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Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the UK police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant, and now writes full time.

Clare's debut novel, I Let You Go, is a Sunday Times Bestseller and was 2015's fastest selling title by a new crime writer. It was the winner of the Richard and Judy Book Club readers' vote, and was selected for ITV's Loose Women's 'Loose Books'.

Clare is the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival, and lives in the Cotswolds, UK, with her husband and their three children.

Awards: CWA (2021), CrimeFest (2017), Theakston (2016) see all

Genres: Mystery, Literary Fiction

New and upcoming books

February 2025

Other People's Houses
(DC Morgan, book 3)

Series

DC Morgan
   1. The Last Party (2022)
   2. A Game of Lies (2023)
   3. Other People's Houses (2025)

Novels

   I Let You Go (2014)
   I See You (2016)
   Let Me Lie (2018)
   After the End (2019)
   The Understudy (2019) (with others)
   Hostage (2021)

Series contributed to

Quick Reads 2020
The Donor (2020)

Non fiction show

Books containing stories by Clare Mackintosh

Murder in Harrogate (2024)
Stories inspired by the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
edited by
Vaseem Khan

Will You Read This, Please? (2023)
edited by
Joanna Cannon

First Edition (2020)
Celebrating 21 Years of Goldsboro Books
edited by
Daniel Gedeon and David Headley

More books

Awards

	2021 Short Story Dagger : Monsters
	2017 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award : I See You
	2016 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year : I Let You Go

Award nominations

	2025 The G.P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award (nominee) : A Game of Lies
	2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : A Game of Lies
	2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : The Last Party
	2019 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : Let Me Lie
	2017 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award (longlist) : I See You
	2017 British Book Award Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (shortlist) : I See You
	2016 Waverton Good Read Award (nominee) : I Let You Go
	2016 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : I Let You Go

Clare Mackintosh recommends

This is Not a Game (2025)
Kelly Mullen
"Agatha Christie brought bang up to date."

Whiteout (2025)
R S Burnett
"A fast-paced and gripping thriller you won't be able to put down."

The Impossible Thing (2025)
Belinda Bauer
"A captivating novel from one of the UK's most talented storytellers. I loved every page of this unique mystery."

It's Getting Hot in Here (2024)
Jane Costello
"Hot? It's positively steamy! A timely, touching, and laugh-out-loud read from Jane Costello. Thoroughly recommend!"

Isolation Island (2024)
Louise Minchin
"Louise Minchin's debut is pacy and tense with true-to-life characters that leap off the page. I loved it!"

The Next Girl (2024)
Emiko Jean
"Incredible. The definition of a page-turner."

The New Couple in 5B (2024)
Lisa Unger
"Lisa Unger creates the perfect creepy setting for this superb psychological thriller, which is beautifully crafted and deliciously unsettling. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."

Every Move You Make (2024)
C L Taylor
"C.L. Taylor knocks it out of the park every time. Every Move You Make is a compulsive page-turner you won't be able to put down."

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour (2023)
Ashley Winstead
"Where The Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational - I couldn't put it down."

You'd Look Better as a Ghost (2023)
Joanna Wallace
"Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny. This is a superb debut."

Strange Sally Diamond (2023)
Liz Nugent
"An extraordinary book. Compulsive reading, with one of the most complex, intriguing and moving characters I've ever encountered in fiction."

In the Blink of an Eye (2023)
(Kat and Lock, book 1)
Jo Callaghan
"The most original crime novel you'll read this year."

The Hiking Trip (2023)
Jenny Blackhurst
"Utterly gripping."

Just Got Real (2022)
Jane Fallon
"Funny, fresh and clever...the perfect poolside read."

One of the Girls (2022)
Lucy Clarke
"Brimming with tension, with such perfectly drawn characters I keep wondering what they're doing now. Lucy Clarke gets better and better."

The Herd (2022)
Emily Edwards
"Will have book clubs across the country in hot debate! Brilliant."

Call of the Penguins (2021)
(Veronica McCreedy, book 2)
Hazel Prior
"A glorious, life-affirming story. I read it in a day. I'm going to buy it for so many people this year!"

Would I Lie to You? (2021)
Aliya Ali-Afzal
"A fresh take on domestic dynamics and moral dilemma. Great for book clubs! I really enjoyed Would I Lie to You?"

That Night (2021)
Gillian McAllister
"Gillian McAllister just gets better and better. I loved this tautly plotted and beautifully written look at siblings and secrets."

Watch Her Fall (2021)
Erin Kelly
"Watch Her Fall is not only a cleverly plotted, beautifully written thriller; it is also a mesmerising glimpse behind the curtain into a world few of us will ever see."

The Thin Place (2021)
C D Major
"I devoured this novel in a single sitting, transfixed by the unfolding story, and by characters so real I felt myself holding my breath on their behalf. Gripping and unsettling, The Thin Place will stay with you long after you turn the final page."

People Like Her (2021)
Ellery Lloyd
"Just inhaled People Like Her in a single sitting. A cautionary tale for instafluencers everywhere. Breathlessly fast, brilliantly original. Bravo, Ellery Lloyd!"

Blurred Lines (2020)
Hannah Begbie
"Blisteringly relevant, with an emotional pull that had me in hot, angry tears."

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World (2020)
Laura Imai Messina
"A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving. Beautiful."

