This is my first novel by Jane Holland and it was good. Its a twisty ride and had a good plot.

We meet Kate who's mother has dementia. Kate finds bruises on her mother, obviously Kate is suspicious and everything she thinks that she knows is all questioned. Kate is super protective of her mother, like many a daughter, and wants to get to the bottom of the problem.

I did work out the baddie quite quickly and felt like in some points of the novel it was quite slow and hard to read but nevertheless this did make for a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jane Holland and the publisher for allowing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Keep Me Close, by Jane Holland, is an extremely detailed psychological thriller with a focus on grief and misdirected rage. It also gives a sobering look on how skillfully evildoers can harm the defenseless seniors in our lives.
Kate Kinley, a part time publisher, discovers strange bruising on her mum. Her mum, Celeste, who has early-onset dementia, tells Kate that nothing's wrong and that she was just being clumsy. Kate's not so sure that it was just from her mum being clumsy and is concerned that the dementia has made her forget what really happened?
Kate needs someone she can believe in but loneliness and fear take over as the people in their lives appear to be the main suspects. As one revelation after another is revealed, she starts to realise that the abuser isn't really interested in inflicting pain; they want to cause much more damage.

This was such an interesting idea for a book so naturally I gravitated to it. I did work out who the harasser was but not why and that was what kept me totally interested. That reveal was great, so cant say too much.

I did like the way the work place issues were brought into it. What I didnt get was the overdraft and how that needed to be there.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Kate Kinley lives with her mother, who has dementia, and also has a high-powered job in publishing. A few years ago, Kate’s boyfriend took his own life and, some years before that, Kate’s father and brother were killed in an accident, so she has quite a lot of emotional baggage. Her boss doesn’t like her and makes her the editor for a horrible male author.

Her mum’s usual carer suddenly vanishes without a trace, so she employs Ruby, who is available straight away and comes with excellent references. The family solicitor, who rubs Kate up the wrong way, visits her mother – his client – at home, and then Kate’s new boyfriend, Logan, moves in. When Kate starts to notice bruises and injuries on her mother, she doesn’t know who it could be. She’s let these people into her family home, and it could be any of them harming her mum.

A brilliant, well-written story that I didn’t want to put down, although I did guess the perpetrator fairly early on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lume Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Wow! What a suspenseful, edge of your seat read! Kate tries to hold down a full time job while living with her mother, who suffers from dementia. After her mom starts getting mysterious bruises and acts like she's afraid of her own shadow, Kate is angry and fearful at the thought of someone abusing her mom. I was on pins and needles watching the story unfold as Kate tries to find the culprit, all the while her own life is turning upside down! You will not want to put this down! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more books by this amazing author!

After reading the description of this book, I was adamant I would love it. It sounded exactly like my kind of book.

Unfortunately, it was very predictable and a lot of pages of not much happening. I found myself losing interest and it becoming a chore to read. Whilst fundamentally there is nothing wrong with the story, it just didn't grab me in the way I had hoped/thought it would. The ending was extremely poor - I felt like the author had got bored and rushed it.

Keep Me Close kept me close to the book from beginning to end! There are a lot of psychological elements as well as many, many twists. I did figure out who the 'villain' was, but not why. You may be able to read this quickly as you won't want to put it down!
Many thanks to Lume Publishing, Jane Holland and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. My review is my honest opinion.

I really wanted to love this book, but instead it was just okay for me. Now I do read a ton of thrillers, which probably makes me a bit harder to please, but I saw the ending well before the middle of the book. I also felt like parts of the story were a bit repetitive, almost making you question the narrator at times. I will say the last third of the book moved a bit quicker and gave the book a bit of redemption. If you’re not a person who reads a ton of thrillers or someone who doesn’t mind being able to figure out the twists before they come then this would be a great read for you!

Keep Me Close is a thrilling read. I loved the twists and turns and wasn't sure who the baddie was until the end. Kate's mother has dementia and is starting to go downhill quickly. Kate lost a boyfriend to suicide a couple of years ago and has just started dating again. When her mother's caregiver runs out on her, she finds a new, lovely woman who is a big help around the house. She feels so lucky.

But is she lucky? Her mother starts being more afraid. There are a number of suspects who might be in the position to harm a vulnerable older woman. When the danger spreads to Kate and her career, will she find out in time who wants to harm her and her family?

