect. What a plot Claire McGowan sets up here!
Rachel was not always the Rachel from nowadays. That's the main reason she didn't report the crime. But I don't want to give away too much on this.
However I really enjoyed the two time lines that lead up to a perfect ending I would not have guessed!

Thanks #NetGalley #Thomas and Mercer for my ARC of this thrilling story

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This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time! It alternates between the present where Rachel is being accused of a murder she didn’t commit and the past where Teen nanny Casey is accused of murder and sentenced to death row. It revealed a little bit at a time, kept me guessing, and definitely kept me hook from start to finish. I’m officially a Claire McGowan fan!!!

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I know you is one of those books you can't put down cause you need to know what happens. Flashing between Casey and Rachel along with past and present. Casey is a 19 year old British nanny who is convicted of murder. While Rachel lives in Coldwater and works for happy paws dog shelter. When past and present collide anything can happen.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

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An enjoyable mystery involving two murders in different time frames. It was a quick read and I guessed both murderers before they were revealed but the characters were engaging and I enjoyed the book. Recommended.

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Claire McGowan, turned into an auto-buy author for me after I read The Other Wife and What You Did, both of which were 5 star reads. Claire McGowan, is a natural storyteller. She knows how to conduct an audience and really get you invested in the story.

Talk about a nail biter. I Know You, took me on a wild ride of twists and turns. I had anxiety with every flip of the page. I easily finished this in one sitting and left with that "wow, what the heck did I just read" feeling.

Rachel finds a dead body. Rachel runs, she knows she cant be associated with the dead body she was once accused of murder before and this is the last thing she needs to be involved in. Rachel can not make the same mistake twice.

But, the victim ends up being the estranged wife of Rachel's boyfriend.

Rachel knows everyone is looking at her and the evidence just keeps stacking up against her.

Rachel cant let her past come back to haunt her. Years ago Rachel was Casey, a nanny. The family Rachel (or Casey) worked for was brutally murdered. Rachel/Casey ended up spending years in prison and only became free after she won the appeal.

Rachel has fought for her life, she cant go through this again.

This cant be a coincidence, is someone from Rachel's past coming back to get her?

You are going to have to pre-order your copy of I Know You, to find out! This incredible, 5 star novel, is due to release on October 19, 2021. I promise you, you do not want to miss this!

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Rachel finds a body while taking her dog for a morning walk she doesn't report it she turns round and goes home.She has a history of finding dead bodies and can't go through it all again.
The story is told in flashback from America 2000 to present day.As both stories are told we find out what happened to Rachel,why she had to start a new life and why she's told no one,Has the past come back to haunt her now.
A really good read well written highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC

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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of I Know You.

When Rachel was 19 years ago, she was accused of a brutal crime she did not commit.

After five years in prison, she was exonerated and 20 years later, is living under a new name with a new life in a small town in the UK.

But, when the wife of her lover is murdered and her belongings are found near the crime scene, Rachel realizes she is being framed. With no one to turn to and the police set on pinning her as the perp, she undertakes an investigation of her own and discovers that life has a bad way of repeating itself.

The narrative is told through Rachel's current perspective, and her past, when she was a naive 19 year old nanny struggling to adapt to the US and her new job in a wealthy home.

Rachel is a typical heroine in these types of books; she's annoying, frustrating, and whines often. She's not likable, not when she was 19 and not 20 years later.

She ignores obvious tells and clues; when she unearths clues that jeopardizes her lover's alibi, she dismisses them and blames the errors on the witness. She trusts a man she barely knows because...why, he's her lover?

The narrative drags on far too long and most of it read as filler and was repetitive. There was a lack of urgency and tension through the story. Not once did I worry or fear for Rachel.

Rachel spends most of her time wondering why her lover hasn't called; playing Miss Marple, talking about how annoying Jeremy is and the reasons she left him.

As a 19 year old, she spends it whining about how naive she is at 19, how she's a foreigner in a new country, how she fantasies about the kids she's nannying being her own children, and how she and the husband have a connection.

There is a hard to belief twist (IMO), like how Rachel's lover was also accused of a heinous crime. What are the odds the both of them would be accused of such heinous crimes and exonerated/not guilty?

Also, how come in these books the main character also relocates to a small town? If you have a sordid past, isn't the first place you go to a big city so everyone doesn't know your name and business?

I guessed whodunit early on, and what really happened 19 years ago.

I did like how Carson makes a reappearance and now he and Rachel have a secret of their own.

This wasn't a bad read, but I was looking for something more suspenseful.

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Rachel finds a dead body in the woods near her home so she does the only thing she knows she has to do: run away. Because last time she found a dead body, she ended up on death row. Now she learns the body is her boyfriend's estranged wife and she's the prime suspect. But it's been 20 years since the last time, and Rachel is wiser now. She knows she has to solve this murder before she is wrongfully convicted once again.

This story goes from present day UK to 20 years prior in California. Watching both stories unfold was interesting, because we were essentially solving both murders. I especially liked Rachel's character - she was very believable as both a young, 19-year-old nanny and later as an adult trying to rebuild her life.

This was my first read from Claire McGowan and I'll definitely be checking out her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available October 19, 2021.

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This novel begins with two stories, the first involves Rachel who finds a dead body while walking her dog in the English woods. The other is a flashback to America some twenty years earlier about an English nanny named Casey, working for a Hollywood producer and his family. I was intrigued by this method and wanted to know the connection and as the stories unfold and become involved, we find out. I enjoyed the writing and the characters were interesting, but I kind of figured some of the twists, but not the ending. Overall, it was enjoyable, but no wow moment.

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Really good story, sometimes it is difficult to read across different time lines, but this one worked.
Rachel h has good reason not to tell anyone she has found a body. She was on death row row murder before being exonerated years ago. So she knows what not to do, right? But why does it seem someone is setting her up. Who would know her former identity, and want her to go to jail again?

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I Know You by Claire McGowan

When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.
The author is incapable of writing a bad novel and this one is up there with the best of them.
Full of suspense and twists, and the characters get under your skin.
A great read.

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Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC of “I Know You.” This novel follows suit of a lot of recent psychological thrillers. That being said, I still enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for procedural crime and consistency. The speed of this novel ebbed and flowed. I think I enjoyed the “Casey” sections more than the “Rachel” sections. I found the Rachel storyline to be more predictable. Overall, 3.5 stars.

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I totally loved this book!

It was intriguing and gripping, a real page turner, with a lot of twists and turns that keep you guessing right until the end. I found the plot very clever and the double POV narrative (from the same person, but in different times) definitely addictive. The writing style is excellent and I must say the authour is an exceptional storyteller, she had me captivated right from the start.

I'm adding Claire McGowan to my favourite writers, and I'll have a look to her other books.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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I know you is written from the perspectives of Casey and Rachel and we alternate between their timelines allowing the story to unfold and the links to slowly fit together.

Casey went to America as a nanny hoping to be a film star but ended up on death row! Rachel is trying to lead a quiet life in England, volunteering and starting out on a new relationship when she too finds herself caught up in a murder investigation!

A gripping read that keeps your attention, the build up was quite drawn out and the wrap up felt a little rushed in comparison but overall a good read where I felt invested in the characters.

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When teenager Casey Adams leaves for Los Angeles, she hopes that her job as a nanny with a Hollywood film maker will be the first step in a career. Yet, David is hardly at home and his wife Abby is not only frustrated as she does not get any acting offers anymore but also totally unable to cope with her two kids, 5-year-old Madison and baby Carson. All is left to Casey who herself struggles with the tasks being young and unexperienced with kids. Things develop in the worst imaginable way ending in a family drama. Twenty years later in England, Rachel finds herself accused of the murder of her boy-friend’s wife. All evidence is against her, why did she run when she accidentally stumbled over the body in the woods and not call the police? Rachel has a reason to stay away from murder as she knows how death row feels.

Claire McGowan has created another highly suspenseful and complex psychological thriller. Casey's and Rachel's story alternate, it only takes a couple of pages to realise how they are linked and why the two plot lines are connected over such a long time and two quite unalike places. Both murder cases are interesting to follow even though they could hardly be more different and the fact that there is a common ground gives it a little extra of suspense.

It is easy to comprehend Casey's feeling of exhaustion as she is not really prepared for her job as a nanny. Working for a glamorous family sounded great only on paper, reality hits her hard, but she has a good heart and tries to do what is best for the kids. It takes some time for her to understand the underlying mechanics of the family, that David and Abby's relationship is going down the plughole and that all she can do is make sure the kids are all right. Until they aren't anymore. Being accused of multiple murder, nobody wants to believe her, that is the hardest part of the story because you can easily empathise with her despair in telling them about her innocence without being heard. Yet, there are some gaps in her story and the question is looming if she can actually be believed.

Rachel on the other hand, is a lot stronger but nevertheless also a prime suspect whom everybody turns their back to when the police start to question her. She is also alone and tries to prove her innocence. It is obvious that somebody tries to frame her, the big question is just: who would want to do such a thing and why?

A great read that I totally adored. Two wonderful protagonists who are multifaceted in their character traits and a suspenseful plot which brilliantly links the two stories.

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‘What would you do if you found a dead body?’

Rachel Caldwell is walking her dog Brandy near her home in the British Lakes District, when she sees a dead body. Her instinct is to run, to get away from the scene, to not be involved. Because last time she saw a dead body, she was accused of murder. The victim is quickly identified as Anna, the estranged wife of Rachel’s boyfriend, Alex... which makes Rachel a suspect. And very quickly, quite a bit of evidence points to Rachel, and the fact that she is reluctant to share information with the police just heightens their suspicions.

Rachel has a secret. Twenty years earlier, as a nineteen-year-old named Casey, she travelled from the UK to Los Angeles to work as a nanny while seeking her big break as an actor. When three members of the Safran family were brutally murdered, Casey was found guilty and sentenced to death. Freed some years later, exonerated on appeal, she returned to the UK, married, and changed her name.

And now, Rachel wants to keep her past secret because who will believe that she didn’t murder Anna? Although Rachel was exonerated, there are plenty of people who still believe that she was guilty of murdering the Safrans.

Rachel does her own investigating, desperate to prove she is innocent. The more she searches, the more she wonders whether she is being set up. But by whom, and why? It becomes clear that someone knows about Rachel’s past.

Slowly small pieces of information are fed into the story, providing the reader with other possibilities to consider. The story shifts between Rachel in the present and Casey in the past: who murdered Anna, and exactly what happened in the Safran home 20 years ago? I figured out parts of the puzzle but couldn’t be completely sure until all was revealed at the end.

An engrossing read.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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This is a solid thriller and has some interesting cultural points that made the whole journey a great read.

I was not completely surprised when everything was revealed but that's not a bad thing; it's more because the author made a good trail for the reader and everything made sense in a way.

The characters were well developed and the pacing is steady, keeping the reader involved and interested.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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I have read all the authors others works so had really high expectations and this did not disappoint at all! Ok, chances are it's not the more realistic situation but it's still very thoughtfully and realistically written. You do see why the main characters does what she does and we'd probably do the same!! It keeps you hooked and the flashbacks keeps you guessing as it drio feeds you little new tidbits which keep changing the way you see things. I really a lot of thrillers and there's always a degree of predictability but this was really good in keeping you guessing and keeping you changing your opinion every time new bits and pieces come to light. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next installment from the author

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What a compelling story!. Poor Casey must have had the worst luck in the world to be found guilty of first degree murder three times and find herself on wreath Row. So trying to make a new life for herself in Yorkshire after being exonerated, she finds herself in trouble again.
I found this story easy to get into, and very believable. It flicked between Casey and her dilemma, and Rachel and her dilemma, which I found a little distracting to begin with but soon found this was the order of the story so went with it!. All in all, a great read .
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.

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I love books by this author. This book was hard to put down. Rachel was a compelling character. You felt her anguish in everything she did and said. It took me a bit to get used to the jumping from present to past but ad I read I became used to the pattern. This is definitely a 5 star book!!

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Excellent book! I was immediately hooked by the mystery and I loved the alternating viewpoints of what happened in the past as well as what was going on in the present as both got closer to figuring out what truly happened that fateful night. This was a page turner I couldn't put down!

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A really good thriller with a double mystery.

There are two storylines connected by the main character, Rachel. The story begins with Rachel finding the body of her boyfriend's ex-wife's murdered in the woods. She instantly becomes the prime suspect. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Rachel has experienced it. Years ago, when her name was Casey, she moved to Los Angeles as a babysitter for the Safrans. In a tragic turn of events, the entire family except the youngest child was brutally murdered, and Casey was found guilty of the crime. She always claimed to be innocent. So we're trying to find out not only who murdered her boyfriend's ex-wife, but also what happened twenty years ago in Los Angeles and whether Rachel/Casey is truly innocent.

I liked the whole idea and the execution. The author has done a great job of building an atmosphere of danger and confusion in the current part of the plot. You really feel that Rachel is being hounded and that she is alone in this situation. The police suspect her more and more and can arrest her at any time, accusing her of a crime she did not commit. Or did she?

The author also built the portrait of young Casey very well. A bit of a lost young girl who finds herself in a pathological situation from which she cannot escape. I loved how complicated her situation is and that Casey realizes it. I liked that this part of the story is not devoid of some reflection from the perspective of what happened next, and that Rachel herself tries to evaluate her actions and feelings at the time.

We are given a large group of very distinct yet complex characters in this novel. From the members of the Safran family to Rachel's ex-husband to her current lover and even the victim herself. Everyone hides some secrets, which adds to the suspense. And we are following Rachel, who tries to untangle all these threads and not get locked in prison again. A really good story.

This is my first book by this author, but I will definitely try some of her other books.

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I was unsure about this book as it is each chapter is alternated between Casey and Rachel and I'm not fond of 2 or more person narrators, but, wow, I found it real page turner. A good story, well written and very human.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

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I really liked the first book I read by this author. And this is really good too. I read it in two sittings as it’s so compelling. I’d try this and also recommend The Push by her. I’m going to try her other books now.

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Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

A great read with hints of real life cases. Loved it and really felt sorry for Rachel.

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A true thriller with twists and turns.
Grab a tea and hunker down, what a ride!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

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I have been a fan of Claires for a long time and was really looking forward to this book. This book is possibly my favourite of hers so far. It has a great story, a rally likable character in Rachel and tension from the moment you start the first page. Cancel all plans and read this book it is superb!

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This book was so good I read it in under 24 hours! Rachel has been unlucky enough to be embroiled in murder not once but twice! Both times as a prime suspect! Exonerated the first time but this time is she being framed? Has someone found out about her past? This is a gritty, fast paced thriller that’s easy to read and unputdownable!

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Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story centres around Rachel. One morning, Rachel stumbles across a dead body whilst walking her dog. But instead of calling the police, she flees the scene. Why? And what secrets is she hiding?

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read all the books by this author and I’ve never been disappointed by any of them. The characters are always enthralling and likeable, and others suitably unlikable. We read this story across two time lines, which means we get to see why Rachel reacts and behaves the way she does. I loved all the little twists throughout, and the ending was very satisfying. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

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A great dual narrative which made for an entertaining read. The given information is just right – the readers are not overloaded with info, nor does it feel like we are missing anything.
The dual narrative is always risky – for my own part I loved the present time narrative told by Rachel, but Casey’s narrative… not so much. She’s just so whiny and immature, (which, I guess, is the whole point).
But it is an intense and creepy story, and I found myself well entertained.

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This novel was just ok. The character Casey just kept repeating the same mantra I didn’t do it over and over again which was overkill.. I guessed the two perpetrators quite early on which was disappointing. A few twists to keep me reading until the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for chance to review it.

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Finding a dead body of her romantic predecessor is only the beginning of a nightmare for Rachel who is suddenly thrust into a murder investigation as a prime suspect. The problem is, she is not exactly who she says she is, as years previously she was already under suspicion for another murder. A terrific read!

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3.5 ⭐️‘s

Twenty years ago at 19, Casey crossed the pond to nanny for a film producer and his wife in California. Soon she is convicted of a horrific crime and sentenced to death. Rachel is living a quiet life in a small village in the UK. When a crime happens in the woods very near her home, she is soon the prime suspect. Told in the two voices, this book was a good read although I found the police procedure to be a bit on the unbelievable side and I do have to say that I cringed every time the baby was left in the car when Casey was having coffee, but overall I still enjoyed the overall book.

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A great thriller! You will be swept into a chaotic time and go back to 2000 for an even more hectic situation. I love the dual timelines and Claire meshed these two together perfectly. Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author Claire McGowen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date : October 19 2021.

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As always Claire McGowan knows how to entice and entertain her readers. In this crime story featuring nineteen-year-old Casey, working as a nanny in Los Angeles and, decades later, an older, wiser Rachel living in the Lake District, we are bound up in the action from the outset. Rachel finds the body of her boyfriend’s ex-wife whilst out walking. Does she do what most people would and dial 999? No, she does not; she runs home and freaks out! Why?
Over the course of the novel we learn not only why Rachel’s initial reaction is so bizarre but also just how damaged she is because of her upbringing and her history. ‘I Know You’ is not one of McGowan’s best thrillers – she has set a pretty high bar! It’s not so difficult to work out what actually happens in the Los Angeles ‘house of horrors’ and the novel’s conclusion is not as psychologically convincing as I was hoping it would be. Nevertheless, if you enjoy a fast paced, well written read, then this could well be for you!
My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

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I love this authors books! They always keep me on edge and reading while I should be doing other things. Fantastic read!!

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This was a fast and thrilling read. I was hooked on the ‘then’ chapters to see if we would get an insight into what actually happened that day.
Rachel is finally happy and settled after her tumultuous past, details of which she wants to leave far behind her. However, one day, everything starts to unravel when she again discovers a body, and she finds herself the lead suspect. She now needs to prove her innocence once again, and it is made more complicated when everyone around her starts to realise who she is.
The book alternates between Casey in the past and Rachel now, both telling completely different stories but leading to the same conclusion. The Casey parts were definitely the most interesting; I felt like my heart was in my mouth reading them, not knowing what Abby and the family that she was caring for was going to do.
Rachel, in the present, made some very questionable decisions, and it was pretty frustrating. It was also like she was choosing to ignore the obvious. When compiling a list of people from her past, she misses one significant person off it and doesn’t even think twice about it. I was like, “duh, they’d be my prime suspect!”
Apart from Rachel’s behaviour, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down at times. So a solid four-star read from me.

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I really enjoyed this. It kept me guessing and second guessing all the time. A very complex and integrated storyline.
I would happily recommend this book.

I will be reviewing it on my Instagram page CarolineO17, on Goodreads and in a few book related Facebook pages of which I’m a member.

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This is the story of Rachel. One day she is out in the woods walking her dog when she discovers the dead body. Rather than immediately ringing the police Rachel runs. Rachel has a really good reason for reacting the way she did

I really enjoyed this book. It has a mystery in the present and a mystery in the past. Each chapter alternates between past and present. I found both timelines equally as interesting as each other. It was a fast paced read. I was satisfied with the ending although I guessed part of it. I would highly recommend this book.

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I really enjoyed this book. I’m not always a fan of books with flashbacks, if they’re not done well they can seriously interrupt the flow of the story, for me this book is an example of how they should be done. I was drawn into each persons world straight away and didn’t feel myself rushing through a chapter to get back to the other story because they were both equally absorbing. It was good to have two mysteries to work out through the book as well, seeing how Casey’s world affected Rachel’s. Some of the twists were slightly predictable but the story itself and the characters were so good that it didn’t even matter.

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Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I found this very gripping. The story is told from two different times, one by Casey and another by Rachael. Casey is a young adult (starting at around 19) and Rachael is more mature. Casey is young and youthful, whereas Rachael is haunted by her past, especially when she stumbles upon a dead body.

As each story progresses, you begin to question who can and can't be trusted, and even if Casey and Rachael themselves are being truthful.

This is a story that will keep you guessing. This is a definite must read.

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The alternating narrative of two timelines has worked well here, especially the one of Casey whose character is natural and practical. After getting an exhausting amount of information the suspense becomes predictable. Some sort of cliffhanger effect would have made it more interesting to read.

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Claire McGowan refuses to let us down. This book sucked me in immediately and after reading The Other Wife, I didn't know if there could be a way to top it...but she has done it. Wonderfully done.

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Thank you, NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Claire McGowan for allowing me to read an advanced reader's copy of this book.

Rachel has awful luck. The kind of awful luck that gets you in the middle of two crime scenes: one she was exonerated from (after being convicted and sentenced to the death penalty) and another she may be being framed for. It's safe to say that I don't envy Rachel's life. I Know You is told in dual timelines, alternating between the first incident, when Rachel (originally named Casey) was nannying for a family in LA, and the current, in which Rachel (who has since tried to move on from her past) is found as the chief suspect of another murder. Has someone found out about her past and used it to cover up their own murder? Has someone from the past decided Rachel needs to pay for her crimes, even though found innocent? Is she actually innocent?

I enjoyed reading this book but was mostly invested in the "Casey" timeline or the "Mary Poppin's Murders" as they're later known. I loved the tension between all of the family members and Casey's struggle to acclimate to a new culture/setting. McGowan shaped LA- with its bright sun and swaying palm trees- to an isolating, claustrophobic setting, which I thought was really well done. Unfortunately, I was not as interested in the current timeline. Who Casey became near the end and who Rachel was shown to be felt incongruent.

This book also touches on the corrupt criminal justice system in the US a lot. And don't get me wrong, it is. It really, really, really is. And I was excited it was going to be showcased here. Yet, in the end, McGowan's depiction of the US felt like a caricature. The number of times Casey mentioned she couldn't have done it because she was a "naive British girl" or simply stating how corrupt the US system is vs. the UK didn't really sell the point.

So, in the end, while I liked Casey's story, Rachel's was a bit of a drag, making this a 3.5 for me.

P.S. did anyone else consistently think of an actual vest whenever "vest top" was mentioned?! I think this is just British slang for tank top?

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I really enjoyed this one although I already thought I knew who it was before the book was ver. So the ending just confirmed it. An interesting twist was presented with Casey though. I enjoyed the back and forth and usually I don’t like those kinds of books. I liked the Rachel character and a few other characters but you didn’t get to know the others very well.
The suspense was building through the whole story and you will find yourself guessing.
Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book. I will be reading more from this author and recommending to readers!

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This is the first book I read by Claire McGowan but it will not be the last.
I Know You is a very good mystery/ thriller with an intriguing story and interesting characters. The plot was very good but I think that the pacing needed some work! Also, the editing at some points could be better!

All in all it was a very good book and I will definitely read more of her books!

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There are thrillers and there are thrillers that make your heart pound. A book is good if I carry it around and every spare moment I’m in it and also annoying my family by reading at the dinner table. This book was that good.

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Talk about some bad luck! This novel is told by Rachel in two timelines - her present and her past. It was a very effective tool for showing how Rachel’s old life was affecting her present. I thought Rachel made some questionable choices but as the story unfolds you begin to see why. I kept saying “oooh no, girl” to during Rachel’s nannying - McGowen did a wonderful job illustrating the naivety of a 19-year-old alone in a new country. Overall, this was a well written and gripping thriller.

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Whilst walking her dog in the park Rachel finds a woman's body. The woman turns out to be her boyfriend's ex wife. Twenty years earlier under the name of Casey, she had been working in Los Angeles as a nanny where 3 members of the family were murdered leaving just the young son alive. Rachel was found guilty of the murder only spending 5 years in prison having successfully appealed the sentence.

Now she is the prime suspect in this new murder. Does somebody know her history and are they framing her for this murder or is she guilty of both murders. This book made me swing backwards and forwards between innocent and guilty and even though I thought I had worked it out I had not. I loved the way the story switches between Casey's and Rachel's story as I like dual storylines?
I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them all and this is no exception I recommend this book and other books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley UK, The author and the publishers Thomas & Mercer for an advanced Arc copy of the book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

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This is definitely a page turner, but very far fetched. I appreciate that it’s fiction, but I personally like to believe in the story. I didn’t understand many of the character’s motivations, which also distracted me somewhat. Compulsive, but be prepared to suspend belief.

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That was actually really, really good. The book grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Poor Casey never had a chance with her useless mother, Jenna, filling her head with rubbish. It’s 2000 as she heads off to LA at the tender age of 19 to be a nanny to a ‘Hollywood couple’ with the hope of breaking into the industry at some point. So she ended up, little more than a child herself, looking after 5 year old Madison and 6 month old Carson.

The story is told on two timelines - 2000 and beyond and then the present day. As Casey starts her nanny job she soon realises this is a family on the brink…. The mother, Abby, is a washed up actress obsessed with getting back into the biz so she was starving herself and ignoring her children. Basically living in la la land. The father, David, is a producer who, despite the stories he peddled to the media and to Casey, was slowly going bankrupt. Casey enters this madhouse and does her best to look after the children until the fateful day where it all turned toxic and she is charged with murdering the family, apart from baby Carson. Casey is found guilty and sentenced the death. Yikes!

Lucky for her, high school crush (him, not her) Jeremy fights tooth and nail to have the conviction overturned and have Casey exonerated. He brings her back to the UK. In the present day Rachel is living a quiet and unassuming existence. She works for no pay at an animal shelter and tries to fly under the radar. She has a passionate relationship with Alex, separated from his wife Anna. When Rachel finds Anna’s body one morning while walking her dog Brandy she panics and runs, scared that the past is coming back to haunt her.

I’ve read a couple of books by this author but this is by far the best. Casey/Rachel comes across as a very real and sympathetic character. Everybody else is shrouded with suspicion. Is someone trying to punish her for what she apparently ‘got away with’ nearly 20 years ago? Or is the link with the past more a convenient excuse? Your thoughts will vacillate from one option to the other as the author dangles suspects in front of you and then throws in a red herring or two. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

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The story takes place in two alternating timelines. The plot is intriguing and the characters interesting although the pace is a bit slow for my taste. Still, a perfect weekend read.

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While out walking her dog one morning, Rachel finds a dead body but instead of doing the responsible thing and reporting it she runs away. Big mistake. She is soon under suspicion as her scarf is found at the scene and worst of all the body is that of her lover's estranged wife. It couldn't get any worse could it? You'd think. But the police soon discover she is someone (Casey) who was once on death row in the USA, sent there for killing a couple and their daughter. She's been exonerated but hey, mud sticks...

