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toofondofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The premise of Keep Her Close grabbed my attention right away! Steph is an FBI agent and a single mum to her teenage son Zach. One day she is in his room and she makes a horrifying discovery in his wardrobe. I immediately wanted to know more and I’m happy to say that this book kept me gripped all the way through.
Steph is an FBI agent and is trained in spotting when someone is lying and so when she confronts her son and he denies all knowledge she is convinced he’s telling the truth. This made for an interesting dynamic because I think people find it hard to believe a loved one is doing anything wrong so I wasn’t sure that Steph was right to believe Zach so easily. By the same token it’s her job to know and she understands issues of security so I wondered if maybe she was right and someone was setting Zach, or possibly her, up.
Keep Her Close is set in the present day but there are a few flashbacks spread throughout the novel, and I really enjoyed that element. I like being able to slowly piece together someone’s background and to build up a picture of how they got to be who they are.
Keep Her Close soon ramps up the tension as a colleague of Steph’s approaches her with intelligence he has about a domestic anarchist group that Zach may be involved in. Steph starts digging, determined to prove that her son is being set up but the investigation leads down some dark paths and I ended up not being sure at all of who I could trust in this novel.
I really liked Steph throughout this novel. She’s something of a flawed character in that she is stubborn and doesn’t easily let people in, neither in her private life nor at work, and this makes things harder for her. She also gets fixated on a particular problem to the detriment of other things that she should be doing. And she’s fiercely protective of her son. But, for me, all of this made her human and meant I could identify with her a lot of the time and I was always rooting for her.
This was such a fast-paced, gripping novel and it would make a perfect holiday read – it’s a book to pick up and devour while the real world disappears for a while!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
Steph is an FBI agent and is trained in spotting when someone is lying and so when she confronts her son and he denies all knowledge she is convinced he’s telling the truth. This made for an interesting dynamic because I think people find it hard to believe a loved one is doing anything wrong so I wasn’t sure that Steph was right to believe Zach so easily. By the same token it’s her job to know and she understands issues of security so I wondered if maybe she was right and someone was setting Zach, or possibly her, up.
Keep Her Close is set in the present day but there are a few flashbacks spread throughout the novel, and I really enjoyed that element. I like being able to slowly piece together someone’s background and to build up a picture of how they got to be who they are.
Keep Her Close soon ramps up the tension as a colleague of Steph’s approaches her with intelligence he has about a domestic anarchist group that Zach may be involved in. Steph starts digging, determined to prove that her son is being set up but the investigation leads down some dark paths and I ended up not being sure at all of who I could trust in this novel.
I really liked Steph throughout this novel. She’s something of a flawed character in that she is stubborn and doesn’t easily let people in, neither in her private life nor at work, and this makes things harder for her. She also gets fixated on a particular problem to the detriment of other things that she should be doing. And she’s fiercely protective of her son. But, for me, all of this made her human and meant I could identify with her a lot of the time and I was always rooting for her.
This was such a fast-paced, gripping novel and it would make a perfect holiday read – it’s a book to pick up and devour while the real world disappears for a while!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
meresilenth's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
It was definitely fast moving and I wanted to know what happened next. There weren’t plot holes and it all tied together well. There was just a few small things that kept happening that started to grate on my nerves, I know it’s a book and the story needed to move forward - it wouldn’t deter me from trying another one of her books but man… The main character works for the FBI and seems surprised when the bad guys keep finding her and tracking her down. STOP using your personal phone and turn location services off. Maybe use a VPN to keep searches on the web harder to track down. And for the LOVE OF PETE DON’T willingly get in their car and open yourself up to being taken to a second location. Being law enforcement she should know the stats on what happens if taken to a secondary location. Sigh…
rmarcin's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland in exchange for an honest review.
This book was an exciting thrill ride! I read it in one sitting. It was completely engrossing from the prologue to the last page.
Steph Maddox was a Senate aide when her boss did something despicable. His power prevented her from confronting him, but she made it her life's mission to protect victims. Now, an agent for the FBI as a supervisor in the Internal Affairs division, she is torn when a friend tells her that Zachary, Steph's son, is a suspect in a radical group. Steph knows this can't be possible. She is sure she knows her son.
As Steph tries to clear Zachary's name, she gets deeper and deeper into a complex web of conspiracy and realizes that she is up against a force bigger than she expected. The Russians have a deep grip on the intelligence agencies of the US. Nothing Steph does helps, but instead endangers her family and her loved ones.
No one is immune to the danger.
This novel was a breakneck speed of a thriller. I loved it!!
#KeepYouClose #KarenCleveland #NetGalley #BallantineBooks
This book was an exciting thrill ride! I read it in one sitting. It was completely engrossing from the prologue to the last page.
Steph Maddox was a Senate aide when her boss did something despicable. His power prevented her from confronting him, but she made it her life's mission to protect victims. Now, an agent for the FBI as a supervisor in the Internal Affairs division, she is torn when a friend tells her that Zachary, Steph's son, is a suspect in a radical group. Steph knows this can't be possible. She is sure she knows her son.
As Steph tries to clear Zachary's name, she gets deeper and deeper into a complex web of conspiracy and realizes that she is up against a force bigger than she expected. The Russians have a deep grip on the intelligence agencies of the US. Nothing Steph does helps, but instead endangers her family and her loved ones.
No one is immune to the danger.
This novel was a breakneck speed of a thriller. I loved it!!
