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I Spy: A psychological thriller from the Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author Paperback – 22 Aug. 2019

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 190 ratings

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‘Tense, gripping and packed with twists’ Lucy Clarke

Someone is watching your every move…

Holly Lawrence always wanted to be a spy, but the experience proved more dangerous than anything she imagined.

Now, Holly lives in hiding under an assumed name. She avoids relationships and trusts no one. But Holly’s new life begins to unravel when she encounters a young mother and her two-year-old child… a child who reminds her of a past she has tried hard to forget.

This time, someone is spying on her, and Holly will need to decide how far she is willing to go to survive…

‘Tense, gripping and packed with twists’ Lucy Clarke, author of YOU LET ME IN

‘A psychological thriller and le Carré-esque mash up–really well done’ Steve Cavanagh, author of THIRTEEN

‘Pacy, compelling and thrilling, with such an original premise’ Melanie Golding, author of LITTLE DARLINGS

Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and Fiona Barton.

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Review

‘A psychological thriller and le Carré-esque mash up–really well done’ Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen

‘Tense, gripping and packed with twists. I Spy is a tightly-plotted psychological thriller that kept me reading late into the night’ Lucy Clarke, bestselling author of You Let Me In

‘Pacy, compelling and thrilling, with such an original premise’ Melanie Golding, author of Little Darlings

‘You’ll be drawn in by the narrative pacing and dark characters. Thrilling’ Woman

PRAISE FOR CLAIRE KENDAL:

‘Emotional and sensitive, populated with wonderfully real characters, but also underscored by menace which races towards a heart-in-the-mouth denouement.’ Gillian McAllister, author of EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH

‘A twisty thriller and a sensitively written story’ Isabelle Grey, author of THE BAD MOTHER

‘Marvelously tension-filled storytelling’ New York Times

‘A thriller with intelligence and a high creep factor, a genre that’s difficult to get just right…Claire Kendal’s version comes close to perfection’ The Toronto Star

‘Any thriller that has you checking over your shoulder and peeking from behind your curtains must be gripping so hats off to Claire Kendal’s hard-hitting debut THE BOOK OF YOU for doing just this’ Stylist

‘Both brutal and unbearably tense, THE BOOK OF YOU announces the arrival of a fierce new talent’ Daily Mail

‘Clever, claustrophobic and chillingly good’ Good Housekeeping

‘Chilling, raw, and utterly addictive’ Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of IF YOU WERE HERE

‘Starts with breathtaking brilliance and then just gets better with every page’ Elizabeth Haynes, author of INTO THE DARKEST CORNER

‘Gripping with some very smart twists’ Woman Magazine

‘A gripping read!’ Closer

‘Addictive … I literally hardly breathed as I raced to the end. It's a terrifying thriller’ Samantha Hayes, author of UNTIL YOU’RE MINE

‘Creepy and compelling’ Paula Daly, author of JUST WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?

Book Description

A psychological thriller from the Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (22 Aug. 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0008256837
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008256838
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 2.74 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 190 ratings

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Claire Kendal
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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
190 global ratings

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Spy thriller with elements of crime, abuse, grief and obsession
3 out of 5 stars
Spy thriller with elements of crime, abuse, grief and obsession
When Holly Lawrence attends her interview to achieve her ambition to become a spy she is thwarted by one of her answers to a question she had been asked, she reasoned. It has shocked her and has thrown her decisiveness. She is unsure whether to give a bold or a conservative answer. She makes her uncertain choice but she knows straight away that she would not meet the criteria. She blames this fact solely when she is told she has been unsuccessful.Years later Holly is in an abusive relationship and knows she must flee her marital home. She tries to imagine what she must do to remain undetected by her determined and obsessed husband. She has moved away with everything to hide her all prearranged and is now living and working under an assumed name. She lives a lonely life fearing she will be discovered in hiding and with dire consequences. She avoids friendships and relationships and is deeply depressed. Everything changes when a mother with her poorly two-year-old child walks in through the doors of the hospital where she works. She is full of empathy for this woman and allows herself to become involved. She could have been this woman in every way and she is determined that history shouldn’t be repeated. Her empathy and caring nature has made her drop guard and now Holly will have to go on the run once more.I couldn’t resist the temptation to read this novel, having read and reviewed ‘The Book of You’, Claire’s brilliant debut novel and one of my all-time favourite reads. ‘I Spy’ is beautifully written with an intriguing storyboard. Indeed there is much to admire in this ‘Spy Thriller’ novel, with lots of evidence of mind games and criminality. I really liked the blurb but in actual fact, as I was reading the story, I did find tracing the various threads in the story quite a challenge. This was partly because there were way too many time changes but also because of the large amount of characters, many of which had little bearing on the main story about Holly. I also thought the story was too long and unevenly paced but I did think at times it was very creative and absorbing. The final few chapters were inspirational, and I really liked how Claire Kendal kept Holly true to herself, despite everything that she had been through. This puts me in somewhat of a quandary about rating the novel as a whole. I have thought about it long and hard.I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher HaperCollins through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. It’s a very good read at times but my 3.5* review takes into account the reasons why it has not got a higher rating from me. It’s certainly still worth a read.
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2020
    This is a brilliant read.
    Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
    Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
    Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
    Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
    Recommend reading.

