Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I Let You Go

by Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 384

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  On a rainy afternoon, 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.”

Kritters Thoughts:  An accident happens and a child is killed.  After the accident Jenna Gray must get out of town to escape it all and she goes to a secluded town and tries to start over.  The other storyline is behind the investigation to find out who the driver of the car that killed the boy is and the detectives behind the investigation.  Halfway through the book it takes a turn and the reader gets more information and another storyline comes in told in second person (I think!) that was so interesting to read and discover more about the back story of Jenna Gray and how she ended up where she did on that fateful day.

This book was so different.  I loved that the case was unfolding at the same time as you were learning about the people involved.  There were things that came out of nowhere and sometimes that bugs me, but this time I loved it.  I loved it enough there were a few chapters that I reread a few times to make sure I was seeing things clearly!

I was nervous that an accident that kills a little boy would be too much, but thankfully the accident itself is minor and the investigation and the backstory of Jenna Gray are the important storylines.  

After reading this, I can't wait for what comes next for this author, she will be one I will watch out for!


Rating:  definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.