Member Reviews

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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I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was well thought out, with interesting characters. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

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Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

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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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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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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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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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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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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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'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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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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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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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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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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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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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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