This one starts off with Jessica Williams going on a trip to Mexico. She is a journalist, who recently got fired for plagiarism. She is flawed but a surprisingly likable character. She isn’t perfect, nor does she pretend to be. While she did something dishonest, she is a honest character, I find. While she’s in the airport, she meets another Jessica Williams who strikes up a conversation of 20 questions with her. She comes back from her trip to find that the girl she met in the airport stole all her money, and the police can’t do a whole lot about it. She decides to make a Facebook post about it, and finds other Jessica Williams who have been scammed by the same person. This book was definitely surprising, I couldn’t have guessed the ending. This will make you think you know exactly what’s going on and then rip the rug out from under you.

A superbly written story of deception with so many twists. The final chapter would make us go over the whole story again. Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers. Finished it in one go.

I’m really not sure what to say about this book. I have read all of the author’s other books and absolutely loved them. I have been a huge fan of hers since the beginning. However, this book did not do it for me. I think there was just too much going on (a cult, a grifter, a romance, an incredibly elaborate revenge scheme, etc.) and most of it was just so implausible that I couldn’t buy any of it.

With that being said, I read the book in just a few hours, so it was definitely entertaining. The reader just has to suspend a lot of disbelief.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

More twists and turns that I expected! Catherine McKenzie has always been a favorite writer of mine and I was super excited to get this book. A very interesting story about a girls life after escaping a cult like existence with her family. I have to admit the end confused me a bit which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Dangit McKenzie! Why can’t you write a book without all the f-words?? If not for them, this would be a five star book, but now I must reevaluate if I can continue your books knowing the language will always be a factor.

As for this story, I thought it was fantastically done. Similar tones (and title) to the movie You Can’t Catch Me, it’s Jessica Williams seeking revenge on a con artist who took her money. The thief targets people named Jessica Williams, but the author does a good job of helping you keep all the Jessica’s straight as each one comes into the picture.

There is a second story thread recounting her childhood in a cult, her escape, and the aftermath, as well as learning what happened to dear Kiki.

McKenzie has woven a complex and twisted story that surprisingly had me say ‘Didn’t see that coming!’ which I find to be a feat these days.

I admit, I did question the OG Jessica’s character at times- growing up in a sheltered cult but still having developing the humor, social skills, personality, or other cultural knowledge she was portrayed with. Granted it had been over 10 years and I don’t know what it takes to become deprogrammed, but considering how much she still thought about the cult leader and his sayings, it didn’t *quite* mesh with her knowledge progression and online abilities. And especially humor. I liked the humor but I’m pretty sure you can’t develop that kind of humor that late in life after growing up in a cult. But alas, I don’t really care that much. I let it play.

It was a really intriguing premise, with how prevalent identity theft is, it’s a bit of a warning as well with what information we share with others. I’d like to think I wouldn’t fall for inadvertently giving away my security question answers, but it helps you see how easy it could be for someone to fool you. Stay alert, people- no one needs to know your mother’s maiden name or the street you used to live on. Fly the red flag!

So yeah, if you can get past the language, you’re going to enjoy this book.

**Received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

5* Cat and Mouse Stars

I was very excited to read Catherine McKenzie’s latest novel as I love her writing style and know that I will be taken on a wild ride filled with thrilling twists and turns. This book did not disappoint.

Jessica Williams is a former cult member, whose life becomes upended when she is fired from her job as an investigative journalist. She decides to take a vacation to Mexico and while waiting for her flight at the airport she is befriended by another Jessica Williams who also happens to share her same birth date. Upon her return home she finds out that her identity has been stolen as well as all her cash in her bank account. Jessica makes it her mission to now track down the scammer who has assumed her name and personal details because the Police will not help her. The only problem is that her name is very common and so is her birth date. Jessica has to tread carefully when befriending the other Jessica Williams and filtering them out to find the culprit. So begins the game of, “cat and mouse”.

It is a very cleverly written story which will have you hooked from the first page read until the last word is written.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Author for granting my wish to read and review this book.

