How far should you trust your own judgment? You sense things, you see things, they call it a “post-bereavement hallucinatory experience”. Logically you know what you are experiencing cannot be true since your parents are dead, that it is not rational to see your mother’s ghost standing across the street or to smell her perfume in your kitchen. So why is this all happening now, a year later, when it did not happen immediately after their deaths?

Anna’s father jumped off the cliff at Beachy Head, seven months later, in apparent desperation, her mother copied her husband’s suicide. Now on the first anniversary of her mother’s death, someone is playing a cruel joke and has sent Anna a note, “Suicide? Think again”. Is it possible the one or both of them had been murdered?

Anna’s partner, and once her therapist, Mark Hemmings is trying to convince her that it is just a hoax, but Anna isn’t so sure. Between her own emotions and the sleep deprivation that their daughter is causing, Anna’s head is swimming with possibilities, and fears, since she cannot get anyone to believe her, and the strange goings on, that confront her at every turn. This is where retired detective Murray Mackenzie steps in and takes it upon himself to unofficially investigate. With his wife in and out of a mental institution and her surprising insight on the case, Murray connects the dots in a way that has the reader scratching their head and thinking – that just might work.

As you read this book, you are certain how it is going to end. Psychology thrillers tend to lead you down a path that shifts and veers, but there are always truths that remain. Yet, the final truth in this book will have you going back a chapter or two to reread just to make sure that you did not miss something. Sure enough, I had. One misinterpretation of a sentence changed everything.

In spring of 2016 I read and reviewed Clare Mackintosh’s debut novel I Let You Go, and loved it. Then, somehow, last year I completely missed her second novel I See You. But this spring along comes her latest psychological thriller, Let Me Lie, and I jumped at the chance to get a copy from Berkley and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

As was the case with I Let You Go, it’s a challenge to say much about this one without spoiling some of the fun. Just know that I sat down to read this yesterday around noon and didn’t stop until I finished it (I love when that happens!)

The outline of the story is that a young single mother, Anna Johnson, is grieving the loss of her parents, both of whom apparently committed suicide seven months apart by leaping from the cliffs at Beachy Head at high tide. (Beachy Head is a place that really exists and is a popular suicide spot, with approximately 20 people a year jumping to their deaths). We learn that her father was apparently bipolar and her mother the victim of domestic abuse. Anna is grieving and totally hormonal from the recent birth of her daughter when, on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, she gets a note telling her “it wasn’t suicide.”

She goes to the police where she tells her story to a recently retired detective who has taken a job as a civilian employee, staffing the reception desk at he the police station. Rather than refer this on to the “real” policemen, he begins investigating it himself. Along the way, several people seem possible suspects: her dead father’s brother Billy, the doctor next door whose remodeling plans caused a feud with Anna’s mother Caroline, Caroline’s goddaughter Laura, who hangs around a LOT, and Anna’s partner and the father of her child, a counselor she met when she went for grief counseling and with whom she subsequently fell in lo. There are lots of plot twists and turns for sure, along with a dead rabbit (very reminiscent of the movie Fatal Attraction).

I tend to like stories with alternating points of view, when it is well done. This one is, and I really enjoyed the character development of Murray Mackenzie, the detective. My best advice is just go with it. It is a fun read, with lots of suspense and twisty plotlines. As usual, I didn’t guess the ending, and my suspicion about at least one of the suspects was wrong, but at least I did have an inkling about another one.

There are some days when I just want a book to envelop my whole day and to keep reading until I finish the book. If you have days like that and enjoy this genre, be sure to pick up the latest from one of my favorite thriller writers. Five stars. And an extra star for her acknowledgements, particularly about the dog and the impact of mental illness.

This one was really just... fine for me. I feel like I have conflicting feelings about Clare Mackintosh's books- whereas it seems like most people preferred I Let You Go to I See You, I felt the opposite (I Let You Go really stressed me out), and in my head I think she's a great author, but really, now two out of three of her books have just been 3 stars for me (which is a fine rating! Just doesn't rise to exceptional for me), but I still want to see what she does next.

Let Me Lie is a pretty slowly paced book, and occasionally felt overly drawn out (this story didn't need to be 400 pages). To its credit, I found parts of this book surprising without feeling like I was being tricked, and I genuinely felt for Anna, the main character, and the stress of her grief and major life changes that had happened in a short period of time.