Told over two time frames, the present and twenty years ago we are with Rachel/Casey as she tries to clear her name both times. The scenes in the states are horrifying. Their. justice system does all it can to find her guilty and you really feel for the nineteen year old Casey, tried and convicted in a foreign country.

I raced through this book. It's skilfully written with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

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An interesting plot that had lots of surprises! What are the odds of finding a dead body twice in a lifetime? The story unfolded at a good pace. There were a few times it felt redundant, but overall it moved along well. Rachel was believable even when the events in her life were unbelievable. I liked the different times told alternately like they were. They both reached the peak at the same time and it built the suspense in the conclusion of the book. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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What would you do if lightning struck twice? Rachel has once again found herself suspected of murder. How does she get herself out of this pickle? Told in alternating chapters between the present in the midst of the murder investigation of her boyfriend’s wife and a narration of the past leading up to the murder of the family she was nanny to.

As we progress with the story, we are left to determine if Rachel is a reliable narrator or if she is indeed being set up and by whom. I was left guessing right up until the end. This book is ambitious as there is a mystery in the past and a mystery in the present unraveling at the same time and while I suspected many different scenarios and culprits, I was not right on any count.

I like that the two timelines had different tones to reflect the different ages of Casey/Rachel. There was always a little foreshadowing at the end of a chapter and then you had to wait while you read from the other timeline. I would have thought I would be annoyed with that, but instead it kept me very interested.

While I read a lot of thrillers, this one really kept my attention and wanting to know what happened. I’d recommend it to any thriller lover.

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Review of eBook
When Rachel Caldwell takes her dog, Brandy, for her usual morning walk in her favorite part of the woods, she comes upon a body lying in the leaves.

Stunned, she runs.

Rachel chooses to do nothing at all . . . no call to the police, no returning to make certain the person in the clearing is dead. Nothing.

She knows what happens when you find a dead body. And she desperately doesn’t want to be that person again.

Things become more complicated when it turns out that she’d had a run-in with the dead woman . . . Alex’s estranged wife. Alex, the first man she’d allowed herself to have feelings for, the first relationship she’d seriously considered in some twenty years. The first time since she’d found the bodies . . . .

She was sixteen; off to America for a position as a nanny for a Hollywood producer and his actress wife. Their daughter, Madison, was five; the baby, Carson, just six months old. She was Casey, then. Casey Adams. A girl with stars in her eyes and a dream of an acting career.

But the evidence in the brutal murders of the Safran family pointed to Casey as the culprit and she landed in prison. Five years later, an appeal ended her imprisonment and she returned to England.

Now Casey goes by her middle name, Rachel, and the surname of her ex-husband, Caldwell. She doesn't want any connection with the past, with the catastrophe that fell upon Casey Adams. But as the detectives investigate Anna’s death, all the evidence points to Rachel as the murderer. All her secrets . . . her lies . . . make her look guilty. But, could it be that someone is framing her for Anna’s murder?

Is Rachel guilty? And what happened in the Safran home twenty years ago?



Well-defined, believable characters populate this tale of family and secrets, of deception and danger. Two murder stories evolve alternately, one in the present, one twenty years in the past. Complex, compelling, and dark, things move quickly in this story that’s sprinkled with newspaper clippings and podcast conversations.

With the suspense constantly building, readers will find themselves guessing while some surprising twists in the plot ramp up the tension and keep the pages turning as the intriguing mysteries unfold. Pulled into the telling of the tale from the outset, readers will find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley
#IKnowYou #NetGalley

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I Know You is the story of Casey and Rachel, who are in fact the same person.
Many years ago Casey was the nanny for a family who was murdered. Casey became the suspect and went to trial.
Now, Rachel takes her dog for a walk and once again finds a dead body. Rachel runs away, learning that long ago day not to trust the police. Because she ran, Rachel is now again the prime suspect.
Alternating between Casey (then) and Rachel (now) the story of both murders unfolds.
I liked how the author told the differences in the laws and procedures in both the UK and the US.
A really nice mystery/thriller. This is not my first book by Claire McGowan and surely won't be my last!

Many thanks to netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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One of the hottest new book plots seems to be the false imprisonment of innocent defendants. This book is an interesting take on this subject. There is ample food for thought when the detectives do their best with the evidence available and the legal system gets it wrong.
Chapters alternate between two women on different continents. Casey Adams is a nineteen year old English nanny working for the Safran family in LA. Rachel Caldwell is fortyish in the small lakes area town of Coldwater, Cumbria. She volunteers at the local dog shelter.
The first several chapters were confusing and difficult for me to follow with the alternating characters and timelines, but it did become clearer and tie together as I got further into the story.
Talk about being cursed and the ultimate bad luck, that's Rachel! She's already survived the despair of years on death row in a CA desert, for murders she maintains she did not commit. The enormity of being incarcerated and the conditions are detailed so realistically that I could barely breath.
She had been briefly married to Jeremy. He had been the only one there for her and found the Innocence Project. She's tried to rebuild her life. She's finally let herself trust again and have a relationship with Alex. Bad choice, he's still married to Anna. Déjà vu - guess whose throat gets slashed and who stumbles onto the body.
The Safran family is complicated and full of secrets. David is a struggling movie producer who is married to Abby, an actress near her expiration date. Casey is to care for the children, Madison who's five, and Carson, just a baby. Abby is obsessed with being thin and child star, Madison, is already into blue eyeshadow and costumes. It's the definition of a dysfunctional family. The only likable character was the baby.
The plot is intricate and kept me guessing as to who the killer(s) might be. The story should give pause to all of us, how would you rebuild your life and reputation. There were unpredictable twists and secrets in the conclusion. This is a book I would positively recommend for crime solving mystery lovers.
While I haven't read this author previously, I was familiar with her reputation. I would definitely read her works in the future. As a member of Netgalley I received an advance digital copy of "I Know You". Thanks to Claire McGowan and Thomas & Mercer. These thoughts and opinions are mine given voluntarily.

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3.5/5 This is a fun flashforward/flashback kind of thriller that switches between two crime scenes. My only complaint is that it seemed too straightforward with little question about who committed the crimes.

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Intriguing take on two murder mysteries all wrapped into one story. Fast paced and a definite page turner!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

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This was my first Claire McGowan novel and I was very pleasantly surprised. I Know You was a fast paced crime thriller, which kept me guessing throughout the journey. The twists and turns were relentless and I enjoyed the alternating POV which made for quite the page turner.
I really enjoy the challenge of a good Who Dun It and this one ticked all the boxes. Definitely one to watch out for.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

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This is a perfect, thrilling story to keep you guessing.

I love the premise, connected well with the characters and felt that the story was appropriately paced.

I enjoyed hopping from Rachel to Casey and found it gave it authenticity.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves following a thrilling story whilst trying to guess what’s going to come up next.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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Interesting story, good writing, but overall just too long and wordy.  Needs a serious editing cut.  The Push by this author was hella hard to read, and this novel veers down the same road.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

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This is my first book by Claire McGowan but it won't be my last. The description grabbed me straight away and I could not put the book down once I was into the story. There were plenty of twists and turns and I did not see the ending coming at all!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC.

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Thanks to NetGalley , the publisher and Claire McGowan for an advanced copy.

This was a great thriller I couldn’t put down.

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When Rachel finds a body in the woods, she panics & flees the scene not even pausing to call the police. This looks even worse when the victim is identified as the estranged wife of Rachel's new boyfriend, the woman who threatened Rachel in public a few weeks before. You see, this isn't the first time Rachel has found a body, & last time she ended up accused of their murders. When she was nineteen, Rachel - then Casey - was working as a nanny in California, when the parents & five-year-old daughter were found dead, & Casey & the young baby were found in a closet hiding. Casey was found guilty of their murders & went to prison before being exonerated & released five years into her sentence. Is history repeating itself or is someone setting Rachel up?

This is a cleverly plotted & well-written book, but I really didn't like the main character as either Rachel or Casey. It's dual timeline with the fallout from the present-day murder alternating with the events of the murders a couple of decades ago. Both sections keep the reader fully engaged with the story, & although I did guess what had happened, it didn't detract from the reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

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This is something different. Its very interesting and absorbing. There are two murder mysteries going on at once, told from the viewpoints of Rachel and Casey. Its intriguing who exactly are these two murder suspects?
One amazing story. Well worth the read.

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I've read every book by Claire McGowan and I was strongly anticipating "I know you" and I wasn't disappointed. It was well worth the wait.

The protagonist is 19 year old Casey, who went from the UK to Hollywood to make a name for herself but mainly for her mother. Unfortunately she lands a job as a nanny in a utterly dysfunctional family that ends up being killed and Casey lands on death row because of it. 4 years later she is acquitted and she travels back to the UK where she changes her name and tries to live a unremarkable life.
20 years later, Rachel finds the body of her boyfriends' ex wife and instead of calling it in, she goes home and puts the kettle on. It won't take long before she is in the middle of a media storm once more.

This isn't your usual mystery read, as you will know quiet early on who did what, but it is all about characters and their motives. It is a sharp observation of the dangers of social media and true crime sleuths and the deceit of trial by media in general. It is also a harsh condemnation of the horrendous death sentences and the hypocrisy driving it.

A sincere thanks to Goodreads, the publisher Thomas & Mercer and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed my first read of a Claire McGowan novel and look forward to reading more from this author.
Rachel discovers a dead body in the woods and immediately panics and runs from the scene. This is not the first time she has found a dead body and last time didn't work out well with her being accused of murder. This time the victim is her boyfriends estranged wife and Rachel knows she will be the prime suspect.

Rachel used to be known as Casey but was forced to change her name in order to try and start a new life without distractions. If her old identity is discovered there will be plenty of people to point the finger at her again. Twenty years ago when she was a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles a tragedy occurred that resulted with her being convicted of murder. The family she worked for were brutally murdered and all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together.

Now twenty years later her innocence is again questioned and with growing evidence the police are starting to circle. Could this be a dreadful coincidence or is someone trying to ruin her life.

This is a real page turner and had me guessing to the end. Interesting, addictive plot, good characters and well written make this an exciting read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Trigger warning: murder, abuse

This book had me from the first sentence! It’s a woman who finds the dead body of her lover’s wife near her house but doesn’t report it. She is under a new identity and served some time for 3 other murder in the US. But, the lover has secrets of his own. Told from two perspectives of the main character’s two identities. And the twist at the end. OMG! I was literally in my feels when the past became the present. Kudos to the author! I am adding you to list of favorite authors!

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Thankyou Netgalley for the advanced copy of I Know You by Claire McGowan. I’ve only read one other book by this author, but I loved it and was excited to be approved for this book as well. I just love the way that the author writes and creates her characters.

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A great read.
It effortessley switches between a past and present day story.
Full of twists and turns.,secrets are gradually revealed.
How far would you go to protect your identity,who is also prorecting their identity and for what purpose?
Loved it!

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I Know You by Claire McGowan follows the story of Rachel and Casey. Rachel stumbles across a body in the woods on her morning walk with her dog. She doesn’t call it in but walks fast back to her home and tries to forget what she saw until the police arrive on her doorstep a few hours later. What happens next is mind-blowing. This is not the first time Rachel has come across dead bodies. We get two storylines Rachel in the present and Casey in the past. Casey went to America to be a nanny for a rich family but something unthinkable happens and she goes to prison for the murders of three of the family members. We also find out that both Rachael and Casey are the same person.

I absolutely loved this book it was gripping right from the very first chapter. This is another one of those books that I did not want to put down. Can't wait to purchase a copy for my bookshelf.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for a copy of this book for my honest review.

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After managing to get off death row and be free again Casey finds herself being framed for another murder! What a story! I genuinely really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to know what would happen! I loved the then and now timelines between the 2 cases.

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A very well written thriller with a double mystery

Having enjoyed Claire McGowan's previous book, I knew this was a must read for me and I am once again very pleased.

Highly recommend!

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Wow what an ending this book had. This was my first Claire McGowan book and it didn't disappoint me one bit. 🙂

Told in the perspective of Rachel and her former life as Casey, we learn that Rachel doesn't want to be discovered by the new people in her life, as an ex exonerated triple homicide murderer. However, when her new boyfriend not yet ex-wife has been found murder not that far from Rachel's house all eyes are on her. But when Rachel's previous life as Casey has become known to the police and everyone around her, her life gets turned upside down in more ways than one.

I really enjoyed the story of both timelines, but I was so immersed in Casey's life, I really wanted to spend more time in her life with the Safran Family. Even though I knew it was going to talk about the deaths of the family members, it really impacted me and it made me tear up. I didn't want to say goodbye to them just yet.

But within saying that, I also enjoyed Rachel's newer life too. It had the thriller aspect to it and it made my heart race with thoughts and ideas on what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this book.

Book is out now.

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to to read and review I Know You.

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I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book form NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Let me tell you this book will not disappoint! It grabbed me from the first page and kept me engrossed all the way to the last words. I've read other books by Claire McGowan and she is amazing! I'm already counting the days until her next release!

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Happy publishing day!! Thank you to @netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy of this to read in exchange for an honest review! Pick up your own copy now.
Rachel has found a dead body before and has learned her lesson, run don’t wait for anyone to show up. Last time she stayed and was accused of murder. 20 years ago she was Casey a young nanny when the family she worked for was brutally murdered. All the evidence pointed to her and she enter up in prison for 5 years until her appeals case was won. Now with the current dead body, the victim is identified as her boyfriends estranged wife. Rachel realizes that she is a prime suspect again in a murder she had nothing to do with!
This book kept me on my toes! I couldn’t wait to see how everything would tie together at the end. I have been wanting to read a book by Claire McGowan because I have heard great things. I thought she did a great job of telling both stories, Casey and Rachel, at the same time. It helped to add to the suspense. She also added foreshadowing thoughts as the character told the story that provided some perspective on what was to come and what the character would have changed. I feel like that also added depth! Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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How to survive two convictions of murder?

Casey was a nany in Hollywood area. She traveled all across the Atlantic to become someone. But all went wrong. She found her self in jail.

Rachel walked a dog and bumped in a body.. and run away couse she is scared to death of the past event. It turns out the body was the estranged wife of her lover. She becomes a suspect.

What the hell. Not possible. Read and discover the secrets.

Thanks to netgalley.com and Amazon Pubilishing for this great opportunity.

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What would you do if you found a dead body? You'd phone the police! Of course you would - unless you have reason not to, and Rachel has a very good one.

This novel started out really well, grabbing my attention and drawing me immediately into the storyline. Well written with interesting characters this novel has a dual timeline, moving back and forth between present time and the events of twenty years previous.

The pace was good, it had enough twists to keep me on my toes and it kept my attention all the way to the gripping ending. Definitely recommended.

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While walking her dog, Rachel comes across a dead body in the woods, and flees without reporting it. The last time she did, she would be accused of murder, and she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. That’s the opening page of I Know You, and if that first chapter doesn’t grab you, nothing will. Simply told in alternating then/now format, the author expertly weaves the two timelines into a suspenseful and twisty thriller that will firmly hold your interest. The book can get a little repetitive at times in the “then” chapters which slows things down a little, but overall it’s definitely worth a read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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What did I just read? Oh mayn, this book is ridiculous. What a mystery !

A huge thanks fo Amazon Publishing UK for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book has two timelines and I am utterly shocked that it gripped me so.

The book follows Rachel who one day stumbles on the dead body of her boyfriend's ex wife who has been murdered *gasp* and some people's karma is finding a dead boy twice . Rachel twenty years ago was Casey -an ambitious nanny trying to make it as an actress .

Twenty years ago the entire family she took care of was murdered *gasp*.
we follow her story as we try to piece together who committed both murders and why she is in the centre of it.

I loved the mystery,the plot ,the character development and the title. Highly recommend!

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Rachel is accused of a murder she didn’t commit, but does it really matter if the police are convinced she did it anyway? It turns out that Rachel (who once went by the name of Casey) was already charged, found guilty, and five years later released for murdering a family of three and now someone seems to be framing her for the murder of her boyfriend’s (soon-to-be ex) wife. Unfortunately, I kind of guessed what was going on fairly early in the book. Although I tried to give it a fair shot, it only got worse as I finished it. Not one of my favorites.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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If you’re looking for a fairly quick read and are happy to guess the murderer without too much trouble then this is for you. there’s a lot of unnecessary descriptive passages in which the word “ cinnamon” seems to feature more often than you would expect ( I’m probably the only person this was a problem to it just riled me a bit).
Good use of the two timelines and easy to follow.

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This was fantastic! I was gripped from the start and couldn’t put it down! A few twists and turns and an ending I didn’t expect! I’d definitely recommend

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Rachel finds a body in the woods. She doesn't report it to the police as last time she did that she ended up on death row for it.
This book follows Rachel's here and then stories and how she is treated. I really enjoyed this book and will read more by this author.

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A gripping, twisty thriller. Rachel has a lovely new life after going through hell for a wrong conviction in the US. All is great until she stumbles across a body and runs away. She is now suspect number one. A really good backstory of how she got here and a great conclusion to todays events.

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This is the first book I’ve read by Claire McGowan and WOW! I Know You is one tense, suspenseful psychological thriller. Rachel aka Casey has found dead bodies twice in her life. This complicated story pulled me in and didn’t let me go! I really enjoyed how the author switched POVs from Rachel (present) and Casey (past). There were some crazy twists and I couldn’t wait to find out who the real killer was in the end! Highly recommend this one for crime thriller fans!
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this e-ARC.
I will post my review on @thrillersandcoffee on Instagram.

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*Thank you to NetGalley, Claire McGowan, and Amazon Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/i-know-you/

I Know You follows Casey Adams (now Rachel Caldwell), a girl who has been in the wrong place at the wrong time with dead bodies, accused of murder twice. In her teens, as an au pair in California, she was known by her legal name, Casey Adams; She is now living in England under her married name, Rachel Caldwell.

Rachel is 19 when she takes a job in Los Angeles, California, as a nanny for the Safran family, but she soon finds out all is not what it seems with the picture-perfect Safrans. She is quite naïve and not prepared to take care of two children, five and 6 months old, plus an entire house. Abby, the mother, has significant emotional issues and abuses the 5-year-old Madison, who is demanding and wetting the bed every night. Rachel finds an ally in dad David, who occasionally helps her and seems like the most normal one. Though he drinks a lot and is very mercurial. McGowan bounces back effortlessly from Casey as an Au Pair to Rachel, as a 38-year-old woman hiding in a small town in England. The entire Safran family, except for baby Carson, is composed of very flawed people. When they are murdered, except for the baby, Rachel’s life is put on display; drinking, boyfriends, low cut tops. All things a normal teenager would do. She is arrested and put on trial for the murders, and convicted quickly. The Innocence Project handles her appeal in what the media dubbed The Mary Poppins Murders.

What are the chances that one person could stumble across two instances of dead bodies in their lifetime? As Rachel is walking her dog, Brandy, one morning in the woods behind her house, she sees a dead body buried in the leaves. Her first instinct is to run, having been through this before. Unfortunately, her nosy neighbor sees her running out of the forest, and when the body is found in the woods, she becomes the first suspect. Rachel soon finds out that the dead body is the wife of the man she has been having an affair with.

Claire McGowan is an expert at making everyone a suspect. Is it Rachel’s ex-husband who has been lying to her about his whereabouts? Or Alex, her lover, whose ex-wife is the murder victim? Or is it the boy whose life she saved so many years ago, now a young adult? The last chapter of this book surprised me very much. Not the ultimate reveal of who is the murderer of Anna Devine but by Rachel’s recollections of that fateful night in Los Angeles so many years ago. She has to make some decisions that could affect her future. And where does she go from there? I Know You is a fantastic mystery that keeps the reader on their toes from the first chapter, and leaves you guessing until the very last line.

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I have read this Authors previous books and enjoyed them but this book is my favourite so far .It is a very well written clever thriller telling a very unusual story .Fancy being accused of murder not once but twice in 20 years !!! What an enjoyable story ,fast paced ,gripping clever and so very different .The story goes backwards and forwards from America 2000 to the present day UK .This is a book that kept me guessing all the way to the ending .A captivating story .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

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At the age of nineteen Rachel faced death row for a crime she says she didn’t commit. Years later after she’s been exonerated and living a new life she’s faced with another murder investigation where she’s the lead suspect again.

This is a page turning murder mystery novel that will keep Chou guessing until the very end. The whole time I couldn’t figure out if Rachel was telling the truth or not for both murders she had been suspected of. I loved how this book pulled me in from the very first line which doesn’t happen a lot for me!

This book is out now so get your hands on it and enjoy a great book!

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Thank you to netgally for the copy of this bookmin return for an honest review. I was really gripped by this book and read it very quickly. It follows the story of Rachel who stumble a cross a dead body, however it turns out this is not the first time it's happened to her. The book switches between The present and the past and we see if history will repeat itself. Although far fetched jn places it was an excellent read that had me hooked from.start to finish.

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Wow. Rachel has had the worst luck and now she's trying to find the true murderous villain. She's a great character, the mystery has some surprises, and well, no spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling and a propulsive plot make this a page turner!

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This is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller by Claire McGowan. The intricate plot unfolds through two timelines and describes the horrifying ordeal experienced by Casey aka Rachel who is found guilty of murder and is imprisoned on death row in California. The writer cleverly details Casey’s successful appeal and release only to be investigated and accused of another murder years later when she has changed her name and is living in England.

Now called Rachel, she then goes on to investigate this new murder while living with the suspicion of all who know her. The characters are numerous and each could be responsible. There are many twists and turns, all of which took me by surprise.

An accomplished mystery thriller. My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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What can I say about this book - it gripped me from the minute I read the blurb and held me captive for the next few days. I literally loved everything about this book. If I could ask for a book that has everything that I need in a good read then this has captured it to a tee.

We meet Rachel - also known as Casey from her past life, she goes for a dog walk and stumbles upon a body in the wood, instead of doing "the right thing" she makes a run for it home. You see Rachel isn't just a run off the mill woman, she is an ex-death row inmate. When she was 19 she went to be a sort of au pair to a family in LA, unfortunately for Casey she went for a walk and came back to the house she was nannying for and found 3 out of the 4 family members murdered, she was convicted and then her conviction was over turned and she returned to the UK and changed her name.

I loved the alternating chapters of Casey when she was a nanny and then Rachel now as she once again is accused of murder. She is framed for the murder of Anna, the ex partner of Rachel's new boyfriend and the past comes to haunt her again.

I really enjoyed reading about 19 year old Casey, and how she became on death row. The characters are well build and you do feel awful for the situation that Rachel is in. The only thing that was a slight negative for me was that I did guess who the person was behind the murder of Anna, but it is such a small thing that it would not put me off reading more of Claire McGowan's novels.

Thanks to Claire McGowan, NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Great read that gets you interested from page one, and the twists and turns throughout keep you entertained and wondering what's next. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A complex, entertaining, twisty story that keeps you hooked one that pace picks up. 3.5 for this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks to #NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Switching between the present and the past, we firstly learn about Rachel discovering and ignoring a body while walking her dog in the woods. As a scarf of Rachel’s is found at the scene, she quickly is questioned by police becoming the prime suspect when the body is found to belong to the estranged wife of Rachel’s boyfriend.

Rachel is not a stranger to murder investigations having been a British nanny by the name of Casey and found guilty of murdering her American employers and their 5 year old daughter.

The book switches between Rachel’s POV in the current time and her time as Casey in the past. I worked out what had happened quite early on in the story. I did not feel a connection to Rachel or to Casey or any of the characters in the story. I thought Rachel might have had a bit more maturity and common sense when facing this situation a second time around but she makes lots of silly decisions time and again.

The plot line was interesting but it wasn’t as gripping as I thought it could have been. It was still an enjoyable read.

#IKnowYou
Publish date 19 October 2021

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A woman becomes a key suspect in a murder case based on her connection to another murder years earlier. While she knows she’s innocent in both situations, she also keeps secrets from those closest to her. Claire McGowan features fairly likeable characters in a plot that crawls until the somewhat predictable ending in her latest book I Know You.

Rachel Caldwell loves her home in the Lake district in a small town where neighbors know one another and leave their doors unlocked during the day. It’s a quiet place and far away from the big cities where people might recognize her from before her life as Rachel. She’s worked hard for nearly 20 years to remake herself, and she wants nothing more than to take care of the animals in her volunteer job at the shelter and to enjoy her new relationship with Alex.

Then one morning, as she’s walking her dog, Rachel stumbles across a body in the woods behind her house. On instinct, she runs. This isn’t the first time she’s encountered a dead body, and Rachel wants nothing to do with the person who died. Soon enough, however, the police come knocking on her door. The dead person turns out to be Anna Devine, Alex’s estranged wife, and now the police are looking at Rachel sideways.

She does everything she can to convince them she had nothing to do with Anna’s death, but then someone leaks the truth about her past. Rachel is actually Casey Adams who, at the age 19, went to work as a nanny for the Safran family in Los Angeles. While she’s there, three of the Safrans were killed and Rachel was convicted of the murders and sent to death row where she spent almost five years.

David Safran was a Hollywood producer who Rachel wanted to impress to launch her acting career. His wife, Abigail, was moody at best, impossible to please. Five-year-old Madison, a pageant queen, confused Rachel more than anything else. Baby Carson was the only bright spot in Rachel’s days, but taking care of a baby was exhausting. None of her frustrations, though, compared to the reality of living in prison.

With the help of an old friend, she managed to get the conviction overturned on appeal. Since that time, Casey became Rachel and she’s wanted nothing to do with law enforcement. Now, though, the cops are practically living on her doorstep and accusing her of murder. She even gets arrested, although the police have to let her go for lack of evidence. At 19 Rachel felt helpless and lost, but she’s not helpless anymore. Prison taught her to look out for herself, and she’s determined to find out the truth about this latest murder no matter what it takes.

Author Claire McGowan sets up an interesting premise in a young British girl coming to the States to work for an American family. She draws clear lines between American and British cultures, showing how the norms in one country can create misperceptions in the other. The development of Rachel as a character is sharp and nuanced.

Where the book falls behind, however, is in its pacing, literally. The story flips between Rachel’s time in LA as a teen nanny and the present after the murder of Anna. Early in the book, the narrative approach heightens the tension. At some point, however, it starts to draw it out to the point of feeling slack. An inordinate amount of time is spent first with Rachel in present-day England and then with her as a young woman, and much of the narrative tends to repeat itself in different words.