One of the things I really like about Catherine McKenzie’s novels is that each one is unique. In this one, Jessica has escaped a cult and tried to put her life back together again, earning a college degree in journalism. She writes about the cult, but parts are plagiarized. When she gets caught, she gets fired, but not before receiving a big payoff thanks to the carefully documented sexual harassment she faced by one of the employees.

However, when she meets another Jessica Williams with the same birthday as hers in an airport, she befriends this woman and they exchange contact information by touching phones together (this is beyond my understanding of how to use cell phone to what is obviously some magical newfangled technology). Jessica Two as the first Jessica comes to think of her, steals all of her money because she was able to get Jessica One’s banking information off her phone. The police can’t help at all because the money was transferred to offshore accounts they can’t follow.

So the first Jessica begins a crusade to track down Jessica Two and all of her money, a journey with a lot of twists and turns.

Some things felt like they happened too fast and needed to be fleshed out more. It’s a very quick read for that same reason.

Thanks for NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES JUNE 9, 2020 by Lake Union Publishing.

"You Can't Catch Me" is a fascinating, thrilling novel based on an interesting premise: what would you do if someone stole your identity and all your money? This book certainly kept my attention, but then completely turned around everything I thought I knew! I had to re-read the ending to make sure I understood what happened, but I greatly enjoyed this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Alas!!! another book for the "wish I had liked it more" file. While I so enjoyed this author's The Good Liar, this one just didn't give me the thrills I was hoping to find.

It has lots going on and perhaps it was that issue that kept me from enjoying this story as much as I hoped it would. The story line, that of a woman named Jessica Williams, who has had her fair share of troubles in the past, being an unwilling member of a cult. being caught plagiarizing and losing her job, and then being taken over by a con artist were just a few things that had poor Jessica going round the bend.

But, for me, the story was convoluted with a plethora of Jessica Williams running amuck and a story that seemed at times to meander along. It was hard for me to build up any kind of link with the characters. They all seemed shoddy and lacked a sense of right and wrong. After awhile the plot became somewhat farfetched as a trap is laid for one of the Jessicas, the one who had plotted and schemed to cheat the rest of the Jessicas.

However, please do look at other reviews and many have truly enjoyed this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this story.

Catherine McKenzie has done it again! Told in two timelines,,one when Jessica was in a cult, and the other is present day when she's been a victim of identity theft. Lots of twists and turns, especially the big one at the end.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected pub date: June 9, 2020
I am so excited to be chosen as one of McKenzie’s early readers, once again. I have read most of McKenzie’s later works, and was impressed by her creativity and skill, so taking the plunge into “You Can’t Catch Me” had me overcome with all the feels.
Jessica Williams has spent the last twelve years trying to rebuild her life, after escaping from a cult. Now, as she starts a new job and a new relationship with the private investigator who helped free her, she is finally making some gains. When she meets another woman named “Jessica Williams” in an airport bar, things soon go from good to very, very bad. Jessica Two has used her identity and stolen the majority of the settlement money Jessica won in a lawsuit against her old cult leader. In order to regain her money, Jessica teams up with others who have also been a target of Jessica Two, and they band together with a plan to take Jessica Two down.
“You Can’t Catch Me” has a unique Charlie’s Angel’s feel, with bad-ass lead female characters banding together to take down another (just plain bad) female who has managed to use her smarts and charm to swindle them out of money. All of the “good” Jessica’s in this novel are easy to root for, and they aren’t portrayed as naïve somehow, as the swindler Jessica has very strong game, making it believable that she could abscond with someone’s money.
I thoroughly enjoyed the cult segment of this novel and wanted more of it. At first, it didn’t seem to tie into the plot (outside of being the protagonists’ Jessica’s back story) , but in true McKenzie fashion, it plays a very important part toward the end of the novel. The twist was impressive, although a lot of convenient coincidences were at play in order to make it work. Cleverly told, I am a fan of McKenzie’s new novel. After ten novels, McKenzie shows no signs of slowing down, and I will gladly devour any story she wishes to put to paper.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Another exciting book from Catherine McKenzie. Jessica Williams becomes a victim of identity theft. The problem is it runs so much deeper in her past than she ever expected. Thrilling and thought provoking. Very enjoyable.

