This is a story about domestic violence and I found it a disturbing and uncomfortable read .It is about Katie and Jamie who is contolling her and hen she is found dead in an apparent suicide .Old school DS Whitworth and his new sidekick DC Brook are sent to investigate .There was a very surprising twist near the end which I enjoyed but overall I found the book very sad .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Unfortunately not much to say about this one. Just didnt grip me. So I didnt end up finishing it. I'm sure others may enjoy though.

Really great book with lots going on but in a good way. Some things you suspect on the way through but there is one almighty twist at the end....

I struggled with elements of this book, It's extremely well written and perfectly paced, and the writer shows real skill in what she does and doesn't choose to reveal. By using a dual narrative, divided into 'Then' and 'Now', the book follows a police investigation into the apparent suicide of a woman who worked at a women's refuge, with the 'Then' parts exploring the woman's hidden past, where she herself was in a controlling and abusive relationship.

The 'Now' parts of the narrative generally come from the point of view of the detective in charge of the investigation, and I found some of the language used here quite difficult, as he tries to justify and excuse domestic violence. This was clearly just a narrative device as the overall tone of the book is about violence against women, but it jarred with me all the same.

A gréât book full of twists and a great ending that I didn’t see coming. Fully recommend despite the content being somewhat difficult to read some times ( domestic violence)

This is an unusual thriller with plenty twists. I really enjoyed it & would recommend to anyone. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Katie’s body is pulled out of the water. The police think it’s suicide but the women at the domestic abuse centre Katie worked at say it was murder. Told as then and now this explains what happened to Katie.

I wanted to like this but found myself skimming pages and I just don’t know what the last 30% was about.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Katie Straw is found dead and two polices officers are assigned to uncover whether her death was suicide or something more sinister. Told from Katie’s point of view “then” and the investigation “now”, we learn of Katie’s past and her relationship with Jamie. The past and the present finally come together at the end with a surprise unveiling. I wouldn’t say this was a psychological thriller, more a study into intimate partner violence and how very often it goes unpunished.

Keeper’ by Jessica Moor says much about the machinations of an abusive partner in the title alone. Presenting to the outside world as a great boyfriend, a ‘keeper’ as the victim’s mother declares, Jamie is also a controller, the keeper of Katie whose personality is gradually obliterated by his controlling ways. When she tries to regain even the most basic control, she is severely punished. That is the ‘Then’ of the novel.
Running in parallel with the past, the author also gives us the ‘Now’. Katie is dead; is it murder or suicide? When two detectives are sent to a refuge for abused women where she worked to try to figure out what actually happened, we are also given a window into the devastating world of domestic abuse. The tales of the women in hiding ring very true; they are all different but bound through fear and a distinct lack of self-worth. In part, the authentic feel of these details must have been influenced by the author’s own work in such an institution and the characters of the very different women are finely drawn and utterly credible. The presentation of the detective in charge of the investigation, DS Whitworth, is also particularly well drawn. An old-fashioned man, he is acutely aware of his non p.c. moments and, for the most part, is keen to embrace new ideas and practices. In reality, he sometimes falls short yet this makes him human rather than offensive.
Whilst the story seems more concerned with highlighting the hell that is domestic abuse than revealing whether or not Katie was murdered or committed suicide, the final ‘reveal’ is clever and reasonably plausible, given the clever, twisted and manipulative nature of her partner, Jamie. This is an impressive debut. Well written, carefully structured and focusing on a really important issue, we are both educated and swept alone by the characters’ experiences. ‘Keeper’ is definitely worth reading.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) Viking for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Disappointingly, this turned out not to be a book for me. Please do not misunderstand, I empathised and (mostly) agreed with all of the societal points the book offered but, in the broadest definition of the phrase, I did not enjoy it. It just did not hang together in a way that enabled me to buy into the story.

Keeper is a rather compelling book about domestic violence.

It tells the story of Katie, who is a nice young woman who seems on the surface to be together and as cool as her group of friends from university but she is very vulnerable and even a little flaky. Her Mum is terminally ill, her job is unsatisfying and she feels pretty alone. When Jamie comes along and treats her with what she sees as respect and even adoration, she feels its nice to bask in someones approval. Even though he's not the man of her dreams, she gets sucked into a relationship she just goes along with despite misgivings that he is becoming domineering and controlling.

The saddest thing for me was that I recognized my ex-husband in Jamie so much, yet I had never though of myself having been involved in an abusive relationship, I've always just thought I'd picked the wrong man for me ( and fortunately, called an end to it after 4 years of marriage and him trying to mould me into the kind of wife he thought I should be)

Katie isn't so fortunate, she ends up face down in the river. But how did she end up there?

The books jumps about from her previous life, to now when the police are treating her death as suicide but one officer can't let go of his feelings that she may have been murdered.

Its heartbreaking in parts and tense and twisty too.
There wasn't one character I really warmed to, yet they are all worth getting to know, they are all flawed and despite understanding Katie really well I was also pretty exasperated with her.

I enjoyed reading it because I wanted to find out exactly how Katie ends up dead and tie up all the loose and frayed ends and the ending does this really well. There are lots of complex characters, in the womens aid refuge Katie ends up working in and even in the police team who investigate her death. Everything is a little skewed as would be expected from a narrator who is totally under someone elses control.