Because there are a limited number of characters, readers will find the main story question—Who killed Anna Devine?—easy to answer long before Rachel gets there. At some point, Rachel’s quest to discover the murderer’s identity morphs into a quest to find the truth about what happened when she was in LA. The juxtaposition of the two murder cases works some of the time; at other times, it feels forced.

For those looking for a standard thriller, this might work.

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This novel is a gripping thriller, a real page turner.
Rachel is walking her dog in the woods near her house when she stumbles across a body. But instead of contacting the police to report it she runs back home, not wanting to be found at the scene, after all look what happened the last time she discovered a dead body, she spent years on Death Row convicted of 3 murders.
As mounting evidence places her at the scene she realises someone is out to frame her for murder
Alternate chapters Set in 2000 in Los Angeles and present day in the UK, this is a great novel of Rachel trying to prove her innocence for all charges.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

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This one had me hooked from the first page! On one particular morning walk with her pup, Rachel Caldwell, stumbles upon a body instead of calling for help she runs. Rachel has been through this before as Casey Adams, a nanny in America for The Safran Family. She was arrested and served five years for the murder of Abby, David, and their daughter Madison. With the help of The Innocence Project Rachel was exonerated on circumstantial evidence. The body belongs to Anna, wife of her new boyfriend, Alex! Of course she becomes suspect #1 and her past catches up to her. This is a new to me author, excited to read more of her work! I Know You is a suspenseful, page turner! Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

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This one had me hooked from the first page! On one particular morning walk with her pup, Rachel Caldwell, stumbles upon a body instead of calling for help she runs. Rachel has been through this before as Casey Adams, a nanny in America for The Safran Family. She was arrested and served five years for the murder of Abby, David, and their daughter Madison. With the help of The Innocence Project Rachel was exonerated on circumstantial evidence. The body belongs to Anna, wife of her new boyfriend, Alex! Of course she becomes suspect #1 and her past catches up to her. This is a new to me author, excited to read more of her work! I Know You is a suspenseful, page turner! Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

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Another brilliant page turner by Claire McGowan; I couldn’t put it down. The story captivated me from the first page, and I was raging against the injustice of the system and the harshness of the treatment of women, whether they were guilty or not. The young Casey was abused and taken advantage of and was a clear victim of trial by media. The unfairness of her finding herself in the same position for a second time seemed unbearable. It was clear that she was concealing something, but tragic that her mother’s advice had put her freedom in jeopardy. A gripping story with a satisfying dénouement. Highly recommended.

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An interesting story wiht some twists and turns. Can be a bit long winded at times but ends well. Worth a read

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Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital copy of the latest psychological thriller by Claire McGowan - 4.5 stars!

In 2000, Casey was 19 when she left London to take a nanny job for a couple in Los Angeles. Her mom encouraged her, hoping that Casey could break into acting and she could then ride her coattails into her own acting career. Casey was instantly responsible for the total care of the two children - Madison, 5, and baby Carson = as well as the cooking and cleaning. When Casey returns from a walk with Carson and finds the entire family murdered, all the evidence points directly to her. In present day, Casey has been exonerated and is living in London as Rachel, trying to keep a low profile. When she finds a dead body in the woods on her morning walk, once again Rachel is under a cloud of suspicion.

The chapters alternate between these two storylines and timelines as you try and piece together the puzzle. I really enjoyed the writing, tension and plot twists - there were lots of suspicious characters in both timelines. I really felt for Casey as she was put in impossible situations at such a young age. It's also a sad tale of one family's troubled household - failed dreams, marriages and abuse.

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I have enjoyed other books by this author but I found this one somewhat predictable. I had figured out long before the end who had done it!

many thanks to netgalley and Claire McGowan for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

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Claire McGowan has produced a detailed thriller that spans both years and oceans.

Twenty years ago a nineteen year old girl sets foot to become a nanny in America, hoping this will be the stepping stone to fame and fortune. Life didn't quite turn out how it was expected to.

In the present day Rachel is walking her dog Brandy when she comes across a dead body, panicking she runs away without reporting it. Why not? Well it turns out that Rachel had a couple of good reasons for pretending she hadn't seen poor Anna's body.

The book is constructed across time periods with both stories being equally absorbing. The plotting is meticulous as is the feeling of authenticity of all the characters.

If you are looking for something a little different, this might just be what you are looking for.

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WOW! WOW! WOW! what a cracking, tension filled, suspenseful book. I loved it. I read it in one day because I was dying to find out all the secrets and what really happened to Casey/Rachel. I felt so sorry for her because she got sent to death row for a crime she didn't commit, but that's where the little twist start appearing. It has amazing characters who all have plenty of depth and are really relatable. Some you love such as Casey/Rachel and some you hate such as Abby, who I thought was a wretch and all she cared about was herself. I loved the different timelines because it added extra suspense. Claire knows how to keep her readers enthralled and turning the pages. I loved everything about it. I would like to thank NetGally, Publishers and Claire for the ARC, I really appreciate it.

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This murder/mystery book starts with the main character Rachel walking in the local woods in England and stumbling across a female body. For some reason she ignores it and returns home without telling anyone.

Why she did this is explained with another story line set 20 years previously and covered as part of dual time lines. Her involvement then was as Casey, a 19 year old nanny, working for a rich family in LA. She became the chief suspect in a family murder - just saving the baby.

With this in mind, Rachel sets about trying to solve the case without the help of the police as the victim is well known to her. No further spoilers from me!

There is a bit of repetition with the author perhaps worried about what happened in LA?

However, lots of twists with the plot(s) made for an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read and review.

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Walking her dog in the wooded trails near her home, Rachel stumbles upon a dead body and panics, running home and locking the door, instead of calling the police. That’s because twenty years ago, she did call the police and ended up spending four years wrongfully convicted of murder. The police are convinced once again she is the murderer when the body turns out to be her boyfriend’s estranged wife. Rachel starts her own investigation to prove her innocence, but somebody has decided she needs to pay for her previous crimes.

Told between current day and twenty years prior, I Know You unravels at the perfect, suspenseful pace. Rachel/Casey was a child herself in the earlier years, invoking my sympathy as a mother for her plight. And in the later years, surprised me that she found herself in the same situation, but she as much strong, smarter woman, capable of rescuing herself. The ending was slightly predictable, but was thrilling to read with plenty of action and twists.

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This story will grab readers who love thrillers from the beginning. Told in two person dialect, Casey/Rachel's stories unravel at a maddening pace. Readers will sympathize with the characters as the truth prevails. The twist at the conclusion was unexpected. Recommended!

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Thank you to #NetGalley and #Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of #IKnowYou by #ClaireMcGowan
The book starts with Rachel discovering a body, but instead of calling the police or seeing if she can help she runs home and pretends she was never there.
The reason for this becomes obvious as the story swings between Rachel’s story and Caseys of 20 years earlier. Casey was convicted of the murders of 3 people, one a small child in her care, released on appeal and needing to escape all the people who still believed there was no smoke without fire she became Rachel. Has someone has found her wanting to make her pay by setting her up again.
A book that will keep you turning the pages to find who is the killer and what really happened 20 years ago.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This mystery is riveting enough. The plot Carrie’s you quickly along although it’s confusing in parts. The protagonist’s motivations are hard to follow and believe.

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This was an interesting story but I didn’t love the way it was told. The story got cloudy for me at times. It was a good binge read but not amazing.

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I really enjoyed this book, and found the two stories built quite well, the one from Carey’s teenage years and the current story. I found there was some similarities to a couple of real life crimes that involved young women, but it seemed like there was just an idea that started with them and a different story emerged. A good thriller that I struggled to put down.

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This was a well written and interesting thriller. I liked the dual timelines of Casey in the past and Rachel in the present. I definitely had my suspicions about what happened in the past and what was going on with Anna's death but was still surprised by some of the twists. I definitely enjoy Claire McGowan's writing and will be reading more by her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

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I really enjoyed this story because while the author may not have wanted an unreliable narration, I felt like I kept guessing her motives. It was really hard to trust her. Did she really murder that first family and murder her lover's wife? Both? None? It was really hard to tell, especially when she kept proclaiming her innocence. However I felt iffy about her motivations, I did root for her, especially when the townspeople turned on her when they found out about her real identity. She wasn't unlikable, just a bit misdirected and naive, but I kept wondering if that innocence act was just that - an act. Overall, I highly recommend it if you are looking to play detective and want a fun whodunit, when the whodunit may just be the person you suspected all along.

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A nothing-out-of-the-ordinary story of a woman accused of murder and fighting to clear her name, this time with the added twist that she's doing it for the second time. Written in dual timelines and told by the same narrator, the voices were so similar that I had problems, at times, remembering if the reader was currently in England or America. However, it's a quick, easy read, ideal for an autumn afternoon, curled up with a hot drink and a chocolate bar.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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A good read, alternating from present and past events, with a few twists along the way. It's a slow burn, but the last third keeps you gripped, and the flashbacks were well done, adding suspense as the story unfolds. A tense psychological thriller that kept me hooked until the end!

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When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.

She feels like history is repeating itself. Twenty years, when she was known as Casey; as a young nanny, the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. She narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself.

Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together. She wonders if it’s a coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who knows who she is, and wants revenge…

So first of all, I think this was a very well written plot. Execution wise, the dual timeline with the alternating POV’s between Rachel and Casey was amazing as it kept the suspense and excitement alive.

The characters are all well written, but I didn’t really like any of them. Even in the case of Rachel, I didn’t feel sympathetic towards her.

The one highlight from my point about this plot was the inclusion of the media trial and the social media condemnation which usually takes place when a person is accused of a crime (whether or not they are guilty!)

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC!

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I Know You reminds me of the Casey Anthony trial. A foreign girl comes to America and is accused of murdering the family she was the nanny for. Different circumstances but the basic idea is the same. Now the girl finds herself a suspect in another murder.

This story is told in alternating chapters from the present to the past. I love books written like this because you unravel the story a little at a time. I loved the characters and trying to figure out what happened. It’s all reveled in the end and it was not what I expected. I highly recommend this book!

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A real gripping page turner! I read this really quickly as I just couldn’t help myself, and it kept me intrigued until the end.

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I Know You is an absolutely brilliant book about a woman that was wrongly convicted of 2 murders. Following the journey of Casey/ Rachel was a gripping read, with the alternating between past and present so well written. I couldn’t put the book down! I thought the connection held between Casey & Carson was a heart warming, unexpected addition to the story too. Highly recommend this book to everyone! 10/10

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Another page turning read from the author Claire McGowan. Nail biting tension from start to finish and a very late night to make it to the end just before dawn!!

The story is told over two timelines featuring 19 year old Casey who travels from London to the bright lights of LA to nanny for a film director and his actress wife. Casey leaves behind an ageing starlet mother and some dubious advice of how to get into the film industry. The family life in the states is very fractured and the tension mounts resulting in a family massacre and Casey finding herself facing the death sentence.

In current times Rachel finds a body in the woods and panic sets in. She does nothing. She becomes the prime suspect as the body is that of her boyfriend’s estranged wife. Rachel is keeping secrets but who else is?

Great tension, good build up of the interweaving timelines and a great climax. Thoroughly deserves the 5 stars and will be recommending this to all who love a good thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Wow brilliant book , loved it from start to finish . I was rooting for the main character and couldn’t decide if she was actually guilty or not . I loved the way the 2 stories were told alongside , they were both as interesting and tense as the other . I can’t rate this book highly enough, I can’t wait for the next from this author

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This book was amazing! From page to page, I Know You was completely enthralling, like a spider web that you have to untangle. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

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This was a hard book for,me to get into. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish reading because it didn't catch or keep, y onterest

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Rachel is busy living her life and working at a Dog Rescue Centre when she comes across a dead body. Her dark past means that she doesn’t phone the police, and gradually this crime and her previous life in America catch up with her, and put her into dreadful difficulties. An original thriller, I was engrossed from the beginning and found it a very satisfying read.

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When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she does the only thing she knows: she runs. It appears that Rachel's past is coming back to haunt her,

This was a pretty fast-paced read, made even faster by the fact I was dying to know who dun it, and thus couldn't stop reading!

There were a couple twists that made me literally scream because I wasn't prepared for them at all.

Although this was a mystery/thriller, I spent a lot of the book angry because it had a lot of good commentary on the American justice system and how unjust it really is. I think the author did a good job including that aspect, while also staying in track with being a thriller.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to picking up more works by this author!

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Luck that I can relate too!!!

Rachel has the worst luck stumbling across a dead body and not even the first time. Her reaction isn't quite that of an everyday person, Rachel however isn't your everyday person.

This it the 2nd time Rachel has discovered a death and the last time she paid a heavy price for it. So you can perhaps understand her reaction. This time it's up to Rachel to find the killer.

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When you find a dead body, running away and not reporting it would probably be ill-advised. But what if the last time you reported a dead body you found yourself on death row? What would you do then?

This was a truly compelling and immersive read. Both past and present storylines had me hooked as they unfolded.
I really found myself sympathising with our main character, and the position she unwittingly found herself in. I appreciated that she was quick to acknowledge her own flaws and the mistakes she had made that led her there, it made her much more likeable even when her actions were not always entirely sensible.
I also found this book to be an interesting example of how, by nature, first person narratives are always going to be unreliable to a degree. Rachel's experiences and feelings shape our opinion of the characters and events around her and can make us blind to certain suspicions-much like she is.

This was a really well crafted thriller that made me feel connected to the characters and had me enthralled throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

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A fantastically well-written and fast paced dual-mystery time-hopping thriller.

Here we have two stories; Rachel (in the present) who discovers a body in the woods and finds herself in the unenviable position of prime suspect with the British Police, and Casey (aka Rachel circa 2000) who is charged with the murder of the family she nanny’s for in LA.

Is history repeating itself? Is she being framed? Did Casey really do it? Did Rachel really do it?

There is quite a lot going on in this story; however, I have to say it‘s all handled expertly and nothing gets confusing or feels overly complicated. The two timelines work well together, and both are interesting. Personally, I was more hooked on the Casey storyline, but it’s inevitable you will have a slight favourite, isn’t it?

All the characters are interesting, and although there are quite a few deliberate mis-directions, for once it didn’t feel overdone. The only slight annoyance I had was that, at times, there was some repetition of minor details, which felt patronising. A good edit would sort that out no end! That said, it didn’t ruin my enjoyment and certainly won’t stop me recommending this to anyone else in the future.

A bloomin’ good and a rare gem of a book that was genuinely hard to put down.

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I am a new fan of Clare McGowan and this book did not disappoint. It took me a few days to read it and I enjoyed it.

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This is two interconnecting stories within one and is actually rather good. Casey is 19 and after her wannabe actress mother pushes her into nannying for a film producer and his actress wife in LA she soon finds herself out of her depth trying to cope with two small children. Rachel volunteers in an animal shelter and while walking her dog early one morning stumbles across a woman’s body in woodland.

Straddling two time periods the two stories lead to a dramatic ending.

I was totally gripped throughout. A great read.

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I've read all of Claire McGowans books and love the way she tells a story. A great quick and entertaining read that will do well. Thanks for the advance read.

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Have you noticed that it is always some poor unsuspecting dog lover who finds a dead body in the woods? However, for Rachel, the dog walker whose canine sniffs out a corpse in the woods in the picturesque Lake District, this may not be the first time she has been in that situation .... Are you intrigued yet?

I admit that I KNOW YOU was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I loved the premise of a woman whose past secrets have come back to bite her, and Rachel’s backstory sounds truly harrowing. The inclusion of true crime podcasts, online forums and newspaper articles provided a nice touch to marry past and present mysteries together and gave it a very contemporary feel. But even though I could relate to Casey, having been a nanny myself at the same age, there was something that just didn’t totally gel with me. Both Rachel and Casey never got under my skin as much as I had hoped. To be totally honest, none of the characters felt genuine to me. Perhaps I have just been reading too many mysteries lately, but nothing about these characters really stood out for me, and a few days after finishing the book it has already become blurry in my memory.

That said, the mystery surrounding Casey’s conviction for murder at a young age kept me turning the pages to get all the answers and tied up the loose ends in a satisfying finale. I just didn’t feel the same way about Rachel’s timeline, and found her story a bit dull. Even though we get a thorough look into Rachel’s / Casey’s past, her character felt poorly developed to me, which was a real loss. Without any true emotional connection, I was hard pressed to understand each character’s motivation and decision making process. Whilst I understood the author’s choice to make Rachel live under the radar under a different name, the story would probably have worked better for me if Rachel had forged out a richer, “normal” life for herself by the time her past caught up to her. As it was, her decisions seemed half-formed and immature, especially in the light of her past experiences.

I KNOW YOUwill appeal to readers who enjoy a story of past secrets catching up with the present and those who enjoy seeing different elements included in the book, such as true crime podcasts and other online content. Whilst I did not love the book as much as I had hoped, the premise was intriguing and the final reveal added a slight twist that I had not seen coming.

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

I am always a fan of flashback view books. I like going back and forth between the past and present. It lets you get to know the character and what led up to the person they are today.

I guessed the outcome long for both crimes before it happened, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book as I still wanted to know the why.

This is a fun book to read on a rainy day. I will definitely read this author again.

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This author is fantastic! So far I've never been disappointed with one of her books.
I could not put this down and was awake late into the night needing just one more chapter!

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"I Know You" was an enjoyable story. Taking her dog for a walk one morning, Rachel Caldwell spots a body in the woods. She runs away -- typical response. However, once she gets back to her home, she doesn't notify the police or otherwise take any action regarding what she saw. She was scared, but nor for the reason one might think. For this was not the first time she found a dead body; and the last time did not turn out well, with Rachel, who was known as Casey at the time, ending up on death row in California. Twenty years ago, she was a nineteen-year-old British nanny for the Safran family in Los Angeles -- former movie star wife (Abby) and producer husband (David) with five-year-old daughter (Madison) and infant son (Carson). She came home from taking Casey on a walk to find Abby and David dead, or so she claimed. There were no signs of a break-in and security cameras from nearby homes did not show anyone else entering or leaving the home; plus, Casey had said and done things, which when taken out of context, appeared to create a motive for her to be the killer.

Not calling the police this time backfires on Rachel, as she is living in a small village in the Lake District in England, and the neighbors know her habit of walking her dog in the woods near her home; plus, the nosey neighbor sees her running out of the woods. Even her failure to report the body might not have been a big deal, except that the dead body is Anna, the wife of Rachel's still-married boyfriend Alex. Rachel immediately becomes a prime suspect, but when she is arrested for the murder, she insists she is being framed.

The story alternates between Casey's time as a nanny twenty years ago, as well as her arrest, trial, time on death row, and her release, and the present, where Rachel (Casey) is trying to figure out who killed Anna and is trying to frame her. Her investigation stirs up more trouble for her. Making things worse, her true identity and past has been discovered and leaked to the media. This causes a lot of problems, not least of which is that it makes her seem a stronger suspect in Anna's death.

Alternating between past (Casey) and present (Rachel) works well in this story, especially as the "past" section is told out of order, with segments involving the murder investigation/trial, time in prison, and how Casey achieves her freedom interspersed with her time as a nanny in the very dysfunctional Safran home, leading up to what really happened in the home that fateful day. Some of the plot twists/surprises are pretty easy to figure out, but the story does have some pretty good surprises, especially with the ending.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

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'I Know You' is a truly compelling read from Claire McGowan. A stand alone novel, 'I Know You' tells the story of Rachel, an English woman who is accused of murder - and not for the first time.
Rachel plays the role of narrator throughout the tale which moves between the present and the events of twenty years ago when she was known as Casey.
McGowan catches the readers attention from the opening line as Rachel explains that she probably should not have lied about finding the body. The pace is swift from here on as Rachel reveals what has happened and how this is not the first time that she has become involved in a murder. We are then introduced to events in her past as she leads up slowly to the day of the murders.
Both parts of the story; the present and the past are equally intriguing - Rachel talks the reader through her current life and the realisation that someone knows the truth about her. She makes some daft decisions but as we move back to Casey's tale, we start to understand just why Rachel acts as she does.
I found myself constantly guessing as the story progresses, is the protagonist a reliable narrator? In the past as well as now? Can one person actually be this unfortunate? So many guesses and I did not come to the truth as any stage.
I have no hesitation in recommending the book and I loved it.

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Thanks to Claire McGowan, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of I Know You.

When Rachel stumbles upon a dead body in the woods, she runs rather than reporting it to the police? Why? Because this isn't the first dead body she's found and no one would think she was innocent twice would they?

Told through duel timelines - we meet Rachel - previously Casey, who has previously served time on death row in California for the murder of a family - a man, woman and their 5 year of daughter Madeline, for whom she was their nanny. Later exonerated of her accused crime, Casey built a new identity and a new life - attempting to leave the horrors of that time behind her.

Except now, the ex wife of her new lover is dead, and all the evidence points to her. Does someone know the truth about Rachel, and are they trying to frame her for another murder?

This was a gripping read that I really enjoyed. At one point I felt that the ending was obvious and that I had it all figured out. I was wrong! Claire still had a few twists up her sleeve that kept me enthralled to the very end. A few elements were a bit far fetched in parts, but overall a great domestic thriller.

4/5

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Finding so many bodies in the course of one short life did make for a fun set up of the book. I really have enjoyed most of McGowan's books and this wasn't an exception. I did find the conclusion a little predictable---why did she ignore the most obvious of suspects?? But I thought the flashbacks to the difficulties of nannying for a couple that was a real mess and liars in a foreign country with a less than helpful mother was spot on.

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I thought this book was excellent. Several plot lines going on but not so confusing you forget what is going on. Also makes you think about decisions people make and reasons for that.

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It took me a while to get into this book, but once in I was hooked. This is a well-written book with lots of twists, and very well-drawn characters. Definitely one I would recommend.

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4.5 stars, rounding up here.

THOUGHTS: I really liked this one. I have not read this author before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised! I really liked Rachel as a character, even though I suspected her the entire time. There are true crime aspects throughout the book, from podcast excerpts and articles, and I really loved those parts. There were some surprises throughout and the ending was satisfying. I will definitely read this author again!

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When Rachel stumbles upon a dead body in the woods early one morning when walking the dog, she doesn’t report it. Turns out that twenty years ago she was charged with murder, and she panics with the realisation that involvement in two murder cases in one lifetime won’t appear to be a coincidence.
The story continues as police question her about this case and alternates chapter by chapter with the story of the first one.
I Know You is a well-crafted thriller from first word to last. Claire Magowan is a clever writer who excels at clarity and structure, even if at times she should expect a little more from her audience. Some of the characters are great, others not so much and the ending feels a little rushed, but I am delighted to have enjoyed this well plotted thriller.

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I've loved everything I've read by Claire McGowan so far and this is no exception. I've been getting a little tired of thrillers, but this one sucked me right in and had me locking myself away so I could finish it in peace.

How unlucky do you have to be to get accused of murder twice? And in both cases be the only and obvious suspect? That's what happens to Rachel, who finds a body while out walking the dog one morning, a body from someone who could have made life difficult for Rachel...

There are definite echoes of the Louise Woodward case in this and it's delicately handled. As all the secrets come tumbling out, I found myself loving how neatly everything came together. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

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Rachel stumbles upon a body - again - while walking her dog one morning, and she runs. Jumping back and forth in time, we slowly uncover Rachel's previous life as Casey Adams, who went to LA seeking stardom, and instead got a death sentence for discovering the couple she nannied for, and their 5 year old daughter murdered in their home with no sign of an intruder. Hiding in the closet with the 8 month old baby instead of calling the police immediately casts instant suspicion on her. Years later, she re-emerges in the Lakes District UK with a new boyfriend and new identity as Rachel Caldwell, having rebuilt a new life - until she becomes the #1 suspect in the murder of her boyfriend's estranged wife - whose body she doesn't report finding.
A total page-turner, not without some issues with gaps in the story line, secondary characters and story lines that were a little rushed, Effectively made the reader both despise and feel deep sympathy for the ill-fated Safran family during the Casey time period. Enjoyed the dual mysteries - one being a bit obvious, though the other kept me guessing until the end. Solid 3.5 stars, rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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A solid 4.5 stars. This was a fun easy thriller read and whilst I worked out a few of the twists quite early on it no way took away from how much I enjoyed this one.

Set across two main timelines, Casey the young naïve Nanny from the UK babysitting for a Hollywood couple in LA in 2000, and Rachel the forty-something year old woman working in a dog shelter in the Lake District of England in the present day.

When Casey makes the trip of a lifetime to sunny LA to Nanny for a young family she thinks this will be the perfect way to break into the world of Hollywood. Instead she embarks on what would become any young traveller’s worst nightmare, a death sentence in a foreign jail with no one to support or speak out on her behalf.

Looking after a 5 year old girl and a baby boy, while at the same time dealing with un-hinged parents wasn’t quite what Casey was envisaging her new life in LA would be and it didn’t take long before she started sensing all was not right within the home. When the family is brutally murdered and the only witness being Casey and the young baby she was clutching when police arrived, her dreams and her freedoms are gone in the blink of an eye.

Twenty years later when a brutal murder takes place in the quiet town of Coldwater and Rachel stumbles across the body, can she really face the accusations and blame all over again. Could it really just be dumb luck, a complete coincidence, that once again she is surrounded by death, or something more sinister at work? Could someone be trying to frame her? But who, and why?

A great who-dunnit story with multiple characters that could have ultimately been the bad guy and enough twists and turns to keep the storyline moving along at a perfect pace. This was so close to a 5 star read for me, just a few tiny little annoyances around the last few chapters, but overall I really loved this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for my review copy. I can’t wait to grab more books by Claire McGowan. If this one is anything to go by, she certainly knows how to write a great thriller.

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I Know You has an astonishing lead female character that keeps stumbling on dead bodies!
Rachel finds them in England and America! But the worse thing is she is the one that always arrested for the murders, 😱 What a wild and incredible life she must life; it is someone setting Rachel up to appear to be guilty?
I was sort of surprised at The Who that had done it!
Claire McGowan writes a delightful twisted story!

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Took a few chapters to get into this but what a great story. The characters story is told from her teenage years when she was a nanny in America to the present day where she is trying to live a different life from back then. Great suspense thriller which is hard to put down would definitely recommend

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My thanks to Claire and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to the publication date.

This is going to be a difficult book to review without giving away the plot.

