"I Witness" is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller with great characters and an addictive, page-turning quality that I love in a book.

This is the first book by this author, and wow, what a debut! I just love the way the stories are woven into each other, from different perspectives, and just as soon as you think you have the killer figured out.... whoops, no you don't! Recommended.

This was a really great read, especially for a debut author. I look forward to reading her next book which will hopefully be soon!

Great storyline with good strong characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I, Witness is a gripping psychological mystery thriller with a great premise.

The story starts with an intriguing and disturbing prologue and continues with increasingly thrilling chapters told from multiple viewpoints. The book is compelling from the start but I particularly raced through the last 50% in one sitting.

I loved Madison: grumpy, sweary, damaged, rock-loving Madison Attalee, who has her own mysterious background and does not suffer fools gladly. Kate is a sympathetic character and all the narrators (not wanting to spoil who those are) bring something to the plot. There are some interesting and clever parallels drawn between some of our main protagonists.

Niki Mackay has written a really well-plotted story; it is dramatic and emotional; it is dark and twisted and chilling. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good, complex psychological thriller to really get their teeth into and I look forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the copy of I, Witness and to Tracy Fenton for my spot on the Blog Tour.

Six years ago, Kate Reynolds was sent to prison for the murder of her best friend, Naomi. Despite pleading guilty, Kate says she’s innocent. She returns to her home town, the scene of the crime, and enlists the help of private investigator, Madison Attalee, to find out what really happened that night.

Boy, oh boy, I do so enjoy stories involving dysfunctional families and this one really takes the cake. With family secrets galore and skeletons in various closets, I quickly found myself caught up in a web of deceit and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for a number of characters and all the things they went through.

I took to Madison Attalee right away. Recently divorced and having lost custody of her daughter, everything is pretty much a struggle. But despite the immense load of baggage she’s carrying around on her shoulders, she’s quite a no-nonsense character with a potty mouth, who made me chuckle quite a bit with her self-depricating and dry sense of humour.

The theme of motherhood and bad parenting is woven throughout the story. I sometimes found myself getting increasingly frustrated with some of the characters’ behaviour concerning their children. Ah, the longstanding nature versus nurture debate. That’ll never get old.

"I don’t believe in evil people as such. I don’t think it’s born, which means it must be created."

There were quite a few perspectives in this story and part of me feels maybe things would have benefited a bit more from having a few less. That is not to say it wasn’t executed well or broke the flow in any way. It’s more of a personal preference. Nevertheless, all these chapters give an incredible insight into how pretty much everyone is affected by the choices that were made in the past.

I, Witness is incredibly suspenseful and intriguing. The chilling prologue pulled me in right away. It took me a while to figure out how to fit the pieces of the puzzle together but it all led to the most satisfying conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this first instalment in the Madison Attalee series and I can’t wait to see what kind of case will land in her lap next.

OMG. If you want to a book to make you sit on the edge of your seat feeling slightly anxious then this is it! Kate was found with her hands on the body of her friend Naomi and a knife close by. She later confessed but all the while said “it was the wrong person- it looked like her but it wasn’t”. She was found by Madison who was in the police force and who is now a PI. Having served her sentence Kate arrives on Madison’s doorstep asking her to look at things as she now believes that she was an innocent party. Having moved back to the area of the crime, Kate is not only a well known figure but one not wanted in those parts, most of all by Naomi's mother who now hates her for killing her daughter. Kate’s family have their own issues. Her father hasn’t spoken to her since the trial but is happy to fund her, her sister suffers mental issues and is in and out of hospitals and her brother , now married, although he wrote to her never visited Kate in the six years she was inside. Madison has her own issues which starts the book off. She sees her daughter under supervision. Why we don’t find out until much later in the book. There is something about this which draws you in and keeps you there. A plot and a subplot, enough to keep your brain ticking over nicely without too much stress but enough to keep focused. I wanted to like Madison but had that feeling that she was hiding something. Kate, I felt for. Coming out of prison to a dysfunctional family who had shunned her and wanted her at arm’s length whilst keeping an eye on her at the same time. Reading this made me slightly anxious, wanting to read that little bit faster to find out who and why. Brilliantly written to captivate the reader and keep you there inveigled in the plot as if it was personal. One stunning read.

