Reviews

The Close by Jane Casey

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maliffi's review

4.0

So help me god this series is the slowest of slowburns and I get that it’s a mystery book, I do. But I am here for the romance WHY ISNT IT HAPPENING

I'm a big fan of the Maeve Kerrigan crime series, so it should surprise no one who knows my reading habits that I loved this tenth installment. With the romantic tension that has been simmering between Maeve and DI Josh Derwent throughout the series, the setup of THE CLOSE is especially fun. The two are given an assignment to pose as a couple in order to surveil a suspicious woman in a idyllic suburban neighborhood. Because of the intimate situation, the book is in some ways more about the developing relationship between Maeve and Josh than anything else. Which is fine by me. It's not that Maeve doesn't have crimes to solve. She does, but they're not as complex as cases from other books in the series. The murder that starts off the novel is pretty straightforward; the suspect is not a surprise. I was surprised by the killer in the neighborhood Maeve and Josh were infiltrating, though. To be fair, there are A LOT of suspects, all of whom act suspiciously at points, making for a whole school of red herrings. Although the crimes aren't super complicated, there was enough going on with them to keep me interested (until 1:00 this morning when I finished THE CLOSE). I also just find Maeve super appealing. She's an understated heroine who's intelligent, tough, brave, funny, and compassionate. Mercurial Josh is harder to love at the outset, but his devotion to Maeve makes him pretty irresistible. It's fun to watch them dance around each other in this installment, trying to ignore their feelings for each other so they can focus on doing their job. All of these elements provide another thrilling installment in an always compelling series. I can't wait to see what Maeve and Josh do next!

schopflin's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Another well-plotted Maeve and Josh thriller. The tension between them continues. A good pageturner.

reneesmith's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoy this series! One thing that’s kept me reading is the romantic tension between Josh & Maeve that has existed since book #1. Now that we’re on book #10, I’m ready for their relationship to rise to the next level. Sometimes authors fear that allowing their characters to grow from friends to lovers will change the dynamic too much to maintain story tension & reader interest. Here’s hoping that’s not the case for Maeve & Josh & that a book #11 comes soon!

kate66's review

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4.0

I have no doubt that Jane Casey devotees will give this book 5 stars so I'd better admit that this is only my third Maeve Kerrigan novel. I know all about the "Kerrwent" situation though due to other fans posting. So I have to make a second confession - I really couldn't care less whether they got together. I know I'm bad, I've not a romantic bone in my body etc etc. Truth is that the whole on again/off again romance drives me nuts, very much like it does with the Strike series by JKR. Its also the reason I knocked a star off. It just takes up too much of the book for me. Personal taste folks.

Apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's no particularly gory scenes, which I also find gratuitous on occasion. The story doesn't involve one crime but several and Maeve is a great character who brings just enough of her personal life to bear on the cases (excepting the Derwent nonsense).

The Close deals with some serious issues of child abuse, domestic violence and abuse if vulnerable persons. Jane Casey doesn't shy away from tackling subjects such as this and she's good at it. What I also like a lot is her dialogue. It's so easy to read and the characters speak so naturally. That's a talent for an author of crime thrillers that can come across as procedural handbooks in some cases.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read and I'll definitely read more (whilst skipping through the romance bits).

stephybara's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

4.25

fdr_girl's review against another edition

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4.0

I’m not sure how I feel. There are lots of things I am not keen on with the M&J storyline, but I do absolutely adore the ‘fake dating’ trope so this was a real treat. It ends on a sad note and that makes me sad, but also the next book is gonna be so full of pining I can’t cope.

The cases were 2/3 for me, loved the ones in the Close itself but the third one felt like it was magically solved and I’m not here for that.