It is written as a narrative by 2 women, Rachel in the current time and Casey 20 years ago.
The story is slow to build until suddenly there are lots of suspects and more than a few twists in the tale.

Rachel Caldwell lives in the Lake District and volunteers at an animal shelter.
A very private person, she is in a relationship with Alex Devine. He has told Rachel that he is separated from his wife, Anna, who is refusing to sign the divorce papers and is threatening to keep the house and refuse him access to their 5 year old son, Sam.
When Rachel meets Anna outside the grocery store, Anna yells at her to ‘stay away from him’.

On her daily run, Rachel finds a body in the woods. Strangely, she doesn’t tell anyone what she saw, but this is not the first time that Rachel has encountered a corpse and she hopes that she has learned from her previous mistakes.
When the body is identified as Anna, Rachel becomes the prime suspect.



2000
19 year old Casey Adams has grown up with her self-obsessed mother, Jenna, who lives every day prepared for the knock on the door which will see her go from an unheard of actress to stardom.

Casey decides to seek fame in America and in order to get a visa, she takes a position as a nanny for David and Abby Saffran’s children, 5 year old Madison and baby Carson, in L.A.
In addition to being a nanny to 2 children, Casey is expected to do the housework and cook.

Abby is a younger version of Jenna, self-obsessed and seeking to return to the limelight.

The atmosphere in the house is strained and the showy surface hides a dis-functional family.
When David and Abby start to argue, upsetting Carson, Casey takes him out for a walk and on her return, she finds Abby, David and Madison dead.
Casey is charged and convicted of the murders, spending several years on Death Row before a charitable legal group launch a successful appeal and she is released, whereupon she promptly returns to the UK and changes her name.

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3.5-4 stars

Being accused of murder once is bad enough, but for Rachel, it’s becoming an unfortunate trend. Twenty years ago she was known as Casey and had taken on a job in Los Angeles nannying two children. One day Casey returned home after a walk with the youngest child to find the rest of the family murdered and became the prime suspect. She was convicted and received the death penalty but was later released after an appeal.

When Casey returned home to England, she started over as Rachel, but she again found herself tangled up in a local murder. Does someone know who she really is and the past that she worked so hard to escape? Is someone seeking revenge by framing her for murder? I’ll leave that for you to find out!

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good read. The story was well paced and had a steady build of suspense. I enjoyed getting the backstory of Casey while she was a nanny and seeing how little details leading up to the murder of the family tied into Rachel’s present-day murder accusation. Some revelations were a little anticlimactic, and the end of the story seemed to fizzle out a bit, but I still thought it was worth reading.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4287340496

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My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my Kindle version of I Know You. This is the first of Claire McGowan's books that I have read and it definitely won't be the last.

Although the premise for the story seemed highly improbable the writing made it rather more plausible. The narrative is in the first person, moving between Casey and and Rachel and in both cases seemed very authentic and in the American jail sequences very, very claustrophobic. It is a very tense novel that kept me guessing to the very end.

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An amazing storyline with nail-biting suspense, this book is definitely one of my favourites this year.

Twenty years ago 19-year old Casey Adams was wrongfully sentenced to the death row for the murder of the American family, in whose home she worked at as a nanny. Now exonerated under the Innocence Project, she lives under the radar, having changed her name to Rachel Caldwell. During one of her morning walks when she comes across a body, out of her past bitter experiences, she runs instead of calling it in. The body is discovered to be that of Anna, the estranged wife of the man she is currently seeing and Rachel becomes the prime suspect. She realizes that her past has been discovered and someone is once again wrongfully framing her. But this time she decides she is not going down without a fight.

The blurb alone for this plot was compelling, the plot even more so. The narrative is revealed through Rachel's POV in the present and Casey's in the past. This not only showcases the protagonist's character arc over the twenty year period, but also unveils two mysteries - the Safran family murder in the past and Anna's in the present. The author's writing is simply applause worthy for maintaining such taut suspense throughout the plot.

Other than the protagonist, none of the other characters stood out to me that much. Casey's experience as a bewildered teenager facing death row charges in a foreign land is absolutely harrowing. The climax, though partly predictable, was still brilliant.

Overall, absolutely riveting. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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This is the first book I have read from this author, and generally I enjoyed it. Twists and turns, though I must say Casey/Rachel had some awfully bad luck with murder scenes! It kept me engaged throughout, and although a bit slow at the start I was eventually engrossed. I enjoyed the ending, and some results were unexpected. I will look for more from this author.

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I'm a big fan of Claire McGowan, and her latest novel is another winner. I Know You begins by introducing us to Rachel. Rachel is out walking her dog one morning when she discovers a dead body. She doesn't stop to investigate and doesn't call the police. Instead, she runs!! It's understandable when you learn that this isn't the first dead body that Rachel has found. And as it turns out, this particular dead body is the estranged wife of Rachel's boyfriend, Alex.

Twenty years ago, when she was known by her real name, Casey, Rachel took a job in LA to work as a live-in nanny. Back then, Casey dreamed of being an actress and hoped that a job in LA working for a producer and his actress wife would prove to be her entry into show business. At least that's what her s/mother wanted! In reality, the nanny job is a nightmare. The producer husband is chronically absent. The actress wife is disconnected and obsessed with making a comeback. As for the two children Casey is to take care of, Madison is a Jon Benet Ramsey-type child, five years old and ready for her close-up. But Carson is a darling six month old, easy to love. All is not well in this family, and one day when Casey was out on a walk with Carson, the family was brutally murdered. Casey was accused of the crime, found guilty, and imprisoned for years. Eventually she was freed on appeal, and returned to the UK where she worked to rebuild her life using a new identity.

I Know You alternates between the present day POV of Rachel and that of twenty year-old Casey in LA in 2000. The big question the book sets out to answer is who killed Anna, and is someone out to frame Rachel for the murder? Both the Rachel and Casey storylines are compelling and keep the reader engaged. All of the characters are well developed, and the suspense kept me turning pages well into the early hours of the morning when I should have been sleeping.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer/Amazon for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed I Know You and will recommend it to others.

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i just finished my advanced copy of I Know You by Claire McGowan (thank you NetGalley and the publisher, sorry it was late) and i have thoughts. i am honestly frustrated with the book. i wanted to finish it because i was desperate to find out who the killer was for one of the murders in the book, as the other felt quite predictable. i was frustrated with the main character's decisions and i found it difficult to sympathize with her. i would recommend this for crime/thriller fans but it was mostly just okay

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Definitely a page turner. Casey, a 19 year old girl from England hoping to break into show business travels to California taking a position as a nanny for a couple who are both in the film industry. Her character gathered my sympathy as I pictured a nineteen year old living in similar circumstances …. until tragedy strikes. The story is told from two points of view - Casey as a 19 year old and as an adult named Rachel, almost 20 years later.
Moving from past to present I was easily able to follow the storylines and found myself talking to Casey/Rachel trying to help them avert the huge “ pit” they were walking into. By the end I had figured out most of the twists and turns , enjoying the long winding path. Please keep writing Claire!
Many many thanks to Claire McGowan, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published book.

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Enjoyable read about a 19yr old English girl who works as a nanny for a Hollywood family in LA. The book switches between Rachel who stumbles on a body in the woods in the lake district in England and her as the nanny twenty years previously in LA, Racy Casey. Rachel decides she is being framed for this new murder and has to work out who has found out that she is Casey, the nanny. Some good twists. Good page turner.

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Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the chance to read I know you by 'Claire McGowan. When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect. This is a fast paced mystery told in two timelines by the same person. I enjoyed reading I know you and will look forward to the author's next book.

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An excellent read, with very believable characters & an intriguing plot. I couldn’t put it down although I had worked out the killer it was very interesting how it was revealed

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After changing her life and starting over with a new identity, Rachel get herself in trouble and her past comes back hunting her.
Walking her dog in the woods, she finds a dead body but she’s running away and doesn’t call the police.
Twenty years ago, she was the nanny of a very wealthy family in LA but she was the prime suspect in that case after all but the son,are found dead. Going to prison and getting out in the end, will change her life forever.
Now, she becomes the prime suspect again, especially since the dead body is her new boyfriend’s “wife”.
Quite a few twists in the story and overall a very intriguing book with interesting points from then and now chapters.
If you love a good thriller, this one is for you.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through @netgalley

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What a page turner!
On her morning dog walk, Rachel spots a body in the woods. Rather than calling for help Rachel turns and runs. Why? Rachel has been through this before!
In her old life she was Casey, a nanny in America for an LA family. Badly treated by the family, Casey is arrested for their murders and spends 5 years on Death Row. Eventually cleared on appeal, Casey becomes Rachel and moves to a small village in the Lake District.
Discovering that the body in the woods belongs to the estranged wife of her new boyfriend, Rachel fears that her worst nightmare is about to start again.
Told in alternating chapters between Rachel and Casey's stories, I couldn't put this book down! Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.

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I'm sure this book will be a hit, but I lost interest in it. It just wasn't for me. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan

If you come across a dead body on your morning walk you would most likely call the police immediately but not Rachel, her first response is to run away, get as far away as possible. You see this is not the first dead body Rachel has come across and the last time she was tried and convicted of murder so you can understand why she wants to run away and forget she ever saw her lover’s ex-wife dead. But the police find evidence near the dead body that leads to Rachel. Almost twenty years ago Rachel before she was convicted Rachel answered to another name, Casey.

This book is written from two perspectives; Rachel in the present and Casey from the past.
I enjoyed this book very much; the story was interesting right from the beginning and easy to read
I love reading Claire McGowan books. And I love how there is always a twist in the end and the truth you were sure you knew turns out to be false.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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When Rachel sees a body while dog walking, she runs home. Having been on death row as a teenager, due to her version of events not being believed, she doesn’t want to risk being found guilty again. However, the past has a way of catching up with you.
I loved this book. It was very easy to get into. With chapters alternating between Rachel and Casey, it always left me wanting more. The ending tied everything up and left me excited about Claire’s next book.

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I liked that this book was decently suspenseful and that’s pretty much it. The story was too drawn out and a lot of it was like reading the same thing, just worded differently. I guessed a couple of things ahead of time (unusual for me) and the reveals weren’t that exciting anyway. I really wanted to like this one, but it missed the mark for me.

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This is one of my fav authors and this was another good one from her. Her plots are always fast paced and twisty and they keep you guessing and engaged with the story till the end.

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I enjoyed this thriller from Claire McGowan and was drawn in from the start with a good opening scene. It progressed nicely and had a good ending with a couple of twists along the way. Overall a good read.

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This book was a really great journey as it is told from dual POV from two different points in the protag's life. I think I guessed pretty early on what had happened in each murder scenario but that didn't take away from the experience, especially as it felt as though there were so many layers to the mystery that were gradually peeled away.

I really appreciated that McGowan did not insult the reader's intelligence by trying to pretend that the POVs were anything other than the same person.

Fans of thrillers will really enjoy the intrigue of this story and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of McGowan's work.

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A really brilliant unpredictable read from Claire McGowan.
I found the plot gripping from the start - if I had the time I could have easily devoured this in one sitting. This is the first book I've read by McGowan, I'm definitely keen to read more.
4 stars,

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Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel takes her dog out for a walk in the woods and finds the dead body of her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Anna. She retreats from the woods and doesn’t tell anyone because 20 years ago, when she was a nanny working in the US under the name Casey, she was tried for the murders of the family she worked for and if anyone finds out she is that person, she will certainly be convicted.

This was a really good book, the best of the three I have read from this author. I was engaged early on and never got bored. There were 2 mysteries here, who killed Anna, and who killed the American family and I was interested in both even though I figured out who killed Anna early on. I liked the alternating points of view between current day and 20 years ago. I thought this was really well done and look forward to reading more from this author.

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I thought I'd worked out who the killer was but Casey's mind led us down so many confusing paths. Early on it became apparent that Casey was Rachel and that Casey survives death row. What you don't see coming is the final knife turn and the one who helps her escape another murder trail. So does she become Casey again, even the final line leaves us wondering.
Thank you to @netgalley for allowing me to review my first novel by Claire McGowan

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Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods. She knows she has to get away because last time she didn’t and ended up accused of murder. When the victim is identified as her boyfriends estranged Wife, Rachel is already the prime suspect. With evidence mounting against her, she must keep the trust about her past hidden. Twenty years ago she was someone else – a young Nanny trying to make it in a LA. When the family she worked for were all brutally murdered, she went to prison but managed to be freed on appeal. Now she’s here again and she cant help but wonder if she is being framed?

This was such a thrilling read. I didn’t know what to expect going into this but was pleasantly surprised. I found it fast paced and read it so quickly, over a couple of days. The chapters are split between present tense and Rachel’s past life as a Nanny. I loved the twists and turns in this one.
A perfect read for spooky season!

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A truly intense, entertaining thriller with multiple twists and a shocking race to the end which will leave you breathless.

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Brilliant book, love this author. Gripping right from the beginning and twist and turns throughout, 5 stars.

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Fabulous thriller about Rachel who finds a dead body in the woods but she doesn’t report it and runs away being really scared of the police as she has a lot of history which she doesn’t want to repeat. But unlucky for her she finds out who the body is and it’s not good news.

The book goes from present time to her time as a nanny in America where she had such hopes of becoming an actress but it all goes terribly wrong when the whole family who she’s a nanny for were brutally murdered. A real page turner and one of her best.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

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The Casey Anthony case meets the Jon-Benet Ramsey case in this suspenseful, well-written thriller by Claire McGowan. But what would happen if a child-killer like the one who killed Jon-Benet was exonerated on appeal, grew up, changed her name, and then stumbled upon another murder way too close to home? Did someone discover who she was and try to frame her? And was she actually innocent of the original crime?

This was a great premise, interesting and suspenseful, and very well-executed by McGowan. Speaking of executions, one thing I really appreciated about this novel is the way it took a look at America’s barbarous (in comparison to England) justice system and the experiences of women on death row. This was really thoughtfully done and had an impact that I wasn’t expecting from what I thought was the usual fast-paced psychological thriller. The author did great research on capital punishment in America and the scenes on death row were touching and thought-provoking. (The only note I would give her is that most executions in California are done at midnight.)

Rachel, the heroine, was well-drawn and sympathetic without being goody-goody or perfect - a normal, slightly irresponsible 19-year-old girl who finds herself accused of a terrible crime, and comes face to face with all the prejudices and tabloid media unfairness that come with being an attractive young girl who has not yet found her adult self and who os suddenly accused of being a murderer. Though I had the ending figured out early on, it was one of those books where the journey to that ending was suspenseful, fun and logical. Though there were other red herrings and possibilities for both the old and the new murder, the ending and resolution to each crime was satisfying and I wouldn’t have wanted to see it end any other way.

McGowan is a solid, thrilling, and thoughtful writer and she has become an auto-buy author for me. This book grabbed me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. Well done.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer, NetGalley, and the author for this very good mystery/thriller. 4.25 stars.

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Thank you #NetGalley for my e-arc uncorrected proof copy of #Iknowyou in exchange for my honest review.

It’s not that I didn’t like this book the whole premise of the story was great. However I didn’t feel that it lived up to this.

I wasn’t expecting it to be as predictable as it was and unfortunately I felt that the narrative dragged and was also repetitive.

From the start it was clear that this was a story told by the same girl at different times/ stage of her life.

I found the ‘twist’ of Rachel’s lover to have been accused of a crime as heinous as her own just so unbelievable.

It wasn’t a bad novel I was just expecting much more from it hence my review and three star rating.

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Casey sets off for America to find fane and lands in a dysfunctional family of horrors.
With no support from home, she is very soon out of her depth and sinking.
I like the way that this book flicks from her younger life to her current life - it reads really well.
The outcome of the story is not predictable, very clever.

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This was the first book by Claire McGowan that I have read, and it did not disappoint. The story of Rachel in the present easily entwined with Casey finding the Safran's murdered many years prior. This was a great read! Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a digital arc of this title.

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Rachel / Casey came from the UK to USA at 19 to be a nanny to a family in Hollywood. It ends up with the family murdered and she falsely accused of the crime. About 20 years later she is back in UK after some prison time and then a successful appeal. She is living under a different name in a different part of UK just enjoying her freedom when suddenly she is set up to take the fall for another murder.

This book was hard to get into at first but after a few chapters I got the rhythm of it and enjoyed the suspense. The story goes back and forth between the crime in the US and the present day in the UK, explaining a little more of the details as it goes along.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

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This is a well written and cleverly plotted mystery thriller. The storyline is revealled across two time frames, the present day and 20 years ago, and both parts are compelling and intriguing. A very enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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A young woman, in her late teens, leaves the UK to work as a nanny in Hollywood and pursue her dream (or her mother's?) of acting and becoming a star. That dream soon turns out to be a nightmare as she has no free time and besides being the nanny she also has to clean, cook and do all other home chores. To top it all the lady of the house has severe mood swings and can be mean, as well as the little girl, aged 5, who seems much more mature than her age. The only perk is the little 8-month-old boy, initially cranky, finally sets in a rhythm. Maybe she was too naive to perceive what was going on, but the signals were all there - fights, explosions, drinking, till everything reaches its peak with the death of the couple and the little girl. The nanny and the baby were found hiding and she was later on accused and sentenced to life for the death of the family. She has a chance to appeal and gets released from prison for lack of proof, and returns to England, to live in the countryside under a different name. Then, it all happens again. When her life was starting to get to normal, her boyfriend's ex-wife turns up dead near her house and she is again treated as a person of interest. She fights with all her might to discover who the real killer is and why he/she has decided to expose her life and threaten her. The ending of this story is really unexpected and I enjoyed it. Bad things must stop happening!!!
I downloaded this most interesting and entertaining book for free from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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2.5 stars. Too much repetition of drama inducing tales, so I only read 40% and said enough. It was not stressful, but rather annoying how many times "Rachel" went over her dilemma and how this was the second time she had discovered a body and been charged for it, yet if anyone found out about the first time, her stupid actions this time would not be understood.
Everything was too over the top to make me care about any of the unlikable characters and I felt there are too many good books out there to spend any more time on this. Some will love it, but my patience is not there any longer for ones that are a waste of my time.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion .

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'I Know You': 4⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @clairemcgowan and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

Well, this was really good! An actual page-turner with a dual POV and some serious mystery surrounding the plot! Claire has this way of getting you gripped from the very first word she writes (yes, the title does count 🤪)! Marvellous! Can't wait to read more from her! Highly recommend!

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When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn't know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend's estranged wife, Rachel realises she's already the prime suspect.
With mounting evidence against her, Rachel's only hope is to keep the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she was someone else--Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she's fighting to save the life she's spent years piecing back together.
But with her behaviour raising suspicion and the police closing in, Rachel can't help wondering: Was her discovery in the woods really just an awful coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who knows who she is, and wants revenge...
Gripping, incredibly tense and twisty with real emotional heart

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Did not finish. The description was intriguing but I didn't feel the story or characters were compelling.

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My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Amazon Publishing UK for the electronic copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It's well-written and cleverly constructed and the plot lines keep you guessing (wrongly) right up to the end.

Told from two points of view in two time periods by Casey and Rachel. Casey's story begins 20yrs ago when she begins work as a 19yr-old Nanny in Los Angeles to the Safran family. Her increasingly unhappy experiences there culminate in her being incarcerated on death row for the murder of the family, except for the baby.

Rachel is 39yrs-old and living in a small Cumbrian village. She works as a volunteer at the local kennels, is financially independent and has become involved with Sam. Walking her dog as usual one morning she happens upon a body in the woodland. She's struck down with fear - no, surely, this couldn't be happening again - she mustn't get involved - she runs.
The victim is Sam's estranged wife Anna so of course Rachel becomes the prime suspect. But some things just don't add-up and she asks her ex-husband Jeremy for help in determining who the real killer could be.
As they investigate they concentrate on people who are now close to her and some long-held secrets begin to emerge. Will the police really believe her?

Lots of twists in this story. I really enjoyed it.

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I enjoyed this book A LOT, it immediately grabbed me from the start and didn’t let me go until the last page! There is a puzzling double mystery and the story is told over two timelines - Casey in the early 2000s and Rachel in the present day. The dual timelines are connected with an intricate web of twists and secrets and everything was pulled together really well. The characters are a real strong bunch, they are all complex and it seems as though everyone is hiding something.

This was a great story, filled to the brim with suspense and leaving me feeling utterly compelled to just keep reading, even in the early hours!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed to read of a Claire McGowan novel and look forward to reading more from this author. This is a real page turner and had me guessing to the end. Interesting, addictive plot, good characters and well written make this an exciting read. This isn't your usual mystery read, as you will know quiet early on who did what, but it is all about characters and their motives. The characters are all well written, but I didn’t really like any of them. Even in the case of Rachel, I didn’t feel sympathetic towards her. Absolutely, it's a fast paced and twisty crime thriller. Highly recommended.

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This is a new author for me and I was impressed. Great double mystery. She excels at building suspense! I don’t always like thrillers, but this one had a lot of substance and was a page-turner.

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What a brilliant read! I didn't put this down, literally until the end. I loved Rachel's character and the story was excellent. Full of twists that I didn't expect. I'd highly recommend.

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Claire McGowan is incredibly talented and deserves to be on the top of best sellers lists! I’m a big fan and was so excited to read I Know You. I’ve read over 100 psychological thrillers in the past year and I can confidently say this is one of the best I’ve read! I love the way the story is told from 2 different time periods of the main character’s life and I enjoyed watching her go through eerily similar experiences- being arrested for murder(s). The ending is absolutely perfect and is one I’ll forever remember.

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This was a nicely crafted story that kept me engaged and up late into the night. It was a little bit of a slow burn which I really enjoyed. I didn't want this one to end!

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This was good. It was a quick thriller with some gentle twists and turns, but it failed to pull me in. It seems like a good beach read thriller, nothing too deep.

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Really enjoyed the twists and storyline. Would definitely recommend to any thriller lover. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy!

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3.5 ⭐

I was in such a murder mystery mood from the middle of August until a couple a weeks ago - that was practically all I wanted to read. So I did.

But after about a dozen of them, I kind of started to wish I never had to read another thriller, ever again.

And that's when I got the ARC of I Know You. And - it still managed to grip me. Practically from the page one. The premise was really good. The first few chapters so intriguing. I really liked the writing. And we follow two timelines, which added a nice dynamic to the pacing.

Even the atmosphere – a murder mystery set in October, the body that was found in the woods… It all contributed and made this book a good choice for this time of year.

The story had a strong beginning, but unfortunately it started losing some of its gripping factor the more I got into the book. And the ending was - I don't know. Fine, I guess. There was nothing wrong with it, I just maybe expected a bit more.

There was one thing, though, that really annoyed me throughout the book, and that was the repetitiveness. Luckily, there were no many things we got told more than a couple of times. But, I lost count on how many times she mentioned she was only nineteen. At some point, it just became ridiculous.

Other than that, I Know You was a nice, engaging thriller that I’m sure many people would enjoy very much.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of I Know You by Claire McGowan in exchange for an honest review.

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I love everything by Claire McGowan and her latest might be my favorite. From the very first page to the last, this book will keep you guessing and keep you turning page after page. Highly recommend all Claire McGowan books but especially I Know You!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

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“What would you do if you found a dead body?” This is the first line of Claire McGowan’s latest book, I Know You, and I was instantaneously drawn in. So much so, that I could not put it down until the end. Such an intense, heart palpitating, edge of your seat read!

Rachel is a hermit and leads a very quiet isolated life. She lives in small cottage in the English country side with her beagle Brandy, spending her days volunteering at a local dog shelter. But suddenly Rachel’s, life is anything quiet as her past comes back to haunt her. The one she’s been secretly running and hiding from for over 20 years.

On an early morning dog walk Rachel discovers a dead body. She cannot believe this is happening again. It is a déjà vu to 20 years earlier. When Rachel, then Casey, moved to Los Angeles, as a 19 year old to Nanny for a wealthy movie producer David Safran, his mentally unstable wife, Abby and their two young children. From the get go, Casey’s life as a nanny for the Safran family was a living hell but Casey tried her hardest to survive her horrid days as a Nanny to 5 year old Madison and 8 month old Carson.

However, one fateful day Rachel and Carson return to the Safran residence only to discover Abby, David and Madison had been murdered. Of course Casey pled her innocence but was convicted of the triple murder and sentence to the death penalty. Fortunately Casey was introduced to the innocence project and after five years of incarceration, Casey was exonerated of her crimes. She fled back to England and changed her name to Rachel Caldwell. Thinking she would be able to keep her dark past hidden. She was successful until that fateful morning where she discovered the dead body. Rachel immediately became a suspect as the dead woman was identified as Rachel’s boyfriends estranged wife. Rachel knows she had nothing to do with her murder but with her checkered past and connection to the murder victim, no one is willing to listen. Rachel

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Claire McGowan and Amazon Publishing UK for my early readers copy in exchange for my honest review of I Know You published October 19th, 2021. Grab a copy to find out the fate of Rachel Caldwell.

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I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Claire McGowan.
Wow, I really enjoyed this thriller. I am a big fan of this genre and it is rare that I find a mystery that is so gripping from start to finish, with twists and reveals that aren't too predictable, with well thought out plot points and characters. I look forward to reading more from this author!
I really enjoyed the format, skipping back to the past (Casey) and the present (Rachel). It was incredibly involving and well developed, very well told. I stayed up until 2am to finish it and now I have to go to work!
Would highly recommend for fans of this genre.

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This is the first book I have read by this author but will be looking for others as I throughly enjoyed this one.
The book is told in past/present time. It starts with Rachel finding a dead body in the woods but running away and not calling the police.
Through out the book you will find out she run and why she didn’t call anyone.
Normally I’m not bad at working out the whodunnit but this had so many twists that I was going from one person to another.
A really good read

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(3.5 stars)
I Know You is a bit of a middling mystery from Claire McGowan. The plot centres around the old adage that lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place, but applies it to murder. Imagine being the first to find a body, twice: "you don't know what you'd do, if it wasn't the first dead body you had found." That's exactly what happens to the lead protagonist, whose point of view alternates between present day (as Rachel) and the past (as Casey).

When the first crime happens, Casey is a 19 year old British nanny, on her first assignment overseas. She's not really enjoying it: "For the first time it struck me as odd, hiring a teenage girl to live in your house and go to your crying baby, while you just stand there as if you've never heard the sound before." The culture shock of Los Angeles is also big, with the city largely reflected in a non-positive light dominated by howling coyotes and whirring police helicopters: "You can go one of two ways in Hollywood, they say, skeletal or obese, and I was haunted by the sight of Abby's ribs."

