Book Review - After The End by Clare Mackintosh

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Amazon UK

Title: After The End

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 25th June 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. Only now they're facing the most important decision of their lives - and they don't agree.

As the consequences of an impossible choice threaten to devastate them both, nothing will ever be the same again.

But anything can happen after the end . . ..

Words are failing me in light if the utter brilliance that is this book.  My emotions have taken a complete pounding and you really are left with food for thought. 

After all who knows how you would react if it was your decision, your child, your impossible choice.

And this is a book that looks not just at the choices, but also how life may play out afterwards.

It is moving, compassionate and a completely immersive story, and it's one that I feel very privileged to have read.

Having read Clare Mackintosh's previous books and loved them, I had been concerned about this change of direction, until I started reading. At which point I came to the conclusion that she is just simply a brilliant writer and can grip a reader over assorted subjects. 

What a powerful book and certainly not one I'll forget in a hurry. One of the best books I've read this year. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Sphere for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Book Review - Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

Amazon UK

Title: Let Me Lie

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 8th March 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

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

One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.
Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to ask questions about her parents' deaths. But by digging up the past, is she putting her future in danger? Sometimes it's safer to let things lie . . .

The stunning, twisty new psychological thriller from number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh, author of I LET YOU GO and I SEE YOU.

Actually reeling from how shocked I am by the way this book turned out, during most of the first part I had an inkling, and I was close but so so far wrong as to the truth, that I couldn't quite believe what I ws reading. 

I found the first part of the book interesting but not overly gripping, but by the time we moved into the second and third parts, I was open mouthed and couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I was so hooked on the action. 

There are multiple perspectives in this book, Anna who is starting to question whether her parents really did commit suicide last year, or if they were murdered, the policeman who is humouring Anna's insistence to re look at the case and that has his own problems at home.  Then there is the other voice for small chapters and that is where you get a very interesting perspective on the story. 

There are many big themes that are explored in this book that are written about incredibly well, and I can't really mention them but this just makes Let Me Lie so much better.  

I have no idea how Claire Mackintosh keeps producing such impressive stories, but I am already keen to see what is next.  Once I was fully enthralled and gripped by the story, I completely lost track of the world around me until I was finished.   Absolutely loved it! 

Thank you to Netgalley and Sphere for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - I See You by Clare Mackintosh - #HolidayReading Book 8

Book 8 of 30 that I read on my holiday to Fuerteventura in December 2017

Amazon UK

Title: I See You

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 20th April 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

When Zoe Walker sees her photo in the classifieds section of a London newspaper, she is determined to find out why it's there. There's no explanation: just a grainy image, a website address and a phone number. She takes it home to her family, who are convinced it's just someone who looks like Zoe. But the next day the advert shows a photo of a different woman, and another the day after that.

Is it a mistake? A coincidence? Or is someone keeping track of every move they make . . .

This is one book I am delighted that Iread by a pool on holiday, instead of on a tube, potentially on a commute, earlier in the year. I was terrified just reading it in safety, Ihave a feeling I'd have been a nervous wreck had I read it in London. 

For the basic concept of this is something that I hope no master criminals read and decide that they should start doing for themselves, as the whole book felt scarily realistic and had me feeling quite jumpy. 

The story is predominately split between Zoe who notices a photo of herself in an advert in a newspaper, and Kelly who works for the transport police, and is determined to improve her career. 

In amongst their chapters there was also small sections from the villain, who kept me guessing continually. 

I was shocked at the storyline, but drawn in and found the whole book to be utter unputdownable. 

So far I have been incredibly impressed with both of Clare Mackintosh's books and can't wait to read her next one. 

This is one author that can draw you into her psychological thrilling drama, and have you on the edge of your seat as everything unfurls. 

Book Review - I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh - Paperback Summer

Amazon UK

Title: I Let You Go

Author: Clare Mackintosh

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Competition Win

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 7th May 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

I Let You Go is a brilliant psychological thriller, with many twists and turns, and is written from a few perspectives. Right from the first few pages, I was completely enthralled, and by the end of part one, a book that I was already enjoying, went from great to "OMG I did not see that coming" level of reaction from me. 

I always tend to struggle when it comes to reviewing these sorts of books, the blurb speaks for itself, and I am reluctant to say much more, as with the frequency of revealed information, I would hate to give you a spoiler. 

What I will say is Jenna is a complex character, and in trying to escape the past, is slowly building herself a brighter new future. I found her an easy person to like, and even with the worst of the revelations, I was still on her side. 

It was good to see not only one side of the accident, but also the chapters from Ray's point of view, as the DI in charge of investigating the accident, how he was determined to solve exactly what happened that night, despite there being very little evidence. It is somewhat heartening to see a police officer's dedication to making sure they have the correct culprit, no matter how long it takes.  I was also fascinated by Ray's private life, and his interactions with his wife. I was convinced the story would go in one direction with him that could have been very obvious, and I'm glad it didn't, as this was far more interesting. 

The descriptions of the small cottage on the coast of Wales, that Jenna runs to, and its surrounding area, paint what I believe is an accurate picture of Wales coastal life, out of season, right down the level of cold! I loved Jenna's new career, so simple and artistic, but yet not an idea that I have encountered before...I wonder if anyone is doing that in real life at all!

Since Clare Mackintosh has worked in the police force, it is in some respects unsurprising the level of detail she can talk about the police force with, but I'm guessing that with her background, it explains how she can get into the mind of a truly despicable person (who you first meet at the beginning of Part 2).   I truly hope this is the first of many books from Clare, and I would happily be first in line to read her next one. 

This is a truly remarkable, page-turning debut novel, and one that I loved reading. Definitely an author to watch out for, and if you haven't tried a psychological thriller before, than make this your first, as it is a brilliant example of the genre.