Clare Mackintosh | I SEE YOU

Plot:

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her…

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com.

Other women begin appearing in the same ad, a different one every day, and Zoe realizes they’ve become the victims of increasingly violent crimes—including rape and murder. With the help of a determined cop, she uncovers the ad’s twisted purpose…a discovery that turns her paranoia into full-blown panic. For now Zoe is sure that someone close to her has set her up as the next target.

And now that man on the train—the one smiling at Zoe from across the car—could be more than just a friendly stranger. He could be someone who has deliberately chosen her and is ready to make his next move…

Review:

This novel starts off in such a paranoid state as our protagonist finds her photo in a personal ad on the Tube. I was immediately enthralled in this read as I followed the journey into paranoia, fear, and crime through the alternating chapters of Zoe Walker and Kelly Swift. In true Mackintosh style, the alternate chapters not only give the reader a sense of what is going on with the victim, but gives you a true and detailed look into the police aspect as they investigate these heinous acts on the women of London. I couldn't get over how well thought out this novel was through both perspectives. In fact, the story told from each women could have been an entertaining read on its own, but by binding them together, I loved how this aspect snaked its way around a rather dark and seemingly brilliant plot. 

Compared to her first novel, this read has a ton of more characters. This is usually a turnoff for me as I have a hard time keeping track of names and remembering who each one is as I read through. Not with this one, though. Mackintosh does a fantastic job of assisting the reader with each character brought in for any given reason. The victims, the red herrings, the innocent (or not so innocent) male commuters. Everyone in this novel is a suspect, and if they aren't a suspect, they are a possible victim. And I mean everyone. I couldn't keep track of my imaginary lists with who I thought could potentially die and who could potentially be running this intricate website that is terrorizing this city.

Zoe Walker is a forced to be reckoned with. She is down to earth, strong willed, and loving. I really enjoyed how well Mackintosh turned this character into someone the reader could really care about. By giving us a very detailed look into her past and present life, it's clear that this isn't just some character built to go through the motions set for her. I loved getting an inside look into her family life, work life, and her friendship with Melissa. 

Kelly Swift is the kind of woman you want on your side. Mackintosh also did a fantastic job of adding in subplots that aren't vital to the story, but addicting as you come to realize why this character is the way she is and why her job is so important to her. Not only is she someone you root for, but you really care about her and her backstory that is brilliantly sprinkled throughout the novel. One thing I enjoyed about this perspective was the details that go into a police investigation. Not only is this just about thinking on your toes, but it goes into a heavy detail with the thought process and the technical aspect of investigating a rather heavy crime spree.

I cannot go into much detail as to why this novel works the way it does, but let's just say that while this is only Mackintosh's second novel, it's clear that her writing is only growing and her storytelling abilities are maturing. While I didn't find this one had the same types of twists and turns as her last novel, I'd say that really works in her favor as a writer. The characters still shine, the plot is still twisted and creepy, but the twists aren't spread out as much as her debut. This is not a bad thing whatsoever as I found myself in the last 100 pages of the brutal and tense finale only to find myself gasping for air at the end. Congratulations, Clare Mackintosh. Not only have you written yet another brilliant novel, but you've sealed your spot as one of my favorite authors. You truly have a fan in me.

Special thanks to Berkley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: 4/5