It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed reading Emily Koch's fictional debut, If I Die Before I Wake, with its highly original premise and was keen to see what else she could come up with. Keep Him Close is a blend of dark domestic psychological thriller and family drama, with a strong spotlight on what it is to be a mother and how far a mother will go for her children. Alice is a single mother with two sons, Benny and Lou, she is a reserved, uptight and self contained character. Art therapist Indigo Owen is a completely different kettle of fish, she is emotional, open and expressive with her son, Kane. The two families become connected on the night of Lou's death at a multi-story car park. Alice wakes up to her worst nightmare when the police call on her in the early hours. After answering an appeal for information, Kane is arrested, although Indigo is certain of his innocence.

No-one else is going to look after Kane's interest other than Indigo, she must find out what took place that fateful day and Alice too is driven by a need to know the truth of what happened and to ensure that her family is safe. Alice goes below the radar to secretively befriend Indigo in a narrative that shifts from one mother to the other. Do mothers really know all there is to know about their sons? In a emotionally heartbreaking and twisted story, there are hints that there was someone else there that terrible night and a thoughtful, sensitive, and insightful portrayal of the relationship that develops between Alice and Indigo. This is an intense and compulsive family drama, beautifully written and plotted, about motherhood, loss, grief, guilt, what it is to be a teenager and friendship. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

Strong believable characters in a story where two mothers have to deal with one of their sons being arrested for the murder of the son of the other. Do the mothers know their sons as well as they think...........................read it and find out !

Intricate and mesmerising, Keep Him Close is the heartbreaking, heartwarming story of two women, two mothers and their sons.

A tricky thriller,moms and sons,a death or a murder? Concept was unusual but the story didn't do it for me.

Your teenage son dies while out with his brother and a friend. The friend Kane confesses to Causing Lou’s death. OK so this is how this book starts but not how it ends. Two mothers are losing their sons and end up drawn together in their search for the truth.
A well written and moving book which forces you not to take things at face value.

Keep Him Close is a gripping novel set in a city I know very well, which helped to bring it to life. Alice is a somewhat uptight single mother of two sons, one of which she has struggled to bond with. Alice has been left broken hearted by the boy's father: a feckless musician. On Alice's birthday, which is cruelly ignored by her sons, a drunken night out goes horribly wrong. Her obnoxious younger son Louis dies, and nobody is talking. Was it an accident or something more sinister?
Across town, Indigo Owen lives with her son Kane. Kane is a nice young man with a secret boyfriend. Kane goes out on the same evening, and finds himself accused of causing Louis's death. Surely, thinks Indigo, her son isn't capable of ending a life? It turns out that neither Alice or Indigo knows their boys as well as they think they do. The truth will out.

Fantastic read. It’s very fast paced. Well written once you start it you don’t to put it down. It was a psychological thriller with a twist I’d say, my emotions were up and down with this one. Top read

A brilliantly written novel by Emily Koch, my first. The story of two mothers and their sons of which one has been killed and the other arrested for his murder. Alice and Indigo are the mothers striving to find the truth. Alice whose son died befriends Indigo after her son was arrested on the pretext of finding out more information. Alice is full of anger for her dead son, Louis, whilst Indigo doesn't believe her son Kane is guilty after confessing. Told in POV's from both Alice and Indigo and the two sons. A good tense story and the characters, you can easily identify with. You will not be disappointed!

It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the storyline very much and would definitely reccomend this book.

A dramatic start with raw emotions from the Mothers of both sides of the story- the boy who died and the boy who survived.
The book begins with accidental death or suicide or murder and follows the journey of Kane and his mum and Alice (the mother of the boy who died) through interviews an arrest and a mothers desperation to find out the truth.
Although the truth does out eventually the twists and turns along the way to get there are well written and intriguing-the tension builds and builds, keeping you reading well into the night!
I was on edge for much of the book- needing the truth on behalf of both Mums and for the rest of those left behind!

Two mothers: one with a dead son, and one with a son who has admitted to killing the other.

