Stevie‘s review of I See You by Clare Mackintosh
Women’s Crime Fiction published by Berkley 21 Feb 17
Identity theft and stalking are two crimes everyone is very aware of these days, and a perpetrator who combines aspects of both offences against the same victim is much to be feared. Such is the premise of Clare Mackintosh’s second book, which starts out every bit as complex and twisty as her first. Of course the problem second books face, especially following on from a successful first book, is whether the author can keep to or surpass the standards she has already set for herself. In this case, it’s fair to say the author succeeded.
Zoe Walker has a very ordinary life that will be familiar to many UK readers, as well as to city-dwellers around the world. After marrying – and having two children – at quite a young age, Zoe has returned to work, not to pursue the high-flying career she once dreamed of, but as a bookkeeper and general dogsbody for an obnoxious estate agent, as well as doing odd bits of accounting work for friends and neighbours in her spare time. Zoe’s days follow a monotonous regime, until one day an advert for an escort service catches her eye, and she realises that the woman depicted on the newspaper page is her – or at least a woman who looks very like her.
Although she’s worried about the newspaper ad, Zoe tries to forget about the incident, until she comes across a similar ad while clearing up her boss’s office. This time the photograph is that of a woman Zoe recognises as the victim of a recent murder, the ad having appeared shortly before the woman’s death was reported. Zoe tracks down more reports relating to the crime and realises that the woman had previously been the victim of a minor theft – and that may have been how the killer got into her house. Zoe manages to contact the police officer who dealt with that case and convinces her that the crimes are linked.
Kelly Swift had been on the brink of a promising career as a detective, until she lost her temper with a man she had arrested for sex crimes. Now demoted to working in the community, she is determined to get justice for the victim Zoe identifies, and then for other women, whose identities have appeared in ads shortly prior to their being victims of violent or sexual crimes. Meanwhile, it becomes obvious, first to us readers, and then to Zoe and Kelly, that the person behind the fraudulent ads has a particular interest in Zoe.
This book kept me guessing right up to the very end, with some real edge-of-the-seat thrills as Zoe and her family found themselves in danger, while Kelly and those few detectives on the murder team who took the women seriously struggled to draw the perpetrators out into the open. Even the very end left me curious about what would happen to them all next. Highly recommended.
Grade: A
Summary:
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 a 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 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. 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…
Read an excerpt.