Another page turner from Clare Mackintosh and this one does not disappoint. Anna cannot believe that BOTH her mother and father would choose to end their own lives. But apparently that is what they did, until clues start to appear and what she thought was the truth was really a lie.

If you think you can usually figure out "who did it", you'll be very surprised by this book. The twists and turns make it an intriguing read!

LET ME LIE BY CLARE MACKINTOSH BOOK REVIEW
When I say I’m stoked to read & review this book, I mean I squealed when I received my copy. Clare’s debut novel, I Let You Go is my go-to recommendation when it comes to thrillers. To this day, it’s the only book I’ve ever GASPED while reading. I seriously had to turn the pages back to re-read the story because I was in such a state of shock. Clare’s second book, I See You is a great follow-up with a creepy voyeuristic tone. I loved it! When I saw Let Me Lie, I had to get my hands on it.

Clare’s characters are relatable & believable & this is what I need from my thrillers. I’ve come to loathe the unreliable narrator. Although this story uses multiple narrators, I trusted each of them which always helps me buy into the story a bit more.

MEET THE CHARACTERS – ANNA & MURRAY
Readers meet Anna, who is a new mother & is still reeling from the loss of both parents to apparent suicides. Early in the story, she begins to think there is more to her mother’s death & wants the police to look into the case further. This is where we meet Murray, a semi-retired police officer. Murray is a really great character & I need a spin-off series centering around him- pronto!

As Anna & Murray are digging around in the past, it becomes VERY clear that someone wants them to stop. As it would with me too, this intrigues them further & they know they have to keep going to get to the truth.

LET ME LIE GIVES YOU TWISTS, TURNS & THRILLS
A little over halfway through, this story really picks up speed. If you’re like me, you try to figure out the “bad guy” while reading. Clare ALWAYS gets me & I never see the ending coming! Let Me Lie was particularly fun because there were several twists & turns. By the ending, I saw the book play out like a fast-paced action movie in my head.

Let Me Lie is also a really touching story in many ways. Anna is in a fluctuating state of grief while assuming her new role as a mother. There are moments where my heart ached for her. Her plight reminded me in some ways of Clara from Mary Kubica’s Every Last Lie. Murray is caring for his wife, who is ill. There’s also a painful little secret about unrequited love that comes to the surface that I felt was especially meaningful.

THE VERDICT
I am REALLY INTO Clare Mackintosh & I am Really Into Let Me Lie. Everyone has his or her own favorite author & Clare is “my person”. I’ve loved all of her books & can’t wait for the next one.

Special thanks to Clare Mackintosh, Berkley & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I love to hunker down with a good police drama and mystery thriller. I have been lucky to read one of this authors works prior to this new release so I was excited to dive into this story.

It’s funny how involved I get into a book when it is written well and the story flows. This book seemed slow to start as the author winds you up and walks you into the subtle nuances of issues, crimes, weirdness that starts in the characters lives. You look back and realize that the author has been dropping these hints all along the way. So that slowness in the beginning was simply setting the stage.

This book had a ton of changes in direction, twists, and minute details that added up into a crime fiction that will set you on edge. Mackintosh keeps you guessing until the every end and then even carries it into a foreshadowing for more to come… maybe.

With fine detail, engrossing writing that ramps up with every page turn, Let Me Lie is an imaginative novel that is not to be missed by those that love a great crime story.

After reading "I Let You Go," I was very interested in reading this book, and knew that it would have some surprises. As I read I kept looking for hints to the "twist" that I knew was coming, and even had a few guesses at to what was unfolding. But the author surprised me with what was actually happening with the characters, and it really added to my enjoyment of the book. I went back and reread the first half of the book in a whole new way.
Anna's attempts at reclaiming her life after the tragedies of her parents' deaths was relatable and believable, and as she sought to uncover the mystery behind the cryptic messages she received the author did a good job of creating a mood of uneasiness. The ending was great.
The various points-of-view used in the story were effective and helped the story along. I had a hard time putting the book down and stayed up much to late reading.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a suspenseful read.

Anna‘s father committed suicide. He drove his car to Beachy Head and walked up at Cliff, filling his rump sack along the way with rocks, then jumping to his death 500 feet during high tide. His body was never found. SEVEN (7) months later, Anna’s mother committed suicide the exact same way.

