I really enjoyed this second novel from Clare McIntosh. It was suspenseful and gripping the entire time! I recommend this book to anyone who wants a creepy fast-paced read.

The premise is simple but terrifying- you go about your normal, boring, daily routine, all the while not knowing that someone else is watching and noting your every move. This is the best kind of thriller- the kind that had me uncomfortably glancing over my shoulder a couple of times, because it seemed so simple- it wasn't hard to imagine the ease of which this situation could truly play out. Zoe, who first notices the connections and brings it to the attention of the police, can't stop herself from suspecting everyone around her, and I certainly did too. A really excellent book!

4.2 - I enjoyed the twists and turns and red herrings in this mystery. Although I was curious about the amount of cash being paid to Zoe's son, I didn't see what was coming. It made me think a little more about my commute!

Turns out, it might be harder to write a second novel than a debut. I’ve actually heard, quite a few times now, that second books can be a beast. Clare Mackintosh even takes the time to mention that in the acknowledgements of this book. I imagine it's even more so coming off of a debut as heart-pounding and impressive as I Let You Go. Naturally, that’s where my thoughts went - would Ms. Mackintosh be able to emulate the shock value and sheer brilliance of that masterpiece?

For me, I LET YOU GO was a stunner. The unforeseen twist in that story knocked me on my ass. It’s still a standout in my mind, over a year and hundreds of books later, and one that I’ve measured other psychological thrillers against - time and time again. Including this one. Just in case you don’t fully grasp how spectacular I found that book to be, a pristine signed copy has garnered a coveted spot on my bookshelf among the few others I’ve consider worthy over the years.

This one on the other hand, not so much. The most exciting part of this entire book was the epilogue. Hands down. Had it not been for that last ditch effort to shock her readers with a much needed twist, my rating would have been a little different.

Sure, the thought of being watched and followed was anxiety inducing - in the beginning. The author relies too heavily on that fear to carry this story and without much action, the payoff doesn’t feel big enough. At least not for this suspense junkie. I’m sorry to say, but I found the majority of Zoe and Kelly’s story to be incredibly slow, rife with convenience, clunky with awkward revelations and just not all that exciting. Besides Kelly, there wasn’t a whole lot of depth to any of these characters.

What happened? I had to sit back and consider, was it that my hopes for this one were too high? Was I just another passenger on the expectation train unfairly demanding the same experience her first novel delivered? Maybe, but I’m not sure it mattered. I think regardless of who wrote this book, my feelings would have been the same. There wasn’t anything about these characters or the plot that I found compelling, noteworthy or even believable.

Was it just me or did the entire plot hinge on an idea that seemed pretty unlikely? |(hidden spoiler) [I struggled with the whole - find the one dot com - scenario. If you’re a crazed stalker that’s looking for a victim to watch, assault or murder, would you really turn to a website to provide the details of a woman’s daily commute on a train? Granted, I’m no expert on the subject, but in my mind, I imagine any psycho with those inclinations would handpick their victim, probably after a chance meeting, and subsequently do the legwork themselves. Haven’t we learned from all the movies, true crime shows and books out there that selecting victims and learning their routine is all part of the ritual? So would a man with that disposition just skip the foreplay and go straight for the kill by using some website disguised as a dating site instead? I don’t think so. It didn’t seem plausible to me that anyone would use this “service”, let alone pay for it or even take the time to try and crack the coded password. (hide spoiler)] The author provided an explanation within the story, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get this reader on board.

The plot felt very current, a story of stalking in the surveillance age; someone is always watching and their intentions are not benign. I enjoyed the mystery at the beginning, and the who-is-doing-it plot held my interest all the way through, but the main characters annoyed me over time. There is a repeating pattern of people saying, "I shouldn't do this, but...", going ahead with the decision that is clearly not in their own interest, having something bad almost happen, and then everything turn out all right. And some of the later twists and turns in the storyline did not feel well thought through or explained. Instead of reaching the end and thinking "I should have known! Clues were there the whole time!" I was confused and didn't quite believe it. Overall, an interesting and creepy mystery, but with some flaws.

