Another fab read from a brilliant thriller writer. Kept me guessing and packed with interesting twists and characters you never quite trusted. Highly recommend.

I really got in to this book, there were a few twists and turns and it took you in a few directions, you read it thinking you know one thing to find that it challenges your own beliefs. A good book.

Love love it!! Kept me gripped throughout, if I could give more stars I would! Very much recommended

Both Anna Johnsons parents committed suicide within a short time of each other. Anna is coming to terms with their deaths when she receives a note suggesting the deaths may not have been suicide. Anna goes to the police and retired now civilian Murry Mackenzie takes an interest in the case.

I have read the previous novels by Claire Mackintosh and loved them. This novel I still enjoyed but not as much as the others.

I enjoyed the story and loved the character of Murry and I was instantly drawn into the story. As with all pyscological thrillers I knew there was going to be twists. I think for me personally I worked out some of the twists very quickly so didn't get that element of surprise, didn't get the wow because I saw it coming. The plot did have many twists and one was quite early in the story.

The story is told by Anna, then the reader follows Murry and then there is an unknown narrative which I found interesting. The unknown character has its twists too which I didn't guess.

For me this story was enjoyable with lots of twisty turns but didn't quite have the wow factor. A little slow in places but does pick up. I will certainly look out for further books.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

This psychological thriller grabs the reader’s attention on the very first page by using a second-person narrative from the perspective of the protagonist’s dead mother, Caroline: ‘You would die for me, and in that moment, I thought I might die for you, too. I just never thought either of us would have to.’ Caroline is addressing her dead husband, providing backstory of their relationship when they were much younger. This reminded me of a contemporary cross-version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. The synopsis tells us this wasn’t suicide, and it wasn’t murder. So what was it? An accident? Are they dead? A while ago, I’d heard that ghost stories were the next ‘in thing’ in the literary world so guessed this was where this was heading. But was I right? Were they living in some kind of limbo in-between world? I was intrigued to say the least.
The reader is acquainted with the protagonist, Anna, in the second chapter, where her first-person narrative continues along the theme of love, this time the bond between mother and daughter; this sets the scene for the story to follow, and Anna’s relationship with Caroline. We’re introduced as to how Anna met the father of her child and straight away I jumped to the conclusion he had something to do with her parent’s death. Then we meet the neighbour and think, no it must have been him. From the synopsis, I guessed this wasn’t a straightforward suicide and was sure one of these two must have had something to do with it. But which one? Then we meet her uncle. No, I reckon it must have been him, I thought. Poor Anna, who can she trust?
When Anna receives a mysterious letter on the first anniversary of her mother’s death, hinting her parent’s didn’t kill themselves, she takes the letter to the police. This is where we’re introduced to Murray, a retired detective now working on the front desk at the local cop shop. Murray is the most likeable character in the story and his relationship with his wife, Sarah, provides a captivating sub-plot. Clare Mackintosh’s three dimensional characterisation of Murray really brought him to life and I could imagine a whole TV detective series based on him. He reminded me a little of Frost; so much so, when I read the book I couldn’t help but visualise David Jason!
I liked how what seemed to be inconsequential incidents, were part of the bigger picture of what happened; and how little things like Murray spotting something but not remembering where he’d seen it before, kept me turning the pages to find out what it was. The author’s in-depth knowledge of police procedures certainly added a further layer to the story.
The plot is riddled with twists and turns, and it’s hard to know who to trust. Like I Let You go, this novel starts with an unreliable narrator, and the theme of mistrust continues throughout, right up to the very shocking end.

I loved Clare Mackintosh's other books and this one didn't disappoint either; dark, twisted and full of surprises

4.5 stars. This book was really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, reading it in a couple of sittings as I couldn’t put it down. I have read and loved her other books and she is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors. Would highly recommend this book.

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh is only the second crime novel I have read (the first was I Let You Go by the same author) and I was hooked from page one. I found the plot intriguing and it had me guessing until the last page. Like Clare’s first novel the Detective investigating the crime had a story of his own which adds interest and helps build the tension. If you enjoy crime novels/psychological thrillers then I definitely recommend Let Me Lie.

This was my first Clare Mackintosh novel. Her previous two are sitting on my Kindle, waiting to be read. I’ve heard good things. And I wasn’t disappointed. Let Me Lie is slick and tight. I felt like I was in safe hands. As ever with this genre, I didn’t guess the twists. And I enjoyed being surprised.

The best book she’s written so far! Some great twists!

