THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROne of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016!The next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl…“a finely crafted novel with a killer twist.”(#1 New York Times bestselling author Paula Hawkins) On a rainy afternoon, a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street… I … a mother’s life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street…
I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past.
At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. Elizabeth Haynes, author of Into the Darkest Corner, says, “I read I Let You Go in two sittings; it made me cry (at least twice), made me gasp out loud (once), and above all made me wish I’d written it…a stellar achievement.”
more
Astonishingly good.
As some of you know, I re-discovered the concept of the library last week and I could NOT be a bigger fan. Everything is literally free!! Anyway, after I got my new library card (unfortunately they couldn’t renew the one I used 20 years ago), I took out [book:i-let-you-go-by-clare-mackintosh-2017-11-28] and finished it last night.
This reminded me a little of Gone Girl in that there was an awesome twist about halfway through the book. The first half was good, but the second half was better — I couldn’t stop reading. Has anyone else read it?
Chilling, compelling, and compassionate.
I Let You Go begins with a hit-and-run that kills a little boy. The ensuing search to find the driver is told in alternating viewpoints between a woman who was at the scene, the police detective on the case, and in the last half, a third character (who I don’t want to spoil!).
It was a little slow at first, but you’ll get rewarded for sticking with it — there’s an unexpected twist followed by nonstop action in the last half. It’s also apparently based on true events in the author’s life, which is horrifically sad, given the material.
If you like thrillers, I recommend this one. Looking forward to her next book, I See You, out in February.
I Let You Go is a standalone, psychological thriller written by author Clare Mackintosh. Much of this novel moves pretty slow in my opinion, there are multiple perspectives to track, and it addresses themes that may be hard to read for some…but… the thriller component makes up for it as it incorporates an emotional mystery, stomach-churning suspense, and multiple plot twists that sneak up and grab you.
Ms. Mackintosh’s inspiration to write I Let You Go came from true events she has actually experienced or was at least a part of. If you think you would enjoy a combination of psychological thriller, mystery/suspense, detective fiction, and women’s fiction then consider checking it out. But beware, unlike the title indicates, this book won’t let you go…ever.
I am reading I Let You Go. I like the style of writing. The plot is slowly building, but in a delicious way. I hope I’m not disappointed.
I enjoyed this book, because Mackintosh created some very memorable characters. Brace yourself, though… a lot happens at the end. (I don’t recommend reading the end at night, because you might never go to sleep!) It was fun to learn about the British system for investigating crimes and to read about the English seaside. You might get frustrated with the protagonist at times, but stick with it. It all makes sense in the end.
Wow. What a wild ride. I’ve seen a lot and read a handful of books compared to Gone Girl, but this is the first one that I felt actually deserved the comparison. After getting to the big twist, I finished the second half of the book in one night.
Like others, I had trouble getting into it, and only stuck with it because I had read reviews that it got better halfway through. I’m still frustrated that it took over 100 pages to really grab my interest, but it was well worth it.
Which book do we define as a good one? Every time I ask myself this same question and my answers are not the same, yet every time I read a book that sweeps me and makes my heart pounding, I know I got at least part of the answer. A good book is the one which will surprise you against all the odds. It is a book that everything you thought you knew happening will change without hinting at the truth.
So that’s what happened to me with this one.
The book divided into two parts. The first part entirely predictable and without too much action. A five-year-old boy whose mother leaves for a second is killed in a “hit and run.”
And that is when Jenna comes in. She is a young woman who runs away from everything and wants to start a new life. But Genet is not what we think she is, and for a moment I didn’t suspect her at all. Therefore, while we discover the second part begins, you enter a whirlwind of senses and adrenaline rush that makes your heart beat faster. That was the moment I couldn’t take the book off my hands anymore.
Besides, we also have the investigator responsible for conducting the investigation. He is married with two teenage children. The investigator wife left behind a glorious career to take care of her family and raise her children. Alongside the investigator, begins to work a young and beautiful investigator that makes him feel confused and attracted to her.
