Title: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
Author: CLARE MACKINTOSH
ISBN: 9780008742591
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 391
Source: Private Copy
He has a secret. She knows he’s lying…
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.
Official Summary
26 August 2026
I really enjoy Clare Mackintosh’s writing and will always grab one of her books when I find it. Somehow, though, she ended up on the back burner, and I haven’t read anything by her in ages. So, when I came across this book, I was excited to add it straight to the top of my TBR pile.
The story proved to be a unique crime thriller, with the police having to solve a murder where there is no obvious crime scene.
Nadeeka rushes home, convinced she is going to find Jamie with another woman. Instead, she finds her house crawling with police and Jamie dead on the floor.
What follows is a twisty tale exploring themes of racial discrimination, unfaithful relationships, unemployment and the dangers of trusting the people closest to you. It also looks at a police force where not everyone can be trusted.
Mackintosh weaves all these different elements into the story, creating a complex look at modern life while somehow managing to bring everything together beautifully.
Nadeeka begins questioning everything she thought she knew about her relationship with Jamie. As pieces of his life that she was completely unaware of start coming to light, she finds herself confused and uncertain. She struggles to understand how she could have got things so wrong and whether she ever really knew the man she was living with.
Meanwhile, DCI Lauren Coldwell is determined to uncover the truth. But with her wedding only days away, she has plenty of personal issues of her own, including questioning whether she can trust the very people working alongside her.
This was a story full of questions, uncertainty and twists, and I loved never being completely sure where it was heading. Mackintosh does a brilliant job of juggling the different storylines and bringing everything together without leaving me with a pile of unanswered questions at the end.
It was a clever, complex and twisty crime thriller that reminded me why I enjoy Clare Mackintosh’s writing so much.
A brilliant read and an easy four-star rating from me.
Also By Clare Mackintosh
AFTER THE END
Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they’re facing the most important decision of their lives – and they don’t agree.
With the consequences of an impossible choice threatening to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again.
But anything can happen after the end . . .
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Clare Mackintosh is a former police officer and a Sunday Times number one bestselling crime author. Her books have sold more than three million copies, been optioned for screen and translated into 40 languages. She appears regularly at literary festivals and bookshop events across the UK and beyond.
This one reminded me why I enjoy Clare Mackintosh’s writing so much, I am already hunting for more books from her to add to my TBR. As always, thank you for stopping by, your support means the world to me. Until next time… Happy Reading!
