An excellent mystery with some really interesting twists and turns

Clare has done it again. Another great book with the right amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing till the end. She never disappoints. Well done.

I don't even know where to begin with this. I stayed up late finishing this last night and I can't even tell you the last time I stayed up late to finish a book. I wish I could tell you everything about this book, but that wouldn't be fair. You need to experience this slow burn that ratchets up into a full blown four alarm fire. I hardly ever give 5 stars to books, but this one gets it on Goodreads!

I have not had this much fun with a book in a long, long time. I also pick up books to read that promises a "twist" and never get them. Not only THAT, but I would have bet money that I knew what was coming, with one part I did, but certainly not the other. I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, so here is the blurb from Goodreads:


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…

Okay, so there you have a synopsis without me blowing it. Three words: READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. No review is required.

A razor-sharp novel of psychological suspense, from a writer who knows how to craft characters readers care about.

I loved this book . Not only is it a good story, but there is so many topics touched upon. What really happened when Anna's parents committed suicide. So many secrets, so many lies are told. There are twists and turns. I just loved Murray, he investigates threats that Anna is getting and I hope he will return in another book

I am still thinking of the ramifications of deceit and other secrets. How life changes in a second.

I am not sure why this book isnt pulling in all 5s. Give it a chance

A great ending is in store for you

Clare Mackintosh is the NEW go to thriller writer. Each new book she writes, I think it can't possibly surprise me and each book does! Let me Lie deals with heavy subjects - grief, depression, suicide - in a realistic and respectful way. The story told with alternating narrators, keeps moving (although a little slow at first) until the climatic end. Our main character, Anna, is a likable, sympathetic character but it is the side character of the retired detective and his wife that I felt the most for and wish we had more from. My only critique - After the climatic ending, Anna receives another cryptic note but I just don't know what it means. It was a little of a let down after a great thriller to end like that. Will recommend to patrons looking for a can't-put-down thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. I was glad to have the opportunity from NetGalley to be able to read it in advance.

Clare Mackintosh continues her impressive display in crime fiction. While Let Me Lie doesn’t have the same twisty nature of her first two novels, it is still a well-crafted suspense plot filled with with related-able characters and is sure to keep readers up late into the night.

Clare Mackintosh is one of my favorite crime writers. Her characters are vivid, her plots brilliant, and the mystery intriguing. However, Let Me Lie was much more of a family drama than her previous two books, which gave it a very different feeling. There was more of a focus on mother-daughter dynamics and family secrets. It wasn't as suspenseful as I was expecting but it was still an engrossing read. However, I did manage to figure out a good portion of the mystery before the reveals. While Let Me Lie wasn't my favorite book of Mackintosh's, I still adore her as a writer and will absolutely be reading everything she writes in the future. If you're a reader who found her previous novels, which were more psychological thrillers, to be too dark, I think this is the Clare Mackintosh book for you!

Suspenseful & enjoyable thriller from Clare Mackintosh! I’ve read all 3 of her books now and have enjoyed them all very much - my favorite is still I Let You Go! I had some theories throughout this one that ended up being accurate (and a few others that did not), so the OMG-twists kind of lost some of their punch there on me, but didn’t take away from the story overall, which I found to be very well done. I look forward to Mackintosh’s fourth book!

I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own

Anna is dealing with the recent suicides of both her parents, as well as being a new mom. On the anniversary of her mother's death, Anna's life slowly starts to unravel, starting with a card that makes her question the nature of her mother's death. The more Anna digs, the more she uncovers, or so she thinks.

"Let Me Lie" is an entertaining thriller. I enjoyed the book, but also can't find something to rave about. Overall, an enjoyable thriller worth checking out.

3.5/5 stars

Literally brings cliff’s- edge tension right to the very last page.!

Well folks, the Queen of the plot twist has done it again!
Two years ago, I read Clare Mackintosh's debut novel "I let you go". It contained what was for me, a 'gasp', jaw-dropping plot twist, and I considered it to be one of my favorite reads for that year. Her second novel, "I see you", which I read last year I enjoyed just as much as the first. Now with her third novel, I realize that this author is unlikely to disappoint me.

