Synopsis
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.
Keep Him Close is a dark domestic drama from an award-winning writer.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Vintage Publishing
- ISBN: 9781787301016
- Number of pages: 336
- Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 31 mm
- Weight: 585g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A Wonderful Book
I had already read "If I die Before I Wake "and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was looking forward to reading Keep Him Close and I wasn't disappointed .What a ... READ MORE
Twisty & Tense
Thank you to Emily for arranging an early review copy for me, I was a big fan of her debut earlier this year so I couldn't wait to see what book 2 was all ... READ MORE
Family drama
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, ... READ MORE
An Absorbing Read
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 betwee... READ MORE
Tense
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 mu... READ MORE
Emily Koch has absolutely smashed this second novel... five stars from me...
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 nov... READ MORE
Engaging and emotional
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 betwee... READ MORE
Enjoyable drama
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 bee... READ MORE
Compulsive and heartrending
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 responsibl... READ MORE
Brilliant
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 ... READ MORE
Secrets and lies
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 t... READ MORE
Satisfying read
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... READ MORE
Do you know your son as well as you think you do?
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 p... READ MORE
Gripping read
This isn't normally a genre I read regularly, but I found myself getting drawn into the story and finishing it in two days.
Both mothers stories were well ... READ MORE
I highly recommend it
This one took me a bit by surprise as I thought from the blurb that I’d like it but didn’t expect to love, love, love it. Alice and Indigo are the central ... READ MORE
Recommended reading
This is the first book I have read by Emily Koch and I look forward to reading more.
The story focuses on two mothers and their sons - one seemingly the m... READ MORE
Compelling storytelling
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Koch is without doubt one of the most mesme... READ MORE
Engaging and Emotional
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 betwee... READ MORE
Disappointing!
I was looking forward to reading this book but I felt it wasn't as good as it sounded. The son of Alice, Lou, really annoyed me. Then Alice annoyed me for ... READ MORE
Two sides, same story
Took a while to get going, I found I didn't connect with either mother emotionally, but nearing the end of the book,the desire to know the truth created an... READ MORE
Mothers - united in grief.
Mothers – united in grief.
Alice is the mother of Benny – upright, kind, hardworking and looking forward to his future and Lou – scruffy, disrespectful a... READ MORE
average read
I loved Emily Koch's previous book so I had high expectations but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy this as much. It just wasn't the thriller I was hoping ... READ MORE
Unique Story line
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Vintage publishing for a copy of Keep him close. I have read Emily Koch first book, If I die before I wake that I real... READ MORE
High quality thriller
Easy 5 stars from me! This is so good, it starts very dramatically and unfolds very naturally and organically, making the reader go through a whole range o... READ MORE
Fabulous slow burn of a read!!
This is a slow burn of read, a story of two women both mothers dealing with a tragic incident and both desperately trying to find out the truth about the f... READ MORE
Corker of a family drama - highly recommended
I received an advance review, digital edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've not read any work by Emily Koch before and I really enjo... READ MORE
Keep Him Close
An emotional story of two mothers and their sons. Alice has two sons, Ben and Lou. She doesn't get on with Lou but is devastated when he falls to his death... READ MORE
Must Read
Good. Interesting characters and concept. A real page turner. Kept me guessing till the end. Love the writing style and how it makes it such a atmospheric ... READ MORE
Captivating
I was captivated by this book from beginning to end
I really liked the concept of the two mother's looking for the truth about their sons
and thought this... READ MORE
Slow paced family drama/psychological thriller
A slow paced family drama/psychological thriller. Two women one dealing with the death of her son, the other dealing with her son admitting to killing anot... READ MORE
It was okay
Alice has just lost her youngest son and Kane has admitted to killing him.
But what unveils is two single women trying to uncover the truth.
I enjoyed the ... READ MORE
Family drama
Keep Him Close by Emily Koch is a rollercoaster of emotion. The plot focuses on two women and their families caught up on an avoidable tragedy. The charact... READ MORE
A page turner
Gripping and suspenseful this was a moving exploration of grief and mother and son relationships.
A gripping read
This is not the kind of thing I normally read (I tend to go for historical or literary fiction) but I was sent an invitation from the publisher so I though... READ MORE
Gripping novel set in Bristol
NetGalley
Member Review
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 ... READ MORE
An excellent thriller
Enjoyed this novel very much. The storyline flowed seamlessly, and the characters were engaging. Will definitely pick up more books by this author.
Could Not Read This Book Fast Enough
Alice's son, Lou died and the police have charged Indigo's son, Kane with murder. Alice and Indigo are striving to find out the truth. They don't know if i... READ MORE