I Let You Go

The first twist in this book is original and oh so very clever; not too many readers will see it coming. It's not often I go back and re-read pages to figure out how I missed clues - but this time it was a must. The book begins with a tragic accident; a young boy is killed by a hit and run driver as he and his mother are walking home from school. She only lets go of his hand for a few seconds to push some hair out of her eyes; but Jacob is fast and spontaneous like most kids his age and darts in front of a car. The author does an exemplary job of capturing the profound grief and anguish, and the inconsolable sadness that goes along with a serious accident like this. She also keeps the plot moving and throws in quite a few twists.

On the flip side, are the two detectives working the case, Kate and Ray. The clues they have to work with are very few but the more they work together, the more the sexual tension builds. That keeps things interesting. I liked peeking into their personal lives and also enjoyed the police procedural part as they tried to solve the case. Once you reach about mid way, you won't want to stop reading and be prepared for some surprises, there are quite a few. The second part of the book is stronger than the first, but overall, this is a good book.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016.

Now in paperback - the next blockbuster thriller for those who loved The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl - a finely crafted novel with a killer twist.

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.

1. How does the title, I Let You Go, link to the themes in the novel?

2. The author of I Let You Go is a former police officer. Do you think this is evident in the storytelling?

3. How does the author pull the wool over the reader's eyes in preparation for the first major twist? How did you feel when you reached it?

4. Discuss the relationship between Ray and Kate.

1. A hit and run accident is front and center in this book. Why do people run from the scene of an accident? Do you think it's fear or a certain bravado - thinking they can get away from it. Are some people incapable of the guilt that should be associated with causing another's death?

2. Discuss Ian's character and how the author chose to show his evilness. Do you think he was believable? Was his badness too stereo typed? Should Jenna have seen through his facade sooner? Could the author have used a different approach to show his evilness?

3. Ray's wife Mags, a former DI, gave up her police job to raise their family. Discuss her reaction and feelings when she suspects something between her husband and Kate. Now that the kids are grown, she decides to go back to school. Discuss this decision. Why didn't she return to police work but instead go back to school for a new profession?

4. Ray's son was having trouble at school. Bullying was suspected. Discuss Ray and Mags parenting style. Discuss bullying and why Ray's son was having trouble in this area.

5. Talk about how the book ended and the final twist. Was there closure. Was it believable? Satisfying?