This psychological thriller kept me turning pages to see what happens next. However, the protagonist Zoe really agitated me with her constant mothering and smothering of her grown children. She lived with her boyfriend Simon, and still had feelings for her ex-husband, who was always there for her. I always felt she was with the wrong man!
It was an interesting story with some hair-raising drama. The last couple chapters when I discovered who was behind the violence was a double whammy shocker! Not so much the first part, but the last page was improbable and unbelievable! As far as I'm concerned, that ruined it for me.
It was an interesting story with some hair-raising drama. The last couple chapters when I discovered who was behind the violence was a double whammy shocker! Not so much the first part, but the last page was improbable and unbelievable! As far as I'm concerned, that ruined it for me.
Great page-turner, that is lifted a bit above the ordinary by the author's confident handling of the routines of police investigation and her clever use of the everyday coping mechanisms of Underground commuters in London (or any big city, really ...)
Nifty little psychological thriller that, for me, resonated because I remember all too well the day-to-day indignities that a commuter has to endure, and the routines that you slip into, in order to make your journey easier and more bearable. Mackintosh has come up with a clever way that someone with the appropriate computer skills could exploit that stoic endurance, and that autopilot behaviour.
The groundedness of the concept, and description of the investigation is somewhat undermined by things turning a little "Jason Bourne," as things progress. Saying more would be risking spoilers. Also, with all due respect to Mackintosh's background in law enforcement, I really wonder whether anyone who has such a tendency to ignore orders, and has such a lot of personal baggage, as her protagonist London Transport Police officer and would=be member of the CID, Kelly Swift, would have lasted more five minutes after her first I'm following my instinct moment ...
But very readable, for all that ...
Nifty little psychological thriller that, for me, resonated because I remember all too well the day-to-day indignities that a commuter has to endure, and the routines that you slip into, in order to make your journey easier and more bearable. Mackintosh has come up with a clever way that someone with the appropriate computer skills could exploit that stoic endurance, and that autopilot behaviour.
The groundedness of the concept, and description of the investigation is somewhat undermined by things turning a little "Jason Bourne," as things progress. Saying more would be risking spoilers. Also, with all due respect to Mackintosh's background in law enforcement, I really wonder whether anyone who has such a tendency to ignore orders, and has such a lot of personal baggage, as her protagonist London Transport Police officer and would=be member of the CID, Kelly Swift, would have lasted more five minutes after her first I'm following my instinct moment ...
But very readable, for all that ...
If nothing else, this book should make all of us more aware of social media. We follow Zoe after she discovers her photo used on a website ad she knew nothing about. Police officer, Kelly Swift, worked with the Sexual Offenses Unit until she was suspended four years ago. As Zoe tries to find out why the ads are appearing, she wonders who she can and can't trust. Kelly is determined to find out who is responsible for the ads and murders before she is suspended again. I did not see this ending coming!
Zoe Walker is a busy mother of two grown (but still living at home) children. Her partner, Simon, works for a local paper, and Zoe is divorced from her kids' father, Matt. She's tired trying to always make ends meet. One day, Zoe spots an ad in the classifieds that appears to feature her photo. The ad features a website and phone number, but Zoe cannot get into the password-protected site. The next day, the same ad shows a photo of another woman, and so on and so on. Meanwhile, Detective Kelly Swift is struggling to get back in the good graces of the police force after an incident derailed her career. Kelly is working a series of tube (subway)-related incidents, but she really wants to get back into real investigating. When Kelly and Zoe's paths cross, it doesn't seem as if Zoe is in any real danger, but that all changes suddenly.
I absolutely adored Mackintosh's first novel, I Let You Go - it was one of my favorite novels in 2015. It features an amazing twist and a well-written plot. I obviously had high expectations for her sophomore novel. Unfortunately, for me, this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. It's certainly an interesting novel with an intriguing premise, but I didn't buy the premise outside of a novel. You sort of have to suspend disbelief to allow yourself to read on with the plot: even though it's rooted in technology and our society's obsession with technology and dating, the overall construct just seems to be a stretch. The beginning portion of the novel was compelling, but slow, and I kept waiting for it to pick up. I also could see a lot of the plot pieces coming.
