A review that originally appeared on the Waterstones website back in 2007:-
GREGG HURWITZ
I SEE YOU
This is a variation on that old chestnut where a guy wakes up in bed next to a dead body, with no idea of how it got there. Crime writer Andrew Danner stands accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. He has no memory of the night in question thanks to a seizure caused by a brain tumour. Danner is found guilty, but a plea of temporary insanity is accepted and he is released. Then another woman is murdered, and again the evidence points at Danner. Fortunately he has an alibi this time, and sets out to discover who is framing him and why, what really happened on the night of Genevieve’s death.
Hurwitz has an ear for a telling phrase, bringing the LA setting to life in passages of vivid and memorable description, drawing fully rounded characters who will remain in the memory long after the book has ended, among them Danner himself, who grows in stature as a result of his ordeal, learning to put the needs of others before his own. And Hurwitz has a lot of fun with the plot, selling the reader a credible dummy before revealing the villain’s identity, muddying the waters by allowing that Danner may have mental health issues and adding the clever conceit that “I See You” is his latest book. Where I have reservations is in the reveal, with far too many conveniences and coincidences for comfort, as for instance the whole plot hinging on the fact that Danner’s phone service is temporarily suspended. There seems little motive for the real culprit to incriminate Danner in particular, and no real sense to some of his other actions. One to enjoy for the journey more than the destination.
Trumpetville 