I know it's you but I didn't care, sadly

I know it's you is the first book I've read by prolific British author, Susan Lewis. Apparently the book is number 50 in the author's repertoire. Sadly, I won't be reading the other 49. Read my review to find out why.

I know it's you | Published August 2023 | Read September 2023

The premise of I know it's you is interesting, I just don't think it is well executed. The novel is one of two parallel stories, a story within a story. Marina, a publisher, is sent a novel to review that the aspiring author insists can only be submitted chapter by chapter. Marina soon realises that the novel is a thinly veiled story of her recent past. It suggests she's a murderer. Marina is determined to stop the story from getting out, so she tries to find the person behind it. It doesn't take much to figure out the author of the novel, so there isn't much suspense there.

The novel jumps between the 'real story' and the novel. I found the two stories confusing and I kept losing track of who was who. There are two versions of each character - the real person and the fictional version - and that makes for a confusing read.

The huge cast of characters meant I couldn't relate to any of them. They are superficial, underdeveloped and their motivations unclear. I also couldn't find a character to root for as they were all unlikeable at best, overprivileged and pompous at worst. I don't have to like the characters in a novel if there is a reason for their unlikability, but in I know it's you, I just didn't care enough about any of them. Their unlikability didn't serve any real purpose.

The crime doesn't make a lot of sense nor the motivation for the killing when it all comes out in the wash. I stuck with the story for the ending reveal but it is anticlimactic and underwhelming. Nothing is solved, there are plot inconsistencies and a lot of unanswered questions. I found myself scratching my head at the end, thinking "what did I just read?"

Rating: ⭐