ONE (1) year later, on the anniversary of Anna’s mothers death, Anna gets an anniversary card in the mail indicates that her mother’s suicide may not have been suicide after all. Convinced that her parents were murdered, AnnaI wants their case reopened and will not stop until she gets the answers that she’s looking for.

This book is divided into THREE (3) parts. The first 150 pages or so we are introduced to Anna and her familys tragedy. We read about her newborn daughter (an unplanned, pleasant surprise with her former psychologist), her partner (her former psychologist), her Uncle Billy ( her father‘s brother who was also in love with her mother) , her neighbor (who her mother was arguing with over zoning rights when she was alive), and her friend (who is also her mothers goddaughter). . We also watch a retired police detective investigating her parents death on his own. This was the slowburn part of the book that might be causing some of the negative book reviews that I’ve seen. I have to say this didn’t deter me ONE (1) bit. Every person is an important part of this story and I enjoyed getting to know every one of them as they each appeared on MY suspect list.

What I LOVE about Macintosh is her ability to give birth to twist after twist after twist – all the way to the very LAST sentence. I kid you NOT! - The very LAST sentence! I LOVED this book!,

Anna Johnson is coping with the death of both her parents. A year ago, in separate incidents, her parents committed suicide by walking off a cliff. A year later, Anna gets an envelope making her question whether the suicides were really suicides at all. Anna, now a mother to daughter Ella whom she is raising with her partner Mark, wants answers. As she struggles with the anniversary of their death and the depression and heartache of not knowing why her parents left her, Anna becomes focused on finding the truth until she realizes maybe it isn't safe to know the truth.

Alongside Anna's story is the story of Murray and his wife. Murray is a retired police detective that is looking into Anna's claim that maybe her parents didn't commit suicide. At home Murray is dealing with his wife's personality disorder, her multiple attempts at suicide and her repeated stays in the psychiatric ward. He loves his wife dearly and would do anything to make her happy.

Let Me Lie is an emotionally driven, deeply impactful drama that has many real-life scenarios that could happen to anyone. It deals with suicide, betrayal, alcoholism, mental illness and family drama. Told from differing perspectives, your drawn into the lives of Anna, her parents, Murray and his wife and Anna's partner Mark. Let Me Lie is one of those stories that you can't write a more detailed review about without giving away the story.

The novel started out a little slow for me but quickly picked up speed. The writing was very good and the storyline flowed well. The ground work was well laid so you didn't know what was going to happen until it did. There were lots of twists and turns and so many lies! Another great psychological thriller from author Clare Mackintosh!

Ms. Mackintosh wrote an amazing thriller but also seemed to want to bring more awareness to suicide and mental illness. In the Author's afterward she wrote: "According to the charity MIND, 1 in 4 of us will experience mental health problems this year and more than 25% of us admit to having had suicidal thoughts at some point in our lives". I applaud her efforts to bring light to this growing epidemic in our country in such a respectful way.


Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Let Me Lie is available to everyone March 8th.

This book is mysterious and intriguing. You know that something weird is going on but you can't quite figure out what it is. I was interested the entire time in this book and had trouble putting it down.

Despite owning a couple of hardcovers by Clare Mackintosh, I hadn't read any of her work prior to this book. I've heard tons of amazing feedback regarding her writing so when I saw this available on Netgalley I was excited to pick it up! My review is spoiler-free.

Anna is a young woman who has gone through a roller coaster experience within the past few months. Her father committed suicide by collecting stones and placing them into his pockets before jumping off a cliff into the water below. Just a short time later, his wife is beside herself with grief and follows suit killing herself in the same manner.

Anna becomes pregnant not long afterwards and is enduring the loss of both of her parents, being a new mother, and living with a man she hardly knows - the father of her baby. Needless to say when strange occurrences begin to happen that make her question if her parents were really murdered instead of killing themselves, people are not quick to believe her.

She becomes fixated on finding out what truly happened to her parents even if that means putting herself at risk. However, it soon becomes clear that she's gotten herself mixed into something that may not only bring her harm, but her new family as well.

I found the premise to be incredibly exciting. The first 5% of the book had me bawling my eyes out. Seriously, Clare knows how to draw those emotions out way before I even knew the characters all that well. I adored former detective, Murray, and his wife, Sarah. Their story and relationship was beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. I became invested in them and wanting to learn more about their backgrounds. They were wonderfully fascinating yet intensely flawed characters, but that just made me adore them all the more.

