I Spy audiobook

I Spy with my little eye a good book!

 Claire Kendal cleverly blends a spy thriller with a psychological thriller in this compelling story. This was a riveting and refreshing read that kept me guessing. Holly always wanted to be a spy and her dream almost came true. Unfortunately Holly didn't make the final cut and instead found herself working in a hospital. FlashForward a few years and Holly is approached by MI5 to spy on her partner Zac. However Holly is not privy as to why she needs to be spying on her partner and information is given on a need to know basis; and apparently Holly doesn't need to know much of anything. What transpires is Holly caught up in a web of deceit and lies ultimately leading to loss.

 The story ping-pongs back-and-forth between past and present. The alternating chapters were cleverly titled and I found this easy to follow. Holly was a well-developed and likable protagonist. I completely sympathize with her plight and was right there with her searching for the truth. There was the perfect amount of tension and anticipation running through the story, kept me completely invested. Twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming. And that final ending, all I can say is well played!

This book in three emoji's: 🔍 🏥 🧐

Some obsessions are not worth bothering with:Q:‘It was humiliating. Do you ever consider what it means to someone to work so hard to try to join you, to want to devote herself to that, to protecting her country, and then to discover she’s not good enough?’ (c) At least some 'modern-day Bluebeards’ are not the best relationship material. Who would've guessed? A spy-in-the-making (or -failing), of course.Q: You are Pandora, Holly. It’s in your blood, that impulse to look where you shouldn’t. (c) How very astute. Gawd, Holly has the patience of a saint. Fine lines in life, fine prints at work - what else do we regularly miss if we aren't Pandora material?This girl's parents died in a car crash (possibly a fiery one) and her grandma goes on to read the girl a story about some Matilda (same name as the dead mom's) who 'told lies and was burned to death'. Now that's creative bringing up. Brrr.Q:All in all, the effect of my grandmother’s cautionary tales was not what she intended. They just gave me ideas about the interesting things I could do, and alerted me to potential disasters so I could try to figure out how to avoid them, though I didn’t always succeed. (c) Who would have guessed?Zac Hunter, very bad news and some freaky hobbies. Now, that's some peculiar mix if I've ever read one: Q:Two of his great passions all in one compact container. Taboo sex, and information theft. Naked women in impossible poses, and the rights of human beings to control their own data. (c) Overall, a very macabre-ish story with a very strange ending in a very strange place. Was everyone supposed to be as disconnected from reality in this one as it read to me?Other:Q:I had been obsessed with spies since I was a very little girl. (c) Q:It was only later that I learned that spies were supposed to keep to what was true, and were trained to be cautious about what they put on paper – two principles I wasn’t very good at heeding. (c) So, are we getting an unreliable narrator here?Q:It’s all about using this.’ She almost smiled. She placed a hand on each side of her head without actually touching it. ‘Rather than that’ – she lowered her hands from her breasts to her hips, again without touching herself – ‘to get what you need. (c) Q:‘Are you offering me a proper job with the Security Service?’‘You have access to intelligence that we need, and we know you’re skilful enough to get it for us.’‘No you don’t. You don’t think that about me at all. I seem to remember that flattery is part of that script for recruiting informants, too.’‘It is, as a matter of fact. But I do think you’re skilful – there was only that one critical flaw that ended the possibility of your joining us.’ (с) Q:‘Flattering and confiding all in one move – you’re a master of that recruitment script, but it’s not working. (c) Q:‘The answer’s no.’‘It won’t kill you to think about it, and to be gently watchful while you do.’‘Again … no.’ (c) Q:There was room in the world for all kinds of mermaids. (c) Q:Not many people drink their tea with no milk. (c) Oh, give me a break, Sherlock. Plenty do. Tea with milk is like piss, only grosser. Q:His taste in books, all hardbacks and dust-free, was unsurprising – medical ethics, law, artificial intelligence, and the surveillance state. He especially liked it when these subjects intersected. (c) Q:‘It’s not me. I hope I don’t look lost or missing, because I know exactly where I am.’ (c) Q:Four years earlier, when I’d tried to join MI5, I’d created an email account using the name Helen Graham. I’d also got hold of a photo ID and credit card to match, thinking even then that I might need them some day. (c) Q:I will never know. Is that why I am the way I am, always trying to find things out, to compensate for knowledge that is impossibly out of my reach? (c) Q:… there’s probably some fetish group who are into pregnant women, with Zac as their president.’ (c) Q:Zac was so passionately on the side of those who fought for individual freedoms and stood up to authority, yet so against the people closest to him having any freedom themselves. It occurred to me that such a paradox wasn’t unusual. Sometimes when you knew too much about how a thing worked, even if you thought it was wrong in principle, or that it should only be used for a larger good, you still couldn’t help trying it yourself. And then it became a habit. Wasn’t I guilty of this too? (c) Q:No better way to get a man to love you forever than to run away from him. (c)

