I Spy

A Novel

By: Claire Kendal

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

You don't see me
But I see you

From the author of The Book of You and The Second Sister, a twisty new thriller - perfect for readers and listeners of J.P. Delaney and Emily Elgar.

Holly Lawrence always wanted to be a spy, but the experience proved more dangerous than anything she imagined. Now, Holly lives under an assumed name, hiding from the man who nearly destroyed her life. 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.

©2019 Claire Kendal (P)2019 HarperAudio

Story didn't go where I thought

As always, I LOVE Imogen Church's performance. The story was okay. I liked that it switched from past to present. The mystery of what happened in the past that lead her to the present self was intriguing. However, the ending left me feeling disappointed. It was still a good story but not what I expected with a title of I Spy. I didn't understand the involvement with MI5 and felt it could have gone further into that aspect of the story. Instead it was about a love triangle and a baby.

Better than expected...

Very respectable 4 star listen...not your typical “thriller.” A complex plot with plenty of twists and turns, with a rather satisfying ending.

Jumping around

If you like a book that jumps back and forth between times this book is for you! It is not my kind of read! It was just too confusing!

“I Spy” is a long and overly complicated audiobook

I liked that love between two complicated people and their desire to have a child is a focus. The man, a doctor and the woman he lives with, being asked to spy on him and others in their circle of friends. The woman gets pregnant but the baby dies. Her loss hits her profoundly. The characters travel in various countries but have advanced technology at their fingertips. Twists and turns are many. The audiobook is long which is why I bought it plus the spy topic. 4 stars right for reasons mentioned. I have done many audiobooks. Kingsolver’s “Demon Copperhead” won a Pulitzer Prize and deserved 5 stars that I gave it!

Suspenseful and enjoyable

The story was well written and many twists and turns kept me interested. This reader is fabulous. Overall suspenseful and engaging. I plan to look to other books by this author

Fantastic!

Loved it! Great book. Shocked, sadness, excitement, confusion. All of them kept me listening. Thank you.

I Endured to the End

The best thing about this weird story is the narrator. I’m absolutely certain I would have quit half way through the print edition. It starts out quite well, and moves along at an intriguing pace for a few hours, with characters and relationships developing nicely, with a current of creepiness that kept me hooked. Not sure when it loses momentum, as it’s gradual. The last third of the book was tedious; I no longer cared about the protagonist, or what might happen next. I just turned it on at bedtime to let Imogen’s lovely voice send me to sleep, as I had too much going on at the moment to start a new audiobook. I’m giving the story two stars because it did start out well, and the premise is unique. Imogen’s narration nudges my overall rating up to three. Quite honestly though, I’m going to return it because I know I’ll never want to listen to it again. Perhaps you won’t be as bored and disheartened as I was by the convoluted detours; I see that some reviewers loved it.

Good story...

This was very good but I think I need to listen to it again. I was a bit confused about 2/3 in. This was my first book from this author. Will read more. As always IMOGEN CHURCH was BRILLIANT.

Great story, sound editing not good

I really enjoyed the story and I adore Imogen Church, she is my favorite. While listening to the story the volume would dip way down when there were low tones or whispers and then go up. I kept having to replay parts because I missed what was being said. I attribute this to the sound editing not the performer, I'd listen again if this were fixed.

Riveting!

Had me anticipating every word as if I were right there! Although the female narrator's voice as the husband got a little annoying towards the end.