When I first started reading this book I thought the author had changed tactics by adding a supernatural element to her story. I was wrong. She has a way of carefully leading you down one path, then letting you know that you were a naive fool to have followed her. After three novels I should know better. LOL

Set in East Sussex, the novel features Anna Johnson, a new mother to two-month-old Ella. Anna lives with Mark Hemmings, the baby's father, in the home where she grew up. She has inherited the house after her parents commit suicide just seven months apart. Both jumped to their deaths from the suicide hot-spot, Beachy Head.

Anna and Mark are coping well with their new parental role. Until... On the first anniversary of her mother's death Anna receives an anniversary card with the words: "Suicide? Think again."

Distraught, Anna goes to the police with the card. She encounters a civilian police officer who takes her claims seriously. Murray Mackenzie, now working on the desk as a civilian, was once a respected detective. Retired from the CID, he now works in this capacity to fill the long hours. His wife, Sarah, is mentally ill and is oftentimes living at a nearby psychiatric hospital.

"Murray had the skills, and he had the time. Lots and lots of time."

Murray believes Anna's claims that her parents would never have commit suicide. He combs the old files and learns that the policemen in charge of the cases might have taken the easy way out, and, with no refuting evidence, closed the cases prematurely.

When Murray contacts Anna again, she tells him to forget about it and hangs up on him. This arouses his copper instincts further. Why would she be so adamant one day, then want him to drop the whole thing the next?

"Some secrets shouldn't be shared outside the family. Others shouldn't be shared at all."

Anna now keeps a vital secret from Mark. Then, when the Christmas season is in full swing and tensions are running high, someone throws a brick through the window of Ella's nursery. Luckily the baby was not in her cot at the time. But what if???? This time it is Mark who contacts the police. Only this time he goes through more official channels - which ends up getting Murray Mackenzie in a spot of bother...

"...how can you know someone all of your life, yet not know them at all?"

Who could be threatening Anna and her family? Her parents' death has left her a very wealthy woman. If they didn't commit suicide, have they been murdered? Or, are they dead at all?

Once again, Clare Mackintosh has written a novel in which I liked most of the characters. Even the ones I really shouldn't have liked. My very favorite character though was the retired policeman, Murray Mackenzie. This novel contains two powerful plot twists, one I suspected, the other one came as a complete surprise.

"Let me lie" is another well written thriller by former policewoman Clare Mackintosh. She knows how to entangle her readers with expert characterization and devious plot twists. She seems to understand the motives behind crimes - crimes of all sorts. This is a novel of betrayal, deception, avarice, bitterness, and revenge. Most of all though, it is a story of family secrets of the most serious kind. Oh, and of lies - deadly lies.

Highly recommended to readers who like psychological thrillers with suprising twists.

There are SO. MANY. thrillers out on the market these days. Some are good. Some are bad. Most are okay. The thing is that when there is a glut in any market, it takes a lot for one particular story to rise above the rest. The odds of that happening with every thriller you read are not very good; for that reason sometimes it is okay to temper your expectations. It is perfectly acceptable to hope for a thriller that will mostly keep you guessing with mostly believable characters and plot and decent writing because they are still entertaining and fill a need for decent books that will get people excited about reading again. This is how I feel about Clare Mackintosh and her latest novel, Let Me Lie.

It may seem that I am damning Let Me Lie with faint praise, but I assure you I am not. Her novels are never going to be Gillian Flynn big. She doesn't have that flair for the dramatic that splashy thrillers tend to have. What she does have is a consistency to her story-telling with careful pacing and characters that are not larger than life in any way. They are simply ordinary people in rather extraordinary circumstances, and that makes her stories more believable, more relatable, and in a way more interesting.