I am so happy that this is the first book in a series, because I really enjoyed it and I am already looking forward to the next book.

Four women are the protagonists of this novel. Four women emotionally damaged with their secrets, their guilt, and their fears. But they are also strong, not afraid to stand up for themselves and the people they love, and I liked them all very much.

The first woman is Kate Reynolds. She just got out of prison after serving a six-year sentence for killing her best friend, Naomi Andrews. At the time, she had pleaded guilty, but now she is not so sure that she was the killer. Kate comes from a family with a history of mental illness. Her mother died when she was little and, growing up, she was often left alone. When reading from her point of view, she comes out as a good person, even if she may have killed her best friend. But I thought also that Kate was an unreliable character (I do love an unreliable character in thrillers). The night of Naomi’s murder, Kate was drunk and on drugs, so her memories were hazy and for half of the book I didn’t know whether to believe her or not.

Madison Attalee was one of first agents on the scene at Naomi’s murder. After being forced out of the police, she is now working as a PI, and Kate asks her to reinvestigate the murder. Madison accepts because she was never completely convinced that Kate was guilty. The series is based on Madison who I really liked because she is the character who feels more real. She is a complex character, flawed, and she has her own personal guilt to face and her troubled past to deal with (which I am not going to give away).

Kate’s family shut her out after she went to prison. Her father and her sister refused to talk to her or to visit her, while her brother Marcus just sent a letter every month. Now that she is out, Kate hopes to start fresh with her family, but the only one who seems to welcome her is her sister-in-law, Claudia. Although my favorite character is Madison, I found Claudia quite interesting. She thought she had the perfect husband with their perfect house and their perfect daughter, but she quickly learns that perfection comes to a price. She is stronger and smarter than she looks and she is like a lioness when it comes to protect her daughter.

Anthea Andrews’s life revolved around her daughter Naomi. She was her miracle baby, coming late in life, after years of trying. Her love for Naomi made her blind to her daughter’s true character and her death completely destroyed Anthea so, when Kate comes out of prison, her grief quickly becomes a desire of revenge towards the girl who took away her daughter, transforming Anthea in a very dangerous woman.

This is a dark suspense thriller full of twists that will make you gasp in surprise. The author explores themes that, unfortunately, are very common now, from dysfunctional families and mental illness to adultery, from domestic violence and abuse to alcoholism and, although there will be moments that will make you cringe, there are no gruesome details as the author focuses mostly on the feelings of the characters.

I liked the use of multiple points of view that change every chapter as it helps to build the tension which is always high. All in all, I, WITNESS is a haunting, gripping, and very well-written novel, and I’d like to thank Tracy Fenton and Orion for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of the book.

Niki Mackay has penned a thrilling psychological thriller that I just could not put down. Set in Kingston Upon Thames, the core of this novel is inhabited by the most dysfunctional of families and flawed characters. At 18 years old, the notorious Kate Reynolds was found holding the stabbed and bloody body of her best friend, Naomi Andrews, at a party. She was drunk and drugged up to her eyeballs, completely out of it, and damning diary entries in which she poured out her hatred of Naomi, along with her confession of guilt had her serving a six year prison sentence for manslaughter. Now released, she has returned to Kingston where she is shunned by her family who completely disowned her, and not wanted by a local community, that includes Anthea, the traumatised and still griefstricken mother of Naomi. Kate is not clear what happened that night, her memories are hazy at best and she thinks there is a possibility that she might be innocent, and hires disgraced ex-cop Madison Attallee, now a PI, to look into her case.