We are introduced to Holly who is being interviewed to become a spy, all her studies seem to have payed off until the last hurdle where she fails!!Holly moves on and marries Zak. She is approached by the woman who interviewed her for the spy job and asks her to spy on someone close to her. This drastically changes the course of her life causing Holly to pack up and flee.Holly now called Helen is working at the hospital when she meets Eliza and her daughter Alice. Is someone spying on her? A riveting book with twists and turns that will keep you guessing. The different timelines are easy to follow. I thoroughly recommend this book.Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I Spy is a cleverly twisted two pronged tale, with an intriguing premise and some engaging characters.Holly is hiding from the world, a failed attempt at espionage haunting her. Told in past and present we discover what happened to Holly, why a chance encounter with a child sets her on a dangerous path and who may be watching her every move…There are some terrifically unexpected elements to this story, keeping you turning the pages. It is a kind of domestic noir/spy thriller hybrid written with a very human touch and completely riveting throughout.Overall a really great read with a pitch perfect ending.Recommended.

Holly Lawrence's ambition is to become a spy. But her experience proved to be more dangerous than she imagined. Now she has to live hiding away, under an assumed name. She can't trust anyone. But now her new live is beginning to unravel. This time,someone is spying on Holly. But how far is she willing to go to survive?I liked the authors style in writing this book, even though it is a little complex. She dealt with abuse, coercive relationships and baby loss with sensitivity. The characters are well rounded and the story is told from Holly's point of view. A well constructed plot that has many twists. This is far from a predictable read and it held my interest throughout.I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Claire Kendal for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a while to get into but then I was hooked. The chapters are a bit erratic if you look at the date/year but if you just get in your mind it’s kind of a before and after the event, it’ll help. Holly has moved on with her life, or so she thinks, and then the past creeps up on her. This is a hard one to review as even talking about her life before it happens could spoil it for you. I can say this is an engrossing book that definitely keeps your attention, and is one of those books that has you trying to work out what’s going to happen next. Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I was so excited to get this book, and tried to start it immediately but just couldn’t get into it, eventually I did. I couldn’t give 5 stars, because the beginning just sort of left me not wanting to delve further, but when I finally made myself I did enjoy, so I would give a solid 4 stars! I think it’s written in that style I Kendal seems to use, and it’s a good one to utilize with thrillers. Very chilling, thrilling, and shocking, after the initial few chapters. Will recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

This is a polished, intelligent read with a fabulous sense of increasing jeopardy. I always love the author’s refined, poised and elegant writing style with flecks of detail that make it truly special. The MI5 spy-theme is a clever touch and brought a new angle to this kind of domestic noir psychological thriller. Highly recommended!

round up to 4.5 stars.

Wonderful

This is my first read by Claire and wont be my last. Its a mix of thriller and psychological and had me wanting to read more to see what would happen.

Wow. I impromptu bought this novel at a book sale, so I wasn't expecting much but I actually genuinely enjoyed it. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers then you should read this. Would you spy on your significant other? Who would ever think that dreaming of becoming a spy would later on cause such a kerfuffle in your life. Holly, the protagonist/narrator, is a very likeable & strong female character. I loved how she was able to keep her composure regardless of what was happening to her. I enjoyed the jumping between timelines and the obvious changes that certain events had on her persona. The other female characters weren't near as likeable but I found they provided a great contrast to Holly. And as much as I hate Zac, his self-absorbed attitude and controlling behaviour was pretty dang entertaining to me.