What a riverting book. The end was totally unexpected and a nice suprise. When Jake and Leah come across a basement apartment that they can actually afford they snap it up. The owner Anton lives above them who Leah perceives to be a nice old man.
Anton has a dark past and unknown to them has just come out of a long prison spell. Will his past come to touch them and harm them or will they all get along. Time will tell.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look forward to reading more from this author.

Written in third-person from the limited perspectives of Leah, Anton, and Hilary, Come A Little Closer is a spine tingling narrative that had me changing my mind and guessing right up to the very end. Although my first thought was the correct one, there were many times throughout the book where I thought the complete opposite. And there was a thought I had which I was certain would be the big twist bit it turned out to be a red herring. I won’t say what that was in case other readers have this same thought!

Leah has a secret past of her own, a past that her boyfriend (Jake), knows nothing about, so when her new landlord (Anton) claims he is innocent of murdering his wife (Charlotte), a crime he has spent the last 19 years in prison for, she is quick to give him the benefit of the doubt. But with Leah being similar in appearance to Charlotte, he soon becomes infatuated with her; and with neighbour Hilary obsessed with Anton, Leah is in a very dangerous place within this creepy triangle.

Certain events are repeated, being told from the different points of view of one or more of the characters. I really liked this narrative form; how one character saw something another didn’t, or how another character was privy to something that another character knew nothing about. It is through this form of dramatic irony that the truth about Charlotte’s fate is gradually revealed. The narrative also includes quite a lot of internal monologue, especially from Hilary’s perspective, with certain events triggering past memories. This meant the narrative did jump around quite a lot from past to present within the same chapter, which was a little confusing in places but not overly so. The steady pacing throughout the first part of the story meant that actions of the characters were more believable: one small act, leading to another, building to terrifyingly disturbing scenes and a fast-paced climax.

I really enjoyed reading this book, even more so than Your Closest Friend, and would recommend this for fans of Ella Drummond or Shalini Boland.

I loved this book, the story was so compelling and I feel I need a break now before I begin a new book. The story follows Leah and Jake as they move into a new home in the basement of a friend of a friends father.
I don't really want to give anything away as I think it is better to let the story unfold before you, without knowing what is going on.
This is by far my favourite book of the year so far and if I could give it 10 stars I would.

I was absolutely delighted to be given an advance copy of this book by Karen Perry as I absolutely love this author!! Great start to the book! We know a murder has been committed and this element of the story is intertwined a couple of years later with a young couple Leah and her boyfriend down on their luck been given keys to a what seemed like an extremely cheap rental property in Dun Laoghaire. From this point on I was hooked there was a story behind the owner of the house Anton who lived upstairs and mystery about him and his whereabouts over the past few years. It soon becomes apparent and we meet Hilary and Greg who also play a big part in the story. I looked forward to reading this at every opportunity but towards the end I found it wasn't as exciting and I wasn't enjoying it as much. I was hoping the author would have gone somewhere else with this with the story, however the ending was surprising and is worth reading for that fact I would recommend this book. Four stars !

I really enjoyed this book but did find it didn’t go the way I expected it to go. Perhaps a bit rushed in places for me. I would recommend it & worth a read.

I enjoyed this book very much. However it is not for the faint hearted, especially if you are moving into a flat on your own. It will unnerve you! It has a strong feeling of menace running through the story. A young couple, desperate to live together, are offerred a flat at a cheap rate. It seems like all their wishes have come true. However all is not what it seems and so begins a story that will hold your attention and leave you a little bit spooked.
Very good thriller.

this book had good characters and story line. loved the book. look forward to reading more from this author.

A small boy, caked in blood, breaks the leisurely indolence of a summer's day with his sudden, distraught and tearful presence. This is how the reader is hooked at the start of the book, with an invitation to come a little closer and investigate the perplexing questions behind a shocking introductory scenario.

The story gradually unfolds as it moves between the present day and events in the past. It centres around Anton's homecoming after spending nineteen years holed up in "the hotel" for the murder of his wife, Charlotte, though he proclaims his innocence. His presence unsettles the whole neighbourhood, especially Hilary, who has harboured romantic feelings for him and longs for their fulfilment in the here and now.

