Let Me Lie

February 5, 2018
This taut, emotionally complex thriller from British author Mackintosh (I See You) centers on 26-year-old new mother Anna Johnson. Anna’s father, Tom, jumped off the cliff at Beachy Head, England; seven months later, Anna’s mother, Caroline, followed suit. The coroner’s suicide decrees have always bothered Anna, and her doubts only deepen when, on the first anniversary of Caroline’s death, someone sends a card that reads, “Suicide? Think again.” Anna’s partner, Mark Hemmings, dismisses the message as a cruel joke, but Anna becomes convinced that Caroline was murdered. Her theory captures the interest of Murray Mackenzie, a retired detective turned civilian desk clerk at the Lower Meads police station, but when Murray begins an unofficial investigation and Anna starts receiving anonymous threats, she must decide whether the truth means more than her baby’s safety. Mackintosh cleverly subverts readers’ expectations while capitalizing on the complicated nature of parent-child relationships. Shocking twists share the page with meditations on love, loss, marriage, and mental illness, and though not every revelation feels earned, the overall story amply satisfies. Author tour. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown (U.K.).

Starred review from March 1, 2018
Anna Johnson's parents committed suicide within months of each other, diving from the same cliff near Eastbourne, England. A year later, Anna is struggling to reconcile her grief with the joys of new motherhood when she receives an anonymous letter: Suicide? Think again. It's all Anna needs to fly to the police station; she's always known that her parents weren't suicidal. Murray Mackenzie, a retired detective volunteering at the station's front desk, is unable to ignore his twitching intuition at hearing Anna's story. Technically, the note doesn't present a crime, so Murray isn't required to report it to CID. It can't hurt, however, for a seasoned detective to take another look at the suicides. Murray's hunt for the truth catches a killer's attention, and Anna is drawn into protecting newly discovered family secrets. Despite Anna's pleas, Murray can't turn away from the investigation; it's forged a connection with his wife outside of their never-ending struggles with her mental illness, as her incisive questions guide his instinct-driven detecting. Mackintosh's three bar-raising psychological thrillers (starting with I Let You Go, 2016) have proven her adept at crafting compellingly flawed, authority-bucking characters and creating twists from the ripple effects of their relationships and personal issues, including abuse, mental illness, and alcoholism. This one's perfect for Kate Atkinson and Tana French readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2017

Mackintosh, who debuted with the award-winning I Let You Go, which has sold over a million copies worldwide, gets her first simultaneous UK-U.S. publication with this story of a new mother struggling to comprehend her parents' recent dual suicide.

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