"Let Me Lie"

I've discovered a new mystery author in reading "Let Me Lie" by Clare Mackintosh.  Clare has written two previous mysteries after serving 12 years on the police force in England.  She's also written for the Guardian, Good Housekeeping, as well as other publications.

"Let Me Lie" is the story of Anna Johnson's family.  Last year her father committed suicide off Beachy Head although his body was never found then her mother followed suit in the same location on the anniversary of his death and her body was never discovered either.  As an only child and the mother of an infant daughter herself, Anna is struggling with her grief but a series of incidents leads her to question the circumstances of her parent's deaths. 

Against her boyfriend's advice, she decides to ask the police to investigate.  She ends up talking with a retired detective, Murray, who now works the front desk at the police station.  Murray doesn't see the need to get the detectives on the case until he does a little exploration of the background of the case himself to see if something might have been missed or if it is straight forward suicides.  In the meantime, his wife, who has been in and out of mental institutions throughout their marriage as a result of suicidal tendencies, is back in the hospital and coming home for the holidays so he has his hands pretty full on the home front.

Mackintosh does an amazing job of spinning this story leading you from one believable twist to another as the story unfolds to a climax that came as a surprise.  This is an author to watch and, if you love mysteries like I do, I highly recommend you check out this book.  I'm now in search of her previous ones.  pazt