A young couple, Leah and Jake, take up tenancy of the basement flat above Anton's living space. His son, Mark, has leased it out to them but not revealed the dark horrors that took place in the house all those years ago when his mother was murdered.

Newly pregnant Leah, emotionally fragile and uncertain of Jake's loyalty to her, begins to warm towards Anton and eventually confides secrets about her own painful past. They form a close bond that becomes creepy and sinister in nature, due to Anton's obsession with her and the strong resemblance she has to his dead wife.

Believable characterisation and a gradually evolving plot create a desire to know more. Some surprising twists and turns culminate in answering questions evoked by the introductory scene. This is not as good as 'Your Closest Friend' but a worthwhile read if you enjoy a cleverly written, strung out storyline, and a satisfactory ending following an impactful start.

Excellent read, enjoyed from first page, full of twists and turns, very well written with surprising end.

Leah and her partner move in to the basement of a large house and soon meet Anton,the landlord who has been away for 19 years living in "the hotel" accused of murdering his wife who bears a striking resemblance to Leah.
Leah also has a secret from her past which she reveals to Anton in a moment of vulnerability and the pair strike up an unlikely friendship and bring comfort to each other.
Soon Leah finds a box of letters and realises there's more to Anton's past than she originally thought.
Anton was creepy and sinister and I thought the author created an amazing character in him.
As the book moved along , both these main character"s secrets were revealed and I thought the timing of this was done really well.
I really enjoyed this book though I did find it a bit drawn out in parts.
A satisfying book with a surprise ending

A psychological thriller divided into two periods of time - 19 years ago when Anton's wife is found murdered and the present when he is released from prison, still maintaining his innocence. Each of the central characters individual story is gradually teased out leaving you to determine whether Anton was the murderer or has he been the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Making this decision is made more difficult when Leah and Jake move into the basement of his house on his release from prison and Anton begins to show an unhealthy and fairly creepy interest in Leah which mirrors events from his past.
A well written and descriptive book that is a somewhat slow read at times but it is well worth persevering to reach what turned out to be a frantic and stunning conclusion.

I found it a little slow going to start with but it got better as the story progressed. I wasn't keen on any of the characters and some of their actions were rather unbelievable. However I like the author's writing style and will look forward to the next book.

Ms Perry does an excellent job of building a feeling of slight uneasiness, right from the start....you’re not sure who to believe, who to trust....
A breathtaking story, with a dramatic climax and an unexpected ending, I loved it!

This is a story of murder, passion, intrigue and dysfunctional families. The story is told from three perspectives which all give a different view on the situation: Leah, Anton and Hilary.

Leah and her partner Jake have rented the basement flat in a large house through Jake’s friend, Mark. Mark is the son of Anton who has just been released from prison. Initially, neither Jake nor Leah know of Anton’s situation. Hilary and Greg (both teachers) live opposite the big house which Anton has returned to and Hilary is watching the proceedings carefully.

Leah resembles Anton’s former wife, Charlotte, who was murdered, and Anton was convicted and served the sentence for the murder despite always claiming he was innocent.

When Jake and Leah are informed of Anton’s past by Hilary at a dinner, she has arranged they take diverse attitudes towards it. Jake immediately takes the view to avoid but Leah has begun to form a friendship with Anton and believes him when he says he is innocent.

As the story progresses, we learn that Leah has a deep dark secret which she hasn’t told Jake about but is willing to confide in Anton and Hilary is obsessed with Anton and the new friendship he is forming with Leah who looks very similar to Charlotte.

As the secrets unfold the story takes on a sinister aspect and it isn’t clear who is telling the truth and who is lying. The ending was cleverly crafted.

I have not read any Karen Perry before, but this was brilliant and kept me absorbed with well-developed characters and an excellent plot involving numerous sub-plots, twists and turns.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and Karen Perry for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent read, highly recommended.

