My thanks to Random House U.K. Vintage Publishing/ Harvill Secker for inviting me to read an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Keep Him Close’ by Emily Koch in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Hyde’s son is dead and Indigo Owen’s son has been accused of his murder. Indigo is determined to prove that her beloved Kane is innocent.

While searching for evidence to clear his name, she is helped by a woman who takes an interest in her situation. Yet Indigo doesn’t realise that her new friend has her own agenda. Yes, it’s Alice!

Alice’s reasons for this deception are fairly straightforward given that she is seeking to understand why her son died. There are a fair few shady characters on the fringes of the women’s investigation and a few twists.

This is another novel that uses the format of switching between characters’ perspectives. Thankfully, it mainly is just Alice and Indigo so not as confusing as some I have read.

I felt that primarily this was a domestic drama exploring elements of motherhood rather than a thriller even if a crime is at the heart of its plot.

Nothing at all wrong with that but I just don’t find this kind of novel particularly engages my attention. So it proved rather slow going for me.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

A book well worth reading.

The story captured me from the start and the emotion was very well written in, there were quite a few revelations I didn’t see coming to. Can feel quite slow at points but the as the story unfolds I found myself wanting to read more and more.

I found this a fantastic read. Although the headlines are one son lied and one son died the story is written totally from the perspective of two mums Alice and Indigo. The book covers many issues that are often ignored such as single parents and expresses the situations in an approachable manner. I loved the two ladies, who were exceptionally well described throughout, and I felt for them during their various trials and tribulations. I kept asking myself what would I have done in each of the circumstances and ended up knowing that I would do the same things and feel the same emotions.
A great read that I highly recommend to any mother to read and to ask themselves the same question of what would I do?

What a fascinating tale this is, much of it surrounding an examination of two women - one whose son is dead, the other whose son admits to being responsible for that death. The characters in this story are so well drawn and I felt sympathy for both equally. The event around which the story revolves is a slow burner with concentration on the two women and how they meet and interact. Then there are the difficulties the dead boy's brother faces; the guilt of Kane who is responsible for Lou's death; the responsibility of Lou's absent father for what sparked the fight before the death. Heartrending, fascinating reading. I will definitely read this author's debut.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Emily Koch/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story follows two women whose lives become intertwined after one’s son is murdered and the other’s is accused of the crime. The woman didn’t know each other before the devastating event occurred, but a chance meeting between the two of them sets the backdrop for this tale of a mother’s love, forgiveness and finding friendship in the most bizarre of places. As both woman fight for the justice that they believe their respective sons deserve, a strange thing starts to happen. They start to understand each other, and to form a loose friendship that seems highly unlikely at first, but which just might be possible when the truth shines through.

This book is primarily a family drama, and I don’t read many of those which meant that I did enjoy the different experience that this book gave me. There are also elements to this story that made it read like a domestic thriller. As the reader, you’re constantly on the edge of your seat waiting to learn about the events of the tragic night when Alice’s son plunged to his death. The story unravels slowly and it soon becomes clear that the full facts aren’t known, and that all may not be as it seems. This leads to a good level of suspense throughout the read.

This is a pretty emotional story. It highlights how both woman felt as though they had lost a son even though only one of them was dead. Alice’s son had fallen to his death from a parkade, while Indigo’s son had been arrested for murder and then held in a high security prison where she didn’t have much access to him. Both woman are devastated by the events of that night. They both had something taken away from them and they are battling to deal with the situations they find themselves in.

Alice’s relationship with her son, Lou was a very complicated one, and I did battle somewhat to understand her reaction to her son’s death. She seemed very cold, almost robotic and she never seemed to show much emotion or devastation over the loss of her son. Indigo on the other hand absolutely adored her son Kane, and their bond was very strong. She was therefore absolutely lost without him and hellbent on proving that he wasn’t involved in Lou’s death. I did enjoy their different characters and I enjoyed seeing the different reactions that people can have to tragedy.

Overall, this was a solid read and I enjoyed it. It won’t be making its way onto my favourite reads of the year list, but I do recommend it to those of you that like the sound of the blurb.