Great book - you'll stay up really late to finish another chapter!

Compelling, Emotionally Driven Suspense….
Compelling and emotionally driven suspense where the reader is questioned as to what they would do in such circumstances. With a credible cast of characters and a fast moving storyline this is a quick, often tense, read.

Picked up this book one rainy afternoon and did not put it back down until it was finished! As a lover of psychological/ domestic thrillers this book had me completely hooked with all the twists and turns! Extremely enjoyable, Jane Holland is a master of her craft.

A deeply disturbing and at times oppressive story of betrayal and revenge. Kate is a damaged young woman, reeling from the suicide of her boyfriend and attempting to care for her mother who is living with early onset dementia. When her lovely carer Georgios fails to turn up for work, without warning or explanation, Kate is left desperate for help as she tries to hold on to her job. At her most vulnerable she is recommended Ruby, who quickly makes herself indispensable and who persuades Kate to let her move in. Already shaken by anonymous, threatening letters and mysterious glimpses of someone lurking in her garden at night, Kate grabs the proferred lifeline. She even starts to date again. Logan is an old friend who knows her story and their relationship quickly develops. However, her lovely mum Celeste, starts to exhibit signs of fear and distress and when unexplained bruising and cigarette burns appear on her, Kate is left to doubt everyone around her. Who, if anyone, can she trust? I was utterly gripped by this story. I wanted to shout at her to install a covert videocam! The tension builds nicely, with several red herrings and reaches a thrilling climax. Perfect for fans of karin Slaughter, Angela MARSONS or Anita Waller

This actually surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. It literally is everyone's worst nightmare that a disease as cruel as dementia takes one of our parents, making them vulnerable and helpless and ripe to be taken advantage of or hurt by those who you trust. It definitely kept me engaged, even if there was no major reveal. It was a bit predictable and I wasn't a big fan of the main character or her choices but each to their own and to be fair I have met some people like her so it was a nice change from the super perfect main character tha just isn't realistic

The thought of finding bruises on your mothers arms is so horrible and then so frustrating if she has dementia and doesn’t know how it’s really happening. Can you imagine?. Kate is living that nightmare in this thriller with a great premise but a too easily identifiable villain. In this type of thriller it’s fine if our proTagonist is naive and malleable to begin with but we expect her to get up to speed way before Kate does. I enjoyed other Jane Holland books and will continue to look forward to them.

DNF - I felt this story dragged and couldn't bring myself to read it completely. I also couldn't connect with the main character who insisted on taking care of her sick mother on her own when it was clear as day that she simply couldn't handle it.
Overall, this book left me in a reading slump.

I found this to be a superb read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Very good !

I LOVED this book. It twisted, turned and kept me guessing right up to the end. I couldn’t put it down and when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it.

Kate’s mother is so sweet and vulnerable, and I wanted to get right in there and help protect her. I can’t say I agreed with all of Kate’s decisions, but her devotion to her mother and determination to protect her had me rooting for her every step of the way.

There were some really fabulous characters, from the charming boyfriend, to the warm carer, the slimy boss and the horrible but famous author. I was right in there with Kate, trusting and mistrusting them by turn, attributing motives, the lot.

This is a great read for the weekend when you have plenty of time. Once you start, you won’t want to put it down.

This book had a good premise, but I felt it was extremely predictable. It centers on Kate, who insists on caring for her mother who has dementia even though she continues to get worse. Kate gets disturbing notes and her mother has mystery injuries and Kate has to get to the bottom of it.

I felt like while there were a lot of things happening in this book, I didn't really get to know Kate and couldn't fully connect with her- the story was told more in happenings than introspection and I would have liked a little more balance. While the pace did move quickly, it felt a bit surface-level to me.

I immediately pegged the culprit and was correct- I was hoping for big twist at the end to prove me wrong but that did not occur. I wished Kate had been less gullible, as she seemed to take whatever was said to her by any other character at face value.

Overall, interesting premise that didn't really do it for me. Hoping others will have a better experience. 2.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I finished Keep Me Close just last night. It was a very good book indeed. The story about a dementia patient that is being harmed. It was a heart-stopping read for me, as my sister has this dreadful disease. It touches on something that should be written. I enjoyed it.

I highly recommend this thriller. You’ll be on the edge of your seat until the very end. Jane Holland got her audiences attention in Keep Me Close.