This is one of my favourite authors - one that has NEVER let me down so, when I was looking for a book to read on my 50th birthday, it was a no-brainer which book I would choose. And, I'm happy to say that, yes, another winner from Mr Wilkinson to reinforce his place in my top 5 go-to authors.
Morgan is at an awards ceremony where she hopes to win one of the categories. She's has a bit of a rum time of late, her husband having disappeared only two years ago, an event that she is still rebuilding from. Yay, she wins, but when she sees one of the photographs her best friend (and plus one) has taken of the winners at the end of the night, she is horrified to see what she thinks is her husband, David, in the background photograph. I say horrified, you'd think that she'd be overjoyed to see him come back to her... Well, that might be the case had she not murdered him two years ago...!
And so begins a very strange tale which spirals Morgan out of control as she tries to work out exactly what is going on. Was David really dead? Has he come back? Is someone playing games with her? Or, is she going mad? All options pretty much on the table throughout the book until, finally, the truth come out - and what a truth it turns out to be! Have to admit that, well, I never saw the half of that coming!
It's hard rooting for a self-confessed murdered all the way through a book. But it's thanks to the skill of this author and his characterisation that I actually did! I've read pretty much every book he has written, both series and all the stand alones, so I have kinda built up this trust with his books - easy considering that he has never let me down - which means that even if there was the slightest inkling of a niggle on the way, I know it will all pan out eventually. As it definitely does here. Brilliantly so. Told in the present, with events from the past injected at just the right places, the layers of intrigue initially build up and are then torn down until the naked truth is presented. We learn how Morgan and David meet, see how their relationship develops and what happens after he disappears. Eventually we learn exactly what happened when he "vanished" and the aftermath of this event.
It's twisty and turny in all the right places, there are elements of doubt and red herrings peppered throughout, and with an ending that I have to admit floored me a bit. Although the signs were all there, I just glossed over some that I maybe should have paid more attention to. So, satisfied as I was by the final page, I was also kicking myself a bit.
Characterisation was excellent, as was the banter between them. As with all this author's books there are the little observations to life and memory links sprinkled along the way to make the whole reading experience so much more than just the actual story going on. Something I absolutely love about his style of writing.
All in all, another winner from one of my favourite authors - roll on next time, can't wait to see what he comes up with. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Close to You by Kerry Wilkinson is a fast paced, deeply thought out and written thriller/mystery! The type of book to grab your attention quickly and pull you into the “what happens next” reading hole! I absolutely loved this one!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is difficult to review. It wasn't necessarily a matter of disliking the book, rather it was not what I had expected. No one (including her own mother) seemed to like Morgan, which was completely understandable. David was a pitiable man and deserved some justice in the end. Jane was a shrew. The lighthearted, almost flippant, tone along with a narrative peppered with numerous similes made it difficult to get caught up in the tale. There never was an 'Aha' moment and the story just seemed to run out of steam. Again, in all fairness, my enjoyment was tempered by differing expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kerry Wilkinson for an ARC of 'Close to You' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I normally love books by this author but this was not what I expected and in all honesty I couldn't get on with this one at all and I am left sitting on the fence as to whether I liked it or not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Close to You by Kerry Wilkinson is another gripping thriller from an author who has very quickly become a must read for me. This one will grab you immediately and will not let go until the final heart-stopping twist.

Morgan is a fitness instructor who is attending an industry awards dinner with her longtime friend, Jane. Following the presentations, Jane takes a photo of the assembled winners and when Morgan later studies the photo, she is chilled to see among the group a man she knows very well. It is her ex-husband, David, a man she has not laid eyes on in over two years. But how can it possibly be David when she is certain she has killed him?

This is a twisty, edge of your seat thriller that kept me guessing. Told from the alternating timelines of 'The Now' and 'The Why', we follow Morgan's story from her own perspective but as a self-confessed killer, how reliable, in fact, is our narrator in providing an accurate account of events?

I have only recently discovered the writing of Kerry Wilkinson, but now consider myself to be a bonafide fan.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and a Bookouture for an early copy of Close to You. A very good book, kept me interested. I did figure it out fast but that didn’t stop me from wanting to see how it played out. A really good read.

You call the police and say your husband is missing. The problem is he’s not missing. He’s dead. How do you know? Well you killed him.

I mean wow I was expecting a hell of a story from that synopsis but I was expecting Close to You to be this good! I loved the style of writing going back and forth between the past and current day with each chapter was a clever touch and something I haven’t seen done before.i found myself on edge throughout reading, I couldn’t work out what was going on, I had my suspicions but when it got to the big twist it all became clear!

If you’re a lover of thrillers and mysteries then make sure you pick up Close to You!

Yesssss a great big satisfied sigh as this was a superb read that kept me guessing throughout and I loved the book. What a damn good plot it was but one that I can’t describe other than to say we think we know has happened as we are told in the blurb that a husband has been killed but from then on this is a plot with so many twists and turns that I just couldn’t see coming.
The writing is just sensational, clever, lots of humour in there also in typical Kerry Wilkinson style. Full of suspense and the characters feeling very real this is going to come in my top reads for this year so don’t hesitate grab yourself a copy as soon as you can as this really is one book you shouldn’t miss.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

You’ve told everyone that your husband left you. They offered sympathy and understanding, but now you’ve seen him. Your husband, the one who left you. But it can’t possibly be him, because you killed him. Wilkinson’s premise is fresh and exciting and will leave readers wondering just who they should believe in

Kerry Wilkinson does it again, another belter of a read. When you see a picture with your ex husband in the background you know it can’t be him, because you killed him! What a way to start a book! I read this in a few hours in one sitting. Gripping easy read that kept me turning the pages. Brilliant plot about friendships, divided loyalties, and who you can and can’t trust, mixed with Kerry’s irreverent humour
Great stuff

An excellent read! I highly recommend. Of course, Kerry Wilkinson does not need this great intro, as we all know.

Back and forth through time we travel as the story begins with Morgan attending an awards ceremony with her best friend, Jane. Morgan thinks she sees her (she thought, dead) husband in a picture taken that evening. Although Morgan had originally reported David (her husband) as having disappeared. This, being 2 years ago.

We are given the intertwining background of Morgan and David's relationship along Morgan's relationship with Andy, today. Also, Jane features throughout both relationships - as does Morgan's mum.

A portrait of David is painted as a freeloader who pretends his flea market-type job and international traveling for things to resell is, or can be, lucrative. Although she remains quiet, Morgan pays most of the bills with her money as a personal trainer.

This suspenseful story grips the reader from the start. It is hard to put the book down. The characters are defined extremely well as is the plot. This read has you changing your mind about the characters throughout until it comes to its sterling end!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a superb read.