3.5 stars
This is a good read but is a bit slow in places.
When Kane admits to pushing Louis to his death, his mum, Indigo is desparate to prove her son is innocent.
The story is told from two perspectives - Indigo and Alice.
Alice is Louis’ mum and equally wants to find out his her son died and she joins up with Alice, to try and uncover the truth.
This was an enjoyable read, but is more of a family drama than a thriller.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Alice's son, Lou died and then police have charged Indigo's son, Kane with murder. A,ice and indigo are striving to find out the truth. They don't k ow if it was an accidental death, suicide or murder. The police seem to have the case wrapped up, ut have they missed something?

This is a story of two mothers and is told by both women's perspectives. They are oth determined to find out the truth behind what had occurred. It's a very moving story. I could not read this book quick enough. I was caught up in this story from page one. There's a few twists in this well written book. A story about a grieving mother needing to know the truth and thre mother of the alleged murderer coming to terms with the aftermath.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and the author Emily bloch for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4-4.5*

Kane, Benny and Lou are out for the night having a drink. Only Kane and Benny come home the next day.

Kane’s mum, Indigo, wants to know how anyone could believe her son could harm another person. Kane insists he’s responsible.

Lou’s mum, Alice, wants to know what happened that night to make Kane do what he did. Benny, Alice’s older son, won’t say.

Alice is a librarian and single mother. Indigo, an art therapist, is also a single mother. She’s looking for information that will prove Kane didn’t do anything wrong. She goes to the library, the Police have taken Kane’s laptop, to use the computers there. This is how the two mothers meet. However, whilst Alice realises who Indigo is, Indigo does not know who Alice is.

Indigo is a more emotional woman whilst Alice is quite constrained with her emotions but as the story is told from more than one perspective it is easy to understand both ways of coping with their respective losses. For it is as much a loss for Indigo as it is for Alice. I liked both women. All the characters are well written and believable. The story goes along at a really good pace and the tension is palpable throughout the book. This is a story of loss, grief and trying to find answers. What happened to Lou? What will happen to Kane? Why is Benny so secretive? Who else was there that night? Will these two mothers find the answers? Will the answers be what they want to hear?

Emily Koch has written another fascinating story which has a mystery at its heart. It uses misleading, duplicitous information and, what can only be described as, a complete lack of a full and proper police investigation not to mention a half-hearted defence solicitor to bring these two women together. Whilst they do not have the same agenda they are both after the truth and determined to find it.

As the story unfolds we find out not just what happened that night but how it came about. We are wrapped up in family life at it’s most vulnerable. If it was not for the strength of these women, two mothers, it would be easy to see all those lives remaining broken. What a terrible tragedy and waste that would be.

It took a little while to get completely immersed in this book but ultimately I thought it better than Emily Koch’s debut, If I Die Before I Wake, and would be more than happy to recommend Keep Him Close.

My review of ‘If I Die Before I Wake’ is also on my blog.
Thanks

With thanks to Kate, Marketing Executive at Vintage: Penguin Random House UK, for the invitation to read Keep Him Close by Emily Koch and pre-approving my eCopy via NetGalley.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Even if the premises are interesting and it's well written I found it very slow and it failed to keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I would like to thank Kate from Vintage Books for giving me an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publisher - Vintage Books

Published - eBook (out now) Hardcover 19th March

Price - 99p Kindle eBook £12.99 hardback

ONE SON LIED. ONE SON DIED.

Alice’s son is dead. Indigo’s son is accused of murder.

Indigo is determined to prove her beloved Kane is innocent. Searching for evidence, she is helped by a kind stranger who takes an interest in her situation. Little does she know that her new friend has her own agenda.

Alice can’t tell Indigo who she really is. She wants to understand why her son was killed – and she needs to make sure that Indigo’s efforts to free Kane don’t put her remaining family at risk. But how long will it take for Indigo to discover her identity? And what other secrets will come out as she digs deeper?

No one knows a son like his mother. But neither Alice nor Indigo know the whole truth about their boys, and what happened between them on that fateful night.

Crime thrillers often focus on the unusual and the high stakes - the deaths of important people; the strangest murder scenario and the evilest villains. We tend not to remember that most crimes are just in that small article we read about on our local news website for a minute or less. We may immediately jump to stereotypes as to who the victims and culprits are and who brought them up. In Emily Koch’s stunning and emotionally powerful thriller Keep Him Close we see the mothers of the victim and the suspect and we have to try and fight our impressions of who we initially think these people are.

