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Author – Claire Mackintosh
Publisher – HarperCollins
Format - Audiobook
Pages – 400 (Paperback)
First Published – 2026 (Paperback)
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.
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.
Warning: Major spoilers for It's Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh.
At first, the novel appears to be a domestic thriller about suspected infidelity, but it quickly becomes a complex conspiracy involving fake police officers, extremism, and corruption.
Nadeeka Prasanna is convinced her partner, Jamie, is having an affair. Having been betrayed in the past, she recognises what she believes are the familiar signs—late nights, secretive behaviour, and suspicious excuses. She races home to confront him, only to find her house surrounded by police tape. Officers tell her Jamie has been stabbed to death inside their home. A detective identifying himself as DI Colin Burton takes charge of the investigation, reassuring Nadeeka while collecting evidence from the house. The following day, Nadeeka visits the police station expecting an update on the investigation.
Instead, she learns something impossible, there is no DI Colin Burton. No murder has been reported at her address. No official officers were ever sent to her house. The entire "crime scene" was staged.
The people posing as police officers weren't investigating Jamie's death—they were removing every piece of evidence before the real police could discover it.
Real detective DCI Lauren Caldwell begins investigating what actually happened. As Lauren digs deeper, she uncovers Jamie's secret life. Far from having an affair, Jamie had become involved with a dangerous far-right extremist organisation called New Dawn. He wasn't a supporter, however—he had infiltrated the group and was secretly gathering evidence against it. Jamie had been recording meetings and collecting information that could expose influential members of the organisation. Lauren discovers the fake police operation required extensive planning and insider knowledge. Someone with access to police procedures had organised a convincing fake murder investigation, allowing conspirators to seize Jamie's electronic devices, remove incriminating documents, erase forensic evidence, and ensure the real police would find almost nothing. Lauren later learns that her soon to be husband and fellow police officer, Fraser Hogan is the leader of New Dawn.
The conspiracy reaches far beyond a single murder, involving powerful people determined to prevent Jamie's evidence from becoming public. Throughout the novel, readers—like Nadeeka—assume Jamie has been dishonest because of an affair. Instead, his lies were meant to protect both Nadeeka and her children while he worked undercover. The title, It's Not What You Think, reflects this central misdirection: almost every assumption made in the opening chapters turns out to be wrong.
Lauren ultimately pieces together the conspiracy and exposes those responsible for staging the fake investigation and covering up Jamie's murder. The people behind New Dawn and their accomplices are brought into the open, though the novel also emphasises how fragile public trust can be when institutions are manipulated from within. Nadeeka comes to understand that Jamie's secrecy wasn't evidence of betrayal—it was the consequence of his dangerous attempt to expose extremists.
The climax takes place at the Civic Centre (community centre) during a children's nativity rehearsal, after the police discover that the far-right terrorist group New Dawn is planning a mass-casualty attack. Fraser, who is secretly the leader of New Dawn and DCI Lauren Caldwell's fiancé, uses his police credentials to access the Civic Centre before the event. He plants 20 nail bombs beneath chairs and the stage, intending to kill hundreds of children and adults attending the rehearsal. Lauren realises the Civic Centre is the terrorists' target after piecing together the evidence Jamie had uncovered before his murder. Police and bomb disposal teams rush to evacuate the building while trying to locate Fraser. Nadeeka makes her way to the centre and is frantic because her daughter Maya is missing and may still be inside the building. She ignores the danger and goes into the Civic Centre to find her. Meanwhile, Fraser escapes to the roof with a hostage. Lauren confronts him herself rather than letting armed officers shoot him. She manages to distract him, save the hostage, and arrest Fraser alive. Inside the building, bomb disposal officers successfully disable the explosives, but Maya is still nowhere to be found. Nadeeka remembers the hide-and-seek phrase Jamie always used with the girls—"Olly olly oxen free!" She calls it out, and Maya emerges safely from a hidden space behind the stage where she had been hiding.
Fraser is later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a lengthy minimum term. New Dawn is officially designated a terrorist organisation. Nadeeka later scatters Jamie's ashes and begins rebuilding her life, knowing he died trying to stop the attack and protect her daughters. In a chilling epilogue, Fraser is shown continuing to recruit followers from prison, suggesting that although the immediate plot has been stopped, the ideology behind New Dawn has not been eradicated
Main Characters
Nadeeka Prasanna - The main protagonist.
Jamie - Nadeeka's partner.
DCI Lauren Caldwell - The detective leading the real investigation.
Fraser Hogan - Leader of New Dawn and DCI Lauren Caldwell's fiancé.
