When the game is deception, nothing is as it seems in this novel of cunning psychological suspense by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of I’ll Never Tell.Do you want to play a game?Twelve years ago Jessica Williams escaped a cult. Thanks to the private detective who rescued her, she reintegrated into society, endured an uncomfortable notoriety, and tried to put it all behind her. Then, at … tried to put it all behind her. Then, at an airport bar, Jessica meets a woman with an identical name and birth date. It appears to be just an odd coincidence—until a week later, when Jessica finds her bank account drained and her personal information stolen.
Following a trail of the grifter’s victims, each with the same name, Jessica gathers players—one by one—for her own game. According to her plan, they’ll set a trap and wait for the impostor to strike again. But plans can go awry, and trust can fray, and as Jessica tries to escape the shadows of her childhood, the risks are greater than she imagined. Now, confronting the casualties of her past, Jessica can’t help but wonder…
Who will pay the price?
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Jessica Williams has been robbed in a clever scheme. She is just not going to stand for this. Jessica begins an intricate plan to get her money back.
Jessica has a unique past. She was raised in a cult, LOT or The Land of Todd. This part of the book is fascinating. It adds so much to the story and the characters.
As this story began to unfold, I was afraid of all the “Jessica’s”… there are quite a few in this tale. I hate it when an author names a character very similar to another main character. So, I thought this would not work for me. But, Catherine McKenzie did a fabulous job. You will have to read this to see how she did it.
Catherine McKenzie just keeps getting better and better. This is her best book yet! No doubt about it! I love an unpredictable story and this one just keeps twisting and turning. Just when you think you have it figured out, it twists again.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Jessica Williams has had a really tough upbringing. She escapes a cult and she’s got a bit of revenge boiling up inside. As a journalist, she makes a bad decision that costs her, her job, and ends up on a trip as part of the severance package where she meets another Jessica Williams who ends up stealing most of her money. She refuses to let this go and searches out other potential victims and the story just spins into a twist. The storyline is interesting and I would never have thought of this happening but revenge is an evil road to take. The ending will have you thinking of “wait, how did I not see this”.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My anger raged while reading Catherine McKenzie’s book, not because of her but the plot of the story. She pulls you right into the scenes where you feel like you need to console the victim and go after the villain. This is full of intrigue and adventure. Very enjoyable read. Highly recommend. Enjoy!
I’ve tried to figure out how to write this review without giving away too much about the book, and I’ve had to delete more than actually will appear.
So here’s what you need to know: the mystery is GOOD. You may have an inkling here and there about some things, but how Catherine McKenzie gets you from Jessica Williams meeting a fellow Jessica Williams in an airport to the ending (THAT ENDING!) is an adventure. Twists. Turns. Detours. It is fun to read this, even if you chew your nails to the nub while you do so.
You may not always be on Jessica’s side, you may actively dislike her sometimes, but you are anxious to know what happens to her. How will she …. well …. you’ll want to know things.
When you read this, please hit up the comments and tell me your thoughts. Did you see that ending coming?
I can’t imagine someone having my name let alone several along with having the same birthday! This story is intriguing and suspenseful! A perfect summer read!
Jessica Williams has come far from the days in the Land of Todd – the cult she was raised in. However, one bad decision unravels everything for her in a moment. Just when she thinks that she’s about to get back on her feet and move forward, her entire world explodes. Will Jessica be able to find the grifter who stole her money before she does it to someone else? She’d better move fast if she wants to get ahead of the game.
In the beginning, it’s hard to know whether Jessica Williams is a good person or not. She’s done something unethical as far as her job goes, even though she knew from the beginning it would end her career if she was found out. However, as her past is revealed and I began to understand the person underneath, she became more likable. I wanted to root for her, despite her mistakes and dumb choices. Sometimes, she made it really hard, too. But in the end, I really do think she was as good of a person as she was able to be, faults and all.
From the beginning, I didn’t think trying to trap Jessica Two was a good idea. However, there wouldn’t be much of a story if she didn’t try, right? The lengths she goes to in order to track down other Jessica Williams’ is a bit much at times, but in the age of technology, I can believe that this kind of thing happens more than we want to admit. What happens once they set their trap for the grifter is something else altogether. All I can say is buckle up because it’s going to be a bumpy ride from here on out.
You Can’t Catch Me was a wild ride of a story. So many twists and turns and the end completely caught me off guard. Also, the letters at the very end surprised the heck out of me. The information revealed in the letters at the end really took me by surprise. Excellent way to end a crazy, twisted novel. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves twisty thrillers with gritty female leads.
This story grabbed me from the first page, and didn’t let go. Now I’m familiar with this author’s work, which is how I chose this book, and yet, she still was able to surprise me all the way to the end.
Jessica Williams, yup, a name you will be very familiar with as you read, but there is depth here, and most you will never expect.
A little bit of Cults and Grifters here, and how they meld together is quite mind blowing, and con upon con. ‘
I love how the mind of this author works, and she keeps me guessing with bombshells and twist that I never saw coming, a book that will keep you page-turning and gasping!
I received this book through Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “You Can”t Catch Me” by Catherine McKenzie, Lake Union Publishing, June 2020
WOW! Catherine McKenzie, author of “You Can’t Catch Me” has written an intense, page-turning, intriguing, captivating, and suspenseful novel. The genres for this story are Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense and Mystery and Fiction. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complex, complicated, manipulative, and calculating. This novel has twists and turns, betrayals, threats, and danger. The themes in this book are identity theft and cults, and life after being in a cult.
Jessica Williams was able to leave a cult with some help from a detective and has tried to become familiar with modern society to fit in. Until recently, she was a well-known journalist. Jessica finds that there is more than one Jessica Williams, and one of them is a thief, not only stealing money but identities, and ruining reputations.
Jessica Williams and the other Jessica Williams try to trap and catch the one that is causing the problems. No one realizes how dangerous and deadly this can become.
I love the way Catherine McKenzie pulls you into this suspenseful thriller and vividly describes the characters, plot/s, and landscape. I highly recommend reading this thought-provoking novel.
I have read several of Katherine MacKenzies novels and have enjoyed everyone of them. I struggled to get through this one and suspect that the plot and characters were just too complicated to get me there. I suspect it’s the complicated times we live in.
A really twisted tale of multiple Jessica Williams, that are defrauded by a women, claiming to be another Jessica Williams. In an elaborate scam, that has these women’s lives virtually ruined, we try to manipulate the devious situations that these unsuspecting women are placed in.
They all have had disappoints in their lives and now must overcome one if the biggest challenges yet. And that is to find and stop this fake Jessica Williams from finding other victims. One thing I will admit, I never saw the ending coming!
This story is about cults, bad relationships, yearning for love and trying to fight back from difficult lives. But I just couldn’t connect with the characters and struggled with the challenge of keeping everyone’s story straight. It dragged on, far too long and I felt exhausted by the effort. The visuals were exceptional, the bleakness of the cult compound, the complexities of trying to adapt to a busy New York City, and the beauty and serenity of Wyoming. It’s an interesting plot and it will appeal to those readers that thrive on navigating a complex tale.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing for my ARC. My review is my independent opinion.
You Can’t Catch Me grabbed me from the first few pages and held on tight until I finished reading it. The book was full of twists and turns, and at times I didn’t know where the storyline was going. I love suspense/thrillers its one of my favorite genres and this one certainly didnt disappoint. I would certainly recommend it to others.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley, the publisher and author and this is my fair and honest review.