We first meet Alice and her two teenage sons Benny and Lou - having a traditional family row and also see Lou appears to have stolen money from her wallet. We then meet Indigo and her son Kane a film student whose mum is keen to finally meet her son’s new boyfriend. But by the next day Lou is dead; found dead from falling from a multi-storey car park and the police eventually suspect Kane of his murder and Kane then admits his guilt. Indigo is quite sure her son would never have crossed that line and is desperately trying to investigate the case herself which puts her in the library that Alice works at. Alice is keen herself to ensure her son’s killer is brought to justice decides not to admit her identity to Indigo but ‘helps’ the investigation so she can find more or aid her own justice. But the truth is bound to come out eventually..and that may change these women forever.

I absolutely loved this story. Despite the crime being so ‘simple’ it’s a story of perception. We first meet Lou and he is not a sympathetic teenager he’s moody; taunting of his mother and in comparison with his older brother Benny just plain unlikeable. But then we see that post death Lou was just a standard teenager full of good days and bad days - he didn’t deserve to die. Koch does even more with the theme in exploring the two main characters of Indigo and Alice. Indigo is a woman of compassion and joy - already happy to accept that her son is gay and encouraging him to meet the police to aid their enquiries. But once Kane is a suspect we see her get focused and will do anything to protect her son. Her love for Kane becomes the fuel not to stop. Alice however is a deliciously unlikeable character when we see her in action. The mother whose home is a all a shade of grey; goes to work and starts to tidy up Lou’s room a day or so after his deaths ….we find it hard to warm to the woman who has lost her son…she isn’t perhaps deserving of our sympathy. But this novel actually explores what makes people act the way they do and what may have then forced the events on the night Lou died.

Koch helps us see Indigo through first person and Alice through third person. Indigo is all about her feelings and also confusion. Alice is however pragmatic to the extreme - emotion for her gets in the way of what needs to be done. But we see what is on the surface isn’t perhaps what she can feel inside. We understand Alice’s relationship history and see how she ended up abandoned with two young toddlers to raise in the world. Children she decided she would put them first before anything. Indigo and Kane lost their husband/father in tragic circumstances that also haunt both of them in ways they don’t like to admit admit. Hence these two mothers find themselves in an odd game of cat and mouse trying to solve a crime and find out who each other is. This makes their scenes of opening up and assisting one another both compelling and also very tense. Can Alice actually help or hinder?

That leads to what I found the standout feature of the story it’s emotional exploration of grief, love and compassion. We see the raw loss of Alice and the few moments we see her mask of control slip are heartbreaking but also helping you realise she is not a robot. In fact as we know her more we realise her emotional reactions may be explained by something a lot more complex than simple snobbery. The relationship that builds with her and Indigo these two very different mothers losing their sons is amazingly complex and deep they realise they have strangely a lot in common and understand each other. This makes the final parts of the book heartbreaking and also surprisingly tender. As we start to see the events that happened on the tragic night we see how these life experiences collided Kane and Lou’s lives - and definitely start to suspect the truth isn’t as clear as the police think. It’s a story about understanding one another. As a reader we go on that journey of grief and it’s final scenes among some of the most powerful I’ve read in years. Kick has a wonderful way of making their characters three dimensional and so very very human. We understand them and that makes us care for everyone in the story.

I was throughly surprised how emotionally invested I got into this thriller. I tend to think of thrillers as puzzles and about intensity but here we have a mystery in the crime but far more emotional studies on the impact on the people involved that such an event touches, this is something a lot of crime stories shy away from. This novel embraces it and gives us a fascinating psychological examination of what a violent crime and tragic death can do to families. I found myself on a journey where my own preconceptions of what make people tick were challenged and changed with a final set of chapters that released a lot of emotion (and tears) making this one of my early favourite reads of the year. It’s thoroughly recommended.

From the author of a who-dunnit story with a difference, If I Die Before I Wake, comes a dark, family drama about the search for the truth behind the death of a young teenager.

Lou is dead ... did he fall, did he jump or was he pushed? His mother, Alice, wants to know why. The police think he was pushed and have arrested Kane. Kane's mother, Indigo, is convinced her son is innocent and so it begins.