Deliciously creepy with an underlying fear that occasionally peaks to a crescendo of horror. Leah and Jake, a young couple are delighted to be offered a basement flat at a bargain rent unaware that the owner is returning to his home upstairs after serving nineteen years in prison for murdering his wife. As Leah befriends the man that she sees as harmless and lonely, the slow reveal begins of what happened on that fateful night almost twenty years ago. Leah has her own demons and secrets and she herself is not the carefree young lady she outwardly portrays. Consequences of split second decisions by apparently normal people ripple through time, affecting innocent lives. As the story reaches its satisfactory conclusion, questions still remain that ignite the imagination of the reader.

I liked this book but it definitely wasn't as good as I had hoped! The story was a good basis but was possibly dragged out a little bit too long but it is worth persevering with as it is a good story.

I thought I had not read another Karen Perry's book but then discovered I had and it was. 'Your Closest Friend', I find it hard to judge this book. I would say about 3/3.5 stars.
Nothing wrong with the story that hides a few surprises, although it was not earth shattering originale. The main problem for me is that I could not really feel much for the characters and you know what it's like when that happens, you read the book but you don't really care what happens to these people. And it is not the book that keeps you reading at 2 am. But I admit it that is not very objective but it is a matter of subjective taste.

The characters are mainly Leah and Jake a young couple who has rented a basement flat though Mark who is the son of the landlord Anton. We realise from the start that Anton has been away and is a bit weird. Then we have Hilary and Greg who live in the street. The other characters in the book are Matthew, Jake's son who stays with him sometime at the weekend and his ex wife who makes a tiny appearance.
As in all good thrillers some people have secrets, you get that right from the start, the point is what are these secrets and who has the biggest one.
Jake is often away and Leah spends lots of time on her own and suffers from insomnia so it does not take a long time before she befriends Anton, the landlord and man the everyone else seems to shun.
With very few characters the story looks simple but it is not, there are a few twists but I still think that the characters are a bit cliche and distant and I could not relate to any of them, especially Leah, this made it a bit hard for me to get really into this book.

Leah is new to Wyndham Park. Lonely and suffering from insomnia, she befriends her upstairs neighbour. Anton has only recently returned to the street and is lonely too. He's been gone for nineteen years - and hasn't told Leah the real reason why. Nineteen years ago Anton was imprisoned for killing his wife. A wife who looked a bit like Leah. Was he wrongly convicted? Or is Leah befriending a killer intent on luring her closer and closer?

Um so this book was okay, I do not really have any strong feelings on it, the plot trundles along at a nice pace and we end up with a result. There are no massive shocks or surprises in this and perhaps it does suffer from a lack of excitement but like I said it was an alright read.

I enjoyed the beginning as Perry tantalises us with little snippets of information about the characters and plot but as the plot set in and progressed, I did lose interest and thought is this it? Once Perry gets the initial revelations out the way, as I have already said there is nothing else that really gripped me or had me intrigued to keep reading the book.

I did like the characters, especially Leah and Hilary, they are likeable yet flawed and they made for fascinating people to get to know. I enjoyed seeing how they slotted into the plot and they are the saving point of this book. Obviously not all the characters are likeable but that is just the nature of this type of book.

'Come A Little Closer' is a tricky one to review as I do not feel particularly strongly about it either way, maybe that in itself is the review, I neither loved it or hated it, it is what it is but it really needs an added extra to improve this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an advance copy.

I loved ‘Your Closest Friend’ by the author, this though was a different kind of a read for me!
Jake and Leah move into the basement flat of Anton’s house....Anton has just be released from prison after serving 19 years for his wife’s murder
And never the twain should meet
But of course they do, Leah seemingly unable to stop herself falling for Anton’s charms, although she sees it as platonic.....but Leah has her own secret, one Jake doesn’t know!....
Then add the mad neighbour who after a fling with Anton just before his wife was murdered now thinks because he is back its going to carry on and it all gets a bit, well, silly tbh
The characters are unredeemingly one dimensional and thoroughly unlikeable and they just seem unable to rationally stop and think and NOT do what we all wouldn’t and breezily carry on in unrealistic situations
Couple all this with long descriptive writing that deals with the same thing over and over and chapters where nothing much happens and I have to confess to not liking the book very much at all, but thats just me, it has had some great reviews, sadly for me this just was not a believable story, characters or reactions of characters to situations
3/10 2 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. I adored the story line and loved the main characters. I read this book in one sitting and would highly recommend this book.