Review: Let Me Lie

Title:  Let Me Lie

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: 13th March 2018 by Hachette/Sphere

Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: mystery, thriller

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The police say it was suicide.

Anna says it was murder.

They're both wrong.

One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.

Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to question her parents’ deaths. But by digging up their past, she’ll put her future in danger. Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie…

My Thoughts

“Some secrets shouldn’t be shared outside the family. Others shouldn’t be shared at all”.

‘Let Me Lie’ by Clare Mackintosh is a psychological thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. Slowly built up, the story is told between alternating points of view from main characters and then an unknown person, but somehow involved. Who is this mystery narrator? Your guesses will continue to change throughout the story! Clare Mackintosh's crime writing is sublime as she weaves the complex plot with it's many twists and turns.

Firstly, can Clare Mackintosh write! It flows so well with good, strong character descriptions. You cannot help but feel for poor Anna - new partner, new baby and both parents gone through suicide - or have they? On the anniversary of the deaths, a mystery note sends her slow healing world into a spin. Who would do this and why? Keep reading! Then there are the secondary characters and I state straight away how much I loved the retired detective Murray. He, along with his wife Sarah, provide a super side story to the main plot as the author deftly handles the issues of mental illness and suicide. Obviously dealing with his own personal issues, it is his tenacity in pursuing this cold case in an effort to assist Anna, that endears him to the reader.

Apart from those two main leads, add into the mixture Anna’s new partner and father to her child, Mark and what role he might play in handling Anna who was once his patient. Anna’s Uncle Billy, her mother’s godchild Laura, even the neighbour and you really are provided with a good strong ensemble of players in the tale.

I had previous read Clare’s ‘I Let You Go’ (review HERE) and was impressed. If you haven’t read her books before then you simply must. Unable to really cannot discuss the plot, I would still highly recommend this book as once again the complexity, depth of characters, vivid descriptions and killer twists all lends itself to a very entertaining read.

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

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.