Keep Him Close jumps back and forward between Alice and Indigo (as well as occasionally other characters), as they try to understand what happened on a night out in the city when Alice's son Lou fell to his death from a car park. Indigo's son Kane has admitted guilt, but everyone seems very coy about what actually happened.

Alice's other son, Benny, had been there earlier in the evening, but says he'd left. And CCTV shows that there was someone else there too, but nobody's saying anything.

The police seem to have the case wrapped up, but could there be more to things than meets the eye?

Indigo doesn't believe her son could have done it, while Alice needs to understand more.

This book keeps you guessing despite there surely not being all that many possible outcomes to what happened that late summer's evening. Koch gives us believable characters - the more tightly wound Alice, who's brought up her children as single mother whilst holding down her job in the library. And the more open relationship between Indigo and her son Kane.

A superior thriller.

This was a quick and easy read, but if I'm honest, a bit of a disappointment. The scenario sounded good, but in reality I didn't quite buy into the characters enough to really believe in them. Two mothers, three sons. One ends up dying, and another one ends up being arrested for his murder. The reasons and explanations for why and how it all happened, gave the story some twists, some of which were more believable than others. Not a strong enough story line for me.

Excellent, tense little gem of a read here. I found the 2 mother characters very engaging and captivating. The plot pacing and dialogue also flowed extremely well. Alice was especially well like developed. The ending was nice. Thumbs up!

Sometimes a book sounds interesting but just doesn't hit the right note when you start reading it. Sadly this is one. Two mothers, three sons one of whom is murdered and one accused of the murder. The murdered son is really unpleasant to his mother (before he's murdered!) and his mother is too finicky about life and everything. I just couldn't get into it as I felt no relation to, or sympathy with, any of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Vintage publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK - Vintage Publishing, for the ARC.
This story was a slow but engaging and emotional read.

Told between the points of view of two mothers. Alice has 2 sons, Ben(19) and Lou(18), Alice is reserved and doesn't express her emotions, always concerned with neatness in the way she dresses and keeps house. She works part-time at the library. Ben is sensitive and nice; Lou is intimidating and Alice can't understand why he hates her so much.
Indigo is an art therapist and is expressive and emotional, her son Kane is a sensitive soul.

Ben and Lou go out for the evening but don't return. Alice is woken up by the police in the early hours to tell her that Lou had fallen to his death from the third floor or a multistory car park and Ben was at the station making a statement. Once home, Ben insists on not telling his mum who else was with them when Lou fell; he was protecting someone - but who and why?

Kane does return home that night, dishevelled and with clear signs he had been in a fight. When he was out that night he had been caught on CCTV. His mother saw the appeal on the TV and insisted she take Kane to the police station next day. He agreed, but hours later, Kane is charged with Lou's murder.

Alice is determined to find out who else was there when Lou fell; Indigo is determined to prove her son is innocent despite him confessing. The two mothers' paths begin coincidentally to intersect A grieving mother and the mother of her son's murderer.

This is a slow read, but very well written with several revelations you don't expect.

What would you do if your son was murdered and you realised you had bumped into the mother of the man who did it? Would you get to know her and not tell her who you were?
What would you do if your son was accused of murder but you knew he didn't do it? How far would you go to protect his innocence?
When Indigo and Anna are brought into each others lives for reasons, the book tells each of their stories. Both have lost their son but with different outcomes. Is Kane, accused of murdering Lou innocent or did he do it?
The book was well written and everything tied together very well.

I struggled to get into this book but really glad I stuck with it. Perhaps a bit of a slow burner but it was worth a read in the end.

Keep Him Close is an incredible story of two mothers and their sons. I have absolutely fallen in love with this book!

Not very fast paced but worked perfectly. I loved the differences between Alice and Indigo and I found myself 100% gripped to the end.

5/5

"Keep Him Close" by Emily Koch is a slow burner of a book. The story is written incredibly well, however I didn't really feel any connection with any of the characters. I prefer my psychological thrillers to be a faster pace, many will enjoy this though. 4 stars for a good solid read.