The first chapter of this book challenged me as I found both Alice and her youngest son, Lou, cold and difficult to like. As soon as the story developed I realised that there was so much more to both Alice and Lou and I am pleased I read on to discover this.
When Lou dies, Alice is distraught. Indigo’s son, Kane admits he was present at the scene and Indigo encourages him to go to the police station. Why is Kane charged with Lou’s murder? What did he do? Can Indigo prove that Kane is innocent or is Kane’s confession genuine? Why does Alice befriend Indigo? What does Alice want from Indigo? Where does Benny, Alice’s eldest son, fit into what happened on that night? Will the truth about the death of Lou come out?
I really enjoyed this book and came to understand and love the characters of Lou, Alice, Indigo, Kane and Benny.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t a bad read but it wasn’t a brilliant read either, at times I found it dragged a bit and some pages I just skimmed over.

Taut, tense and a lot of interesting character development, I enjoyed this book immensely. A brilliant debut.
Dual narratives from two people in their own personal hell, it's a very suspenseful, great read.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read.

I loved Emilys debut so was excited to read this. This is a author who writes suspense very well.

Written in alternate narratives for each parent both going through their own hell. As a mum i could only imagine the pain they were experiencing.

In a race to find out the truth an unlikely friendship forms .

With twists and turns this is a great thought provoking read .

The first thing that struck me whilst reading this fascinating novel is that you shouldn’t be too quick to judge people. For example, my first opinion of Alice was that she was cold and unapproachable. My first opinion of Lou was that he was a thug who had no respect. I was wrong about both, but it took a while, especially with Lou to see, what they were really like. My thoughts regarding Alice changed gradually as I saw her way of coping in secret and started to understand why she came across as so unfriendly.

Most of the narrative switches between Alice and Indigo, you see how they both cope, or otherwise, with the way their lives have been destroyed by Lou’s death. But there are occasional chapters that concern the other characters and you start to see what happened on the night out.

This is a crime novel but for me it was more a character study. How different people react to an impossible situation and how they try and improve it. It shows the strengths and the flaws in all of the characters and how important family and friends are.

Really liked the idea of the book but thought it was too much of a slow burn for me. I enjoyed her previous book a lot but this one didn't hold my interest enough. Will still read more from this author but wasn't one of my favourite books by her.

First of all apologies for the late review of this book, Covid-19 meant that I had many things on my mind, but better late than never!
This is an unusual book. I thought initially it would mainly appeal to Mothers ( particularly single ones ) and perhaps Grandmothers. However as I got into the story I enjoyed it and would recommend to all.
Alice was abandoned by her French husband when her two boys were babies. She has had to be strong to work and bring them up and keep them safe. Her dissolute ex husband didn't support them and worked only occasionally as a musician.
Indigo is also single parent but not as capable as Alice, she is artistic, her husband committed suicide. However both Alice's and Indigo's worlds are about to collide.
Alice's two boys Benny and Lou are out on a night out with Kane, Indigo's son. There is an altercation and Lou falls to his death, was he pushed by Kane?
The Police arrest Kane. Both Mothers are distraught. We find out that Alice has had a difficult relationship with Lou but is determined to find out what happened. Benny is saying very little, but then an opportunity happens that lets Alice befriend Indigo without her realising who she is!
It becomes very emotional to read, particularly at Kane's trial. Very enjoyable and I look forward to more from the author. I will immediately review on Amazon.

This wasn't really a crime thriller more a domestic drama. Two families, one who lost a child and the other whose child is arrested for the murder. The story moves between the points of view of the mothers and in other parts the dynamics between the boys.

Alice's son is dead and Indigo's son has confessed to pushing him to his death but theres so much more to this. Indigo knows her son couldn't have done this but why is he confessing? Alice knows her other son Benny is lying but what does he know? What really happened that night in the car park.

Wow what a story this turned out to be. It's a fascinating concept to hear the story from both Alice and Indigo, it adds a deeper more heart wrenching depth to the story. The plot is well written and flows so well you just have to keep reading to learn the truth. The story builds steadily to a brilliant ending that was just the best outcome for the book. Its touching and sensitive to the subject matter but a really great read.

A fantastic psychological thriller about the aftermath of a young mans death and the impact on both his family and the family of the young man admitting to his murder.

Alice is a single parent with two boys, Lou and Benny. One evening both brothers go out together but only one comes home. Alice has a very strained relationship with her youngest son, Lou, and finds he knows exactly what buttons to press to get a reaction from her. She often thinks why can’t he be like Benny, his gentle, relaxed older brother.