    I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 October 2019
    I was really surprised just how good this book was it kept me riveted right until the end. I hope there is a follow up to see how Holly/Helen is getting along.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2022
    Not as gripping as some spy novels and a bit to stalkerish for me
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2019
    "I Spy" was a marvellous read that had me totally gripped from the start. With a fantastic plot-line and brilliant characters, this was a superb psychological thriller that kept me guessing throughout. This amazing novel by Claire Kendal should certainly not be missed. A magnificent and very worthwhile read and a fully deserved five stars!

    I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from HarperCollins UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2023
    "I know the day is going to be bad as soon as I see the kingfisher. He is so perfect, captured beneath the surface of the ice.

    TW - baby loss/stillbirth
    This was a fast paced story told from two separate timelines, both following Holly as she tries to get herself out of a bad situation. I was really enjoying it until it ended the way it did, because I have honestly never been more angry at a book character in my life. It left me feeling incredibly annoyed.
    This one ended up being quite a difficult read for me. I'm not easily upset when it comes to what's in books, I'm usually okay with the mention of baby loss, but this one hit me really hard. I pretty much sobbed my way through the last few chapters. I really don't know why. My stillbirth and the character in the books couldn't have been any more different and it actually surprised me how much this one got to me.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2019
    This is a good solid read that I did enjoy. The shifting timeline worked well and was well constructed (often they are not and confuse me!). Creepy and suspenseful, what’s not to like!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2019
    I really enjoyed Ms Kendal's first novel, but have found the two following to be less convincing, especially in the way the lead characters are written. Whilst I do not wish to reveal the ending - SPOILER ALERT - I found that the way she caves in at the end to be thoroughly unconvincing.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2024
    I really enjoyed this book. Just putting it out there from the start. I knew that the author was brilliant at creating characters you could both loathe and love and she has excelled herself in this book with a story which is part spy thriller, part psychological thriller, part domestic drama., Set across a dual timeline, Claire Kendal tells us the story of Holly Lawrence, a young woman whose sole ambition as a child was to become a spy and whose whole life is turned upside down after she falls in love with completely the wrong man.

    Now, it's fair to say that Holly's life doesn't exactly go to plan, adn whilst we meet her on perhaps the most important day of her young life, it is what happens after this day that really matters. She doesn't quite see all her dreams come true, and the dreams she rewrites for herself soon turn into nightmares when she meets dashing Cardiologist, Zac Hunter. There are many warning signs that an astute readers will spot very early on in this budding relationship, the least of which is his standing, and reputation, within the hospital. It is easy now, with the benefit of a few years since this book was set, in 2017 and 2019, and much media coverage and growing awareness of the topic of coercive control, to know that Holly is not in a healthy position. And with all the early savvy she displays, I kind of wished she'd just had her eyes open. But they say love is blind, and it is a face from the past that forces Holly to take a long hard look at her future.

    I actually really liked Holly, a few dubious life choices aside. She is quite astute and observant, even if a little blind to what might appear obvious to others. But then, in this, the author has absolutely captured the reality of life in an abusive relationship in that the victim is often the last person to see the truth. As her story is told across two timelines, we see two really different sides to her personality. The compliant Holly who will do anything for the love of her life, and a more determined and hardened persona two years later. She is very much shaped by her circumstances and decisions she has been forced to take, as well as overwhelming losses that would have broken lesser characters. I liked the way in which the author has explored her situation, creating a great deal of sympathy for her as well as a real need to keep turning the pages to see just how the whole thing would play out.

    There is a real mixture of tension, mystery and emotion in this book. There are moments in which you can really feel the heartbreak emanating from the page, but the overwhelming feeling for me was one of intrigue. Why certain situations were happening, and why Holly was being pushed to spy on someone very dear to her really piqued my interest, and the more we moved into the story, the more complex and mysterious things got. There were many reasons and motives flying round in my head, but none really came close to what we were set to learn. I loved the mixture of characters, from Holly's oldest and closest friend, Milly to the charismatic (always a warning sign) Zac. Even MI5 Operative Maxine held a kind of bizarre charm, even if she was very straight, and as focused and unemotional as you might expect from someone in her position. The way in which the author moved the action back and forth in time, with the slow reveal of the truth, really kept the tension building right to the dramatic showdown at the end which might not go quite as you might have expected.

    I really flew through this book and I'm wondering why I waited so long to read it. If you like character driven stories, full of mystery and that underlying sense of jeopardy, then I'd say give this one a go. It definitely hit the spot for me.

Top reviews from other countries

  • SK
    4.0 out of 5 stars A nice spy novel but not my kind of story
    Reviewed in Germany on 15 August 2019
    I enjoyed the writing style and the story, which had quite a few unexpected developments. The protagonist, Holly is a likable and relatable character and I found myself sympathising with her as the story progressed, however, I really hated the ending and found the antagonist Zac somewhat onesided and shallow character, which made me doubt certain aspects of the story (e.g. why would someone so controlled and obsessed with controlling others be so careless as to leave clues that make it clear he was spying on his girlfriend (e.g. give her the diary, saying she dropped it, when he could have just read it and put it back and she'd never know).