I See You

“The main behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath. I move my feet forward an inch and press myself into a gray overcoat that smells of wet dog. It feels as if it hasn’t stopped raining since the start of November, and a light steam rises from the hot bodies jammed against one another.”

I See You
By Clare Mackintosh

Every work day Zoe Walker takes the tube to go to work. Fighting the commuting crowds and trying to make as little contact as possible. Every day it’s the same type of grind but all commuters do it and you see people immersed on their phones, books or even napping. One day though, Zoe sees a picture of a woman who could be her double on a newspaper advertising a chat line.

That’s kind of creepy to her but her family doesn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal. When she tries to find out more information on the website she runs into a black hole almost and can’t find any real information. She tries to go about her life and enjoys her teenage children and how well things are going with her boyfriend but in the back of her mind she still feels like someone is watching her.

When she finds another photo on the same advertisement and realizes the woman’s picture matches those of a recent crime victim, Zoe is really scared and contacts the police. Luckily Kelly Swift is a police constable who is trying to make a name for herself and won’t let the issue die and as she continues her investigation it seems like Zoe may have stumbled upon a criminal organization.

There were quite a few things to really like about this book, mainly how the author takes something so mundane as commuting to work and makes you think about the people you encounter on your daily work commute. We get so used to our routines, never altering them, and a lot of times not paying attention to our surroundings. The other area where I think the book pulled you in was by casting a lot of doubt among all of Zoe’s circle. Could someone she knows be involved with this scheme?

Great tension and good use of red herrings. Unfortunately, there was one thing I didn’t quite like and I can’t go into it without spoilers. Still this was a very solid read, kept my interest and I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Source: Advance review copy