Madison's investigation of the night stirs a veritable hornet's nest as a host of characters do anything to prevent the truth coming out. Kate is fragile and vulnerable, and the obstacles she encounters, including hostile media coverage, has her clinging to her long term therapist, Dean, who goes out of his way to support her. Kate's sister, Martha, is in a psychiatric facility having suffered from long term mental health issues. Her volatile brother, Marcus, is now in an apparently picture perfect marriage with Claudia, who bears an uncanny resemblance to their mother, Ruth, who committed suicide. Her father, James refuses to see Kate, as does her much older ex-boyfriend, Oliver, who cheated on her with Naomi. Madison has good reason to remember Kate, it was her first encounter with murder as a police officer, as she begins to dig, it soon becomes apparent that Naomi whilst popular, was spoilt, arrogant, manipulative and hated by so many. The original police investigation emerges to be far from satisfactory, not following up other persons of interest to the case. Madison's search for the truth uncovers dark murky secrets, lies and deception, where nothing is as at seems.

This is an impressive beginning in what promises to be a stellar series. Madison is an emotionally damaged woman with a disturbing childhood and an unstable, unreliable mother. She is now divorced from her husband, Rob, who has custody of their daughter, Molly. For obvious reasons, Madison struggled to be a wife and mother, avoiding developing a relationship with Molly. Her past drinking problems ensured that her contact with Molly is extremely limited, but she is turning her life around so that she can begin to connect with Molly, but she really needs those cigarettes. Mackay gives us characters that are gripping, and impressive plotting that had me desperately turning the pages to get to the bottom of this twisted mystery. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Orion for an ARC

My kind of book, fast paced, great storyline, fantastic characters, complete page turner, brilliant!

good read but I felt it ran out of steam s bit. Not sure if the PI in it is the start of a series of books about her but it felt like it.
I liked the characters and felt that they were generally believable but felt the ending was rushed. I’d recommend it but not as heartily as others I’ve read recently.

Well written, original storyline with well drawn characters.

The book drew me in from the start and I hurtled through it at breakneck speed.

Thoughtful and compelling, this was a thriller well above the average.

I adored this book from the minute I started reading it. For some unknown and inexplicable reason I am particularly drawn to emotionally damaged female characters with a dry sense of humour and a self-depreciating narrative and Madison Attalee certainly ticks those boxes. An ex police officer who left the force before she was sacked and now runs a small private detective agency with a limited client base and dwindling funds.

This story is told through alternating characters and personally I found each chapter absolutely gripping. With 4 main characters narrating the story we also meet Kate Reynolds, the young woman released from prison after serving 6 years for the murder of her best friend and now determined to seek the truth and find out who did kill Naomi employs Madison Attalee to help her. Claudia Reynolds, the sister in law of Kate also narrates her story and Anthea Andrews, the mother of the murder victim tells us her version of events.

If you enjoy your books with dysfunctional families, clever twists, fast paced and gripping chapters, fascinating characters and an original and brilliant female Private Investigator – then pick up this book next

I loved this one! I read it in one go and was captivated from beginning to end.
The book is written with 4 different point of views and each one of them feels so realistic. I specifically really like Madison as a character, I really hope we will get to read more about her.

If you like a good thriller with very well developed characters, this is the book for you!

Bit far fetched and didn't overly engage me. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I, Witness is an intriguing start to a new series by Niki Mackay featuring, former police detective, now turned private investigator, Madison Attallee. Niki's writing certainly has that addictive quality to it; the plot, the characters and the mysteries in their lives kept me turning the pages, I really enjoyed reading this one.

Having recently set up her own private detective agency after leaving the metropolitan police, Madison is shocked when (recently released from prison), Kate Reynolds, seeks her help to prove her innocence. Six years earlier, Kate was charged with manslaughter after killing her friend, but Kate doesn’t believe she was responsible for her friend’s death. Madison is sceptical about taking on the case and of what she will be able to achieve for Kate, but her interest is certainly piqued. And as Madison begins to look again at the investigation, startling revelations begin to emerge which could shine a whole new light on the case and which could prove Kate's innocence.

