ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh is published by Harper Collins and is out now. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs.

She’s been here before.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUST

When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman, and she’s determined to catch him in the act.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS

But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can’t explain himself. The house has become a crime scene…

Jamie is dead.

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Nadeeka and Jamie are really happy together but there’s a niggling doubt in Nadeeka’s mind, something about Jamie’s behaviour that makes her think he’s cheating on her. Rushing home to confirm her suspicions, she in fact finds Jamie dead and police on the scene. From there it becomes very clear that it’s not what she or the reader thinks.

I think it’s fairly common knowledge that there may be some twists in this book and Clare Mackintosh certainly does know how to do an excellent twist. I loved that nothing was obvious in this story, but even setting aside the clever twists, this is simply a first-rate thriller with a compelling story that I wanted to be reading all the time. The writing and plotting are flawless, the characters are so brilliantly depicted and the pacing is timed to perfection.

It’s Not What You Think was one of the books I was most looking forward to reading this year and it delivered on every level. I thought it was superb.

Clare Mackintosh is a former police officer and a bestselling crime author. Her books have sold more than three million copies, been optioned for television and translated into forty languages. She appears regularly at literary festivals and bookshop events across the UK and beyond.