Former policewoman and Oxfordshire resident Clare Mackintosh’s debut novel I Let You Go was a hit with readers and a well-deserved winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2016.
The follow-up, I See You, strayed too far from the realms of likelihood for my taste but was still a real page-turner and a number one Sunday Times bestseller.
In her latest novel Let Me Lie, the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival has come up with another engrossing tale. Again, it stretches the bounds of credibility but is nonetheless a cracking yarn.
We meet Anna Johnson a year after her mother’s death, an apparent copycat suicide of her [Anna’s] father’s 10 months earlier.
Anna has had a whirlwind romance with her grief counsellor and has a two month old baby. Still coming to terms with her loss, she receives a chilling message which stirs up her feeling that her parents were murdered and sets off a dangerous string of events.
It’s well written and deals with sensitive subjects – there’s a particularly good sub story regarding a retired policeman and his wife who has mental health issues.
If you are coming to it fresh without having read too many other domestic noir, psychological thrillers (think Gone Girl, Girl On A Train) the twists on Let Me Lie will have a real shock value. It’s something I expect in this genre, so I was disappointed to see most of the reveals coming.
However, there’s no doubt Mackintosh is a mistress of the art and in the end she did manage to surprise me... with the very last sentence. Bravo, Clare!

Let Me Lie is another superb psychological thriller from Clare Mackintosh, easily on a par with her first two novels and perhaps even better.

Anna is a young mother who in a very short space of time has had her world turned upside down. Her father committed suicide followed just months later by her mother in what seemed to be a copycat suicide. She met the father of her child soon afterwards and perhaps more quickly than they intended, Ella was born. Now exactly one year after her mother's death, she receives a card in the post which says simply 'Suicide? Think again'. Of course, she assumes this message is telling her that her parents were murdered and goes straight to the police. On duty is retired detective Murray Mackenzie who now works in a civilian role at the station. He knows that this is no evidence at all, but is drawn to the case since his own wife has very fragile mental health and he worries constantly that she is a suicide risk. He decides to quietly carry out his own investigations and pass it on to CID should he think there is anything to the case. He is very much of the old school of police work often relying on gut instinct. "In his experience, if something smelled like a fish and tasted like a fish, it was almost certainly a fish. Even if it didn't look like one."

In Anna and Murray, Clare Mackintosh has created two terrific characters who I was completely invested in. The story builds up slowly in first part as you get to know the characters, get a feel for what has happened and begin to wonder about what exactly has happened to Anna's parents. And then bam - the author hits you with a massive twist! With this author you know there are going to be twists so I don't think it's a spoiler to say so. Obviously I'm not going to say what happens but wow I did not see THAT coming! It's the kind of twist that makes you suddenly have to rethink everything you thought you knew and understood about the story in a completely different way.

Well, I could not read the rest of the book quickly enough, trying to work out what had happened and what would happen. I had my suspicions about one part of the plot (and I was right - so pleased with myself for once!) but there was no way I could have guessed at all of it. Red herrings and suspects abound in this page-turning novel.

With Let Me Lie, Clare Mackintosh shows herself to be Queen of the Plot Twists and Mistress of Misdirection! Don't miss this fast paced, clever thriller which will keep you guessing right up to the end - and probably surprise you even then.

Anna has lost both both her parents to identical suicide several months apart only to then be sent a card on the anniversary of her mother's death that makes her think that there was more to to this than suicide and they perhaps could have been murdered?

This is my second book by this author and unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it as much as I'd have hoped too. I don't want to spoil this for anyone else but I feel that quite like said other book that I read by the author which was I see you, I felt like the big reveal at the end, one of the two people was so pointless and it made no sense to me and had me rolling my eyes.

The writing was good and the twist was fine I just wasn't a fan of how it was exacuated.

I would give this author another go just because I like to read at least three books before I know that the author stories aren't for me

Majestically Mackintosh.

Let Me Lie is everything that I hoped it would be and more. The twists are deliciously delivered - the plot woven so intricately that it leaves you wide eyed with amazement. There is, I find, a certain style to Clare’s writing that makes it inimitably hers. Entering the pages of one of her books is a literary treat like no other. Her talent creates a warmth that flows from the tips of your toes all the way up to your brain which is left utterly in awe of her brilliance.

Thank you so much to the Publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy. I relished every single perfectly plotted word. Highly recommended.

Now this was really good! Dark, mysterious and with an uneasy undercurrent... who can you really trust?

