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Monday, March 19, 2018

#CJSReads REVIEW: Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh @berkleypub #prhpartner

Let Me Lie
by Clare Mackintosh

Thanks so much to Berkley for these copy in return for our honest opinions.


Publisher:  Berkley Books
Published:  March 13, 2018
Paperback
400 pages
Standalone
Genres: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the newest psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You, Clare Mackintosh brings us a gripping story about how those who love us never really leave us...


Two years ago, Tom and Caroline Johnson committed suicide, one seemingly unable to live without the other. Their adult daughter, Anna, is struggling to come to terms with her parents' deaths, unable to comprehend why they chose to end their lives. Now with a young baby herself, she feels her mother's presence keenly and is determined to find out what really happened to her parents. But as Anna digs up the past, someone is trying to stop her. She soon learns that nothing is as it seemed.

My Review:


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.  


★★

Sam's Review:

Clare Mackintosh is one of those “blow my mind” authors.  One of the queens of the psychological thriller genre, I found myself completely gripped with her previous novels from the fast paced plots to the “real word” situations, I loved her full of suspense writing style and dynamically developed characters. 

Unfortunately, for me, Let Me Lie, the newest publication by Clare Mackintosh left much to be desired.

For starters, this one was a sloooooooooow burn.  I found myself unable to read more than a few chapters at a time without feeling the need to put this one down.  It just didn’t have the same “grip” as some of the previous work I have read by Mackintosh.   I like to think I have a pretty solid attention span but this one tested me!

I did appreciate the final twist in the end and was intrigued by the last 15% or so of the novel, but, truthfully, I was expecting more!

I know that I shouldn’t compare one work to another but I cannot help it!  I feel like fans of Mackintosh will be a little disappointed by this one but, if you are a new reader to her work, you may be more entertained!

I, of course, will continue to read more from this author but this particular book was a miss.

2/5 stars.

Jessica's Review:

Who else is a Clare Mackintosh fan? I loved I SEE YOU when it released last year and I couldn't wait to see what she came up with next. LET ME LIE is on the lighter side when it comes to a suspense novel with a slower build to it. So if you're going into it expecting a crazy thriller, then you may come out disappointed. 

Tom and Caroline Johnson committed suicide just two years ago. They couldn't live without the other, so they went together. Anna, their daughter, is trying to come to terms with their deaths, but she has so many questions. Why did they take their lives? She begins to investigate into their suicides more, but there's someone that wants the past to remain buried. 

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

There's absolutely no denying that Clare Mackintosh knows how to write a story. The way she develops the characters and weaves the events always amazes me. So for the writing alone this was a great read. If you're in the market for a slower burn read then this will be perfect for you! I can see this being one that Mackintosh fans will be divided on, but that's what keeps this community so fun!

That last portion of the book will sink it's teeth into you and you won't want to stop reading! 

I give this 3.5/5 stars!


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