I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

• Title:  I Let You Go: A Novel
• Author:  Clare Mackintosh
• Pages:  369
• Genre:  Thriller
• Published:  May 2016 – Berkley
• Source:  Publisher

Description:  On a rainy afternoon, a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street…

Jenna Gray moves to the remote Welsh coast, desperate to leave behind the heartbreak of the car accident and heal from the loss of her child and her painful past. At the same time, a pair of Bristol police investigators chase down one hopeless lead after another in the hit-and-run, finding themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. (publisher)

My take:  I Let You Go is a gripping story of the fall-out from a tragic event on a rainy evening. Clare Mackintosh’s debut grabbed me on the first page and gave me a shake every so often with a twist. When that happened I had to go back and reread passages to see how I missed something! I liked how easily Mackintosh’s story flowed despite how uncomfortable I felt while reading – I would definitely read more from her. That’s saying a lot given how seldom I dip into this genre.

I loved the Welsh seaside setting for part of the novel. Macintosh’s description made me feel like I was there. I felt the same about the scenes involving the police investigation – her previous experience as an investigator gave believable authenticity to the plot.

Even though I Let You Go was difficult for me to read at times, the pacing was good and I became invested in most of the characters – hoping for the best possible outcome. To say anything else would risk a spoiler so I’ll stop now. Recommended to fans of psychological thrillers.

---

Praise for I LET YOU GO:

“Chilling, compelling and compassionate, I Let You Go is a finely-crafted novel with a killer twist.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

“On the level of the movie The Sixth Sense for its cleverness…This kind of sharp, cunning writing makes one eagerly look forward to Mackintosh’s next novel.”—Shelf Awareness

“[Mackintosh] deftly twists the reader in one direction, then leads them astray in another, until the startling conclusion.”—RT Book Reviews