Of course that's nothing to the culture shock of prison which comes later: "if they treat you like a criminal, the only way to survive is to behave like one. Be sneaky, be strong, fight dirty." Casey is more likeable than Rachel, who is clearly changed by her experience of being convicted as a murderer. She's more clingy, more dependent, less self-reliant: "I had never quite been able to let my ex-husband go, even when the divorce was finalised. It was too addictive, the way he looked at me, as if I was pure and good." Rachel dodges life, and the internet, in order to avoid being confronted with her past: "I had started to log things away, feelings and impressions, in case I went to prison again."

The problems with this novel for me were that I didn't find the lead protagonist's actions credible or likely in either time period. You could smell the ending (and the perpetrator/rescuer) coming a mile away. Also, the driving line of the book seemed to be, get away with murder once, and you're more likely to do it again.

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Claire McGowan has done it again!

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed "What You Did" until I was midway through "I Know You". My thought at the time was "I wonder why I've not read more of her books?" Then I looked up my "Read" list and saw that I had read (and enjoyed) one of Claire's books two years ago.

This one is actually a little bit more of a page turner than "What You Did". Claire weaves two tales beautifully into a fine tapestry. If you're like me, you'll change your mind 3-4 times about what's really going on here.

If you're looking for a fun book to keep you entertained, please grab "I Know You". I promise you won't be disappointed.

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I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the story switched between the past and the present and slowly revealed the whole story. I couldn't wait to find out what happened - I didn't want to put it down!

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I enjoyed being surprised by this one. I wasn't sure how it was going to end.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

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I would definitely say this is on the milder side of “thrilling”. Told in two POVs one in the past, and one present tense. You get to see two stories of women framed for crimes they didn’t commit. I guessed both sets of twists early on so I wasn’t really surprised by any of it. I did like hearing about Casey’s story a bit more then Rachel’s. Both “women” seemed like they made pretty bad decisions which annoyed me. This had some suspense and a bit of mystery. I just wasn’t really blown away by it. I hate to say it but I wasn’t blown away by this. The writing was well done, but it just didn’t hit the mark.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

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The two timelines worked mostly well, but there should be been more character development on the Rachel arc to understand what the last 20 years has been like; Casey was far better drawn but Rachel seemed to only be drawn against the male characters in the book. An interesting look into the true crime fascination; for fans of Lisa Jewell this is very much in line with her books (esp the themes of screwed up mothers) and the old case is more fascinating than the current one. Overall solid read.

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Really enjoyed this book. Its easy to see how a little decision taken can have big repercussions and compare with what you might do in the same situation yourself.
Would reccomend it.

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When Rachel stumbles on a dead body while out on a run, she doesn't stop or call the police - she retreats for home. Because Rachel isn't your average law-abiding citizen. Years ago, Rachel was someone else - Casey, a nineteen year old au pair, tried and found guilty of murder in California, and awaiting her fate on Death Row.

When the body turns out to be her boyfriend's ex-wife, Rachel suddenly find herself the object of suspicion once again. She knows she didn't do it - but if she didn't, who did? Rachel must find out - before history repeats itself...

I really enjoyed this twisty and well thriller, which pans back and forth between Rachel's current life and predicament and her former one as Casey. The story kept me gripped, and I also liked that there were several well-framed suspects so that it wasn't easy to guess the twists.

A fun and fast paced thriller - I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who issued me a free advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow-what a good read. I loved it. Well-written full of intrigue, thrills, and suspense. I am looking forward to the next book from this talented author.

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Rachel has been through A LOT. And still perseveres. This book had a slow beginning. I was getting a bit bored, but trust me, it's worth sticking with. This book is highly intriguing and filled with twists and turns. And Rachels happy ending in the end, makes all of her struggles worth it.

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I had read a Claire McGowan book a few years back and really enjoyed it so I was excited to pick this one up.

I was instantly hooked on this story.

Rachel, on an innocent morning walk with her beagle Brandy, discovers a body and she makes a split decision to run.. Why did she run? Well, because 20 years ago she was convicted (and then unconvited) of murdering the family (husband, wife and 5 year old) she was nannying for.

The story is told in two narratives/timelines. It goes back and forth between present day Rachel's mix up with this murdered body she found - who just happens to be the ex-wife of the man she's seeing - and Casey's time in LA with the Hollywood exec's family (a time that lands her on death row).

The entire time, through both stories Rachel has maintained her innocence, while giving small hints here and there that she actually did know what happened in LA.

I found myself needing to get back into this story everytime I put it down. I thought I cracked the case at least 4 different times even though only one small part did I get right!

I am so thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this! I will definitely be adding McGowan to my automatic reads author list!

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First of all thank you to #NetGalley for giving me an advanced digital reader's copy of #IKnowYou by Claire McGowan. Oh wow, this book got me hooked! The very first time I've seen the cover I was already like - I feel like I am gonna love this book. It didn't disappoint me at all - Claire knows how to draw you into the world of her characters and get you sucked in there for good. When I'm not reading this book I was thinking of the characters! She's that good. She is a master of her craft and there were tons of interesting plots. Plenty of twists and turns as well and it kept me entertained. Can't wait to read more of her books.

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This is a carefully constructed story designed to grip your attention from beginning to end without letting go! It is also written pressing all the right buttons. Rachel who is really Casey is hoping to live anonymously in the Lake District having put her Los Angeles past behind there. She went there as a teenager nanny hoping to break into acting but it all unravelled as the family she was working for fell apart. Convicted of three murders, then acquitted, she returned to Britain to hide but the internet never let her disappear. Then she gets involved in another murder, not randomly but because someone knew her past and thought she could be used to take the blame for his actions. This is a really good read. I recommend it.

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I enjoyed the read but some of it seemed, if not far-fetched, then at the very least not so well thought out. Seemed a lot of coincidence, and while I felt for Rachel and did believe her story there was something that didn't sit right. I felt some of the outcome was flimsy. The twist was good but not enough substance to raise this above three stars for me. #netgalley #iknowyou

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Wow. I just finished reading this fast paced thriller. Rachel had spent four years on death row before coming back to England after her exoneration. Now her lovers wife had been murdered and it was set up to make her a suspect. Would she be able to escape justice for a crime she didn't commit?

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I’m a fan of Claire McGowan. She writes psychological thrillers which take the ordinary just that little step further. In I Know You, the central, character discovers a body whilst out walking the dog. Familiar scenario, but immediately the stakes are raised. Why does she panic and run home? A strange reaction, but more explicable if this isn’t the first time….and it isn’t..

Rachel, the central character claims she panicked. It’s a déja vu moment. The central premise relies upon plausibility and for a while, it works. I really enjoyed The Push by the same author. That kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I Know You lacks that grip but I’m not sure why. The writing and characters are fine, but somehow it doesn’t have quite the same gripping central narrative. I didn’t quite buy in to the backstory which left me in. no man’s land for plot and character development.

Overall, a little disappointed in terms of earlier books.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan was absolutely fantastic, and my apologies it has taken me this long to review it.
Firstly, we meet Rachel. Rachel keeps herself to herself; she volunteers at the dog rescue center, she’s in a heady relationship with Alex, and owns a (really cute) dog called Brandy.
Pretty straight forward stuff here, right?
Wrong!
One morning, when Rachel is walking Brandy her usual path in the woods, she comes across a dead body.
And Rachel does do what any nice, normal, law abiding person would do…
She runs.
Immediately, we question why she feels the need to run if she’s done nothing wrong.
Meet Casey.
Casey is Rachel’s ‘real’ name. Casey (now goes by the name of Rachel) was just nineteen when she was convicted of a multiple murder back in America, where she lived briefly.
How did a young girl like Casey end up in a cell on death row?
This book skips between Casey and Rachel's unfolding lives. Although some people may not enjoy this aspect of the book, I really loved it. As a reader we get the full picture of why Casey did what she did and how it’s impacted the decisions Rachel makes now.
Things in this book get darker and darker for poor Rachel, as the body in the woods is non other than Alex’s wife, Anna. Anna, who Rachel was seen arguing with in the street last week. Anna, who is going through a divorce with Alex and is less than amicable.
The police investigation inevitably leads them to Rachel, as she seems to have more motive than most. And, of course, her mysterious and horrific past makes itself known.
Someone knows what she did…
Someone knows everything…
But who?

I REALLY loved I Know You The story manages to remain detailed and fast past at the same time. I did manage to work out one of the mysteries in the story, but a couple of them really shocked me.
The characters are really believable, even though Rachel/Casey is in an unbelievable situation for the second time in her life. As a reader, you end up questioning (or I did anyway) Rachel’s sanity and her reliability as a narrator.
I’m not going to say anymore as I don’t write spoilers, but if you aren’t already familiar with McGowan's amazing writing, I urge you to go and check her out.

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Thanks netgalley for giving me an early copy of this book to read.
It was ok but overlong.
Poor Casey her life in America was awful, and ended up on death row after bern found guilty of killing a family where she was as a nanny.
Then found innocent went back to England where she came from changed her name but someone knew her, and was once again found guilty of murder.

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This was a sad book in many ways. Imagine spending 5 years on Death Row for a crime you didn't commit. Then years later you are again, being falsely accused of murder. This was a very absorbing story and there was a satisfying conclusion.

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I really enjoyed reading this book....poor Rachel/Casey to be in that predicament again! At times, I wanted to shake some sense into her and stop her from making matters worse. At one point or another, I suspected half the characters in the book to be the ones setting her up...little did I know!!

Thanks NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Claire McGowan for this ARC!

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I Know You may have been my first Claire McGowan thriller but it certainly won’t be my last. I was totally gripped from the outset, and found myself reading it at every available opportunity, so desperate was I to have the mystery solved.

I think the dual timeline narrative and utterly contrasting locations is what really hooked me in this one. Rachel is a fascinating character, who I ended up really empathising with, even when she made questionable decisions! I’d say perhaps that parts of the plot are guessable but that didn’t affect my enjoyment at all – I really enjoyed it!

With thanks to the publisher for gifting me a digital copy to review.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan is a thriller about Rachel, who is out running one day and finds a dead body. She doesn't report it because the last time to reported a dead body, she was arrested for murder. Twenty years ago, Rachel was Casey, a nanny in LA. She came home one day to find the family she worked for had been murdered. She went to prison, but finally got out on appeal. Now, she's trying to make a new life for herself, but her secret might end up getting out. This story was really intriguing, especially since two murders were being investigated and solved in the same book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

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This was a perfectly passable thriller. I think any lack of excitement I have about it is a "me" problem, in that I read too many thrillers and I'm hard to please/surprise.

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I Know You is the first book I've read by Irish author Claire McGowan. The unique plotline of this thriller hooked me from the first pages, and McGowan's impressive writing skills kept me reading. The story surrounds a woman named Rachel who's arrested for failing to report the body she found in the woods, and later for the murder of that person. Turns out, Rachel was once called Casey and served time on a previous murder charge that was later dismissed. Did she commit these crimes or was she also a victim of a psychopath intent on ruining her life?

The ARC I read of I Know You was an Uncorrected Proof still in need of formatting and editing, but the book has since been released in its final form. The version I read needed a good bit of editing for length, and perhaps the final version has been tightened up. I was impressed by the author's writing skills, but have a bit of an issue with her misconceptions about Americans, and found her sweeping statements about us and our justice system somewhat irritating. I promise, we don't all carry guns and shoot people.

Overall, a good read. Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas and Mercer, and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*. This review will also appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://BaysideBookReviews.com

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I couldn’t put this book down as I had to know the truth!
Lots of twists and turns!
You certainly won’t regret reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

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3.5 Stars
Claire McGowan takes a look at what happens to a young woman, wants to be an actress, and puts her into an environment that is dangerous. As the nanny, she is there watching how this family she lives with is falling apart. There are lies and secrets, bankruptcy around the corner, and a mother who has lost touch with her children and sanity.

When the unthinkable happens, all of the family dead except the baby and the nanny, it is the nanny that is tried and convicted for the murders. Eventually, she is acquitted and tries to lead a new life somewhere else.

What happens years later is like a sick joke. Her boyfriend is separated from his wife, our gal discovers the ex-wife dead in the woods near their home. What are the odds of this happening again...what does she do...

Ms. McGowan takes all of this and weaves a tale.

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A big thank you to Amazon Publishing Uk and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. Claire McGowan knows how to write a compelling, addicting story. I stayed up late for far too many nights to finish this. I always enjoy a past and present viewpoint with a plot that makes me wonder. Highly recommend!

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I really enjoyed this story of Rachel/Casey and the murders that are encountered. These two stories are interwoven and the split timeline works very well.

Ultimately I was more interested in and intrigued by Casey’s story and the horribly flawed system that led to her being on death row than I was the murder of Rachel’s secret boyfriend’s estranged wife but both stories were compelling and well written.

I found the book to be well written and engaging - I was desperate to find out what really happened that day with Casey.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading I know you but ultimately thought there could have been a little more depth to some of the characters. We don’t really find out what was happening to the Safran children or why, apart from the odd couple of lines at the end. Similarly when the modern-day murderer is revealed, it’s all a bit too neat.

That said, this is an entertaining yarn and I would recommend it.

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4.5 stars, raised to a 5!

Casey, as a 19 year old from Britain, comes to Hollywood as a Nanny for a 5 year old girl and 8 month old boy in a dysfunctional family. The mother wants to resume her now dead career as an actress and the father as a producer. She is almost immediately overwhelmed by the responsibilities they lay on her. They eventually are murdered and Casey is tried, convicted and sentenced to death row.

Rachael is a 40ish woman living in the Lake counties of Britain. She volunteers at a Dog rescue and dates a man who is estranged from his wife and son. Eventually his wife is murdered and Rachael is made chief suspect.

Each chapter of the novel covers either Casey or Rachael. I, obviously, did not go into the intricacies of the plot because of spoilers. It is complex and will grab the reader early on. Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC for an honest review.

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This is one of those books that I find difficult to write a review about.
I enjoyed the read and found the style of writing easy but I had a few issues with the story. I know fiction is make-believe but some things were a bit far fetched for me. Without giving away too much of the story, what are the changes that 2 people who were both believed to commit a murder randomly meet? The other point of concern for me is gun residue. When you fire a gun you should have gun residue on your hands but they only looked for fingerprints? Or maybe I missed that part.
I still enjoyed the read and would like to read something else by the author to compare.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

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A prolific author, Claire McGowan keeps her novels fresh, readable and tense. This time we have two mysteries to solve both involving our protagonist who changed her name after being the central character in a Hollywood triple murder as a teenage British nanny named Casey and in the present time, as Rachel, in the middle of a murder again. Now, in her forties, trying to live a quiet secured life, working in a neighborhood dog shelter. Wiser, mature and still traumatized she doesn’t want to be attached but longs for a normal life. As the truth slowly tricked out about the murders in both time lines we are still unsure of her innocence or guilt.

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What would you do if you were suspected of murder ... for the second time? When Rachel stumbles across a dead body in the woods, she runs. She knows you should never be found at the scene of a crime - she made that mistake last time.

But when the anonymous body ends up actually being the estranged wife of her boyfriend, she knows she's being looked at anyway. All she can do is hope nobody discovers the truth - that she's been to prison before and narrowly escaped death row. After her appeal she got her freedom and reinvented herself - she can't go back. But is this just horrifically bad luck or ... does someone know?

A twisty, tense tale packed full of action - I Know You is an explosive mystery that will keep you looking over your shoulder. Told from multiple timelines, we piece together Rachels life who she is - her former life, and her former name, almost feel like a different person at times, just like she wanted.

In a strange twist of fate, I figured out the answers to the crime pretty quickly - but that isn't the mystery you're trying to solve. It's why, it's how, it's about people and what makes them tick and creates a truly engrossing read.

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Imagine being convicted for a triple murder that you didn't commit. A horrific one that involved people you knew. And a child. That type of thing would definitely leave a mark and follow you through your life, making it impossible to be normal. That's exactly what happened to Rachel in <em>I Know You</em>. She's spent the last 20 years hiding after the fall-out of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Life is starting to seem somewhat normal. And it happens again.

Can lighting really strike twice? And this time, again, it's someone that she actually would have motive to murder. She was seen fighting with her in public just a couple days before. And despite not reporting the body this time, she's a person of interest. Or rather THE person of interest.

McGowan does an amazing job flip flopping back and forth between the two time periods. I felt like she kept leaving the most amazing teasers and then tying it back to the previous scene. Not every author does that well but it felt seamless. The parallel plot were also both equally intriguing, making the book a very hard one to put down.

I Know You was a fantastic read cover to cover! I definitely recommend it to previous fans of Claire McGowan and fans of Lisa Jewell, B.C. Paris and thrillers in general. Special thanks to Netgalley and Thomas &amp; Mercer for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

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This was the first time I had read a novel by Claire McGowan and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Built on a plot that rests on contemporary ‘nanny murder’ press coverage, this novel introduces two characters that merge into each other as it becomes clear they are the same woman who has adopted a new identity: Rachel, who panics upon coming across the body of a deceased woman in the forest, and Casey, who two decades earlier was imprisoned for the murder of a family she nannied for. Exploring the darker sides of human nature and trying to generate answers whether it is truly ever possible to be exonerated from serious allegations, this is a novel that deserves its title of domestic noir and all the positive publicity it has been getting. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the ARC provided in return for this honest and unbiased review.

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There is no question. This is a very good Murder mystery plot with two mysteries to be solved. I read this book in two days which makes it another fast-read for me.

I really don’t want to give out any spoilers and make the review minimal. Rachel comes across a dead body during her everyday walk in the woods. And she flees. She doesn’t phone the police until they walk up to her to let her know that it is her boyfriend’s ex who is dead and that she is the main suspect. This brings back the horrendous past that she had to endure and the murder mystery that needs to be solved.

There were several suspects in both the situations although I hated how naive the main character was in so many places. Also, i was able to figure out who actually did the second murder and wondered why there is no search done regarding a person she knew 20 years ago. Albeit the obvious plot holes and plot lines I loved the book and enjoyed it.

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Wow, what a story.

Rachel stumbles across a body on her daily dog walk, but instead of alerting the police she runs away, scared. As it’s not the first time this has happened!

I really enjoyed this fast paced book, it kept me hooked and I was so eager to find out what had happened in LA many years ago and how it related to her finding this body in the woods.

I liked how it went back and forth, from past to present to tell the story. Each chapter revealing a little bit more.

There was a good mix of characters, some you liked, some you didn’t and I liked trying to form an opinion and guess what had happened.

Overall another fab read from Clare McGowan, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more of her work. Recommend if you enjoy a good crime thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon publishing for allowing me this opportunity to read and review this book.

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Is anyone ever free from their past? In this mystery thriller, Casey/Rachel finds out that she can run but cannot escape.

Casey was in prison in the USA on death row for a family destruction -- there was one survivor, a baby boy -- but she was later exonerated and so she returned to the UK and hid in the Lake District. She changed her name to Rachel to avoid being discovered, but everything comes back to haunt her when the estranged wife of a man she was seeing is found dead in the woods close to Rachel's home. When her history is exposed, she is the main suspect and Rachel fears she will end up behind bars again, this time permanently. No spoilers.

Although this started out well and I had high hopes, it was very predictable and didn't hold my interest for the duration though I finished it quickly. The narrative is told in two time periods -- when Casey was in LA working as a nanny for the Safran family and flash forward 20 years to her time as Rachel in Cumbria. The author attempts some twists, but my suspension of disbelief was not enough. This was the first book I've read by this author and not sure I will try another. A lot of repetition and I never got to the point where I liked Casey/Rachel or felt much for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review.

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This was a really enjoyable read for me
Rachel is out walking her dog in the woods , she stumbles across a dead body and instead of alerting the authorities she runs away , she doesn’t trust the police as last time she discovered a dead body she was accused and charged with murder , when it turns out the dead woman is her boyfriends soon to be ex wife it seems that history is repeating itself as she again becomes a person of interest .
I loved the split story line which showed us what happened to her previously
I would certainly recommend this book

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This one was a little difficult for me. The glimpses back into the last were hard to read at some points. But despite that, I got sucked into the story.

One of the aspects I like most was the past glimpses of life inside prison and the critique of the American justice system. It’s chilling to think how easily one can be wrongly convicted and sentenced to death row. I don’t think the author was exaggerating the ease and frequency that happens. It was really only touched upon briefly but I found myself the most interested in these scenes.

I did find the narrator a little frustrating at times. Bad choices making bad situations worse and all that.

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Rachel has such bad luck with the law, the poor girl keeps finding herself in the middle of a murder and ends up the prime suspect. She had just escaped the death penalty for a prior murder while she was under the name Casey 20 years prior and now here she is again a prime suspect again for a murder of a woman she found while Rachel was running in the woods.
This was a fun and exciting read. It was heart racing and fast paced. And also had so many twists and turns I was so confused as to what to think .
I really enjoyed this book immensely! Anyone who enjoys a good thriller and mystery would love this book!
I want to thank Amazon publishing UK and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I couldn’t put this down. Clare writes a fantastic thrilller and this is no different!

I really enjoyed the two timelines running simultaneously and the prose kept me engaged throughout.

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This is a really good twisty, turney thriller. A who dunnit about a young woman who comes across a dead body on her morning walk in the woods with her pet pooch but she does not call in the discovery because she knows the woman who is lying on the ground......it is her boyfriends estranged wife...

soon, the finger of suspicion falls on her and with a very dark past she has been trying to hide, you start to question if she is as innocent as she seems to be.

A really good read....one for a cold night, curled up on the sofa with a hot chocolate!

https://mams.ie/forums/topic/i-know-you-claire-mcgowan/

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book for an honest review.
I loved this book. The two storylines which went between the current day and the past and kept you guessing to the end was completely intriguing. The main characters were interesting and the storyline flowed even though it flitted backwards and forwards at a rapid pace.

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Riveting and you truly cannot put the book down! It immediately pulls you in from the first scene. I especially love the double mystery timeline. Another hit by Claire McGowan!

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This has happened to Rachel before. The first time was twenty years ago. Now, while walking her dog in the woods behind her cottage, Rachel once again stumbles upon a body. What are the odds? After her first experience, she instinctively runs from the crime scene, knowing that she will likely be accused of murder. Again.

I know You is a compelling thriller/mystery that moves almost seamlessly between two time periods. The plot is clever and well-written, with several twists that were unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed Claire McGowan’s latest book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

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Interweaving the story of a nanny to an abusive family with an exoneree trying to start anew, this novel reveals how the past is never past. And the danger of other people's pasts. The plot was very entertaining and kept you curious about how things came to such dire straits.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion.**

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I⃣ K⃣N⃣O⃣W⃣ Y⃣O⃣U⃣
By Claire McGowan
Release Date 10/19/2021

Ps. Massive Claire McGowan fan, better late than never on reading it? Right!

Ok, so we have two characters. One in the same, past character 2010 is Casey moving to America from London to be a nanny for The Safran Family, for a Hollywood producer, and his wife, an actress. The children: Madison was five, the baby was a few months or so. The present character Rachel. Walking her dog in the woods Brandy the beagle in the woods, stumbling across a dead body. But what does Rachel do? She runs. Why, well shit you would too. Back in America she was charged with murdering the entire Safran family, (except for one) went to prison and narrowly escaped the death penalty and won her appeal, and off she went back to the UK as Rachel. But now it’s happening again. And the mucked up thing is, the girl who was found dead was her lover's current wife. Oh yes, does this girl have the best luck or what? Why is her past repeating itself?

The alternating characters were spot on, just when you’d thought you had Rachel figured out, Casey popped up. And then back to confusion, because you won’t guess this book. This is my favorite of the authors to this date.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈S̤̈

#arcbooks #netgalley #bookrecommendation #bookstragram #bookstagrammer #booknerdigan #shelfie #bookshelf #instabooks #bookreview #bookcommunity #igbooks #booknerd #bookblogger #bookish #booklove #booksbooksbooks #clairemcgowan #thomasmercer #iknowyou

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young starry-eyed British girl comes to the States as a nanny with hopes of becoming actress, only to discover she is used and abused as slave labor. All her time is occupied taking care of two children so her plan has come up short. The family who hired her have severe personal issues, all of which culminate in a murder she is accused of and jailed for even though innocent. After years on Death Row she is released after being advocated by the Innocence Project. Now she has started her life as a new person back in England.
But there is a murder in her town and she is again accused on circumstantial evidence and her ugly past becomes public knowledge. This victim is the ex-wife of the man she is dating. She finds the body but doesn’t call the police, her scarf is there, her knife but she didn’t do it! How have they found out about her history when she had plotted so carefully to hide it all?She is convinced someone is trying to frame her and the dark side of humanity.
My thoughts on the murderer of one case were accurate but the second was a shocker. The various characters she befriended in her new life turned out to be self serving and added to her problems.
In spite of the flipping back and forth in time there was little confusion as the reader. A good murder mystery with a surprise ending.

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Wow this one was amazing! Jaw dropping and heart stopping all in one. There were so many layers to this plot it was like peeling back an onion a later at a time until you hit the end and you are shocked. With well developed awesome characters and a solid plot this story is a hit. So fast paced and suspenseful. It is a sit down and read till it’s done kind of book. So highly recommended

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This was so good! The story grabs you from the beginning and it doesn't let you loose interest until the very end. The writing was really well done and I loved the two timelines - it made everything more dramatic and made me understand some of Rachel's decisions.

The only reason I give it four starts is because I guessed one of the twists halfway through the book.

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This was a well written thriller. Kept me guessing until the end. It was kept interesting by the 2 points of view Casey and Rachel, past and present. Great characters and intriguing and interesting story and plot. Looking forward to more books by Claire McGowan

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

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Claire McGowan books always go on my tbr, she knows how to write a thriller/suspense full of twists leaving the unsuspecting reader in a daze! Rachel finds a dead body and has to bolt because the last time something like this happened she was suspect number 1. Unfortunately the victim is her boyfriends ex so she’s suspect number 1 yet again. Thrilling read and will keep you enthralled through to the very end.

