Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

The police say it was suicide.

Anna says it was murder.

They're both wrong.

And so with her third book, Clare Mackintosh has absolutely done it again. I am once again kept up all night by a compelling storyline and great characters. 

With the eye-catching and un-ignorable strap line about suicide and murder, you can guess the initial set up of this story, but here's a little more detail to whet your appetite...

 Anna's mother, Caroline Johnson, chose to end her life by planning a suicide which matched that of her husband only months before. Left alone to manage her grief and come to terms with not just one shocking loss, but two, Anna struggles to rebuild her life. Now a mother herself with a newborn baby, her sense of loss is heightened and she feels even more vulnerable than before. And then she receives a mysterious and unsettling message. 

Who has sent this threatening message? What are they trying to tell her? Can Anna find out the truth about her parent's death? Will digging up the past mean putting her own future at risk?

This is perhaps a little different from Mackintosh's previous novels as to begin with the pace is much slower, but do not worry, there is still plenty of tension, plenty of mystery and plenty of intrigue. And, before long, there are plenty of those fabulous twists which help to completely upend the story and keep the reader gasping until the last page. 

I have to say, I liked the slower pace of the first half of the novel. I enjoyed having the time to really get to know Anna and I enjoyed the deeper exploration of themes like grief, loss, motherhood and mental illness. In fact, perhaps it's even fair to say that for me, this novel wasn't really about the twists but much more about the characterisation and the issues Mackintosh raises. Suicide is a complex, emotive and controversial topic and to open a novel where two characters have committed this tragic act is bold. The scenario is completely believable and although Anna is convinced there is something untoward going on, the reader is willing to be convinced by Mackintosh that this could be a story of utter tragedy rather than malice.  After all, we are well used to an unreliable narrator! But from the outset, there is an underlying tension and an atmosphere of suspense that increases with each page and indicates that indeed Anna is actually on to something much darker after all. 

I also loved the play on the word 'lie'. Mackintosh uses it literally, figuratively and metaphorically. She uses it to discuss the telling of lies, the physical act and also in the sense of leaving things well alone. As with all her sentences, they are carefully chosen and effectively placed to create the most impact and generate the most suspense. It's well done - sometimes subtle, sometimes more obvious but never overstated or cliched. 

Anna is a fantastic protagonist. She is flawed, emotional, confused, hurt and yet determined and brave. I found her relatable and easy to empathise with, always keen to follow her journey and read her story. 

I also really like Murray, the detective who takes on the cases of Anna's parents. What I enjoyed about his story is that though the police procedural aspect was there, what was more captivating was his personal life and his own plot line. It's unusual to see so much of the detective's emotional and personal story in a crime thriller and this also reflects the slight change in direction, pace or approach with this novel. She is also clearly interested in exploring more than one aspect of mental illness and suicide and through Murray's storyline she is able to ask bigger questions about taking a life, having a life taken and the fairness or unfairness of losing a loved one. I found the way Anna's experience and Murray's experience mirrored, contradicted and echoed each other very clever and effective. It added a further layer to this gripping psychological thriller that reveals Mackintosh's ability to not only write a suspenseful page turner that keeps us guessing, but also something which begins to offer something on a deeper level. 

I'm sure I wasn't the only reader waiting for the 'shocking mid way twist' that we wouldn't see coming, and rest assured, there is one! The last third of the novel really races along with several revelations, twists and turns which remind us just how talented Mackintosh is and just how well she writes and what a good story teller she is. 

I really enjoyed Let Me Lie. I thought the writing was superb, the storyline gripping and the characters were incredibly likeable and well crafted. This is an excellent way to lose a few nights sleep and as with her previous novels, a real treat. Clare Mackintosh is clearly here for the long run and I intend to follow her on each occasion. This is a great third novel; I really enjoyed it's pace, style, structure and storyline. Whether you've read Mackintosh before or not, make sure you add this one to your reading pile. It's bound to be a big hit in 2018 and deservedly so. 

Let Me Lie was published by Sphere on the 8th March 2018.