I didn't really feel much of a connection to the main character, Anna. I'm not quite sure why. The story itself started off great. I couldn't put it down, but after about 30% I found it hard to want to continue due to it feeling so stagnant. I had to force myself to continue at times when I was reading the POV of Anna. I didn't really feel that way when reading in the POV of Murray since his parts were so emotional and captivating.

There were points in the story where it felt as if not much had happened at all. I could have skipped a few chapters and not really missed anything important. I was anticipating a creepy thriller, but this one didn't evoke any chills out of me. In the middle of scenes that could have easily been creepy, there'd be a flashback or indirect inner monologue that would take me out of the moment.

The twists didn't surprise me. I had correctly predicted more than half of them early on. The ending left me feeling vexed. I usually love unpopular endings such as Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn or The Good Girl by Mary Kubica which both drew quite a lot of attention over how many people hated the endings as opposed to me who loved them, but this one made me want to toss my kindle out of the window. It was too much. It felt like overkill.

I still look forward to reading the hardcovers that I own by Clare, but I think this one just wasn't for me. There are plenty of other people who thoroughly enjoyed it so don't let my review deter you from reading it! I do have an appreciation for her writing. Like I said, the beginning really struck a chord with me since I can sympathize with the loss of a family member and how devastating it is. The pain felt so real while reading certain passages.

I think my mild discontent lies with Anna and not really caring much for her character. There wasn't anything particularly grating about her that I can pinpoint, but I just felt disconnected from her.

Special thanks to Clare Mackintosh and Berkley Publishing Group for approving my request to read this book through Netgalley!

I enjoyed this book. It had some twists and turns and kept me interested. I was surprised by the ending but it was wrapped up nice and neat. Would be a good beach read. I liked that it took place in England. Interesting words and phrases that I didn't know growing up in the USA.

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh is a standalone thriller, which the author has become known for after her successful debut with I Let You Go.

Let Me Lie revolves around Anna Johnson, who lives with her partner, Mark and their baby, Ella. Anna is still grieving over the death by suicide of her mother, which was a year ago. Her father also killed himself around 7 months prior to her mother’s death. Anna just can’t get past the fact that both of her parents died the same way. On the day of the anniversary of her mother’s death, she receives an anonymous note questioning that their deaths were suicide, which convinces Anna that both of them were murdered.
She goes to the police with the note, and a retired cop, who works at the police desk takes the note and says he will look into it. Besides Anna, we also get the Pov of the cop, Murray, who upon researching the case, begins to believe she is right, that her parents were murdered. Murray was a good cop, and we also get to see him with his wife, who fights off mental illness. On her good days, she helps discuss the case with him, and this was a nice element to the story and investigation.

As Anna is determined to find the truth, she will receive a shock that will change the game. To say too much more would be spoilers, and throughout the book, there are so many twists and surprises that will further change everything. There are a number of other characters who are part of Anna’s life; Mark, her partner, who wants to marry her; Laura, who is a friend to the family; Billy, her uncle from her father’s side. Who can Anna trust?

What follows is an exciting and intense story that bordered a bit on the wild side with all those twists and turns. Anna, the main character all the way through, was in the middle of every revelation, that by the end, her own life was very much in danger. At the same time, the story took a bit of an unrealistic feel, though it was very much a thriller.

Let Me Lie was a dark thriller, lots of excitement, action and game changers that made you constantly guess wrong, especially since for the most part, the other characters could not really be trusted. If you love psychological thrillers, you can never go wrong reading Clare Mackintosh, though I will say I loved the first two books better.

My Review of "Let Me Lie" by Clare Mackintosh

Kudos to Clare Mackintosh, Author of "Let Me Lie" for writing such a captivating and intense psychological thriller. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are dark deep secrets, betrayals, and lies, pathological lies.  The only thing is, that you won't see them coming. There are twists and turns. There are characters that you know are suspect of something, or not.

Anna Johnson, has just given birth to an infant baby girl. It is now the Anniversary of her  Parent's deaths. It is an extremely anxious, depressing and emotional time for Anna.

The Blurb from NetGalley says:

"The Police say it was suicide.  Anna says is was murder. They're both wrong"

As a new mother, Anna wants to know the truth about  what really happened to her parents. Or does she?  Mysterious things start to happen as a warning to STOP. These are dangerous things. Someone or Someones want things to just stay as they are............ or else!!!!