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Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Couldn’t put it down and read it in 2 nights. The storyline is really good and keeps you on your toes to the very end. I recommend anyone who enjoys mystery and thrillers to read this. You will not be disappointed. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the privilege of getting an advanced copy

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This is a classic Claire McGowan thriller with lots of plot twists that don’t come together until the very end of the book. She is a great storyteller and a lot of the chapters end on a good cliffhanger, so I raced through it.

I found that the plot was a bit less plausible than in What You Did or The Other Wife, and I was lest invested in the characters, which is why I’ve given it a lower score than the 4 stars I gave those books. But it was still an enjoyable read and I would definitely read more Claire McGowan books in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Two crimes, two decades apart, told from two points of view by one accused murderer.
The question of ‘who done it’ both then and now kept me turning the pages. The conclusion was shocking and the real truth revealed.

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Most people would report finding a dead body in the woods, but would you if you had been accused of murder before then acquitted? This is a riveting and thoroughly engrossing offering from Claire McGowan It is told in a dual timeline using flashbacks and the plot and characterisation are terrifically good. I loved every moment of this extremely well written psychological thriller. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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“What would you do if you found a dead body?” I Know You by Claire McGowan

3.5 stars. Whoa. This was good. I liked it but I didn’t like that I could put it down and was actually impatient to reach the end of the book.

This is the story of Casey. Or rather, Rachel as she’s known now. Told in 2 POVs, the past as Casey and the present as Rachel. Casey, a 19yr old newly transplanted nanny from the UK, shows us the events leading to her arrest and conviction to killing the family she was living with. Rachel shows us who Casey is now, a woman working in a pet shelter in UK, who stumbles on a dead body - again.

It was interesting to see how the events leading to the murder, arrest and conviction and subsequent reversal of the conviction. And to see how Rachel is now. Casey is painfully young here, not the best at making decisions. Rachel too at some parts of it. I was rooting for her, but still kinda of detached. I guess the buildup took too long for me. I easily went to other books. No twists here that I see but that’s ok.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the arc of this booK.

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This is a sensationally addictive book by one of the best authors of psychological suspense. I loved the way the flashback chapters were interspersed with the present day ones although I imagine that would have made the book harder to put down. I say imagine because by the end of page one I knew this was a book to be read in one sitting. I can honestly say that I had absolutely no idea whether or not Casey/Rachel was guilty of either set of murders, I wavered between being positive that she was guilty and being assured of her innocence so the final denouement left me stunned. A really great book that is well deserving of 5 stars.

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Rachel finds a body in the woods and is considered a prime suspect because the victim is identified as her boyfriend's estranged wife. 20 years ago, Rachel was Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. The family she worked for were brutally murdered and all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. She narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal and changed her name to Rachel. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years putting back together. Was her discovery in the woods really just a coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who knows she is Casey, and wants revenge. This book is a hard-to-put-down page turner with interesting characters. The chapters switch back and forth from 20 years ago to the present. The suspense builds with surprising twists. It kept me guessing until the very end. I have read and enjoyed all of McGowan's books including her Paula Maguire series except for the Killing House which I will be reading very soon. I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a free copy for an honest review.

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It’s a cold, rainy day in November and it’s getting dark at 3pm. You really need a good psychological thriller that will draw you in so you can forget about your friends who are sunning themselves on a beach.
There are a few authors who won’t let you down when you need to escape your surroundings: Claire McGowan is one of them. I passed a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon reading this thriller, so thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for lightening up a dull day with an ARC.
The story transported me to both LA and the Lake District, but this wasn’t an LA setting to make you envious.
The main character, Casey, 19, from a poor family, thinks that nannying for a film producer’s family in LA will be impossibly glamorous, but the neglectful, seedy husband and the bitter, ‘hangry’, anorexic wife exploit her, leaving her to deal with all the housework and childcare. Casey’s dreams of fame as an actress end in tragedy as the family is murdered and Casey is falsely accused of the crime. She becomes notorious as the ‘Mary Poppins’ murderer.
What lifted this thriller above the average for me were the all-too-realistic details of the trial by media of poor Casey. Just one plausible detail: her skimpy teenage clothes, worn by young girls in the UK, are seen in America as evidence of her promiscuity and therefore of her guilt. The workings of the American ‘injustice’ system adds a layer of interest to the thriller.
As the story opens, Casey has reinvented herself as Rachel, an unglamorous volunteer at a dog shelter in the Lakes. She thinks she has eliminated all traces of her past life in LA - but has she? And is it a coincidence too far when Rachel discovers another dead body when walking her dog in the Lake District?
I found the portrait of Casey/Rachel utterly convincing and just had to keep turning the pages until I found out what really happened to Casey in LA and whether Rachel will once again be falsely imprisoned for murder.

This would make a great beach read if you’re lucky enough to be on a beach; if not, it’s a great compensation if you aren’t.

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I Know You delves into both Casey and Rachel’s story-with each chapter as riveting as the last. The book will keep you on the edge of your seat, and you, like me, will have plenty of suspects in mind as you turn the pages. The killer, however, will make your jaw drop!

Read full review here: https://thatsouthafricantraveller.wordpress.com/2021/11/12/clinton-dean-book-club-november-read-i-know-you-will-leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat/

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This book was intriguing and set over two timelimes; 2000 and beyond and then the present day. When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.

With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she was someone else―Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together.

I have enjoyed this book and would recommend.

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They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice. Well, try telling that to Casey aka Rachel Caldwell, when for the second time in her life she stumbles across a dead body and ends up in the frame for murder.

Careless? Definitely. Implausible? Maybe. But as far fetched as this premise may seem, McGowan somehow — incredibly — makes it work.

Her plotting is as tight as a duck’s ar*e — there isn’t a single, eye-roll inducing moment in sight. And in Rachel, she’s created a female protagonist who is just as authentic as a naïve 19 year-old nannying in LA, as she is 20 years later living a low-key, unremarkable life in rural Cumbria.

Truth is, I didn’t pause once to notate whilst reading this. It is not a narrative that you linger over. This is a stuff-your-face, all-you-can-eat buffet; not an elegant canapés and wine soirée. I devoured it in two greedy helpings.

The dual timeline is executed brilliantly, leaping back and forth between Casey’s shocking, death-row experience in America, and her fresh nightmare two decades on as Rachel, when she bolts, panic stricken from the scene after discovering a body in the woods.

As she sets out to defend herself and at the same time keep her true identity hidden, it becomes clear that Rachel can trust no one. Her past has come back to haunt her, and the only person she can rely on is herself.

The pacing — tense segueing into adrenaline charged — is judged to perfection; the multitude of twists — in both the past and the present — beautifully disguised. The plot teeters dangerously on the fanciful — I mean, seriously, twice? — but the niggling sense of credibility sticks like a limpet and, ultimately, cannot be denied.

A brilliantly conceived and constructed thriller. I stuffed my face and I loved it.

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If you are looking for a book that sucks you in and grabs you this is it. #iknowyou #clairemcgowan imagine being a young girl from England. Rachel is 19. A nanny for a family. Young Madison whose 5. With auditions, an attitude, and a bed wetting problem. Butterball the baby who doesn’t sleep at night. The husband whose a famous producer. And the mother an actress trying to find her place again in acting. You come home from a walk with the baby and the family is murdered. You’re charged. In a foreign country. Facing death. This book has phenomenal writing. A story with twists. Turns. It’s definitely a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟read. #amazonpublishinguk #netgalley #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyreview #bookrecommendations #readeveryday

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I found this book well crafted. I don't usually enjoy books that go back and forward in time or are told from the POV of two different characters but in this case, the time lines were clearly defined and the two characters were actually the same person at different times in her life.
Casey having been convicted of horrific murders in the past and then exonerated is now faced with finding another murder victim, the estranged wife of her lover. It seems that her past which she thought she had buried is coming back to haunt her. Is she being set up by someone who knows her past?

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Oh.My.Goodness.

What a complicated, convoluted take. So many possibilities of what happened and who did it.

This is a a crazy mix of clues of improbable behavior of a truly unlucky woman who stumbles into murder TWICE and could totally be guilty. But is she? Worth while read!

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I enjoyed reading this book, but it's not going to be a thriller that stays with me. It felt very 'samey'- and not particularly original. It followed a similar format to other thrillers I have read.
Nothing special.
Just OK.

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I Know You is your pretty run-of-the-mill thriller but still succeeds at telling a story you feel as though you might've read before. There's a lot to like with the writing but I couldn't find myself fully entertained with the story! Recommend to those who like dual-perspective suspense novels.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan starts off strong. The story begins with Rachel, while walking her dog she finds a dead body, and walks home. Never calling the police, pretending she never saw it. It’s happening again. Rachel thinks by doing what she didn’t do last time, she will avoid being arrested and accused of murder. The problem with her theory is she is dating the estranged husband of the victim. She is trying everything to keep her past hidden.

20 years ago, she was Casey, a young nanny with dreams of being an actress in LA. That job ended badly, as in the family was murdered and she was charged and convicted, facing the death penalty. She was able to overturn her guilty charge on appeal, but will she ever feel innocent? After dealing with such a traumatic past, Rachel goes about everything the wrong way. It seems as though she is being framed for this murder, but can lightening really strike twice? It seems someone knows who she is, what she did, and wants revenge.

This book seemed really long. I struggled to get through a lot of it. I liked Casey better than Rachel, same person, I know…maybe being on death row changes a person, even if they do end up appealing their conviction. I knew who did it, I was a little surprised by the emergence of one of the characters, but it still felt dragged out. I give this book a 2.5 stars, I’ve read other books by Ms McGowan and enjoyed the more, hopefully this was a one off.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Real rating 3.5
This book starts with one of my biggest fears - finding a dead body in the woods. It's been my fear since I've started watching crime shows, so yeah the beginning got me hooked.

This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't anything special imo.
The characters were ok, not unlikable but not very likable either.
The writing is good, very suspenseful - especially the "before" part, but the ending wasn't very surprising.
Also, just my opinion, if I were accused of a terrible crime I would not move to a small village. I'd move to London and you'd never hear of me ever again.

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Wow! I absolutely loved this book. It kept me in the edge and completely hooked from the start - I couldn't read it quick enough! I loved the way the main character's life had come back full circle at the end and everything was cleared up. The descriptive storyline made you feel like you were there beside the characters all the way through. Completely gripping! Will definitely read this one again.

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Rachel is a quiet lady who is currently in a relationship with Alex, soon to be divorced from his wife Anna. While out walking her dog, Rachel finds a dead body, and instead of calling the police, she runs away. So now we know that Rachel has secrets she is hiding, and we soon find out that she has a past that involves multiple murders. Then it turns out that the body in the wood is that of Anna, Alex’s wife, and Rachel becomes the prime suspect! It just gets worse for her as time passes. No one believes her, and the killer is still out there. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy of I Know You.

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An interesting story, told in two different time periods, Casey ends up on death row in California when the family for whom she works as a nanny are found dead. After a number of years, her conviction is deemed to be unsafe and she is free to leave prison. Back in the UK, she is suspected of killing her boyfriend's soon to be ex wife. The plot is not fast-moving but the suspense in both time periods picks up as the book progresses.
The book is believable, the descriptions of places and emotions is realistic and there are a couple of twists in the story . I could not put the book down towards the end

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for a great read

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Claire McGowan has written some great books so I was really looking forward to reading I Know You. I really liked Rachel as a character and couldn't help but feel sorry for the situations she found herself in. While I enjoyed the alternating between Rachel and Casey (the change of scenes from the UK to America was also really interesting), I think it would have taken the plot one step further if we had perhaps read from the POV of one of the other characters. The short chapters really helped build up the pace of the plot and although I thought it was fairly obviously where it was heading, there were a few twists that helped keep my interest. The one thing that massively bothered me was how frequently Casey told us she was 'just a child' - she wasn't!

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This one surprised me! I didn't expect that it would move as quickly as it did based on the way it started. I found the way that the author wrote about murder in a way that seemed to reference the hunts for killers that have occurred in society in recent years. Good read and I will check out more by McGowan.

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I Know You is a highly enjoyable psychological thriller and my first read of its Irish author Claire McGowan. It is told in a then and now narrative starting with Rachel stumbling upon a body in the woods… and running… because the last time she was at the scene of a murder, she ended up accused, convicted and on death row for the brutal murders of three of four members of the family she then worked for as a young nanny. This time, the victim is her boyfriend’s estranged wife, throwing Rachel into deep trouble when her initial statement that she hadn’t seen the body is proved false. And that’s just the beginning of evidence mounting against her, and the carefully constructed safe life she pieced together after her exoneration is crumbling. Somebody has uncovered her past as Casey, a young nanny hoping to break into acting in Los Angeles. Somebody appears to be framing her, perhaps to avenge the murders she was exonerated for. How can she clear her name – again – and regain her life? I Know You is a slow-burn that builds towards the climax. Review copy received with thanks from the publisher and Netgalley. It is out now.

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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

I liked the characters, and the story was written in a way that it hooks you.

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This is my third book by Claire McGowan and I am already looking forward to reading another! achel has been unlucky enough to be embroiled in murder not once but twice! Both times as a prime suspect! Exonerated the first time but this time is she being framed? Has someone found out about her past? This is a gritty, fast paced thriller that’s easy to read and unputdownable.

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When Rachel stumbled across a dead body in the run, the only thought in her head is to run and pretend it never happened!

As actually this isn’t the first time it’s happened to Rachel ….. is history repeating itself….

A novel that has so many twists and turns each chapter you’re suspecting someone else. I actually couldn’t put this book down I was that engrossed and the suspense is thrilling.

My first read of Claire McGowan but won’t be my last. I will look for more by this author

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I really enjoyed this book. It’s not often that a main character is falsely accused of murder, not once, but twice.Yet that’s what happened to Rachel, aka, Casey. The story alternates between Casey at age 19 when she works as a nanny accused of murdering a family, and Rachel, twenty some years later who’s a suspect in the murder of her boyfriend’s estranged spouse.

It’s a story filled with mystery as the separate crimes are unraveled. It definitely kept my interest with an addictive plot, good characters, and great writing. As a side note, the capital punishment storyline was riveting. I felt total empathy for Rhonda, and although she was a very minor character, she broke my heart. Good job, Claire McGowan.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.
i have also read The Push by this author and encountered similar problems with both. The plot is just not believable, far too much detail and not enough tension. Quite formulaic. Far too obvious who the guilty parties were sadly . I did like the fact that
SPOILER ALERT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

she met up with the baby at the end.

The rest of the plot was not convincing for me. The use of Americanisms grated too

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I Know You by Claire McGowan is a murder mystery full of suspense. The story is about a British woman who once lived in America. Told in present time and via flashbacks, we find out our main character is a convicted murderer. But did she really do it? It takes lots of chapters and suspense to come to what was a very satisfying conclusion. I stayed up late reading this book and you will, too.

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I Know You is a well written and thought out thriller that I couldn’t put down.
Rachel is the main character here and there are two timelines, twenty years apart, alternating between Rachel and Casey. Casey is a young nanny in America, looking after two young children for the well to do family, one day she comes home after taking the youngest out for a walk and finds the parents dead, she hides and phones the police. The chapters of Casey follows her life after that phone call. Rachel is working at the local dogs home having rehomed a puppy from the owner. Whilst walking one morning she comes across a body in the woods, it’s not any body though it’s the body of her boyfriends ex wife, knowing she will be prime suspect she runs away from the body. How long until the last catch goes up with her?
I really enjoyed this thriller and didn’t see the end coming, it was cleverly written and well thought out with weirdly a likeable main character which worked for me.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas And Mercer for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

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This was definitely one of the best books I have read this year... I did managed to finish this book within a few hours. It was captivating and difficult to put down.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND

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A twisting tale of murder, protection and a desperate quest to find the truth before it is too late.

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I enjoyed this thriller. I liked the premise and the flashbacks to Rachel's previous life were well done. It was interesting to see how time crept until the moment that changed her life forever. Also, the ending was satisfying and well done. Would def recommend!

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An enjoyable read, i liked how it was told between both stories. It wasn't one of those book that kept me wanting to turn the pages to find out what was going to happen though.

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I really enjoyed this book. It started off slow but soon picked up pace. I loved the main character and I was rooting for her throughout despite of her actions. The twists were predictable and I had guessed them quite early on, however it was still pleasing to see how they were disclosed.

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A past, high-profile murder in a wealthy LA suburb, of which every shocking facet is still gossiped about by internet sleuths trying to get to the bottom of what really happened that night. Fast forward to the present day, a sleepy English village where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever really happens. There has been a murder; a woman has been found dead in the woods. Is history repeating itself? I really enjoyed this mystery and thought it was a good modern slant on the whodunnit crime doc genre. I enjoyed the past and present storylines that ran concurrently and felt this book held my attention and kept me guessing all the way to the end. A solid 4 star read.

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This was enjoyable to read, but not very believable. Was also predictable at times, and characters weren’t all that relateable.. Regardless I will look for this author again and hope for a little better next time.

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Wow. Claire McGowan knocked it out of the ballpark with this one! As soon as I started reading it I knew it would be hard for me to stop. Absolutely stellar writing and the storyline was outstanding. Amazing characters!

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this was an intriguing read. a solid murder mystery. i felt the novel had a good pace at the beginning however this seemed to drop the further into the story. There are lots of dark secrets that catch up to the present with different story lines being told,. i would recommend this book to anyone that like a dark thriller

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Rachel is walking her dog when she sees a dead body - but instead of stopping and phoning police, she runs away! Because this isn’t the first time Rachel has seen a dead body…
Anna, who has been killed, is Alex’s ex wife. Alex is Rachel’s boyfriend….so it’s obvious to the police that it must be one of them that has killed her - but Alex has got an alibi, so it just be Rachel.
But is Rachel who she seems to be? Things start to unravel, and soon Rachel starts to admit to people that she is in fact Casey.. and Casey has previously been tried, convicted, and sent to prison for murder!

This thriller follows Casey/Rachel as things unwind - is she being set up or has she killed again?

Good read.- a bit predictable in places.

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An excellent tense gripping drama which keeps you guessing all the way through. Did Rachel actually commit the family murders she was accused of years ago? Could it possible be a coincidence that yet again she is accused of murder. And if not her, then who?

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I did not finish this book... Perhaps because I have read too many similar stories over the last few weeks. I didn't like Rachael and I found the story somewhat predictable at times and the story too dragged out. I have enjoyed Claire McGowan's previous books so felt sad that this one didn't hit the mark for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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This book is told as two alternating time lines, one narrated by Rachel and the other by Casey. When Rachel finds a body in the woods early one morning when out walking her dog, she panics and runs away. This has happened to her before in another life when she was known as Casey and that time she didn't run and ended up accused of murder. Unfortunately for Rachel this body turns out to be the wife of her boyfriend and it isn't long before the police come knocking on her door wanting to know why she didn't report the crime. Her further activities arouse their suspicion and before long she finds herself accused of murder again.
Rachel comes across as quite a sad character having spent most of her life hiding and pretending to be someone other than who she is. She did not have the best start in life with a somewhat reluctant mother figure and then she is thrown into a nannying role that was way beyond her capabilities. However it was quite easy to root for her as she was likeable enough.
I very much enjoyed the scenes in the jail in America and the Rhonda character was a great one. Somehow America seemed more real to me than the Lake District village which I felt was lacking in description somehow.
I Know You was a easy read, quite a quick read, well written and with a comfortable ending. I should be quite happy to read further books by this author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an early copy in return for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was my first by Claire and it kept me engaged. I sort of knew where it was going so it was kind of predictable. Overall, I really enjoyed it!

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The book straddles the life of a women when she was a teenager who went to America to become a nanny and hopefully get into acting and the other a woman running away from her past in America. The story begins with Casey going to America to work for a movie producer and his wife who is an actress. Jenna, Casey mom, encourages her to go and find the dream she had but never came to much and did not help her navigate the big wide world. Casey is looking after a 6 month old baby, Carson, and his sister, Madison who is 5. It soon becomes clear that things are not right in the household but being so young she did not grasp the problems as they got worse and worse. She became very close to Carson but Madison was such a diva at the age of 5 she was difficult to deal with. Life continues and Casey is exhausted. A row begins in the house and she decides to walk outside with Carson but this was a mistake due to the heat. On returning she finds the family had been murdered and she is held responsible. Once the Court case finishes she finds herself on death row. Carson was the only one to survive as he had been with her. A boy from college who had a crush on her comes to America and eventually she is released and we come to the second part of the story. She finds herself in a place where no one will know her, gets a volunteer job and thinks all is well. Out walking one day with her dog she finds a dead body but because of her past she does not tell the Police. Eventually the Police interrogate her and she realises that someone is trying to frame her for the murder. The person who died was the wife of the man she is seeing although Alex and his wife were separated. The Police are convinced she is the murderer as by this time everyone knows about her past. She decides to investigate the murder herself but that does not work out so well. The story continues really well and I found it hard to put down until I finished it. The twists were great and I will read another book from this author

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Wow! Literally two thrillers in one and no chance of guessing the truth in either one. I was gripped. Even though the main character doesn't come across as completely likeable the emotional element of this book will have you feeling for her. I love Claire McGowan books. If you like thrillers you will not be disappointed.

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Rachel finds herself in the middle of an investigation after stumbling across a body in the woods. Casey finds herself in California as a nanny with dreams of becoming an actress. Both are unique women, tainted by their pasts. And with murders in both of their midsts, how can they prove their innocence?

Going back and forth from Rachel's perspective to Casey's, it's easy to see how these two women are similar in their thoughts and actions due to their interesting and less-than-fortunate pasts. Both at the center of murder investigations, there is seemingly no escape in proving their innocence, especially when the court of public opinion has made up their minds. At some points, I was frustrated with both Rachel and Casey and felt like I wanted to scream at them through the pages of the book. At other times, I felt extreme sympathy for their loneliness and seeming inability to carry through life due to poor upbringing. Overall, I found myself pushing through this book because I needed to know what happens to the women at the end.

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My thanks to Amazon Publishing U.K, Claire McGowan and Netgalley.
So, this was not my thing. Not my groove. Not for me.
It wasn't a badly written book. But, for me the stupidity was a bit much. I understand that many people like books like this, but not me.
I was stuck at 32% for damned near 2 month's. A page here, another there. That's no way to enjoy a book! So, I'm done. Calling it quits!

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Rachel is out on her regular morning run when she spots a body , instead of reporting it she says nothing . There is a reason for this as she had previously been convicted and put on death row for the murder of an American family she was working as a nanny for . Later she was cleared and returned to England and tried to remain anonymous . Once it was discovered that the body was Anna , the estranged wife of her boyfriend , suspicion fell on her again . The police were convinced she was guilty because how many people discover the victims of two murders in their lifetime. It appears somebody could have recognised her and is trying to frame her . Despite all suspects having an alibi , Rachel starts to break these alibis down and the story takes on an unexpected turn as she talks to Sam , her boyfriend and Anna's small son. The story is told in stages relating to Rachel's life as Casey in America and her life since she returned home . A good few twists along the way.

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A truly gripping book. I found it very hard to put down in the evenings. I loved the flashbacks of the past mixed in with the present. A lot of twists and turns in a story with quite predictable ending. I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer Publishing House for providing me with an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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A nail-biting thriller after a really long time. I definitely enjoyed reading it and the way the mystery unfolded was mind blowing. A must read for sure. Hats off to the author. It's my first book by her but I'm thoroughly impressed. Well deserved 5star.

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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Rachel is out on her morning walk with her dog. Rachel sees something in the undergrowth its a dead body, she runs home in a panic and doesn’t inform the police. Trouble is Rachel has found dead bodies before when she was a babysitter in Los Angeles. In those days Rachel was a young 19 year old Casey and Casey ends up on death row. Did Casey kill her American family or now known as Rachel did she kill her new lover’s wife . A well written thriller and intricate story, told as Casey and Rachel. 4 stars

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In this riveting sequel - fresh off mistakes and being accused of murder and wrongdoings. Going for a early morning run she finds a dead body. Do you report it? In this instance absolutely not. Why? It’s your boyfriends wife. And you have already learned from last time you will be the #1 suspect. In this rollercoaster of a ride you will definitely not see the end coming, I know I I didn’t. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Talk about bad luck! Most people don’t ever find a dead body, but Rachel does so twice. When she stumbles on the body in the woods while walking her dog, she knows exactly what she has to do: Run. Because 20 years before she found the family that she’d been nannying murdered in their home. She spent time in jail but was released on appeal, returning from America to the UK and changing her name. But when the current dead woman’s identity is revealed as her boyfriend’s ex-wife, she becomes the main suspect.

Flipping between the murder now and the murders in the past, we follow Rachel/Casey as she tries to detangle herself from both murders. At times it felt a little like two separate stories, and there weren’t many surprises (it seemed pretty obvious from early on who the murderer was) but the story is still a fun and entertaining one and I read it quite fast. I enjoyed the dual narrative and the characterization of both Rachel and Casey. An intriguing and entertaining ride.

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I found this book to be great fun. It centers in Rachel, who is just trying to live her life after being exonerated from a murder charge 20 years ago. She has changed her name and moved far away but lo and behold, her boyfriend’s ex-wife is found murdered and it seems like someone might be trying to frame her.

The chapters alternate between Rachel in current time and Casey 20-ish years ago. I found the Casey chapters more suspenseful but the Rachel chapters evoke empathy. There are questions about what really happened when Rachel was Casey and also what really happened in the current timeframe. I thought I was so clever and had figured it out but I was wrong; the ending was both surprising and satisfying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and read it late into the night. I recommend it for those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Another great book by a great author. I love how real life situations become chaotic. Some great characters and a story full of twists and turns.

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A really good book by a new author for me. It had me intrigued and hooked throughout, keeping me gripped to the end.

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I enjoyed this book but at times I found it rather improbable and not quite as good as some of Claire’s previous books. I found the characters very interesting but some of the situations they found themselves in were rather unbelievable and their behaviours baffling. I guessed reasonably early in the story “whodunnit so the ending wasn’t that much of a surprise to me. Found this a light read to while away a rainy day. .

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Thanks to netgalley for an advanced reader copy. Although I was very excited to read another book by this author, this book started strong, but fell flat for me about halfway through. I would continue to read this author as I have enjoyed prior books, this one just wasn’t for me.

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I Know You, by Claire McGowan, is my first foray into this author’s work – it’s a wonderful 4.5-star effort. I was considering giving it 5-stars but, I need to have some wriggle room if any subsequent reads by McGowan are better. Yes, this was that good!