One of the best things about Ms. Mackintosh's novels is the fact that she does not rely on plot twists to shock the reader or create tension. Rather, she excels at the use of misdirection, allowing readers to believe one thing before adding a piece of the puzzle that changes your perception of the entire story. She puts this to particularly effective use in Let Me Lie. This sets her apart from the masses of other thrillers because it is a subtle effect that can have even greater reactions than a plot twist. With a twist, you see it coming or you don't; either way, it is something that shocks you once and from then you move on with the rest of the story. With misdirection, it sneaks up on you no matter what, and instead of being able to move on with the story you find you want to go back and read certain passages again now that your understanding of them is different. Misdirection resonates more and longer, and it requires a special skill to be able to create it.

The unfortunate thing about misdirection is that it is so easy to spoil. Just one wrong word or sentence could be enough for new readers to pick up on clues earlier than intended or to guess the misdirection from the outset. When this happens, the story loses its magic because all of the suspense is built upon the misdirection. Once that is gone, it becomes just another story without the benefit of plot twists or cliffhangers to keep your interest. For this reason, Let Me Lie can never be another Gillian Flynn novel. People would simply not be able to keep the secrets while expressing love for the story and to read it without the secrets is just an exercise in disappointment.

However, reading it with the secrets intact is an exercise in fun. The clever shift in perspective does force you to go back and reassess your understanding of certain clues. It also keeps you from guessing the big mystery, which is always a good thing in a suspense thriller. Even better, the shifts in perspective force you to rethink your understanding of certain relationships and the assumptions we all make based on very little information. This is my third novel by Ms. Mackintosh that I have read, and I do believe it is the one I enjoyed the most while reading. Ms. Mackintosh is honing her skill with every novel, and I look forward to seeing what she has next for us.

This was my first Claire Mackintosh and it kept me in suspense with all the twists and surprises. Looking forward to more from her.

I will be buying this for my library because we have so many patrons that really enjoy books in this genre. I personally did not enjoy this one very much, so I am having a hard time writing this review. Much of this book felt rather contrived for me and I just could not "go with the flow" so I could enjoy it.

Four stars: A stunning psychological thriller with plenty of twists and change of directions that will leave your head spinning.

Anna is trying to make it through the day. It is the one year anniversary of her mother’s death. Anna’s mother, Caroline, followed in her father’s footsteps seven months after he committed suicide. Both of them drove to the cliffs, weighted themselves down with rocks and jumped to their deaths. Anna doesn’t understand how her parents could do this to her, especially her mother. Then Anna gets a startling card, one that proclaims that perhaps it wasn’t suicide. As Anna starts picking at the past, she unwittingly brings danger to her doorstep, threatening the one person she wants to protect the most, her own infant daughter. Did Anna’s parents kill themselves?
What I Liked:
*Claire Mackintosh has become one of those go to authors when it comes to twisty psychological thrillers. Her latest book, provides all that you love about this genre: suspenseful story, misdirection, plot twists, complex characters, unreliable narrator and a shocking finale. If you are on the hunt for another terrific, suspenseful thriller, this is one to grab.
Plot twists and directional changes abound in this one. There are so many exciting developments and story redirections. This one turns everything upside down several times. Things are not what they seem, and if you think you have it figured out, think again. This one kept me riveted until the final pages. Loved the suspense.
*This one features four different view points: Anna, Murray, a retired detective investigating the case, Caroline, Anna’s mother, and another narrator that I won’t name. I found myself drawn to all the characters. I think Murray was my favorite. He is a retired detective, not quite willing to retire. He starts digging at Caroline’s case, in order to avoid dealing with the personal difficulties he faces at home when it comes to his wife Laura. Laura is another fascinating character. Laura suffers from bipolar depression, and she is at a particularly low point during the story. I enjoyed exploring Murray and Laura’s relationship, and I admired Murray for his courage and devotion to Laura.
*One thing that I appreciate when reading this author’s books is her dedication and clarity when it comes to the police work. She always has competent, likable detectives and police officers. No bumbling idiots or overbearing, pompous know it alls. Her law enforcement characters are flawed, but dedicated and relatable.
*The mystery itself is exciting. I loved that I was constantly guessing as to what was going on. I struggled to pinpoint the culprits and the how and why of the case. My guesses were wrong time and time again, and it didn’t help that one of the voices was unreliable. In the end, I loved the shocking twists and the outcome. I never saw it coming.
*The ending is satisfactory. It draws to a somewhat neat finish, but just when the dust is settling, there is a final shocker that had me thinking.
*I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Gemma Whalen. This was my first book narrated by Ms. Whalen, and I thought she did a wonderful job. I liked her voice characterizations, and I thought she did a terrific job overall.
And The Not So Much:
*I struggled early on with this one because I was not sure who I should like and connect with amongst the characters. It was hard because I didn’t know who to trust, and I was certain that someone wasn’t reliable, and I was right.
*I didn’t like the final jab after everything was winding down. What was that supposed to mean?
*I wish things had turned out better for Murray, he was such a likable guy. So kind, devoted and dedicated to his job and his wife.
*I wasn’t a fan of the first part when the story was following a supposed ghost. I knew from the get go that something wasn’t right with that scenario. It never worked for me.

