‘Let Me Lie’ by Clare Mackintosh

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

This is my third domestic thriller by Clare Macintosh and I finally figured out why I like her stories so much–she really makes me care about the characters and that can be rare in a plot driven novel. There are plenty of twists and turns in her books, and a final gasp at the end, but each story is unique–nothing formulaic here. Incidentally, this clever author’s titles always have double meanings.

Losing one parent to suicide is hard enough, but imagine losing the second parent only six months later, ending their life in exactly the same manor–jumping from one of the cliffs at Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, UK. Anna is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ deaths, unable to comprehend why they chose to end their lives. She has just given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ella, and is living with her partner Mark in her parental home. With a brand new baby she realizes the strength of a mother-child bond, and is missing her mother more than ever. Why would her mother put her through terrible grief again after losing her father so recently? There’s something that doesn’t sit right with Anna about the whole situation. But is it better to investigate, or just let it lie…

Beachy Head is one of my favourite scenic places in the world, and I have stayed in Eastbourne more than once, so the setting of this mystery really appealed to me. Of course the breathtaking height and views of the sea from these abrupt cliffs also hold tragic opportunity, which is sobering and renders the beauty bittersweet. My favourite of Mackintosh’s novels so far is still I Let You Go, but this and her other one called I See You, are all great choices if you are in the mood for an engrossing page turner.