Throughout the reading of the book, I begged the author; please don’t let me down. Please don’t make him stumble; that he won’t betray his wife.
Well, I won’t tell you what happened next. Read it for yourself!!!
all in all, it’s a great book.
I really loved this debut physiological thriller/detective mystery by Claire Mackintosh. It was a good story, interesting characters and kept me intrigued. Not everything is layed out in the beginning and leads you through the complex characters and circumstances. I highly recommend this book.
A great psychological thriller. Loved the gradual build-up of tension throughout the first half, followed by a brilliant twist that makes the book difficult to put down until you’ve reached the end. Looking forward to reading more of Clare Mackintosh’s books.
An exceptional debut thriller!
On a rainy December afternoon in Bristol, England a five-year-old boy is the victim of a hit-and-run.
The car backs up and speeds away leaving a mother wailing in the street.
Jenna Gray just has to get away. She flees to a remote cottage outside of Penfach, a small village on the Welsh coast.
She wants to escape the nightmares of the accident playing over and over in her head and to deal with the grief of losing her son.
Also to try and put a troubled past behind her.
Back in Bristol, Detective Inspector Ray Stevens and Detective Constable Kate Evans work the case of the hit-and-run.
The follow fruitless lead after hopeless lead on the twisting case. Even months later when they are told to close the case they continue to work it on their own time. They are tenacious.
Then there’s Ian Peterson. Don’t even get me started on that sick bastard.
This is one of the most twist-filled stories that I’ve ever read.
There is a nicely-paced build up to the end of Part 1. That’s were you receive a jaw dropper.
There have been hints along the way but you have to pay really close attention. Sometimes even to the punctuation. Say a semi-colon instead of a comma.
Ms. Mackintosh’s deft writing kept me second guessing myself the whole way. Brilliant!
After that, it’s unputdownable. A headlong rush into shocks and twists that lead to an ending that will knock the wind out of you.
Superb!
This story had me by the heartstrings…then it twisted them in a knot. I fell in love with the beautiful seaside setting, and the lonely, regretful young woman at the story’s center. If you like the movie, Sleeping With The Enemy, chances are good you’ll enjoy this book.
My first book by this author was a pleasant surprise. Well written and a real page-turner. For lovers of thriller/mystery.
Not a book I would have chosen, but had to read it as our book club selection. Kept me on the edge of my seat. Very good writing, and surprises abounded. One of the characters was a poster boy for narcissistic abuser. Upsetting, but informative.
Very good!! Unpredictable!!
Such a wonderful book. I was totally fooled for most of it thinking Jenna was Jacob’s mother. Then the twist of her being the driver, then not the driver and being abused. Plus the driver actually being the abusive husband and Jacob’s father! Definitely worth the read!
I Let You Go is an intense psychological thriller, similar in tone and theme to The Girl on the Train. It starts with a particularly vicious hit and run involving a death of a young boy. There are plenty of shades and twists in this story. Nobody seems who they appear to be. You find your sympathies often misplaced and then restored all over again.
I definitely liked the three different points of view from which the story is told and reshuffled, that of Jenny Gray (told in the first person), that of the investigating officer Ray (told in the 3rd person) and the last one that comes late into the story and shall remain anonymous for the purpose of this review (told in the second person).
I also loved the detail and technical knowledge the author has of police procedures and language – that added authenticity (which I found slightly missing in the more surreal story of The Girl on the Train). Bust as with The Girl on the Train, I must warn the more sensitive readers about the uncompromising theme of domestic violence – not for the faint hearted.
This is one of those books that I honestly just wanted to be done with (not enough to stop reading, but nevertheless). Plot is that there is a hit and run, and a 5 year old boy is killed. A team of detectives has the job of finding the driver of the car. At the same time, the boy’s mother also disappears. Thus begins a series of subplots, which has at least one surprise, and then becomes predictable. I won’t include spoilers, but after the strong start the second half of the book is predictable. I’ve read other things by this author, but this one was just ok.
Very clever plot. Very realistic tale of abuse. Hard to believe Ian just happened to hit his own child.