The Secrets of Strangers (2020)
Charity Norman
"Norman skilfully plays with our perceptions and sympathies in this tautly plotted, gripping and emotional read."

The New Girl (2020)
Harriet Walker
"Keenly observed and brimming with tension, The New Girl is a must-read."

Heatstroke (2020)
Hazel Barkworth
"Painfully real, and so beautifully written I wanted to stay within its pages forever. Heatstroke is unsettling, challenging and utterly immersive."

Seven Lies (2020)
Elizabeth Kay
"A chilling and original voice. It's gripping, fresh and unsettling - all the ingredients I love."

The Silent Treatment (2020)
Abbie Greaves
"Such stunning prose, and such insight for a debut author… I was bowled over by Abbie’s writing."

The Keeper (2020)
Jessica Moor
"Gripping, devastating...breathtaking."

In Five Years (2020)
Rebecca Serle
"I loved In Five Years. A beautiful, intelligent story about friendships and love."

The 24-Hour Cafe (2020)
Libby Page
"Did I #lovethelido? So much my heart broke a little turning the last page. A stunning debut."

The Nursery (2019)
Asia Mackay
"Original."

Platform Seven (2019)
Louise Doughty
"I could read a telephone directory if Louise Doughty wrote it. Fortunately she wrote Platform Seven instead. A beautifully constructed novel about love of all kinds. A joy from the first page to the last."

Whisper Network (2019)
Chandler Baker
"Furious and relevant... I loved it so much."

Never Have I Ever (2019)
Joshilyn Jackson
"A smart, original thriller with real, compelling characters and a chilling reveal. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough."

Little Darlings (2019)
(DS Harper, book 1)
Melanie Golding
"Chilling story, beautiful prose. Little Darlings is stunning."

I Know Who You Are (2019)
Alice Feeney
"A bold and original voice."

Critical Incidents (2019)
(Robin Lyons, book 1)
Lucie Whitehouse
"Fantastic."

Bring Me Sunshine (2019)
Laura Kemp
"I loved it."

To the Lions (2019)
(Casey Benedict, book 1)
Holly Watt
"Sensational! I loved it. Superbly plotted... A sure hit."

Blood Orange (2019)
Harriet Tyce
"A classy thriller with complex and compelling characters."

To Catch a Killer (2019)
Emma Kavanagh
"What a rollercoaster ride! A thrill a minute - I loved it."

Nine Perfect Strangers (2018)
Liane Moriarty
"Original, suspenseful, downright brilliant."

You Found Me (2018)
Virginia Macgregor
"I defy you not to fall in love . . . a future classic."

Love Will Tear Us Apart (2018)
Holly Seddon
"Beautifully written, with an intricate yet perfectly constructed backstory, and characters I didn't want to leave. A must-read."

Days of Wonder (2018)
Keith Stuart
"A story of life, love and hope - the perfect antidote to today's world. Phenomenal."

The Cliff House (2018)
Amanda Jennings
"Haunting and evocative."

You Me Everything (2018)
Catherine Isaac
"Wow. Just wow. If you liked Me Before You, you'll love You Me Everything. Heartbreakingly beautiful."

Our House (2018)
Louise Candlish
"If 2018 brings a better book than Our House I will eat my hat. Addictive, twisty and oh so terrifyingly possible."

Come and Find Me (2018)
(Detective Inspector Marnie Rome, book 5)
Sarah Hilary
"DI Marnie Rome just gets better and better."

Anatomy of a Scandal (2018)
Sarah Vaughan
"The best courtroom drama since Apple Tree Yard … sensational."

Shelter (2017)
Sarah Franklin
"Sarah Franklin is a breath of fresh air."

The Marsh King's Daughter (2017)
Karen Dionne
"If you only read one thriller this year, make it The Marsh King's Daughter. It's sensational."

Fierce Kingdom (2017)
Gin Phillips
"I devoured it in one breathless sitting. Outstanding."

The Night Visitor (2017)
Lucy Atkins
"The moment I finished I wanted to read it all over again."

The Man Who Didn't Call (2017)
Rosie Walsh
"A delight. Moving and relatable, with characters you'll fall in love with. One for your wish list."

Her Perfect Life (2017)
Sam Hepburn
"Deftly woven and deliciously chilling. A superb thriller."

The Good Daughter (2017)
Alexandra Burt
"A stunning read from a superb storyteller."

Find Me (2017)
J S Monroe
"Intricately woven and heart-stoppingly believable, this has bestseller written all over it."

Her Husband's Lover (2017)
Julia Crouch
"Psychological thrillers don't come much better than this."

The Fear Within (2016)
(Lieutenant Danielle Lewis, book 2)
J S Law
"J.S. Law's taut crime novel oozes authenticity. I read this in a day and can't wait for the next in what will undoubtedly be an explosive series."

Foxlowe (2016)
Eleanor Wasserberg
"An excellent debut . . . Wasserberg has a strong and distinctive voice."

The Plea (2016)
(Eddie Flynn, book 2)
Steve Cavanagh
"Smart and original. This is a belter of a book."

The Butcher's Hook (2016)
Janet Ellis
"A masterful storyteller."

In a Dark, Dark Wood (2015)
Ruth Ware
"A tense, terrifying novel."

The Girl Who Wouldn't Die (2015)
(George McKenzie Crime Thriller, book 1)
Marnie Riches
"A strong, edgy debut that deserves to do well."

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