Words fail me - when I started this book I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the excellent I Let You Go or I See You (which still haunts me on my daily tube commute)

A fascinating story with insights into family life and how easy it is to pull the wool over someone's eyes... bloody brilliant... just annoyed that it took me so long to get started with this book.

5 big full stars

This is a rollercoaster ride with so many twists and turns that at times it was hard to keep up!
Anna meets her new partner Mark whilst in counselling sessions after the suicides of her parents seven months apart. On the first anniversary of her mother’s suicide, Anna receives a note, “Suicide? Think Again”.
So begins Anna’s quest for the truth – but is the truth what she needs?
There seemed to be many minor characters whose sole purpose was to confuse. However the characters of Murray and Sarah MacKenzie were so well written that under different circumstances a series of novels could have been written about them.
Worth reading but a little convoluted.

It was the first three lines of this synopsis that had me wanting to read this book – if not suicide and not murder, then what? Let Me Lie slowly unravels the what in a well-rounded and enjoyable third novel from Mackintosh.

I want to draw your attention to the pace of this novel, it is significantly slower than Mackintosh’s previous books and what you’d probably expect to find in a psychological thriller, but it works. You see, Anna is struggling to deal with the loss of her parents and grief is a slow process and that’s reflected in the pace of this book; Anna is dealing with her grief and the new events that are emerging and it plays out more as a drama than a thriller. The slower pace didn’t bother me, I read this novel at a leisurely pace over a few days and I was able to immerse myself in the plot each time I picked it up. I guess, what I’m keen to highlight here is that this isn’t a rapid read but a novel you are forced to take your time with.

Narrated from the point of view of Anna and Detective Murray, with interspersed accounts from an unnamed narrator, Mackintosh paints a picture of loss, lies and secrets all coming together in a showdown ending. As a main protagonist, I must admit I wasn’t drawn to Anna the way I’d expected to be, given her circumstances – it’s odd because there was no identifiable flaw with her character, I just didn’t find that connection. Would I have enjoyed this book more if I did, maybe, but where I found the connection was with Detective Murray. His accounts were my favourite part of this novel, and had the strongest emotional pull. Yes, it was engaging to see him investigating the case, but it was his home life that pulled at my heartstrings. His wife had Borderline Personality Disorder and Mackintosh portrayed this theme of mental health extremely well. We get a little insight into what it is like to live with and love someone with BPD and the affect this condition has on Murray’s wife, Sarah. I found Murray and his wife to be the most likeable characters in this novel and I’m so glad Mackintosh dedicated a sufficient word-count to their story.

In true Mackintosh style, this novel isn’t without its twists, and you have to pay attention, otherwise you’ll be turning back pages trying to piece it all together. Let Me Lie finds its place in the world of psychological dramas, it’s so different to Mackintosh’s previous two books, showing she is a talented author who delivers something different each time you pick up one of her novels. And this is what guarantees I’ll be reading her next book; granted this is my least favourite of the three but one I’d still recommend for fans of a slower paced novel that delves into family ties, secrets and lies.

*3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for Netgalley purposes*

Anna is brought up by her parents Caroline and Tom. Although their family may not have been perfect Anna loves her parents, then Tom commits suicide and Anna tries to support her mother whilst dealing with her own grief. Caroline then commits suicide leaving Anna all alone.
A year later Anna has a new baby and is living in her family home. On the anniversary of her mothers death she gets a card which questions if her mother did ctually commit suicide.
Anna goes to the police and retired detective Murray MacKenzie decides to look into it for her.
What follows gripped from page one and Clare Mackintosh keeps her title as top notch author. You can never guess where the story is going but you can’t wait to find out. The story takes you into the past where Anna’s parents meet and become a family. Was it murder or suicide and why did it happen?
The characters are well developed and, mostly, likeable. Whilst I don’t think this is as good as her debut novel I highly recommend it.
Thanks to Sphere and Net Galley for an ARC
#LetMeLie #NetGalley

As usual Clare Mackintosh does not disappoint! Just as you think you know what is going on she hits you with something else! Fabulous story, you won't be able to put it down

Really enjoyed this book! As usual, Clare had me hooked very early on and I was reaching for my kindle at every opportunity. It was tense, full of twists and I gasped out loud several times. I even shed a few tears. I loved the relationship between Murray and Sarah. It was such a sweet, tender love they had, despite such trying circumstances. There's so much more I want to say about the main story, but I don't want to reveal any spoilers, so I'll just say...read it! It's a fantastic book.