Let Me Lie is another fantastic release from the super talented Claire Mackintosh. I enjoyed this twisty story that was ripe with suspense and filled with twists and turns. This is one that kept me guessing up until the final shocking revelation. I would have never pieced it together! If you want an excellent thriller that will keep you on your toes until the bloody end, this is one to grab.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Clare Mackintosh is one of those authors that is just such a genuinely great writer that I would read literally anything she puts out there. There is something about her style that never fails to reel me in and then she also comes up with these deeply complex characters that pull on your heart in a emotional way which is odd for a psychological thriller. On top of all of that, she never fails to surprise me with a multitude of twists and even though I may have figured out part of what was going on before it was actually revealed, I didn’t guess everything and there was plenty to shock me.

What’s revealed in the blurb about Anna is really all that you need to know so I’m not going to rehash that here, you’ll thank me later when you read this because you definitely should go into this one as blind as possible. But there is another point of view that of Murray, a semi retired police officer who gets entangled with Anna’s parents case and I would up absolutely loving him and the subplot concerning him and his wife. Without saying too much, Murray and Sarah’s story added an additional layer to the plot without detracting from the main one, it gave it extra depth that I valued and appreciated.

If you haven’t read Mackintosh before I highly recommend all of her books and if you’re already a fan I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one as well. This is a slow burn with fantastic characterization so if you like that style, you should check this one out. No one pulls off a final page plot twist quite as well as she does and even though I’ve come to expect it from her by now I never do manage to guess what it’ll be and it always leaves me shocked and awed.

Let Me Lie in three words: Clever, Twisty and Tumultuous

New psychological thriller by Claire Macintosh. Was it suicide? Good characters, great writing, lots of twists and turns!

I've only read I See You from Mackintosh, with I Let You Go high on my TBR list. I've noticed that both of these reads have received mixed reviews. While I absolutely LOVED I See You, some did not. Unfortunately, this one just didn't QUITE get there for me. Let me explain why.

First, the story has an extremely slow start. Sometimes I don't mind this but I was already 33% through the book and it still didn't seem to be getting anywhere and what was being built up was strikingly obvious so I was not surprised in any way shape or form once I got to Part Two. Honestly, at this point, I would normally DNF a book. However, this is Mackintosh, and while I may have only read one of her other books at this juncture of my reading 'career', I know she's capable of pulling you right in and making you second guess yourself.

Secondly, I didn't quite get that psychological thriller FEEL that I did with I See You. I can absolutely appreciate that instead of regurgitating the same thing with each book that she went in a different direction. Oh how I DO appreciate THAT very much. I think I was just expecting something ... more. Maybe my expectations are what let me down. Maybe I've read such an abundance of these kind of books that it takes a LOT to grasp my interest these days. 🤷

Finally, let me just say that this isn't a bad book by any means. If you're looking for more of that family drama/secrets type of book rather than that OOMPH your typical psychological thriller gives you, then I think you will thoroughly enjoy this book. The last 25% of the book helped to spur this along for me and became more of what I expected from Mackintosh and this read in particular.

Will I read more of Mackintosh? YOU BET YOUR SWEET ASS I WILL. She's a fantastic writer and really, you can't expect EVERY book by the same author to work for you. It's just not probable.