Review: I Let You Go

Title: I Let You Go

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: 3 May 2016 by Berkley Publishing Group

Pages: 384 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: thriller, mystery, fiction, crime, contemporary

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

The next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl...a novel with "an astonishing intensity that drags you in and never—ever—lets you go." (Daily Mail, UK)
 
On a rainy afternoon, a mother's life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street . . .
 
I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past. 
 
At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner, says, “I read I Let You Go in two sittings; it made me cry (at least twice), made me gasp out loud (once), and above all made me wish I'd written it . . . a stellar achievement.” (*Peter James, author of Want You Dead)

My Thoughts

I Let You Go is a psychological mystery by Clare Mackintosh. For a debut novel it is quite impressive. It's difficult to review as I want to give nothing away. Suffice to say, it is a cleverly written plot, with twists that will have you backtracking to double check what you read was correct ... "Wait. What?" How the story intertwines is seamless and done superbly. Even the title, 'I Let You Go', could pertain to a number of characters and situations. The complexity of plot, depth of characters, right amount of visual descriptions and killer twists all lends itself to one highly entertaining read. 

You will find yourself cruising along for the first half of the book and then WHAM! It becomes a whole new ball game - darker, sinister and excruciating disorientating.  From there on you will be compelled to push on until the end to discover the truth.  The detective and police work described in this book feels authentic, and it all makes sense when you read the Author's Note at the end where  Mackintosh wrote about her years as a police officer and all she encountered. 

I think I'll stop there as I don't want to give anything away.  Clare Mackintosh has ticked so many boxes with this one, it will appeal to a wide ranging audience -  a read for anyone who enjoys a great thriller with elements of mystery. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.