I See You

Winner of the 2017 Richard and Judy Summer Book Club, Clare Mackintosh’s I See You (2017), a thriller with a heavy emphasis on criminal procedure, follows what happens when a young woman sees her photo in a newspaper “classifieds” section, with no explanation for why it is there. The fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015, the novel is available in more than thirty languages. Aside from writing thrillers and crime novels, Mackintosh supports mothers who experience medical complications during pregnancy. Her experience working in the police force informs her novels. I See You is her second book.

The protagonist, Zoe Walker, is a forty-something divorcee who works as a bookkeeper in central London. She hates her job, but it pays the bills, and she has two teenagers to bring up. For Zoe, life is monotonous. She takes the same route to work every day and faces the same overcrowded platforms every morning for her commute, thinking that no one notices her in the crowd. Zoe is wrong; someone is always watching her.

One day, Zoe gets a seat on the train, a rare treat for her since it’s usually standing room only. As she browses the evening newspaper to pass the time, she stumbles across the classifieds section. Beside a row of unsavory personal adds is her photograph with a website address, “findtheone.com.”



When Zoe gets home, she can’t get the disturbing photograph out of her mind. She confides in her friend, Melissa, who tells her not to worry about it. She puts it down to an unfortunate coincidence. Zoe, however, is not convinced, especially when she sees another girl’s picture in another newspaper—a girl who was recently robbed and strangled. Believing she is next, Zoe approaches the police.

Detective Kelly Swift is assigned to her case. Swift recently attacked a child molester during a police interview, and she has been sent to the transport department to cool off. When Swift learns about Zoe’s case and a possible connection to an active murder investigation, she knows that finding the perpetrator is her ticket back into the prestigious murder squad.

Swift interviews Zoe and passes the website details on to the IT department. They investigate the website and find disturbing new information; it is a dark web listing that offers details on women who use public transport. For a large fee, stalkers and other predators can find targets graded by how easy they will be to attack.



The rating scale is based on details such as how predictable they are, what clothes they wear, and whether they travel alone. Zoe, given how monotonous her routine is, is an easy target. The closer Swift gets to Zoe, the more personally invested she becomes in the case. Swift’s sister was sexually assaulted in college, and she despises all crimes against women.

Meanwhile, Zoe’s personal life deteriorates. Her daughter, Katie, planning to become an actor, demands money and support from Zoe. Katie’s boyfriend is a bad influence on her; he creeps Zoe out. She begins to suspect that there is something sinister about him, and she even wonders if he is responsible for the advertisements.

To make matters worse, she finds out that her own boyfriend, Simon, is cheating on her. She doesn’t know whom to trust anymore other than Melissa, who seems to be the only constant in her life. Between worrying about her safety and Katie’s future, she can’t concentrate at work, and she soon loses a grip on her work. Her boss isn’t sympathetic, and yet she knows that if she doesn’t smooth things over with him, she’ll lose her job and end up at rock bottom.



In the meantime, Katie gets the big break she has been praying for. Someone wants to offer her an acting job. All she must do is turn up and audition for it and it will be hers. This is a setup and Zoe soon realizes something is wrong. A stalker who uses the website now has Katie and won’t let her go until they meet Zoe.

Zoe begs Melissa for help, and they follow Katie’s steps. Swift is hot on the trail, too; she informs Zoe’s ex-husband what is going on. Everything changes, however, when they find that Melissa is the mastermind behind the website. A twisted woman, she has been manipulating Zoe this entire time.

To make matters even worse, Zoe’s son is also involved in the scheme. He runs the website and planned the whole thing, including using his own mother and sister as pawns. Swift catches the perpetrators before they can kill anyone else; Zoe and Katie are saved. It is unclear how they will rebuild their lives after so many shocks.