Being stalked is never a fun feeling. I see you brings that feeling to bear in this book. Knowing your being stalked, it's a totally different thing. Zoe Walker is getting messages. "I see you, but you don't see me." Thus Zoe is on a mission to find answers, and those answers will take her deep and further than she ever anticipated. This book had enough twist to be interesting.

My copy came from Net Galley. I wasn't required to leave a review, I do so of my own free volition. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading about both characters, Zoe Walker and PC Kelly Swift. The premise is high concept and terrifying in what it says about today’s pervasive social media. Basically, Zoe Walker is taking the Tube and sees her photo in the London Gazette. What’s disturbing, however, is that it’s for an ad for what looks like a dating site. Her family is convinced it’s not her, but Zoe isn’t so sure. It’s not until she realizes that violent crimes are being committed against other women advertised in the same manner that she fears for her own life as well as her family’s. She finds an ally in PC Kelly Swift, a transportation cop who has issues of her own. I enjoyed reading about Zoe and her neuroses and home life. I thought it was the perfect juxtaposition as well: the seemingly idyllic home life with her rather perfect boyfriend and two kids gradually descending into a world of paranoia and suspicion. I tore through the book and the first ¾ had me guessing who the culprit behind the website was. Numerous red herrings pop up and I slowly eliminated each one by one, only to look at them again later. This book kept me up and I had to know what happened next.

So creepy! I didn't see the twist(s) coming and both wanted to look away but felt compelled to keep reading.

This is a story told from multiple viewpoints. The first is Zoe Walker who is an ordinary woman in her late thirties. She is divorced with a new live-in boyfriend. She also has two grown children both living at home. Justin is her oldest and works in a coffee shop for a neighbor. Katie is the youngest who wants to be an actress despite Zoe's encouragement to take a secretarial course so that she has a back-up plan.

Zoe commutes each day from suburban London to central London. She takes the same busses and trains. She even sits or stands in the same places in the cars. One day she happens to glance at an add in the personals of the newspaper and sees her picture over a website URL and a phone number. At first her family tries to convince her that it is only someone who looks like her. Each day there is a new picture of a new woman.

The second viewpoint character is Kelly Swift. She is a law enforcement officer who has just come back from a long leave resulting from her assault of a prisoner. She is a great investigator but currently in disgrace. She is obsessed with the rape of her twin sister on her college campus ten years earlier even though that sister has moved on and forged a new happy life. Any sort of rape case triggers her anger. She is currently investigating a case where a woman fell asleep on her commuter train and someone stole her keys.

When Zoe sees someone she recognizes in an ad she calls the police and ends up with Kelly. Kelly is skeptical that the ads have anything to do with the crime until a young woman who is pictured in one of the ads is found murdered.

Kelly wedges her way into the task force that is investigating the murder and soon they are investigating the ads and the connections to crimes. After some detective work, the ad leads to a website that sells information about women to anyone who wants to buy a membership. It tracks details about each woman including her daily commute and where she can be found. Investigating who owns the site and who is downloading the information quickly gets involved in all sorts of complex ways of hiding data and money.

Meanwhile, Eve still feels that she is being watched and followed and becomes suspicious of everyone in her life from her live-in to her daughter's new boyfriend. The tension keeps ramping up in this one until it comes to a stunning conclusion.

Interspersed between sections from Zoe's viewpoint which is getting more tense as each day passes and Kelly's viewpoint about the frustrations of the investigation, we have the viewpoint of the person responsible for and profiting from the website. This person is perhaps the creepiest part of the whole story as they victimize women for profit.

I enjoyed this story very much and kept reading it late into the night since I couldn't sleep until I found out who the criminal was.

Mackintosh's first book "I Let You Go" blew me away last year, so I was really looking forward to this one. It starts off similarly with a very straightforward and well-written storyline. The author throws in some twists, which definitely keep you on your toes! I'd definitely recommend this to library readers and other staff. Clare Mackintosh is becoming one of my favourite authors!

I See You is about a woman who discovers her picture in the classified section of a newspaper while on her daily commute. At first, it’s taken as a mere coincidence, but as things begin to happen to other women who also appear in the ads, Zoe becomes concerned for her safety.

Think of it this way….You leave your house at the same time every morning. You take the same route to work. People live their lives in routines, knowing there’s safety in what is familiar. But what if your daily routine brought danger upon your life?