The novel alternates between chapters from Zoe's point of view and Kelly's. I liked Kelly's chapters so much more and found myself a bit annoyed going back to Zoe at times - she was whiny and irritating for a while. Kelly was far more nuanced (though a bit too focused on the past), but her chapters were far better at adding suspense and tension. The novel certainly does pick up nearing the end, and I definitely wanted to find out what happened and who was responsible for what.
But even then, the motivation for the "bad guy" was a bit odd and poorly done. Like a lot of the plot, it seemed a bit of a stretch. It was saved somewhat by the epilogue, which offered a good twist (although I had my suspicions), but I wasn't sure it made up for the whole book, and it didn't make me gasp like her first book. (Poor author, being held up to impossible follow-on standards.) Overall, I did find this novel puzzling, though hindered somewhat but a slightly preposterous plot. I'm glad I read it, but I certainly prefer her first novel. (I'll still eagerly await anything from Mackintosh, however!) More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/
I absolutely adored Mackintosh's first novel, I Let You Go - it was one of my favorite novels in 2015. It features an amazing twist and a well-written plot. I obviously had high expectations for her sophomore novel. Unfortunately, for me, this one didn't quite live up to my expectations. It's certainly an interesting novel with an intriguing premise, but I didn't buy the premise outside of a novel. You sort of have to suspend disbelief to allow yourself to read on with the plot: even though it's rooted in technology and our society's obsession with technology and dating, the overall construct just seems to be a stretch. The beginning portion of the novel was compelling, but slow, and I kept waiting for it to pick up. I also could see a lot of the plot pieces coming.
The novel alternates between chapters from Zoe's point of view and Kelly's. I liked Kelly's chapters so much more and found myself a bit annoyed going back to Zoe at times - she was whiny and irritating for a while. Kelly was far more nuanced (though a bit too focused on the past), but her chapters were far better at adding suspense and tension. The novel certainly does pick up nearing the end, and I definitely wanted to find out what happened and who was responsible for what.
But even then, the motivation for the "bad guy" was a bit odd and poorly done. Like a lot of the plot, it seemed a bit of a stretch. It was saved somewhat by the epilogue, which offered a good twist (although I had my suspicions), but I wasn't sure it made up for the whole book, and it didn't make me gasp like her first book. (Poor author, being held up to impossible follow-on standards.) Overall, I did find this novel puzzling, though hindered somewhat but a slightly preposterous plot. I'm glad I read it, but I certainly prefer her first novel. (I'll still eagerly await anything from Mackintosh, however!) More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/
One of my thriller pet peeves is main characters who make things worse for themselves by not doing what the police tell them. "I See You" features two such ladies - Zoe Walker, and a police officer investigating her case.
I really enjoyed "I Let You Go," but this book was silly. It did keep me turning the pages to see what would happen, even as I told myself that the book is silly.
I really enjoyed "I Let You Go," but this book was silly. It did keep me turning the pages to see what would happen, even as I told myself that the book is silly.
This was a hard book to get through, it felt like trudging through mud all the way, it's so overdone with descriptions that is just dull and boring, just skip to most of the dialogue maybe every other page and get on with the story, author seems to think you have to describe everything from the color of grass to the color of your kitchen and on and on, it just doesn't have anything to do with the story and who cares! I got very tired of the descriptions of places, of course this is in the UK so every landmark and every street etc will be unfamiliar and it makes for tedious reading
As for the story? It's been done before and I think a better writer would have done a better job and kept it more to the thriller/suspense aspect, so I won't be seeking anymore by this author I think her writing is overdone and boring
As for the story? It's been done before and I think a better writer would have done a better job and kept it more to the thriller/suspense aspect, so I won't be seeking anymore by this author I think her writing is overdone and boring
Zoe Walker feels like someone is watching her. She becomes trapped in the confines of her normal everyday world. This intense psychological thriller makes you re-evaluate every step you take and makes you see the world in a different light. It has a killer twist which keeps the pages turning until the very end. I'm looking forward to reading Mackintosh's next novel and I highly recommend this one to those who love psychological thrillers.