Indigo is a single parent to Kane. The two are very close and have no secrets but that all changes when he goes out one evening with friends, including Lou and Benny. That evening Lou is found dead after falling from a car park and whilst being questioned by the police, Kane admits to causing Lou’s death. How could her son kill someone ? If he didn’t why is he saying he did ?

The story covers the journeys two mothers take to come to terms with the events of one night. The two mothers couldn’t be more different but both of them are dealing with their own loss, in their own way. Will the truth finally be found ? Was Lou murdered ?

I absolutely loved this book and although very different I really felt for both mothers and really wanted it to work out for both of them. I loved the way the relationships within the book changed constantly throughout the book and I can honestly say that I believed it all !! A fantastic book by Emily Koch and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The characters were well painted and believable. One hides her identity from the other, and this deception about their identities seemed to stretch a bit too far. I enjoyed it more when they were were honest and worked with clarity investigate the case. The characters worked well together and evolve as they do so. an interesting story investigating perceptions, relationships and secrets in families, and how they can be harmful.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Koch's second novel Keep Him Close focuses on mother-son relationships and the dynamic between two women as they try to unravel what happened on a night out which goes very badly wrong.

Having loved Emily Koch’s debut, If I Die Before I Wake, I was keen to read more from her, and Keep Him Close didn’t disappoint.

Koch again limits her cast of characters to a small group and manages to ramp up a similar sense of jeopardy, with time running out to find answers to the core mystery. The action’s not restricted to a hospital room, as it was in Koch’s debut though, and this allows her characters more freedom to move around Bristol and beyond, propelling the action forward and making this novel feel less claustrophobic than its predecessor.

While the complexity of the mother-son relationships here is fascinating, it’s the dynamic between the two mothers, Alice and Indigo, each coping in her own way with the aftermath of that fateful night out their sons went on, which is key to what makes the book work so incredibly well.Their unequal relationship serves to provide a unique perspective on Alice; we see her character and behaviour through Indigo’s eyes before she discovers who Alice actually is, and attaches any prejudice or pre-conceived ideas which we might have about her.

With Alice having the advantage of knowing who the other woman is far earlier than Indigo does, every encounter feels as if it’s the next play in an intense game of cat and mouse. The tension ratchets up as Alice risks her identity being discovered, going up a notch each time she bypasses an opportunity to come clean and tell the other woman who she is.

As we learn more about the mother-son relationships and the truth behind what happened on the night that irrevocably changed all their lives over the course of the book, Keep Him Close says so much about why things aren’t always the way they appear or how we imagine them to be, even when we think we know the person involved intimately or, at the very least, better than many others. It also demonstrates what a mother will do for her child, and the lengths to which she’d go for him, when others acting in a professional capacity fall far short. I know this reader’s sympathy went out to, and frequently alternated between each mother and son pairing.

Keep Him Close is a convincing character study and a tense psychological thriller; it’s well-written and persuasive domestic noir and I have no hesitation in recommending it to you.

After reading and totally loving Emily Koch’s debut If I Die Before I Wake, I couldn’t wait to read her second novel Keep Him Close. The author’s first novel was exceptional, her skill as a writer transcending that of novelists with many books under their belt. Second novels, however, can often be the ‘make or break’ book, proving more challenging than the debut as it piles on the pressure for the author to repeat the same level of success. So, was Emily Koch able to sustain this for her second novel? Read on to find out…

Firstly, I was completely drawn in by both the story’s premise and its location. The story is set in and around central Bristol, moving towards the north side of the city. I have lived in Bristol all of my life, and the prison itself is somewhere that I walked past every day when I was at secretarial college. Just walking past this place sends shivers down your spine, and it seems hard to comprehend that houses have been built so close by, as if it is a school or something. The story centres around two women, Alice (whose son, Lou, has been killed) and Indigo (whose son, Kane, has been charged with his murder). Alice, lives in one of the houses that backs on to the prison, and the fact that her son’s killer is within such close proximity, immediately makes the story even more chilling.

Both women are single parents but characterisation of these two mothers are far from stereotypical. The mother of the victim has a stifled relationship with her son, whereas the mother of the accused has a more laid-back style of parenting and has a close bond with her son. When Indigo (mother of the accused) walks into the library where Alice (mother of the victim) works, wanting to access the internet to try and help her son, Alice soon discovers who Indigo is, but Indigo is oblivious to Alice’s identity. With chapters mostly alternating around the different perspectives of Alice and Indigo, this imbalance of knowing cleverly drives the narrative forward through the author’s choice of narrative perspective, where whilst Alice’s story is narrated in third-person, Indigo’s is told in first-person. This brings Indigo’s character slightly closer to the reader; and by extension, Kane’s story and whether he is really guilty or not, is what makes the story so compelling.