The premise of this story was chilling, and the idea of someone watching you without you knowing is just unsettling. I really enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading I Let You Go.

***I received an advanced copy of I See You from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group***

I See You is Clare Mackintosh’s follow-up to her debut I Let You Go, which was a huge hit and one of my favourite mysteries of 2016. I’m very happy to report that I See You was equally as compelling as I Let You Go. It too was full of surprising twists, well-developed characters and an evocative UK setting. I See You follows Zoe Walker, a middle-aged mother tired of the long commute into London. One day on her regular train, she stumbles upon a strange ad in the local free paper – one that features her own photo. As she investigates, it becomes clear that other unsuspecting women who regularly commute into London have had their photos in similar ads…and some of them have ended up dead. If you enjoyed I Let You Go, then definitely check out I See You when it is released in April. (Published in the Napanee Guide, December 29th 2016, pg. 4)

I See You is the second book by Clare Mackintosh and is an amazing psychological thriller about cyber stalking.

Zoe Walker during her everyday commute sees her picture in a classified ad Zoe has no idea who placed the ad , gets worried and during her investigation learns that other women who’s pictures have been placed in the ad have been subjected to violent crimes. Kelly, a cop who is wrestling with her own troubled past starts helping Zoe but will they be able to capture the perpetrator in time?

I really enjoyed the book and the twists and turns kept me reading up late in the night. As soon as I thought I had guessed who the responsible person was there was another twist to the story. The outcome was completely unpredictable and surprising.

I would recommend this book to psychological mystery lovers. It was a solid 5 stars for me and I cannot wait to read more by Clare Mackintosh .

Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

if you have ever felt you were being watched this book will be right up your alley. The plot is ingenious and too very real. The life of Zoe is hectic and with plenty of mundane issues. Where can she turn and who can she trust. The shattering conclusion will shock you! For fans of Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter and Allison Brennan.

Although I didn't like it as much as I Let You Go, it was definitely a fascinating premise to think that someone could always be watching you and you would never know. The last few pages had that shock factor I enjoy in psychological thrillers. I look forward to other books by MacKintosh.

I was expecting a lot from this second book, and was in no way disappointed. Again I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and detailed characters, rich setting and accelerating suspense. What I especially appreciated was the wealth of plausible and finely-crafted red herrings! So many potential villains to suspect....

This book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing until the very last page. With London as a backdrop, I was intrigued with the mystery presented. Zoe, a regular commuter, saw her picture on a classified ad that she didn't place while similar ads had been tied to violent crimes.

This story sparked a lot of questions for me. In this day and age, with technology being what it is, how vulnerable are we to strangers? Anyone can take our photo in public without us knowing about it. We are all so busy with our devices, headphones in our ears and not paying attention to our surroundings. I know I am guilty of it and often wonder if I am truly aware of my surroundings. This story was chilling, not just in the mystery that unfolded, but in how possible, if not plausible, something like could be.

I was “figuring it out” as the story progressed and was pleased that my guesses were wrong each and every time. As the story unfolded, I would find myself thinking, “that doesn’t make sense” only to have more of the story revealed and me thinking “ohhhhh.....”. I enjoyed that the story kept me guessing as it increased my enjoyment.

Really enjoyed this suspenseful read!

I See You is the first book I've read by Clare Mackintosh but it certainly won't be the last. From the very beginning the reader is invested in the story and characters. As the plot develops Ms Mackintosh takes us between a policewoman's view and one woman who is being stalked. A page turner with some edge of your seat moments. The reader is kept guessing until the very end. I was given an early copy to review.

Anything is possible in the technically advanced world today and the thought of being an unsuspecting victim is frightening. Imaging seeing your picture in a newspaper"s classified section knowing you hadn't put it there. Let it go? Investigate further? Just a fluke? Creepy!

Add in some well placed suspicions by the author and you have a great "who dun it". Greed, murder and plot twists keep you on your toes and invested in this story.

Really good job by the author. Easy reading with a writing style that doesn't make you need to go back and say "what?!". I finished it in one setting and would recommend for pleasure or just because the plot is twisted and perhaps entirely possible!