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.

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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!

(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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

#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.

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

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.

✨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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.