"DI Colin Burton" - The name used by the man who appears to lead the investigation into Jamie's supposed murder.
But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can't explain himself. The house has become a crime scene… Jamie is dead.
Warning: Major spoilers for It's Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh.
At first, the novel appears to be a domestic thriller about suspected infidelity, but it quickly becomes a complex conspiracy involving fake police officers, extremism, and corruption.
Nadeeka Prasanna is convinced her partner, Jamie, is having an affair. Having been betrayed in the past, she recognises what she believes are the familiar signs—late nights, secretive behaviour, and suspicious excuses. She races home to confront him, only to find her house surrounded by police tape. Officers tell her Jamie has been stabbed to death inside their home. A detective identifying himself as DI Colin Burton takes charge of the investigation, reassuring Nadeeka while collecting evidence from the house. The following day, Nadeeka visits the police station expecting an update on the investigation.
Instead, she learns something impossible, there is no DI Colin Burton. No murder has been reported at her address. No official officers were ever sent to her house. The entire "crime scene" was staged.
The people posing as police officers weren't investigating Jamie's death—they were removing every piece of evidence before the real police could discover it.
Real detective DCI Lauren Caldwell begins investigating what actually happened. As Lauren digs deeper, she uncovers Jamie's secret life. Far from having an affair, Jamie had become involved with a dangerous far-right extremist organisation called New Dawn. He wasn't a supporter, however—he had infiltrated the group and was secretly gathering evidence against it. Jamie had been recording meetings and collecting information that could expose influential members of the organisation. Lauren discovers the fake police operation required extensive planning and insider knowledge. Someone with access to police procedures had organised a convincing fake murder investigation, allowing conspirators to seize Jamie's electronic devices, remove incriminating documents, erase forensic evidence, and ensure the real police would find almost nothing. Lauren later learns that her soon to be husband and fellow police officer, Fraser Hogan is the leader of New Dawn.
The conspiracy reaches far beyond a single murder, involving powerful people determined to prevent Jamie's evidence from becoming public. Throughout the novel, readers—like Nadeeka—assume Jamie has been dishonest because of an affair. Instead, his lies were meant to protect both Nadeeka and her children while he worked undercover. The title, It's Not What You Think, reflects this central misdirection: almost every assumption made in the opening chapters turns out to be wrong.
Lauren ultimately pieces together the conspiracy and exposes those responsible for staging the fake investigation and covering up Jamie's murder. The people behind New Dawn and their accomplices are brought into the open, though the novel also emphasises how fragile public trust can be when institutions are manipulated from within. Nadeeka comes to understand that Jamie's secrecy wasn't evidence of betrayal—it was the consequence of his dangerous attempt to expose extremists.
The climax takes place at the Civic Centre (community centre) during a children's nativity rehearsal, after the police discover that the far-right terrorist group New Dawn is planning a mass-casualty attack. Fraser, who is secretly the leader of New Dawn and DCI Lauren Caldwell's fiancé, uses his police credentials to access the Civic Centre before the event. He plants 20 nail bombs beneath chairs and the stage, intending to kill hundreds of children and adults attending the rehearsal. Lauren realises the Civic Centre is the terrorists' target after piecing together the evidence Jamie had uncovered before his murder. Police and bomb disposal teams rush to evacuate the building while trying to locate Fraser. Nadeeka makes her way to the centre and is frantic because her daughter Maya is missing and may still be inside the building. She ignores the danger and goes into the Civic Centre to find her. Meanwhile, Fraser escapes to the roof with a hostage. Lauren confronts him herself rather than letting armed officers shoot him. She manages to distract him, save the hostage, and arrest Fraser alive. Inside the building, bomb disposal officers successfully disable the explosives, but Maya is still nowhere to be found. Nadeeka remembers the hide-and-seek phrase Jamie always used with the girls—"Olly olly oxen free!" She calls it out, and Maya emerges safely from a hidden space behind the stage where she had been hiding.
Fraser is later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a lengthy minimum term. New Dawn is officially designated a terrorist organisation. Nadeeka later scatters Jamie's ashes and begins rebuilding her life, knowing he died trying to stop the attack and protect her daughters. In a chilling epilogue, Fraser is shown continuing to recruit followers from prison, suggesting that although the immediate plot has been stopped, the ideology behind New Dawn has not been eradicated
Main Characters
Nadeeka Prasanna - The main protagonist.
Jamie - Nadeeka's partner.
DCI Lauren Caldwell - The detective leading the real investigation.
Fraser Hogan - Leader of New Dawn and DCI Lauren Caldwell's fiancé.
"DI Colin Burton" - The name used by the man who appears to lead the investigation into Jamie's supposed murder.
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