#KeepYouClose #KarenCleveland #NetGalley #BallantineBooks
janedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Nice twists and turns, but the end felt sudden and didn’t resolve everything that I assumed it would. However, that leaves an opportunity for a follow up book
thenextgenlibrarian's review
5.0
This was a quick read once I actually picked it up. I really liked the suspense and not knowing where it was going. The ending gave me chills. Hope to read her next one and that it continues.
lemeilleurs's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't get hooked as quickly with this one as I did with the first book. It still has the same intrigue, thrill, and mystery as the first book, and considering how the first one ended, I didn't want to trust that anything I read from the narrators perspective was truth. About 3/4 of the way through the book I hit a point where I absolutely could not put it down, but it was disappointing that it took that long to really pull me in.
kaleenazagrzebski's review
4.0
How far will a mother go to protect her child? What happens if her child is guilty? This fast-paced crime fiction novel centers around Stephanie Maddox and her son Zachary. Stephanie is the head of the internal investigations division of the FBI, so she’s no stranger to tough decisions. But when it comes to her son, the line between right and wrong becomes a bit blurry.
When Stephanie finds a gun in her son’s closet, and an FBI agent from the domestic terrorism unit shows up at her door and utters the words “It’s about Zachary…”, she must decide if she should protect her son, but risk the safety of the greater good, or try and protect the greater good, but at what expense to her son?
One of the types of thriller sub-genres is crime fiction. I love anything that centers around the police/FBI/CIA world. I’ve grown to love them because they feel more in depth than some of the normal psychological thrillers that involve domestic disputes. Keep You Close is no different. Cleveland weaves current events into her novel, that make the reader question whether or not there is any truth to the story. The entire book is told from Stephanie’s point of view, with the occasional flashback of the early days of her career. There isn’t a ton of character development (this can be good or bad, depending on the read), but has a ton of dialog and short chapters that help make it a quick, easy read.
I read Karen Cleveland’s first novel, Need to Know last year and loved it, so I knew I had to read her sophomore novel when I saw it being released. I love her current events spin on her novels so I look forward to reading more from this author! 4/5 Stars
When Stephanie finds a gun in her son’s closet, and an FBI agent from the domestic terrorism unit shows up at her door and utters the words “It’s about Zachary…”, she must decide if she should protect her son, but risk the safety of the greater good, or try and protect the greater good, but at what expense to her son?
One of the types of thriller sub-genres is crime fiction. I love anything that centers around the police/FBI/CIA world. I’ve grown to love them because they feel more in depth than some of the normal psychological thrillers that involve domestic disputes. Keep You Close is no different. Cleveland weaves current events into her novel, that make the reader question whether or not there is any truth to the story. The entire book is told from Stephanie’s point of view, with the occasional flashback of the early days of her career. There isn’t a ton of character development (this can be good or bad, depending on the read), but has a ton of dialog and short chapters that help make it a quick, easy read.
I read Karen Cleveland’s first novel, Need to Know last year and loved it, so I knew I had to read her sophomore novel when I saw it being released. I love her current events spin on her novels so I look forward to reading more from this author! 4/5 Stars
bookslifeandeverythingnice's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, Ballantine Books/Random House Inc., and Karen Cleveland for the lovely hardcover copy. As always, an honest review from me.
Like:
- The realistic terrifying elements of Russians secretly moving up ranks in the U.S. government- makes for a great book but a horrifying reality
- Action packed book that kept me turning the pages late into the night. The writing really held my attention.
- The perfect combo of the different government agencies
Love:
- the author was a real CIA agent; so the authenticity is amazing! It really makes the book work so well. Authentic books like these tend to be my favorites.
- the relationship between a single working mom with a high intensity job and caring for her teenage son
- Strong women in the FBI - reading the book told from her perspective was awesome!
Dislike:
- loved/hated the twist at the end ... you'll definitely know what I mean when you get there
- The corruption of power in the good old boys club ... sad that it's still so incredibly common
- Trigger Warning: mentions of rape (not graphic or detailed, happened in the past)
Wish that:
- I could save a few really good people from the villains
Overall, a wonderful government thriller that I recommend to anyone who likes political drama, mysteries, corruption, drama, or thrillers.
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you to Goodreads, Ballantine Books/Random House Inc., and Karen Cleveland for the lovely hardcover copy. As always, an honest review from me.
Like:
- The realistic terrifying elements of Russians secretly moving up ranks in the U.S. government- makes for a great book but a horrifying reality
- Action packed book that kept me turning the pages late into the night. The writing really held my attention.
- The perfect combo of the different government agencies
Love:
- the author was a real CIA agent; so the authenticity is amazing! It really makes the book work so well. Authentic books like these tend to be my favorites.
- the relationship between a single working mom with a high intensity job and caring for her teenage son
- Strong women in the FBI - reading the book told from her perspective was awesome!
Dislike:
- loved/hated the twist at the end ... you'll definitely know what I mean when you get there
- The corruption of power in the good old boys club ... sad that it's still so incredibly common
- Trigger Warning: mentions of rape (not graphic or detailed, happened in the past)
Wish that:
- I could save a few really good people from the villains
Overall, a wonderful government thriller that I recommend to anyone who likes political drama, mysteries, corruption, drama, or thrillers.
kkendall1313's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. Fast paced and a quick easy read. However I do wish I got to know some of the characters better , especially her son and mother.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
This started out really good. This mother is checking her son's room when she finds the unthinkable - a gun. And her head starts whirling - why? how? What has he done? From there I thought it would be a race to try to discover what was going on. With the first few reveals I was shocked, reeling - what do you do? I struggled to wonder what I myself would do.
But from there it got a little muddied up. There was a lot of politics and ties that made it hard to follow all the strings to the conclusions. Although I did like how we got there, I just didn't love it.
But from there it got a little muddied up. There was a lot of politics and ties that made it hard to follow all the strings to the conclusions. Although I did like how we got there, I just didn't love it.