I haven’t read many books which feature private investigators, and for me, this is what made this book feel fresh. As well as hearing from Madison’s voice, we also hear from three other characters: Kate Reynolds, Claudia Reynolds (Kate’s sister-in-law) and Anthea Andrews, the mother of Kate’s friend who was killed. From the moment Kate asks for Madison’s help, I became completely invested in the mystery and in Kate's search for answers, I was rooting for her to find them. But why would Kate suddenly think she was innocent, when six years ago she pleaded guilty? This was the main question which drove the plot forward.

An interesting spin which Niki put on Madison’s character was that she had been involved in the original enquiry that lead to Kate’s arrest. Most private investigators don’t have a personal connection to the case, and often they are employed to lend fresh eyes; it did make me wonder why Kate had chosen an officer who she would have previously had dealings with and who may not be very sympathetic towards her. I really liked the relationship that Madison has with one of her former colleagues and I hope that this is explored further as the series progresses.

This was a really enjoyable read with some exciting twists and turns which take you into slippery and murky depths as family secrets are exposed. I am pleased to see that this is the start of a new series featuring Madison and I'm looking forward to seeing where Niki will take her next.

I Witness was an absolutely gripping psychological thriller with some great characters and that brilliant page turning addictive quality that I love to find in a book.

Kate Reynolds, convicted of brutally stabbing and killing her best friend has served her time. She believes she may be innocent, so hires Madison to see if the absolute truth can be found. But her family and others hide dark dark secrets and sometimes perhaps it’s best to leave well enough alone..

We get several viewpoints and lots of nuanced twists and turns in this one – several emotive themes run throughout and it is cleverly plotted to maximum effect. Kate is a divisive character but far from being the most divisive – we have her sister Martha, her distanced Father and her volatile brother to contend with also. Madison is not without her issues but I found it refreshing that these were realistic and had a path to resolution as well as the mystery did.

Overall a really good story, nicely twisted, beautifully written. I’m pleased to see that we will be meeting Madison again.

Recommended.

I wanted to love this one, I really did! The premise sounded really promising, but sadly it just didn’t do it for me. I found it a bit far fetched in parts, and I also figured out the “who” quite early which meant I was only reading for confirmation as opposed to genuine interest. The writing is strong though, no question, and I would probably pick up another book by this author, but I just couldn’t gel with this one!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of I, Witness, the first novel to feature Kingston based PI Madison Attallee.

Madison is approached by Kate Reynolds who has recently been released after serving six years for manslaughter in the stabbing death of her best friend Naomi Andrews. She pled guilty as she couldn't remember the events and accepted what she was told. Now she thinks she found Naomi dead and wants Madison to exonerate her.

Once I got over the highly dubious premise of Kate pleading guilty to something she didn't do and the police's sketchy investigation I quite enjoyed I, Witness. It is well paced and, in the second half, has plenty of action to hold the interest although I half guessed the perpetrator early on so the big twist was not as much as a surprise to me as it might be to the unsuspecting reader.

This is one of those novels where just about every character is dysfunctional in some way or another and it gets wearing. The first half of the novel is necessarily slow in terms of the investigation and action as it centres on establishing the characters, their histories and thought processes. I found it difficult to identify with any of them, not just because of their troubled characters but also because the novel happily embraces the shifting narrative approach with each chapter having a different point of view. It is impossible to get close to a character when you spend so little time with them.

I came to like Madison Attallee who is rough, tough and honest in her approach to both crime solving and life. Like the other characters in the novel she has had a difficult life and apparently has an addictive personality - having kicked the booze she smokes like a chimney.

I, Witness is a solid psychological thriller which held my attention throughout.

This is a fast paced book which is full of twists and turns.
The murder of Naomi Andrews shocked everyone especially as her best friend, Kate Reynolds was found covered in blood, holding her body.
Kate was sentenced to twelve years, but served six years, and after her release she wants to prove her innocence, despite pleading guilty.
Madison Attalee was the Detective at the time and is now a private investigator. Kate turns to her to help her find out who killed Naomi.
Madison agrees to take the case but not everyone in the family and close to the victim is happy about the new investigation - and some are willing to go to great lengths to make sure what happened that night stays buried in the past.
This is a really good read and will have you hooked after the first few chapters.
Thanks to Orion and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.