I highly recommend this riveting, exciting, suspenseful, novel to those that appreciate a good psychological thriller. I received An Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley for my honest review.

Let Me Lie by Claire Mackintosh stars Anna, a woman in her mid-twenties who has seemingly lost both parents in under a year to suicide. Anna is struggling to cope with the double loss as her mother's one year death anniversary arrives. However, on that anniversary day Anna receives an anonymous card in the mail that makes her think maybe her parents did not die via suicide after all. As Anna struggles to unravel the mystery behind her parents' death she seeks help from a retired detective who has struggles of his own. Together the two of them seek to get answers to exactly what has happened to Anna's parents. Read and enjoy!

Another good thriller by Clare Mackintosh. If you are in the mood for some mystery suspense with a twist ending, Clare Mackintosh delivers. Anna is struggling to come to terms with the suicides of her parents. With the holidays approaching, and her recently becoming a mom herself, Anna is questioning all she knows about her parents' decisions. When a sick "Happy Anniversary" card is pushed through her mail slot on the anniversary of her mother's suicide, Anna turns to a recently retired police detective, Murray who helps her with the case. I found Murray's story to be some of the best parts of the book. The ending? I found a little abrupt, and a tad hard to believe.
The story is told through multiple viewpoints - Anna's, Murray's, and unnamed narrator. Although I did not enjoy this book as much as Mackintosh's debut "I Let You Go" it is still an entertaining thriller that you will devour in a few sittings.

What could have been a taut, suspenseful thriller falls a bit flat. Anna is still reeling from the suicides of her father and mother within a year of each other when she gets a note -- "Suicide, think again". This gets her to ask a retired cop to reopen the case. This is a story with LOTS of twists and turns. In another era, I would have enjoyed this book much more. Although the prose is very readable & I just flew through the book, this one pales in comparison to the likes of Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, and so many more. I think this one suffers from the timing. It's really too bad, because Let Me Lie investigates the themes of deceit, suicide and mental illness and does each pretty well. The market is flooded with suspense stories right now, and it's difficult not to get lost in the shuffle.

Anna still misses her parents. First her father committed suicide, then a year later her mother did. She's devastated and can't understand why her mother would leave her alone. Anna is now a mother of her own and she wishes her mother was still here. Be careful what you wish for...

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 13th.

Anna thinks she sees her mother around, out of the corner of her eye, standing in the shadows when she walks by. When she tells her boyfriend about it, he tells it is part of grief and part of postpartum. She still thinks she sees her.

When she gets a threatening note, she goes to visit the police. The cop she talked to is a civilian now and he can't take on the case, but she's got his interest. He decides to look into and see if he can find something concrete that would reopen the case.

This author always works in personal relationships that are a bit off kilter in her stories. It's not just a mystery, there's more than that going on.

Eventually, she finds out it wasn't just suicide; it was murder. Anna thinks it's her father coming after her and her child and her mother, who faked her suicide. Then she finds out the dead body was her father's. So who is after them now?

With relationships going sideways, mixed up feelings in Anna, and the fear her mother inspires in her about what happened keeps your attention and makes you wonder how a perfectly normal family could have found themselves in this situation. You won't forget this one easily.

Thank you to Berkley Pub and Netgalley for this ARC, in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I have gotten to review every one of Clare Mackintosh's books, courtesy of Netgalley and Berkley. At the end of this review I will rank them in order of my favorite. I was excited when I saw this book pop up on Berkley's Instagram page, I instantly went to Netgalley to request it. 

I liked this book, I thought it was gripping from the start, and it stayed steadily good. There wasn't really any lagging moments, so it was easy to just read though and enjoy the story as it progressed. I sort of went in to this book blind, because being written by Clare Mackintosh was good enough for me, I didn't need to read the synopsis. 

I loved the alternating chapters, and I though the way there were done was pretty genius. You knew when they were Anna, and you knew when they were another person (don't want to spoil who, for those who haven't read it yet) and then there are chapters written by mystery people. I thought who I knew who they were, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. 

The one great thing Clare Mackintosh has going for her, is her element of surprise, and they way she can drop a plot twist. It's always at the right time too. Just when you think everything is out in the open, Surprise, there's more! It's safe to say I enjoy her writing style, and I adore her books. This one was no exception to that. I believe that Clare has a long future ahead of her in the writing world, and I think spending so many years working in a police department is absolutely beneficial to her story telling. 

I let You Go
Let Me Lie
I See You