One of the themes running through the story is that things aren’t always what they first appear to be, and this is particularly true with Alice. Alice comes across as cold-hearted and not particularly likeable; however, as the story progresses, this changes and there are some real tear-jerker moments as we get to know both the real Alice and how her son really felt about her. The power of a mother’s love also runs strongly through the narrative, and this is put to the test when the two women put themselves in danger as they face some much darker characters in an attempt to find out what happened on that fateful night. I couldn’t help but think what a brilliant detective duo the two women would make in a future novel!

Emily Koch has absolutely smashed this second novel. Her skill for sucking the reader in to a brilliantly plotted storyline with fantastic characters really is quite something and I can’t wait for Book 3! I would recommend this book for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Jo Ullah, or Cara Hunter.

I'm afraid, for me, this is just an OK read.

It's a book about mothers and sons and I guess, if you've got a son, you made read from a different perspective. However, I just found it slow and plodding and it didn't hold my attention.
Two mothers, one whose son dies and another whose son may have been involved.

The reason I've given 2* instead of 1* is that, I just don't think I'm the right audience as it's not a bad book, just not for me. I so enjoyed this author's first book, I'm gutted to be writing this and I do believe it will find it's audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

This story is told from the point of view of the two mothers. Alice, who's youngest son Lou has died. And, Indigo, who's son Kane is accused of murdering Lou. What is the truth? What happened on that night? It all gets unravelled in a fantastic way in KEEP HIM CLOSE.

As we get the story from the mother's views, we the reader don't actually know what happened on that fateful night either. There is a little hint in the opening chapter, but nothing to give the game away completely. I liked the decision to see things through the eyes of the mother. Being a mother myself I would like to think that I know my children inside out and be able to determine how they are feeling and what they get up to. Bare in mind my kids are only two and five. But, I'm hoping once they are old enough to hit the world head on then I would know what they do.

This story shows the reality that actually we don't really know everything about our offspring. And, it's so easy to miss simple things, and as easily for the children to keep secrets. All we need to do really is to think back to our childhood, did we tell our parents everything? I know dam well I didn't, or I wouldn't be here to tell the tale now.

We uncover small details as the story develops, and find out the truth of Lou's death. And, then we get a few chapters from the lads themselves from the night in question. I really liked this technique, because this is when we got to really unpick at the events and delve deeper into the relationships of the lads.

With thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

Two woman. Ones son is murdered, the other is accused of that murder.

What can possibly bring these two woman together?

Alice has two sons, Benny and Lou, Lou dies in mysterious circumstances on a night out.

Indigo has one son, Kane and he quickly admits to the killing of his friend Lou.

All so straightforward......

Neither mother is convinced of the veracity of this story.

What follows is a psychological domestic thriller.
The story flows naturally, the pain and confusion of the two mothers is extremely well written and so, so believable.

The story is told from both women's perspective and gives brilliant insight.
They don't know each other to begin with but Alice secretly befriends Indigo in order to find out more information.

A great story, beautifully told.

A strong storyline that is emotional and thrilling. Two mothers united by tragedy and their fight to reach the truth.. Alice has lost her son Louwho is found dead, Was it an accident, murder or suicide. Indigo Owen ; her son Kane has confessed to Lou’s murder. It demonstrates the length mothers will go to seek the truth when their is doubt in their minds .Two women with very different characteristics with one aim in mind and through their belief and sleuthing reach the truth in an exciting climax .
Well portrayed characters bring this novel to life.

I loved the idea behind this book which is more of a domestic drama than a thriller and desperately wanted it to live up to its premise. Unfortunately I struggled to maintain a connection to any of the characters and found it too slow to engage for my interest for long periods of reading so I often put it down and then really didn’t want to pick it up again. Beautifully written but just not really for me.

This was a great read. It was quick but kept me wanting to find out more right up until the climax. Two sons lost to their mother, one is dead, the other is charged with murder. How does each deal with the situation in which they find themselves? In this psychological drama we learn so much about the human character, how resilient it is and how mothers will stop at pithing to unearth the truth. It's a really good read. I give it 4 stars.

A powerful thriller. Well-written with the interweaving personalities of the characters coming through. Gripping, compelling and a definite must-read.