New Release: I See You by Clare Mackintosh

"I See You" by Clare Mackintosh
First published February 21, 2017
384 pages
My rating: 3 out of 5

The Short Of It:
A quick, creepy British thriller with average writing and plot.

The Long Of It:
Your life is quiet, comfortable, routine. And then one day on your train commute to work, you happen across something that changes everything -- your own photo in a very strange newspaper classified ad, accompanied only by a website URL -- findtheone.com -- and an invalid phone number. You do a little investigating and are horrified to discover that the ad features a different woman every day -- and that some of the women have subsequently been victims of crimes. You, of course, begin to wonder if you're next in line -- for stalking, burglary, or much worse.

That's the new normal for Zoe Walker, whose fears are brushed off by both her family and law enforcement. Enter police officer Kelly Swift -- a woman battling some demons of her own -- who takes Zoe seriously and is quick to see the potential danger in those alarming ads, which turn out to be far more twisted and disturbing than anyone could've imagined.

As with many thrillers, I had trouble actually connecting with and becoming invested in the fate of our main character -- so often, I feel like these protagonists lack depth. But while I didn't really care if Zoe lived or died or something in between, I was definitely curious to see what unfolded. And I did like Kelly -- enough that I almost wished this were the first in a detective series in which she was the star.

I admit to doing a bit of skimming here and there, because after all the whole point of a run-of-the-mill thriller is to find out whodunit and the middle parts can seem a bit tedious at times, but overall the pace was fast enough, the mystery was intriguing enough and the story was disturbing enough to keep me interested. The novel definitely had some of the lurking look-over-your-shoulder creepiness that so permeated Caroline Kepnes' "You," and it had me wanting to double-check the privacy settings on my Facebook page! "I See You" was your typical quick-read thriller-with-a-twist, and it's worth a chance next time you're craving something easy that'll keep you turning pages.

*I received a free advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.