The story is told in 2 timelines.

One follows Casey, a young English girl, who leaves London to work as a Nanny for a rich Hollywood family, around 20 years ago. The family she works for is a bit mad, the mother, a ‘wanna be’ actress, is highly strung and very difficult to be around. The father is a bit mysterious, there’s a couple of kids. A baby and a precocious young girl. Casey has her hands full and things go pear-shaped. Enough said.

The second, tells the story of Rachel, in present day England. Rachel works at a dog shelter; she lives on her own and is having an affair with a married man called Alex. Their relationship is full of passion and she is madly in love with him. Alex has not divorced his wife Anna at this stage, and Anna is not happy Rachel is seeing her husband. Again, things go pear-shaped. Enough said.

These 2 stories are linked and the author tackles both in alternating chapters. She tells the story in a very snappy, clear way – no messing around, everything written is relevant, important to the story and it had me thinking. It was so enjoyable, thought provoking as it contained more than one mystery. The ending was believable in a satisfying sort of way.

Excellent stuff and I’ve just added another book by McGowan to my TBR list, if it’s half as good as this one, it’ll be enjoyable.

4-Stars

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This was a weaker novel from this author but still a fairly good read. Rachel finds a body in the woods but doesn’t report it. Rachel is hiding from her previous life and does not want any investigation to blow it all open again.

This is missing the fleshed out characters that McGowan usually writes and the story line is somewhat fantastical but a good enough quick read

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As a teenage nanny in the US, Casey is sent to prison for the murders of her employers and their young daughter. When she eventually gets released, she returns to the UK as Rachel. Many years later, Rachel stumbles upon the body of her boyfriend’s ex wife. In fear of being implicated in another crime, she lies to the police about her movements. But will the police discover her previous identity and will they believe in her innocence if they do?

I Know You is a double thriller, with the two stories playing out side by side, The events in LA, which lead up to the triple murder and Casey’s imprisonment, run alongside the police investigation into Anna’s murder and what role, if any, Rachel played in it. There are some interesting twists and turns along the way, and the final outcomes of both parts kept me guessing right until the end.

Very enjoyable read.

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A cleverly woven story following "Rachel" as she is drawn in to a murder near her home and her previous life as "Casey" where she was accused of murdering the family she worked for in the USA. Can someone be this unlucky twice. As the book progresses Casey reveals more of what happened in the US while trying to prove her innocence in the UK. You have a feeling that she is holding back something from the USA part of her life and with each chapter you feel you are getting closer to the truth. Clare McGowan doesn't disappoint.

I was given a copy of I Know You by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

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I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

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Really well written. Quite a good plot. I sort of guessed part way through but wasn't 100% until the end. Highly recommended.

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The story follows Rachel who stumbles upon a body of a woman, who happens to be the wife of the guy she is sleeping with. However, she does not call the police. In fact, she just runs. Why? Because Rachel has been accused and convicted of mass murder before.
The premise of this book was so good, it pulled me in from the start. I liked the way the story was told: how both events were presented interchangeably and the transcripts from different crime podcasts and newspapers added a nice touch. The changing of the stories in each chapter built larger suspense and it left me reading even faster to get to the next chapter.
Considering this was quite an original concept, I would have given this book a higher rating if it was not for some of the actions of Rachel and her trying to "solve" Anna's murder. She kept saying how she did not do it -- so many times so that you would believe she actually did do it. And I cannot forgive her for not telling the police about what she knew about Alex, the man kept saying that his (ex)wife was crazy. That is an instant red flag if I have ever seen one (hell, maybe even a red billboard).
All in all, the plot twist was seen from a mile away and I did figure it out (for both murders) at the 40% mark, plus the ending felt super rushed, I still enjoyed this book and had a fun time reading it.

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This was an utterly gripping and tense read that had me hooked from the very beginning, I highly recommend this book.

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Not one of her best books
I would still recommend this book
This book is set in two time lines
Thanks NetGalley

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Whew! What a rollercoaster of a read. Rachel Caldwell is living a new life in the Lake District after being exonerated from California’s death row twenty years earlier, when she stumbles across a dead body for the second time in her life. What does she do? She runs, of course.

This was told in a dual narrative, from Rachel in present day, and Casey (Rachel’s real name) back in 2000. The story had a lot of potential and I love a dual narrative, but I guessed who’d committed both murders quite early on and so it didn’t quite hit the ‘amazing’ mark for me.

A solid, easy reader 3.5 stars for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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I was grateful to receive a copy from Netgalley in return for a review.

This is the story of a woman who has tried to rebuild her life after being convicted, and pardoned, from a murder charge in her teens, just to be caught up again in another murder in her new life.

It’s an interesting story, one which would put me off ever letting my daughter go off to be a nanny in America! I enjoyed the story of this more than the current day story which got a bit confused at times. It’s a good thriller though, I certainly wanted to see what happened. It also satisfyingly closed up the loose ends.

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I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. As I got closer to the end I was able to guess what had actually happened so there was no major surprises for me but it was still a good book. Well written too.

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Plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading late into the night. Interesting characters and fantastic plot.

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Well, this was a wonderful surprise! I didn't know anything about this author before reading this book, but I couldn't read this quick enough and will certainly be searching for other books she has written.

This book is written in two different timelines and follows the stories of Casey, a 19 year old who moves to America to become a Nanny for a young Hollywood family, and Rachel, a woman living a quiet life in the Lake District. Casey finds herself on Death Row, accused of killing the family she has been working for and Rachel stumbles across a dead body on her morning dog walk. The author drops clues along the way and works towards bringing both stories together as well as solving both of the mysteries.

I felt a real empathy towards both Casey and Rachel, mainly them feeling that they are SO unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The other characters were also well written and this was the kind of book that I just wanted to stay up all night reading.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book and would give it 4.5 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

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I received a free copy from NetGalley. Accused of murder falsely twice? Past caught up with her? A good page turner to escape for a few hours.

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I love reading books told in multiple viewpoints and this does this but with a twist - the multiple viewpoints are from the same character but at different points in her life. It was well written and the plot was unravelled at the right pace with plenty of twists that kept me intrigued and wanting more right up until the satisfying end.

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This book held my interest from beginning to end. Sometimes I found myself holding my breathe until turned the page and read on. I loved the storyline, swopping between Rachel and Casey and the lies and truths. Each chapter closing in on the truth! A must read you will not want to put it down!

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Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When you get your hands and eyes in this kind of stories you enjoyed to the extreme.
This is the first book that I read of the author and didn´t disappointed. I really like the characters and how well it develops.
The authors gives voice to the same person at differents stages of her life and to me was very interesting. I think I never read somenthing like this before and I truly enjoyed reading from the beggining to the end.

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I've enjoyed all of Claire McGowan's books and this one is no exception. I Know You is fast-moving and chock full of suspense.

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This book bought back memories of Louise Woodward - a UK nanny charged with murder in the US. Rachel/Casey lives a quiet life in the Lake District working at an animal rescue centre,. Her life falls apart when she discovers a body whilst walking her dog. The story is told through two timelines- the present and 20 years previously. The truth of what happened to Casey is slowly revealed in the flashbacks- although I had a hunch as to what had happened it was still a bit of a shock at the end. Great read.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I really enjoyed this book and the characters within. It was very well written and a compelling premise following the characters across the storylines. Highly recommended!

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Edge of the seat suspense interspersed with quite a few too many very longwinded descriptions of random situations or locales that are not in any way connected to the development of the narrative. I usually like McGowans books, but found finishing this one to the end really tough going. Thank you Amazon Publishing UK / Mercer and NetGalley for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Cleverly written in past and present by Casey at nineteen years old, a nanny in America and her olderself "Rachel" now working in kennels in the Lake District. When Rachel is out walking her dog one morning she comes across a dead body in her local woods. Not knowing what to do she runs home without reporting it to anyone. The dead woman is her boyfriend's wife, soon to be divorced. The situation brings up issues from her past in Los Angeles when she was convicted of the murder of the family she worked for.
I actually really liked this book. it was a great did she/did'nt she? Claire McGowan is one of my favorite writers and never lets me down. Highly recommended.

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I read The Push before and absolutely loved it.
Rachel discovers a body in the woods and instead of reporting it or doing any other thing a normal person would do in such circumstances she simply ran and lied to the police.
Twenty years ago Rachel was accused of a horrible brutal family murder, miraculously escaping the death penalty and recreating her new life.
But someone is out there who know her and is determined to frame her and get her back to prison.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this mystery/thriller.

This was a quick and engaging read. I enjoyed it and have already recommended it to several others!

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Well this was a surprise. This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed it so much! The story is told in alternating chapters from the current murder to the past murders. It all kind of builds up to the climax when you find out everything that happened then and now. Although, you do have a pretty good idea what the results were going to be. After the climax, it does kind of immediately deep dive to the end of the book, which was really my only issue with the book. All together, it kept me turning pages late into the night, trying to figure it all out. I'd definitely recommend it.

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Did not finish this one. Not my writing style.
I got to page 100 and found that I was just not invested in the story

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I'm a big fan of Claire McGowan and I loved this book! It's definitely not a rip roaring fast paced thriller, it builds slowly and drip feeds you information. If that's not for you then maybe try something different.

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I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

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I could not put this book down! It took a while to get into but was so well-written that it tended to pull you in when you thought you were done reading for the night. Just when I thought I had guessed the ending, there was another twist. My first book of 2022 was a favorite!

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She does it again!

A delightful English thriller by Claire McGowan that does not disappoint!

In this book a woman, Rachel, finds herself accused of murder. Again. Told in dual timelines the author slowly peels back the layers of complex stories from the past and present. I’d recommend this book for any lover of thrillers.

I give this book 5 stars for plot and pacing, unfortunately only 3 stars for the ending. The books comes to a satisfying conclusion, but in this case I guessed a few of the twists.

Still, much enjoyed read. Many thanks to the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book.

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The main character, Rachel, has a past which emerges through the chapters going back and forth from the present to then. It's an interesting take on the idea of a nanny who is accused of murder. Personally I found it a bit boggy in the middle and was getting impatient waiting for the truth to out. When it did, it was a bit surprising but not quite as clever as I had expected. All of which sounds a rather damning review because actually it was good, it did keep me turning the pages, I cared enough to find out what had happened but the ending was a bit of a splat rather than a bang.

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Rachel is walking her dog when she sees a body, but she is not screaming, not calling the police, she is just returning home. Why? With the flashbacks, we find that Rachel is not Rachel, but Casey, a teenager, nanny, who was convicted for murdering the family she was sitting in America.
I did not like the ending, was it necessary to involve in the murder of young Carson, making him a murderer like Casey? This was not necessary, in my opinion.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

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This was one suspenseful, well-written thriller by Claire McGowan, it kept me glued to my Kindle until the end.
It starts with Rachel finding the body of her boyfriend's ex-wife's murdered in the woods and instead of calling the police she is running away. With that she became the prime suspect. But there is something else, there are two storylines that are connected with Rachel and both are connected with murders. The other one is about brutal murder that she was found guilty 20 years ago even she says she is innocent. It was a great ride to find out what happened back then and now. Is she really innocent or guilty you will have to find out yourself.
The plot and the characters are very well written and I recommend it for readers who like mysteries and psychological thrillers
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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There’s really not much to day about this one, but wow, wow, wow! Gripping from page one until the final page is turned! Written fantastically in a way that really grabs the reader! Character development is definitely superb, making you connect with the story that much more! Delicious, fun, and thrilling! Highly, highly recommend!

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What would you do if you came across a body in the woods on your daily morning dog walk, would you report it to the police or would you run from the scene and say nothing? Rachel choses the later because it’s not the first time that she has come across a dead body but in running has she made herself look even more guilty? An enjoyable read that flashes back and forth in time slowly unfolding what really happened in the past and who could be to blame for the current murder.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Well written, I read this one in under 24 hours. I really liked it. Told in dual timelines, the main character has found not one dead body but two. Is it horrible luck or is someone out to ‘get’ her. Read on and find out, you won’t be sorry.

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This book has a very complicated plot with a lot of characters who are very complex themselves. With the murder of his two friends when he was a boy, Cody has decided to do a true crime podcast, in hopes of discovering the identity of the killer. He does not believe that the man arrested for the crimes is the one who committed them, especially when another body is found near the site of the deaths of his friends. The main characters are a detective named Fletcher, a scuzzy guy who is like a godfather crime lord type named Felix and the mother of one of the dead boys, names Jess. There are multiple mysteries involved, including where Jess was the night Charlie was killed and why Cody wasn’t with his friends when they died. The plot was complicated enough that sometimes I had to put the book aside to think about it for a while or to do something else that was not so intense. I enjoyed the plot, but the twists were not always a welcome surprise. I didn’t feel that there was sufficient foreshadowing about the big surprise at the end and that the end was very abrupt. I enjoyed getting to know more about the characters and their mysterious lives, especially Jess. And, of course, there were the characters who were easy to dislike and distrust, like Felix. All in all, it was a good mystery with multiple red herrings. It is an entertaining and enjoyable read, but deeply disturbing at some of the choices of the characters.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

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Rachel stumbles upon a dead body in the woods near her home -- unfortunately, this isn't her first encounter with a dead body and last time she wound up accused of murder. Needless to say, Rachel runs away before being found at the scene. However, once the victim is identified as her boyfriend's estranged wife, Rachel is suspect #1. With evidence mounting against her, Rachel attempts her own investigation into finding the murderer. As she uncovers clues, she wonders if her discovering the body was a coincidence or if she's being framed for murder.

Told from the alternating perspectives and timelines, I Know You kept me up ALL night. The plot was clever, and Rachel's backstory was developed perfectly. It was one of my favorite books to end 2021!

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DNF @ 25%

I just couldn't get into this book and I just think it wasn't a good time for me to read it. After three attempts I am just going to put it down and watch for her next book.

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Claire is such a magical storyteller. She has such an amazing way of hooking you from the beginning and telling a compelling story. This one was a great thriller and I really enjoyed the storyline.

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Casey is a 19 year old from Watford who’s head was filled with starstruck dreams put their by her mother Jenna. So young and naive she heads off to Hollywood to nanny for a film producer and his actress wife. Unfortunately things don’t go quite to plan and Casey ends up on death row. 20 years later Rachel, who lives in a small village in the Lake District, is out walking her dog and comes across a dead body, but instead of calling the police she runs home and pretends nothing has happened right up until the police knock on her door and all her world begins to crumble.
Yet another incredible read by Claire McGowan. Her novels are masterful, cleverly written and thoroughly engaging and I can’t wait to read more.

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Hmm not really for me Im afraid, i can suspend a lot of disbelief but the plot that Rachel has found two dead bodies in her lifetime put me off from that point unfortunately and some of the plot twists were signposted too early on so weren't that much of a shock when you got there.
But thanks for the chance to read it

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This is a hugely enjoyable book, nicely twisty in places and it keeps the momentum going to the end. The main character is trying to live quietly in an English village, but her past catches up with her when her new lover's estranged wife is killed near her house and her scarf is found near thr body. At first it all seems like a horrible coincidence but she tries to investigate what has happened herself. I really enjoyed it and became involved in the story telling which moves from death row in an American prison to a small English village, moving between the years and the characters clearly and cleverly.

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Wow what a book! Fantastic!!! When Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods, she knows what she has to do: run. Get away. Do not be found at the scene. Last time, she didn’t know, and she ended up accused of murder. But when this victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife, Rachel realises she’s already the prime suspect.

With mounting evidence against her, Rachel’s only hope is to keep the truth about herself well hidden. Because twenty years ago she was someone else—Casey, a young nanny trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. When the family she worked for were brutally murdered, all the evidence pointed to her and she went to prison. Back then, she narrowly escaped the death penalty and managed to free herself on appeal. Now she’s fighting to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together.

But with her behaviour raising suspicion and the police closing in, Rachel can’t help wondering: Was her discovery in the woods really just an awful coincidence, or is someone framing her for murder? Someone who knows who she is, and wants revenge…
Gripped from the first chapter and flew through it in one sitting!

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I loved this book and the way it was written in the past and present day. I was hooked right from the beginning.

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An enjoyable twisty-turny thriller which kept me trying to out-guess the author. I failed! So many red herrings to send the reader the wrong way, but with a believable, if unexpected, solution at the end.

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Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I have read books by Claire before and this is another great one. I thought I had guessed three quarters of the way through who killed Anna and was thrilled to find out I was wrong! I loved the way the chapters went to the present and past with each leaving on a cliff hanger so that I had to keep reading to find out more. Definitely recommended.

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For the second time in her life (I mean, who gets that lucky?), Rachel comes across a dead body. Panicking, she makes a snap decision and decides to run away instead of reporting it. This is just the start of an investigation which seems to implicate Rachel even deeper. But with Rachel adamant she has nothing to do with the crime, could it be that someone is framing her for murder?⁣

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book because oh my word, it was absolutely amazing! This suspenseful page turner is the first I've read by this author. I'm excited to see she has a backlist of other titles, which I can't wait to dive into.

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This is a story about a woman who was previously released from deathrow but is now once again accused of murder. The story flips from present day to the prior murder, which i really enjoyed. She believes she is being framed AGAIN, but is she? No spoilers in this review. This was one of most predictable books I read but it still had me beyond engaged. I definitely got frustrated at this character for some of her decisions but I needed to know what happened next. The short chapters kept me coming back for more. Although I predicted the ending, the twists and turns still kept me interested and took me on a ride.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.

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Claire McGowan can write an entertaining and twisty plot.

I don't want to give spoilers, and I would not advise reading the blurb on book sites. This is best read cold, and you will find the twists and turns to be surprising, but not outlandish.

Trust McGowan, she is a force in the world of psychological suspense.

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This one is really good!

OK, one can be at scene of a murder once, get accused, then got out. But twice in their lifetime?
Something definitely smells fishy.

This clever concept offers many possibilities in who the guilty one/ones might be. After all, with such a set-up, one can not be too sure even about the narrator of the story, Rachel, who once was known as Casey, the British nanny slash murderer. Or is there someone out to get her? But who and for what reason?

The novel is well written and keeps the steam on until the last chapters and twists. The writing is clever, the psychological profile of the main character is strong and her situation comes off as believable (meaning that I would behave similarly, even similarly stupid :)).

In my opinion, the real murderer/s are not that interesting as the building of the atmosphere is (this is done superbly).
The last few chapters are not that interesting as well, but there is one lovely twist which brings the game up.

Having said all that, I have really enjoyed the novel. I find Ms McGowan being a quality authoress and her last one only cemented my high opinion of her.

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I haven't read a book that built tension this well in a long time! This book sent me on an emotional rollercoaster, the murders that take place in it are genuinely horrific but the circumstances around them are written so well. I had a few different guesses of what was going on and some panned out but none in quite the way I expected. Our protagonist was perfectly written to keep me hooked. While flashbacks are often jarring, in this one they just intrigued me even more. Really enjoyed it, best mystery I've read in a while.

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I Know You was one of those thrillers that had me second-guessing what, exactly, had happened and wondering what trick up the proverbial sleeve would be pulled out before the end. It is gripping, and while you know you’re not being told everything it’s not clear why this is until the very end.
Our main character is Rachel, a woman who stumbles across a dead body while walking her dog. Rather than call the police, she runs home and tries to ignore it. Suspicious? Certainly it seems so when we learn the body is that of her partner’s ex-wife. Less so when we learn that Rachel was, for five years, kept on Death Row for the murder of three of the family she acted as nanny to. She was cleared, but the fear of being accused of a crime you didn’t commit causes scars.
Of course, the details of each case are important. I found myself more intrigued by her past, and what led her to be in this situation.
From start to finish, the pace is quite relentless. I was never sure of the extent to which we could trust Rachel, and the way the book was resolved felt quite unlikely. However, it was a great escape read.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

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Recommended read! This is one you won't want to put down until you have finished it. Although you might feel it takes a little while to get into it at first, stick with it - the storyline goes between past and present, but it works well, I liked it. There are twists and turns throughout that keep your interest and guessing how things might turn out for Rachel. Good plot, scenes and storyline set well and interesting characters, will read other books by the same author. Thank you to NetGalley to read in return for an honest review.

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This is the story of Casey/Rachel and is told by her in two timelines, past and present. The book opens in the present with Rachel out walking her dog when she stumbles across a body and realises that it is the ex wife of her boyfriend. Instead of reporting it to the police she flees the scene. But it isn’t long before the police trace her and she becomes a suspect. Twenty five years earlier she was known as Casey and left England to work in the USA as a Nanny to a Hollywood couple with two young children. It soon turns into a nightmare when Casey is expected to work long hours and doesn’t get on with the mother. Then things turn worse when Casey discovers the bodies of the man, woman and older child. She soon finds herself accused of their murders and is sent to Death Row. Casey manages to win her appeal again the sentence and changes her name to Rachel and returns home to England. Now, twenty years later, she is accused again of murder. Is this a coincidence or is someone framing her for the murders, someone who wants revenge. This book has a interesting plot and is full of suspense and twists and turns. A little far fetched at time but still a recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

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The Mary Poppins killer.

Racy Casey.

Every true crime podcaster knows the story. The Hollywood Hills House of Horror, where a film producer, his beautiful actress wife and their cherubic 5-year old daughter were brutally murdered by the 19-year old British nanny. Everyone loves a good murder, especially when the perpetrator is young, beautiful, and scandalous.

Four years after her conviction, though, Racy Casey is released on appeal. Even more scandal, even more outrage. And she disappears from public view, refusing to even peek online to see the forums full of scathing discussion on how the Bitch Got Away With It.

Almost 20 years later, there's another murder. A body, found on a well traveled path in the woods. And this time, instead of calling 911, Casey - now Rachel - runs away.

If you're a lover of Thrillers like me, you get to the point where you see the killer coming before you've even really gotten into the plot. It becomes less about whodunnit, and more about the Whys. What was the motive? The method? The backstory?

About a quarter of a way in, I had a little twitch in the back of my brain. I already had my suspect nailed down, but I started thinking about another possible suspect. THEN I started thinking about a way to twist what I was thinking, and make it so. much. cooler.

But the odds of an author taking my twist idea and fulfilling it? Not usually a gift I'm given.

Claire McGowan, though. Claire McGowan and I would get along just fine, because she's got a brain for the twists I live for.

Utterly and completely enjoyable. Seemingly not unique until you dig into the real meat of the story. Taking the reader from the Hollywood hills to the British seaside, from a fancy mansion to the stark cold world of Death Row.

Absolutely brilliant.

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I was caught up from the start. The writing draws you in and keeps you ensnared. I felt the pacing set ths tone of the story and it gripped me.

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What are the chances of being involved in not just one murder but four? This is the question Rachel, formerly known as Casey, asks herself when she discovers a dead body in the wood on her daily walk and runs away, thus making herself a person of interest. As the story unfolds, told in two parts alternately, by Rachel in the present day and Casey, twenty years ago, when she was a naïve nineteen year old out to make it as a star in Hollywood, only to find herself embroiled in an extremely dysfunctional family as the maid of all work. Far from the glamorous life style she imagined. When tragedy strikes and the family is murdered Casey becomes the fall guy. Clair McGowan does a brilliant job in describing, as Casey, the terrifying reality of being accused of murder in a foreign country where the rules are very different, where dressing as a normal teenager and the slightest inconsistency in your story is seen as a sign of your guilt and death the ultimate punishment. Her descriptions of the court case and Casey’s years on death row are a very powerful incentive to abolish the death penalty.

It is because of this experience and trial by social media that Casey, upon eventually winning her appeal, returns to Britain and becomes Rachel. Her past is deeply buried and she is untraceable. Or is she? As the investigation into Anne’s murder unfolds Rachel becomes convinced that someone from her past has come seeking revenge. Based on her past experience she is determined that she has to help herself and attempts to turn detective thus putting herself in grave danger. Will she succeed in bringing Anne’s murderer to justice before she becomes the next victim? Is someone from her past involved in her present dilemma or is the answer much closer to home?

I have to admit to reading this book in a day. I love a good psychological thriller and this was a great psychological thriller.

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Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
This is only my second publication from Claire McGowan that I've read but like the first one this also grabbed me from the start and kept me hooked in all the way to the end.

Set in The Lakes (now) and twenty years ago in The States the main character finds a dead body in woods near to her home and doesn't report it to the police.

This leads to her being a suspect once the police find her scarf at the scene. The victim is identified and their is a relationship to her boyfriend. This is the start of things starting to spiral out of control for her as she is being set up to take the fall and this leads us to learn all about the events of her time in the States as a nineteen year old nanny to a family that were slaughtered in their house all those years ago.
Superb read, highly recommended.

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This is a captivating, engaging and gripping psychological thriller based on the main character, Rachel, accused of murder. In fear of adding spoilers to my review, I can't really say much more than that!

Well written over two timelines, it soon becomes apparent how the past is entwined into the present and takes the reader on a turbulent ride full of twists and turns. Character analysis is at the fore front of this read, and is highly recommended to those who like to do their own detective work as the story unfolds.

The one reason that this didn’t make a five star read for me is because there were some very unreliable and unrealistic moments for my own personal preferences. However, this didn’t take away any enjoyment and I would still read more by this author.

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Ooh, okay, that was crazy. While some parts are a little predictable or coincidental, this kept me second guessing my theories. It's fast-paced and interesting. The 19-year old nanny is age appropriately whiny and clueless. The older body-finding dog walker is annoyingly love smitten and, let's face it, not all that quick, but who doesn't know someone like that. This is my first book by this author and I'll definitely be interested in another. 4.5 stars.

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I love a good whodunnit as much as the next reader, but I found that this book was just taking too long to get through. I found myself skipping parts to find out what happened, which I rarely do. I wanted to love this book, but just didn't.

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I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This novel begins with a terrific premise. Rachel finds the body of a murder victim in the woods. Instead of calling the police, she runs! Why? This is not the first time she has found a body and the last time she spent years on death row before being exonerated. Who will believe her? Can this be happening again?

Unfortunately, the book does not live up to its promise. I found the story draggy with a lot of unnecessary introspection and second-guessing on Rachel’s part. The suspense could have been heightened if the story had moved more quickly.

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This wThis was a solid story but too many words and too long. The editor shoudl have known this. Would have def increased rating for me.as a solid story but too many words and too long. The editor should have known this. Would have def increased rating for me.