This is a slow burner that delves into the psyche of a mother's love for her child. There is tension and heart-rending emotion as you would expect with the subject matter being as it is. The writing is easy to read, the language used is natural and the characters well developed and flawed making them believable.

As I said, this is a slow burner and I do admit to becoming a little impatient at times but I was pretty satisfied with how everything came together at the end.

Another successful book from this author and one which I look forward to reading more from and I want to thank, once again, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Keep Him Close is a slow-burn psychological thriller where at the centre is the death of a young man and two devastated mothers trying to understand what actually happened. The unfolding family drama is taut and full of suspense as information is slow to release and two respective sons, who know so much more, refuse to speak. Their silence adds to the mystery with a suspected force lurking and threatening against the truth coming out.

There is a wonderful range of personalities, each very different and all adding to the impressively observed actions and motivations being plotted. The highlights are the two single mothers, Alice Hyde and Indigo Owen. Alice is a librarian, composed and reserved, who believes showing emotion is a sign of weakness. She has two sons Benny and Lou, both very different characters and both with very different relationships with their mother. Lou privately intimidates his mother with a bubbling undercurrent of malice causing her to be fearful around him. Benny is the attentive gentle older son and a good brother to Lou. Indigo is an art therapist, stereotypically, colourful, emotional and open. Kane is her only son, he is gay, and is sincere, thoughtful and is laden with a deep sense of responsibility.

When Lou is found dead at a car park one evening, looking like he fell or was pushed from several floors above, the two families are about to experience the most devastating horror they have ever faced. The three boys along with an unsavoury character were all together that evening but none of them is willing to talk about the incident except Kane, who goes to make a statement at the police station and is subsequently arrested and charged with murder. Indigo cannot accept her son is guilty and starts investigating herself as the police are unwilling to spend any more time on a case with a written confession of guilt.

Alice with her buried emotions struggles to deal with the pain and loss as those around her would expect, including her son. Benny has his own reasons for not wanting to speak about the evening and Kane refuses to say anything to Indigo. Alice and Indigo meet by accident while Alice helps her use library resources. She is drawn into helping Indigo and while she discovers early this is the mother of her son’s killer she has a nagging doubt herself and helps Indigo find answers. On the other hand, Indigo is unaware of the connection and is extremely grateful for Alice's help.

Emily Koch creates an engaging narrative and dialogue that highlights the power of a mother’s protection for her children. Two very different mothers and relationships with each of their sons that is finely balanced and the relationship between each of them is fascinating how it evolves over time and the mystery is resolved. The expectations, mood and relationship between the two mothers cleverly alter as the story develops. The novel is brought to a great ending that resolves various issues with the boys, the police and the relationship between the mothers.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars and I’d highly recommend it to mystery and thriller readers. I would like to thank Harvill Secker, Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable drama seen through the eyes of two mothers; one coping with the unexpected death of her son and the other coping with the fact her son has been accused of his murder. This concentration on the two women meant the reader gradually got to know them (although I'm still unsure about Indigo's radiation concerns?) but I felt this was to the detriment of other characters, particularly Etienne and Benny who seemed very two dimensional.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book

Emily Koch’s sophomore offering is a highly original and deliciously dark domestic-based psychological thriller and it was every bit as addictive and absorbing as her debut, if not more so. It centres around two mothers with two sons when their lives are unexpectedly intertwined in the worst way possible. It's every families nightmare and highlights just how far a mother is willing to go to protect her child. Alice is a struggling mother of two sons, Benny and Lou. Because of her situation, she is regularly stressed and exhausted but she does her best. At the opposite end of the city resides Indigo Owen, an art therapist, who simply adores her son Kane and is happy go lucky with a sweet temperament. When Lou is found dead in a deserted car park an investigation begins to find information. Alice gets the dreaded notification and Kane is rapidly arrested. Yet Indigo proclaims his innocence and is feeling outraged.

Both mothers vow to discover the truth about what happened that fateful day but can they really handle the truth about the sons they created? Koch crafts a masterful story with a cast of characters that is believable and relatable and plenty of reveals and surprises throughout. It's extremely clever and intricately designed so that once you're hooked in there no hope of escape. Moving, heartbreaking and profoundly thought-provoking, the relationship that builds between Alice and Indigo is fascinating and portrayed sensitively. This is a really intense read that will make you think about not simply taking what people say as the truth. Written beautifully the book explores motherhood, love, grief, friendship, loss, guilt and denial. I look forward to picking up her next book. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.

