Friday, September 16, 2016

I LET YOU GO

By
Clare Mackintosh



  
I Let You Go, was for me, a 5 Star read. Psychological suspense at its best, the story kept me eagerly reading until the end.
The book is divided into Part one and Part two. Part one, especially at the beginning, moved rather slow, but picked up quickly as the story moved on. The character of Jenna was extremely well developed and I found myself living through the story with her.
It is difficult to review the book without giving away the plot, but I’ll do my best:
Jacob, a 5 year old boy who lets go of his mother's hand for a brief moment is killed in a hit and run accident when he rushes across a dark street in the rain. His mother’s life is forever changed and she flees town immediately following the accident.
Two police officers are assigned to find the hit and run driver. After months of frustration with no new leads they are forced to move on to other crimes. On the anniversary of the accident, a surprising new lead brings it back to the forefront with an exciting twist.
I think my only real complaint was the final scene, which for me, went on too long. The ending, however, was excellent.

Three things Mackintosh did well that other authors can learn from:
1.     Make your main characters sympathetic. Show them in their best light often (especially in the beginning) to keep the reader interested in what happens to them. This doesn’t mean they don’t have flaws!

2.     The beginning is the most important part of your novel. Keep the reader engaged by making it exciting. Don’t overload it with back-story or over describe scenes.


3.     The final action scene. This may be a personal taste thing, but I really hate one that goes on too long, with a protagonist who seemingly keeps rising from the dead to attack over and over again like a cat with nine lives. Keep it believable.


Dear Readers,
I love reading. So much so, that at times my own writing slows down as a result. That said, I will never give up my favorite pastime! Hope your reading stack is close by, even if you are an author like me, or maybe, especially if you are an author like me. Stephen King’s number one point of advice to other authors is, “Read.”
So keep reading and don’t forget to add your reviews on Amazon. Authors love them.
Have a wonderful fall season,

Marla