“You Can’t Catch Me” by Catherine McKenzie

Another top-notch read from Catherine McKenzie. She never fails to disappoint, and that is the case once again with this novel.

The author has taken the case of identity theft of a woman who escaped from a cult over twelve years ago.

As the novel progresses, we learn about Jessica Williams and her life in the LOT, how she has lived since then, what baggage she still carries, how she is doing presently, and how “solving” the case of the woman who has stolen money from her and others with her name and birth date takes place.

Underneath it all there are numerous stories that are told in association with others who escaped from the LOT, as well ones Jess has carried for years and how several of them relate to her life currently, the identity theft and the decisions she has made in the past and currently and how there is often some overlap. At the end, Jessica makes a decision that will affect herself and others. One she believes is the best for everyone. Yet, she still carries some answers to questions that she will carry with her forever.

A novel with twist and turns and a finale that will surprise most. A straight through read that will leave you guessing and enthralled throughout. Another 5 star read!!

Rating: 5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You Can't Catch Me is a page turner full of intrigue and many surprises. The end explains everything and it wasn't at all what I had expected.
The story is well written. I will certainly read more books by Catherine McKenzie!

I received a free advanced reviewer's copy from the publisher via netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Better than average thriller! I enjoyed the original premise (which I don't want to give away) and the main character's backstory of having been raised in a cult (love reading anything cult related- especially when it turns out well but effects them for life.) This is the book that I wanted The Girls by Emma Cline to be (it was not very good). Solid, female driven thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy. Put this on your summer reading list.

A decent thriller with an interesting premise, 'You Can't Catch Me' hit all the right notes. With a unique selling point, it's well worth picking up. While there were moments that dragged a little, and I would have liked to have learned just a touch more about the cult, overall this book was a fun and fast-paced read. It does require a great deal of suspension of belief, but if you just immerse yourself in it you can just enjoy the ride.

Catherine McKenzie gets better and better with every book. This one is a gem of a story, a suspenseful tale of a former cult member at the receiving end of identity theft. A fresh breath of sneaky, twisty air I couldn't put down.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I am a fan of Catherine McKenzie and have read the majority of her work. This wasn't my favorite; however, the story kept me entertained. I thought the storyline was unique and that was a huge part of the draw. Whilst it dragged on slightly in parts, it was very cleverly written and a book I would highly recommend.

This was a winner for me. I've read many books on cults, leaving cults, escaping from cults, they always hold my interest, and with identity theft thrown in for good measure this made an excellent read. I was gripped right from the start. It was easy to read and I read it in just a couple of days which is good going for me. I'd highly recommend!!! 4 stars from me!!

I really really enjoyed the first 50% of this book the most, I thought it kept good pacing (it did this throughout) and it was captivating. I was intrigued at finding out what was happening in the present storyline and what had happened to Jessica in her past, so it was good.
I cringed so bloody hard at her love interest, not because of who she chose but how it was written. If we keep having these cringe narratives then people really become really weird about liking people instead of enjoying it and our character was someone who was too in their head and annoying about the whole relationship.
I really enjoyed the search for the girl who stole her money, I could believe it and honestly, it was fun and really well thought out. I hated the first twist though but upon the second twist, I could see why it was necessary so I felt that I hated it less. The second and final twist also made me like the book a lot more because after the first twist the book sort of loses its way, she's done something she can't come back from and you're just not really sure how it's going to end and the book itself and the writing does sort of seem to linger. This was fun to read through and I devoured it in 3 sittings, pretty much read the first 60% in one sitting because it was very captivating.
Also not sure if this is because this is a proof copy but there's one inconsistency when she says Liam makes her dinner (the first time) but then she goes on to describe her making the dinner. Glaringly obvious. Also there's some very descriptive parts sometimes when it adds absolutely nothing.