A sad, and sometimes, intense psychological thriller by Emily Koch.

Two mother's lives become entwined following an incident in a car park where one of the mother's sons is killed.
The other mother's son is then accused of his murder, and there are great attempts at getting to the truth about the whole incident.

The story is told from the points of view of each mother in separate chapters with occasional other people 'lending' a hand. At this point I cannot spoil the story only to say that each character is well drawn, with some vibid insights into teenage boys- their behaviour and treatment of their parents!

The fact that the story takes place in my hometown Bristol has not affected my rating (much!); I know all the town's references in the book and have walked past Horfield Prison many times when at school.

Seriously, it is an excellent book and moves along superbly. Loved it!

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the chance to read and review.

This novel is both family drama and psychological thriller. The protagonists are two mothers who would do anything for their own sons. One of them, Alice, is trying to find out how her teenage son Benny died, while the other, Indigo, is trying to prove that her son Kane is not a killer. In their search of the truth Alice and Indigo’s path cross over and over again and they found themselves: how well do they know their sons?

This is both an emotional and suspenseful read and, even though it is well-written, I couldn’t really get into the story, although I really wanted to. I didn’t really warm up to the characters and the story didn’t really captivate me. This won’t desist me from reading the author’s next novels.

Do you know your son as well as you think you do? This novel had a fascinating theme and characters. For the life of me, it was hard to put myself in the place of the two main characters Alice and Indigo. Their situation was untenable and sent shivers down my spine as the case was investigated. I couldn’t imagine having to endure the agony, but the novel gave an excellent insight. The death of a son and the boy who has been charged with killing him. The characterisation was exceptional, skilfully drawn, showing how opposite the two women were and despite everything connected. Curiously, I discovered that I knew them by the end. In the usual way, one would expect them to be sworn, adversaries. Alice is stalwart and eager to investigate what led up to her son’s death. I felt she deserved a medal for her patience, kindness and forgiveness. I suspect Indigo might have gone to pieces without Alice’s unexpected, level-headed, practical support. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK.

Keep Him Close by Emily Koch

It started as a night out in the pub but now one boy is dead and the other has been charged with his murder. The story focuses on the mothers of both boys and how they deal with the nightmare situation they find themselves in. Except, weirdly, it never really felt like a nightmare situation! There was very little emotion conveyed at all to be honest and I really didn’t love this book as much as I’d hoped to. I think this was mainly down to the fact that I just really didn’t like either of the two moms, or any of the other characters for that matter. (Except maybe Benny)
I stuck it out to the end as I was still interested enough to find out exactly what happened, but I’m sorry to say that even that was a bit of a let down.

My thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars.
I really enjoyed If I Die Before I Wake when I read it a while back so I was quite excited to get my mitts on this, the author's follow up book. Where it didn't quite read the heady heights of its predecessor, it was a good solid read for me.
We start with an incident at a multi-story car park where a boy loses his life. Another boy is arrested for murder. But it isn't really their story. It is more the story of their mothers. Indigo is determined that her son Kane is innocent. Alice is desperate to find the truth of what happened that night and why her boy, Lou, is dead. A chance meeting between the mothers with one withholding her identity leads to an investigation aside from that of the police who seem determined that they have got the right suspect.
The narrative is split between the two mothers and follows each of them in the day leading to and the days following what happened. We also see glimpses in flashback and hear from others who were there that night to fill in some of the gaps. It's gripping and will tug at your heartstrings all the way through as we see two mothers who previously thought they were close to their sons start to realise that there were some things they didn't know. It starts off quite slowly, there is quite a bit of scene setting and running about chasing tails, but all this is wholly necessary to set things up for when the book really get going towards the end. This slow burn adds a layer of frustration to what the characters are going through which is wholly in accord with the narrative all the way through. Basically, pacing fits the story throughout!
Characters are all very well crafted and play their respective parts well. I really felt for both mothers with what they were going through. It's quite an emotive read all told.
And the ending when it came, after the rollercoaster ride the book had already taken me on, was perfect. It left me both satisfied and spent...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.