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I Know You by Claire McGowan is a taut and propulsive thriller from the word go. I love a shifting timeline, and I was fully invested in this twisty narrative throughout. Once again, Ms McGowan has hit one out of the park.

At the age of nineteen, Casey is an aspiring actress who moves to California from the UK, becoming a nanny for a family who are a challenge from the very start. When they are found brutally murdered, Casey becomes the prime suspect, and is dubbed The Mary Poppins Killer in the press. Never wavering in her proclamation of her innocence, Casey is eventually freed on appeal and returns to the UK, where she follows the online forums that continue to persecute her. Twenty years on, Casey, now Rachel, is walking in the park when she discovers a body, and her connection to the victim will once again cast aspersions on her capacity for evil.

This is a brilliant read that you will not want to miss. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC.

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A fast paced twist filled thriller about a British nanny found guilty of murdering the family in her care. Later, after exonerated on appeal, living a quiet life in the Lake District, she is once more implicated in another murder. An absorbing read.

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Clair McGowan's I Know You follows Casey a uoung british nanny, Exonerated of a previous murder, she is now accused of murder back in Britain, lots of games but fairly clear whodunit early on.. Obsessive friend helps, or does he, and it's a little scattered at times, but well written.

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Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read this arc and provide my honest feedback.

This isn’t the first I’ve read by this author and I’ve enjoyed all of hers so far and this is no exception. This may be my favorite by her. The story is engaging. I felt connected to the characters and the main characters plight. I still felt there was more that wasn’t being said while reading but was interested to keep going. This book was also hard to put down. A good book if you want to get engrossed in a story all day long. Overall I would recommend this book to others!

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This is one of the few books that I have read that have done the jumping timeline really well. It alternates between separate narrators, who are the same person, but at different times in their life. Bouncing from the current Murder investigation to her past experience in a similar situation, added to the suspense and built up your suspicions. I don’t think the book would have been as good without it.
I did find the story pretty repetitive and slow moving. I think the Casey parts were moving at the right pace, but the Rachel parts kind of dragged on. Also, some clues were too obvious. I pretty much guessed every twist and wasn’t shocked at all with the ending.
I did think the story was good, just predictable and slow.

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I haven't read a good double mystery in a while, and this novel did not disappoint.
Casey was accused killing the family she was nannying for and ended up getting acquitted through the Innocence Project. Fast forward to her new life as Rachel and she finds herself under the microscope again for killing her boyfriends' estranged wife. This was a well written tale going back and forth between Casey's life and Rachel's. Some plot twists were included although some plot elements were a little predictable. That did not take away from my enjoyment of the book and I finished it quickly.
Thankful for the ARC!

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This book begins with two stories, the first involves Rachel who finds a dead body while walking her dog in the English woods. The other is a flashback to America some twenty years earlier about an English nanny named Casey, working for a Hollywood producer and his family. We soon learn the connection, but for me it just didn't work. The characters didn't seem similar enough for it to make sense. I enjoyed the writing but some parts of the story just weren't believable or not enjoyable. There was not enough suspense to keep me wanting more, and I finished it so I could see if my prediction of the ending was correct. Overall, the book was fine but no wow moment. I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Claire McGowan for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Oh my word. Claire McGowan strikes again. What a book! It is dark, eery and completely thrilling. It is a nail-biter, an utter page-turner. Cannot recommend enough!

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Rachel stumbles across a body in the woods. She panicks and flees. It wasn't just any body though. It was her boyfriend's wife. She isn't just any suspect. Under another identity, years before, she was a nanny accused of the murders of the family she worked for. She was imprisoned; released on appeal. This story jumps between the dual timelines and dual identities of Rachel/ Casey, piecing together the events of both incidents.. Rachel is desperate to find put if it really is coincidence that she has stumbled upon another body and by whom? And is she really as innocent as she claims? A great drama that keeps you guessing. With thanks to Netgalley for this ebook. #IKnowYou #ClaireMcGowan #Netgalley

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This story had a cleverly crafted plot with a few surprises. My curiosity kept me turning the pages. A suspenseful read.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for th opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

In the present, Rachel is living a quiet life, working at an animal shelter and keeping to herself, she finally has a budding relationship with Alex, and things seem to be taking a turn for the best, until she takes her dog for a walk and stumbles across a dead body. Does Rachel do what any of us would do, call police and wait for their arrival; no, she runs in the opposite direction and pretends she saw nothing because this isn't the first time Rachel has come across a dead body. When the police show up at her door, she discovers, that the dead body, is in fact, her new boyfriend, Alex's almost ex spouse and that she is the prime suspect. Rachel knows how things can spiral out of control, because years ago, Rachel was known as Casey...

In the past, we follow young brit Casey, who, at her mother's urging, takes a job as a nanny in Hollywood, with hopes of making it big in the movies. The job is not what she thinks it will be and she finds herself exhausted and overworked, with a family who is very high maintenance. The father, distant, the mother, oblivious to everything but recapturing her fading stardom, the daughter, a spoiled yet ignored starlet and the baby, who she is solely responsible for. things only get worse, when all of a sudden, Casey and the baby come home from a walk to fnd the rest of the family dead and Casey as the survivor is tried and convicted of the crime.

Rachel wonders who could be setting her up, is it someone out to get her because of her past, but who even knows who she was. Rachel thought she did a good job of ridding herself of her past persona and making a new life fo herself. Is Rachel going to have to move and start over once more or will she be convicted again.

This author writes such great thrillers, she always has me on the edge of my seat trying to solve the crime ahead of the reveal. I cannot wait for her next book.

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I read this brilliant thriller with a knot in my stomach, how easily it can happen, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and unable to prove your innocence, everything you say and do being twisted to fit a false narrative, frankly terrifying!
Not only once, but twice! absolutely gripping and so so scary, I really enjoy this author's books, she writes so well and the plots are so well thought out and nothing is ever what it seems!
Superb thriller!

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My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a copy of “ I Know You “ for an honest review.

I’ve read ,and enjoyed, several of Claire Mc Gowan’s previous books and this , her latest ,definitely didn’t disappoint.
The story is told from two timelines by Casey/ Rachel and was suspenseful and gripping . Even though I had a good idea from early on what had happened , I still thoroughly enjoyed the way the story panned out.
Well written characters and well paced I heartedly recommend this.

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I liked the dual timelines of Casey a 19 year old nanny who finds herself in an impossible situation and Rachel the 39 year old who stumbles upon a body while walking her dog and doesn’t report it. The reasons become clear and we learn more about Casey and Rachel’s lives. This is a well written engaging drama which made me think about what I would do in these situations.

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I liked the book related in two timelapse. Rachel finds a body in the woods and instead of calling the police she runs, but she does not know it is a mistake she will pay for. The motives of his actions in the presents are conditioned by her past when she was a nanny in USA and was called Casie.

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Enjoyable, but unfortunately also very predictable. I was able to figure out who the villain of the first murder was as soon as the character was presented because it was very obvious. There was zero tension around the present day mystery .

Most of I Know You was dedicated to the decades old crime, which forever impacted our protagonist’s life. At 19, she worked as a nanny for a very unhappy family. One day she was out for a walk with the baby, and returned to find everyone murdered. She was accused of the crime based on circumstantial evidence and vilified in the press. The book takes you from when she first arrives in LA (although it feels more like Las Vegas than LA) up through her stay in prison, and the appeal of a group similar to the Innocence Project.

While the book was enjoyable, parts of it really dragged on. So much was devoted to the “before” that the present day mystery was woefully neglected. There were never any plausible suspects except one, and it was hard to care too much how it turned out because it always seemed like an afterthought to the back story. This really would have benefited from more editing and revising.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Claire McGowan’s I Know You. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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“ People hide deep pockets of secrecy, of darkness and we don’t like to admit it.” Rachel had many secrets she has hidden. When she stumbles across a dead body, she fears her secrets will be revealed. Rachel has a dark past that is dangerously close. Will the past repeat itself, leaving Rachel’s life in shambles, or will she finally have the fresh start she desperately wants? This book hooked me from the first sentence. This character driven thriller made me care for Rachel and had me asking, “What would I do?” Wrongfully accused, finding a dead body, needless to say she had a lot on her plate and I was captivated as her story unfolded.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my copy.

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Scary with great characters and you never know, from one minute to the text, where this exciting story will take you. I cant wait for the next one from this outstanding author!

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Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for an electronic ARC.

Dog walkers have a terrible time of it when it comes to crime fiction, don't they?
On this occasion, middle aged dog sanctuary volunteer Rachel flees from the sight of a dead body in her local woods. It quickly transpires that this isn't the first time she's discovered the scene of a murder. It's rapidly clear that she will be the prime suspect for this murder too.
The story is told from the perspective of Rachel, as the police and her parallel investigations unfold, and her younger self Casey. That aspect is very interesting, contrasting the battle-scarred, but still oddly clueless Rachel with the naive-to-the-point-of-irritating Casey. However the same thing that makes it interesting also leads to a lot of repetition and some disingenuous withholding of information from the reader.
Many readers, I suspect, won't be too surprised by the ending of either story arc.

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This one opens with action right away, which is always a good thing: Rachel, out in the woods with her dog and ruminating about her life and new lover Alex, stumbles across a body on her usual walking route. But rather than simply call the police, she does something that seems counterintuitive; she runs home and attempts to get on with her day as though nothing happened. In fact, even when the body is later discovered by someone else and the police come calling to see whether she saw anything on her walk, Rachel maintains---at first----that she didn't see it. This is the first clue we have that she has something to hide. And I'll admit, it was definitely a secret worth hiding, and one that explains completely why Rachel would not have called the police in the first place.

Rachel, you see, used to be called Casey. When she was a 19-year-old nanny, working for a Hollywood-adjacent couple in L.A., she went to America looking to, as her mother put it, "make her fortune" in the film industry. Except what she got instead were long, hot days working for a dysfunctional couple, taking care of their two kids---an 8-month-old and a bratty, difficult five-year-old child actress. Just when Casey begins to think her biggest problems will be the coldness and cruelty of the woman of the house, and the almost too warm attention of the man of the house, the entire family, except for the baby is killed and she is charged with the crime. After an appeal however, Casey is released, returns to the UK and changes her name. Pretty good reason not to immediately raise your hand and say you found a body.

The best part of this read for me was the parallel timelines---one in the past with Casey, the other in the present with Rachel, dealing with this new horror. For me, that was the single most interesting element of this book. The character development of the couple Casey worked for was stellar, even though Casey herself seemed less interesting. The book faltered somewhat with the mystery that was taking place in the present. The murder mystery was not in fact much of a mystery. If you read this genre, you'll guess who did it within a few chapters and every attempt at misdirection will fall spectacularly flat. What also fell flat was Rachel's very belated realization of the culprit. So much so, that I think the plot of the present-day story could have been dispensed with altogether in favor of a very interesting single narrative thread following Casey from starry-eyed nanny and wannabe actress to murder suspect.

One other thing that bothered me a little about this book was a tiny, perhaps wonky detail. Casey kept saying she was "exonerated" when her conviction was overturned on appeal. That is not the same thing. Far from it. It made me think the author did very shallow research on the American legal system. It would have been forgivable if it had been mentioned only once, and if there was very little detail in general about the legal process that led Casey to being imprisoned. But if you're going to include great detail, as was the case here, I think you should make sure you get it right.

All things considered, an entertaining, light mystery-suspense read. I wouldn't rush to recommend it, necessarily, but it kept me listening and turning the pages.

AUDIOBOOK NOTE: Didn't love this narrator. Her voice took on a whiny, petulant quality at times that made Casey/Rachel exasperating at times. And her male voices were sometimes ... not so great.

My rating: ⭑⭑⭑

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Claire McGowan is an author who’s books I devour as quick as possible and this one was know different. I Know You had great twists and I loved the mystery in this one and I will continue to read everything I can by her.

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What would you do if you stumbled upon a body in the woods? What if it wasn’t your first?

Rachel tried to lead an ordinary life but circumstances won’t allow for that. She finds a body in the woods behind her house and feels she has to figure who and why it’s there. She knows she’s going to be the prime suspect.

Follow Rachel and figure out who is trying to sabotage her life. Or is it all in her head and this was a random body dump that just happens to be begging her house on her well worth running path?

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Haven't we learned that we don't walk in the woods alone? Bad things happen! Another creeepy page turner by Claire McGowan! Enjoyed this one!

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𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀:

Rachel lives a quiet life in the countryside with her perfect man and their lovely dog. Until she stumbles upon a dead body in the woods. It's not the first time this has happened. She knows what she has to do - run. Don't get accused of murder. But the victim is identified as her boyfriend’s estranged wife and Rachel realizes she’s already the prime suspect. Rachel needs to keep her past well hidden. Because before she was Rachel, she was Casey, a young nanny in LA—and when the family she worked for were brutally murdered, she narrowly escaped the death penalty. Now, she’ll do anything to save the life she’s spent years piecing back together.

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:

This is the first of McGowan’s books I’ve read and I was pleasantly surprised! With compelling characters, dual narrative and a terrifying accusation, this book was full of suspense. The chapters alternate between Casey’s narrative in the past and Rachel’s in the present day [Rachel being the new identity Casey goes by]. The double narrative works so well for this plot, providing multiple angles with information revealed piece by piece, as we essentially follow two ongoing mysteries— who killed Anna and what happened at the Safran home twenty years ago?

This gave me TURN OF THE KEY vibes and I really enjoyed the nanny aspect of the plot, having been an au pair abroad myself! Thankfully I worked for an incredible family whom I adored and was made to feel like part of their home, however I could definitely imagine Casey’s anxiety at doing the wrong thing under parent’s watchful eyes, as-well as on the other hand, feel her attachment and love for the kids she looked after.

I loved the twists and turns in this and I think Casey/Rachel was an engaging and well thought out character, and although I found Casey’s chapters more exciting, both POV’s were engaging and kept me gripped. The plot was unique and absolutely unfathomable to imagine— being accused of a murder you didn’t commit with so much past history against you and questionable motives? The acute fear and desperation felt so real through McGowan’s skilled writing. Highly recommend picking this up if you enjoy a dual timeline plot with plenty of twists and a lot of family drama thrown in.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Claire McGowan for an advanced digital copy of this book in return for my honest thoughts.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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I Know You is full of tension, lies, secrets, love and justice. Casey is a nanny in America who comes home and finds the family she works for are dead...now, she's just stumbled across a dead body...again.

I liked the character progression and the parallels the book draws between the two timelines. I really did feel in the thick of it.

I thought the ending was too neat though - for me it didn't seem 'realistic' enough but I still enjoyed it and would read more by the author.

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This is a thriller and a half! Tense and gripping this will have you heart beating out of your chest! I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting! Such a great book and id definitely recommend, be warned, it will keep you up at night!

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A very good thriller! My attention was grabbed right from the start and was not lost the whole way through. I loved the dual timeline, it's a fantastic tension building tool and was used very well. I can't wait to read more of Claire's work!

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Great read, well written. Certainly made me think. Loved the twists and turns. Would definitely recommend this book.

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I really enjoyed the timeline switch in this book. Even though it was predictable I still loved it. Rachel is the main character so its her we mainly hear from. The ending was superb.

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Remind me to never become a dog walker! They always get the short end of the stick when it comes to thrillers. With that said, this was a great read. It was quick-paced and had me on the edge of my seat often. Claire McGowan has always been a very talented writer. I'll post a full review on my blog soon!

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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Loved the premise of this, wrong time wrong place theme, really different from what I've read recently, admittedly a tad predictable at times but also some great gripping parts and good twists. Would read more by this author!

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You never expect to stumble upon a dead body, but can you imagine it happening to you twice in your life?

This psychological thriller is amazing - intense, page-turning, fantastic. I loved the characters, I loved the time hop back and forth between past and present. One fairly large plot hole I was even able to disregard because I was enjoying the book so much. The dialogue is great and the characters are really well written. I didn't know who to trust or believe until the very end.

Fans of an unreliable narrator will really love this book! I did dock it one star because of all the anti-American rhetoric. I understand this author is British but at least a dozen times she knocks America or Americans and I can't understand why. I assume with an American publisher the author realizes that this book will be marketed and sold in the US. Not everyone wants to hear how awful Americans/America is.

Special thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm not sure how I missed this twisty thriller when it first published, but I loved it and read it through in a couple of days. I really liked the main character, Casey/Rachel, and appreciated how she was trying to put her past behind her. With lots of suspects and surprises, I liked how it all wrapped up and will definitely look for more by this author! I think this would make an awesome movie or mini series on Netflix or Hulu.

Thank you for my review galley!

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Interesting characters with enough intrigue to keep you guessing as the secrets unravel; some pieces are a bit coincidental, but an enjoyable summer read for fans of the genre.

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‘I know you’ has got to be one of the most frustrating thrillers I have read in a long time because I constantly wanted to shake Rachel for making so many bad decisions! I do love a thriller when I’m not a huge fan of the MC because that’s usually a sign I’ll be hooked and I was.
Rachel finds a body in the woods but can’t report it because she has her own secrets, but trouble follows her when the victim is identified as her boyfriend’s ex. Then her past really comes back to haunt her because her real identity is revealed making her the prime murder suspect.
I loved the two stories being told alongside one another because the reader gets steady snippets of Rachel’s past and present so the truth comes out slowly and definitely keeps you guessing. McGowan has constructed an addictive and compelling mystery that I enjoyed immensely.

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19 year old Casey left the UK to chase her dreams in hollywood but ends up on death row after the utterly dysfunctional family she is nannying for are killed and she takes the blame. When she is acquitted four years later she moves back to the UK and changes hername to stay out of the spotlight,

When Rachel finds the body of her boyfriends' ex wife 20 years later she goes home and puts the kettle on....

This is a story of motives and arm chair detectives, it scrutinises social media and the death penalty and is a highly disturbing domestic noir that will have you guessing until the end

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A multi-layered mystery in two intriguing settings - a hot desert home in LA, and a small town lake-side town in the UK. Well-paced, I Know You is a who-dun-it with enough clues to keep you guessing (and enjoying the ride) from start to finish.

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This was a very well done and well rounded novel. I really enjoyed the characters and the development of the plot throughout.

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I Know You is a breathtaking and twisty read which like all Claire McGowan's books keeps you on your toes. It's a book that draws you in from the first page and keeps you hooked with each twist and turn of the plot.

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This was the most thrilling book I've read all summer, and I've already recommended it numerous times. WHAT A STORY. Claire McGowan tells an epic tale, and I'm ready to read some more.

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I read I Know You by Claire McGowan late last year. Even now, at least six month later, I still remember how brilliant I found this book.

The twists and turns within this book always keep you on the edge of your seat and I found myself completely in the dark and unable to predict any of the reveals. I think the way the author allowed the reader to almost get inside Rachel's head was incredibly interesting and throughout the book I just kept thinking how terribly I would cope should the same situation have happened to me. This technique made me really warm to Rachel as a character and I rooted for her the whole way through. Furthermore, I think the use of flashbacks from past to present also really enhances the story and allows the readers to understand more fully Rachel's current state of mind as well as helps us to relate to her more.

Overall, I rated this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars as I found it to be a really entertaining, fast-paced story which, honestly, I couldn't put down!! Would highly recommend to murder mystery lovers who enjoy a strong female protagonist.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

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Rachel is accused of committing the murder of a local woman - Anna - whose body she comes across one morning in the woods but leaves untouched fleeing the scene in fright. However, this is not the first time that a murder accusation has been thrown her way as she has previously been exonerated from death row for a crime which she claims she did not commit when she was 19 years old. A twisty, turns, who-summit that leaves you guessing and wanting to just read on and on. Loved it!

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3.5 stars

I know that authors want readers to guess ‘whodunnit’ but sometimes I feel they make it too easy. This one was extremely obvious to me after just a few chapters, but McGowan’s writing is enjoyable enough for this to not affect my review too much.

The concept - a death row inmate exonerated but then accused of murder yet again - was excellent. McGowan really captured the emotions of Casey / Rachel and how she was feeling throughout the ordeals.

Characters are well written and despicable - the only ones you empathise with are the three children. Casey is more likeable when you consider she was just a naïve teenager with a vivid imagination and an overbearing mother.

It’s an interesting insight into two justice systems, trial by media and the public obsession with cold cases and murderers. The harsh reality of prison and death row contrasts sharply with Joe Public sat on their sofa absorbing horrific murder stories. Morbid fascination is rife!

Overall, it’s a good story and I read it in just two hours. Perhaps I too am guilty of a bizarre interest in murder, as I read a lot of crime novels and am now able to spot the perpetrators / their motives early.

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Loved it, really good fast paced thriller full of twists and turns and had me racing through it to get to the end!! Will look out for more from the author…

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Claire McGowan is one of my favorites, particularly for all the twists and turns that go into her novels. I found this book to be really good, and a page turner. I was eager to see how the story was going to end and I was definitely surprised!

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'I Know You' by Claire McGowan is a gripping thriller which I found difficult to put down (unfortunately I had to sleep at some points!). Rachel is on her morning dog walk when she stumbles across a body... What would you do? Call the police or run away? Rachel chooses the latter, panicking and running as this is not the first time she has found a dead body and suffered the consequences. As a teenager, Rachel, then known as Casey, was a nanny for a wealthy family in the US. After the family were slaughtered, Rachel found herself not only accused of murder but on death row. And now she is being falsely accused of murder once again and determined to clear her name.

The two storylines are presented in parallel and move at a gripping pace, interspersed with journalists and podcast footage covering Racy Casey and the Mary Poppins murders. The section of the book where Casey is on death row is particularly affecting and disturbing in its no holds barred approach to portraying what life is like for these incarcerated women.

Overall, although I guessed every twist ahead of time, I really enjoyed Rachel/ Casey's story and think Claire McGowan's has written a great thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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What a brilliant and engaging thriller this was. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it had me hooked all the way through. Loved the storyline and how it unfolded. I had guessed the ending but that didn't change the fact that its a brilliant read.

Another fantastic book to add to all the others from Claire McGowan.

Highly recommended and well deserves the 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley.

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This was my second book by this author and it definitely won’t be the last! Her writing had me hooked from the very beginning. I love dual timelines so this one was right up my alley.

Rachel stumbles upon a body in the woods while walking her dog and makes the quick decision to run and not tell anyone about it. Why? Because last time she came upon a dead body, she landed on death row.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Claire is one of my go to authors! This was Another great and twisty read - it's a real page turner and I couldn't put it down. I loved the main character and the different time sections were a great way of telling the story. I loved the way the story alternates between Rachel and caseys pov.

Another brilliant read! Claire never disappoints x

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Lightening doesn’t strike twice is the old saying. Unless you’re Rachel Caldwell, that is. Rachel is a volunteer at a dog shelter and finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of her boyfriend’s ex-wife. As if that’s not bad enough, Rachel has been through something similar before, in what seems like another life, when she was another person with another name (Casey). She was found guilty of the murder of 3 members of the family whose children she has been nannying for in the US. It can’t be happening again can’t it? She’s back in the UK and thought her past was well hidden.

The storyline alternates between Rachel’s present (in 2019) and Casey’s experience (in 2000). The reader gets a sense of a young Casey and her motivations for travelling to the US, totally unprepared for the task of caring for two young children, and we learn of the dysfunctional family she has found herself in the midst of. There’s also a sense of the grown Casey (Rachel) with trust issues, isolated but largely seeking solitude. There’s her motivation in not accepting how things seem to be playing out, and her need to do something proactive about it. There’s a sense though there’s more, that Casey is hiding something, and one of the reveals for mind was a little predictable (though I could live with it as it didn’t explain everything which is what I feared would happen).

A naive girl, wrongly convicted or a crazed killer who got away with murdering a family? A woman in the wrong place at the wrong time or an evil woman ridding herself of the competition for her boyfriends affections?

Good pacing for the most part, multiple possibilities for the ‘bad guy’ including our MC which will likely keep people guessing until the end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy of this book.

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My first read from Claire McGowan certainly did not disappoint. This was fast paced and full of red herrings that threw me off. I really liked the main character, Rachel's, resilience and determination in rebuilding her life, saving the children she cared for, and finding the truth. Although there were many suspicions thrown in, I wasn't surprised by the ending and had an inkling that the twist was coming. This is the only reason I wouldn't give this 5 stars - it was a tad predictable and overdone. Its always the husband, right? Or is it? I guess that's for the readers to find out. Overall I thought this was an interesting thriller that held my attention but didn't have a mind blowing ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I Know You, Claire McGowan's follow up to The Push, is a twisty, domestic suspense novel featuring alternating timelines. In the present-day Lake District Rachel leads a quiet life, volunteering at an animal shelter and enjoying a new relationship with handsome Alex. Things take a turn when Rachel discovers a dead body on her daily walk with Brandy, her rescue beagle, and sends Rachel spiraling as she relives what happened 20 years ago. In an alternating timeline, readers are taken to Casey's perspective in 2000. Casey, a nanny from the UK in Hollywood, is witness to the horrific murder of the family she lives with. Convicted and sentenced to death row on mostly circumstantial evidence, readers know early on she was exonerated and began her new life as Rachel. Shocked and in disbelief to stumble across a dead body in the woods, who happens to be Alex's ex-wife, Rachel is quickly caught up in the investigation and the nightmare from 20 years ago is happening again. Rachel knows she's innocent but how could this happen again? Through twists, turns and piecing together what happened 20 years ago readers will find the answer to that question and more.

Overall, this is a 3.5 star read. Parts, as other reviews mentioned, are repetitive and slower however the storyline and twists are enjoyable and McGowan's readers will enjoy this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

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The idea for this book was really fabulous and the way it was written made it easy to read despite the constant jumps between times. Unfortunately, I found everything very predictable and as a result didn't enjoy it as much as I should have.

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This was fine. Not bad, not good. I kind of wished the timelines has been more connected. I liked Rachel’s character for the most part.

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Dual timelines aren't usually my thing but I have to admit, I did enjoy this one.
Personally found it a little slow at times, however for the most part, I enjoyed it and I would recommend to others.

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An ok read, not my favourite by this author.
The dual timelines made for an interesting but slightly disconnected read. Not for me on this occasion.

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Shifts from past to present throughout. Rachel finds a dead body while taking her beagle on a morning walk and panics. She doesn't report it. This is not Rachel’s first time dealing with a murder. She has been in this position once before. A twisty read that keeps you thinking. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

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