5 stars!
I would not necessarily deem this a literary 'thriller', after all when this story begins Katie is already dead. It lacks the frenetic pace and tension I would expect for this to be a 'thriller'. That does not mean to say the book is not good, I found it to be excellent. It is a character driven story with a strong message and a mystery element. Did Katie take her own life, or was she murdered?
I enjoyed the story switching between multiple POV's, especially those of the women living in the women's shelter where Katie worked.
This book is timely and adds to a growing list of books that are tackling important real life issues, especially for women. The stories of the different women felt very realistic, which I guess is where the author's previous job experience in this field helps it to resonate.
I think there were some missed opportunities to create a feeling of danger and tension for the reader (that could have been achieved without sacrificing the story). Despite this it was still an excellent, character driven story.
I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book especially the different timelines and seeing the decline in Katie’s relationship with Jamie. I would have liked a little more of the backstory with each of the women and I really didn’t like the main detective he seemed a bit misogynistic but this was probably intentional. I absolutely did not see the twist coming at the end. Will definitely read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Viking for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An unusual thriller with lots of twists and turns,the biggest at the end. A bit slow at times but gets there in the end.

When the body of a young woman, Katie Straw, is found in a river, the first assumption is that it was suicide. Katie worked as a counsellor in a womens' shelter and the residents are disturbed by her disappearance. The Police talk to her boyfriend, who has an alibi, and to the residents at the shelter, but it feels like a half-hearted investigation.

Meanwhile in sections titled "then" we meet another Katie, Katie Bradley, who meets and starts dating a young man called Jamie. Initially he seems kind and caring but gradually he starts controlling every aspect of her life. The two storylines don't come together until the very end - some links between them are obvious, but others are not.

It's a very readable book that also feels realistic. The author has worked in the violence against women and girls sector and that experience comes through in the novel. I was particularly drawn into the story of Katie and Jamie's relationship and the way that he controlled her. The current day police investigation is less gripping - partly because it has so many sub-plots, but also because the police are not at all likeable and never seem very interested in getting to the truth.

I received an advance copy for review via Net Galley.

When Katie is found dead of an apparent suicide, the women at the refuge where she stayed are quick to suggest there’s something more to her death. Katie wouldn’t kill herself - she was murdered. Murdered by someone she once loved, who promised to love her and protect her. Someone who manipulated and isolated Katie. Keeper follows Katie’s story in the run up to her untimely death, and the police investigation into whether it was murder or suicide.

I thought this introduced some interesting social commentary into what otherwise could have been a very standard mystery/thriller. In speaks about abuse, and the various forms that it can take, but especially emotional. Katie is repeatedly lied to, isolated from her friends and family, all by the man she loves and who professes to love her in return. As the reader sees the story unfold, we witness first hand how someone like Katie could end up in such an awful situation and how easy it was to fall under Jamie’s spell. It could happen to anyone, and that’s what makes it more terrifying to read.

I particularly enjoyed the various backstories of Katie’s friends in the refuge. Each felt unique and fully developed, with an equally desperate story to share. They felt believable and different, showcasing the many ways abuse can take hold and ruin lives. Heartbreaking to read about, and sensitively done through the writing. Katie is a character to root for, even knowing her tragic end, but it’s through these other women that the story really starts to shine.

An interesting, heavily character driven story that relies on the strength of these women to get the reader invested in a scarily real situation.

Katie Shaw works at the local Women’s refuge but then her body is found in the river, a local hotspot for suicides. Before the case is closed though the police discover that maybe Katie wasn’t all that she seemed and maybe she was murdered after all? The women at the refuge have noticed strange things happening and men hanging around, and the manager of the refuge has been receiving threatening emails. Are these events connected or are all these vulnerable women just scared that their pasts have come to find them?

This is a well written book. It is written in the ‘then’ in Katie’s voice. I think Katie’s voice is a very believable relatable voice. The now is written from the point of view of a slightly outdated police detective fumbling his way through the new politically correct world of policing and the voices of several women living in the refuge. Personally, I would have preferred it if there was just one voice in the ‘now’ as I felt the characters became a bit confused and too many messages were trying to be got across. Having said that this book delivers its message very well and does drive home the nature of domestic violence in all its forms and how it is viewed by the wider population. There is a very good twist at the end of this book but I think this book would be better pitched as women’s literary fiction rather than a psychological thriller.

Wow wow wow!
The Keeper was fantastic. The story flits between “Then” and “Now”, a before and after story all building up to a fantastic twist right at the end.
I found The Keeper to be a very interesting read, the main detective is very unlikable, a lot of the story centres around violence against women and he is very insensitive to the plight of these women. I’m sure that he was meant to be written this way but it made it a little uncomfortable to read!
Overall a really important portrayal of how small domestic violence makes you feel and how fragile your circle of safety becomes when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder. Sure to be a big hit upon release!

Enter into the world of the perfect boyfriend who slowly grows into your worst nightmare. He never hurts you but plays with your mind and drugging you at times.. Katy is the girl who suffers. This book is skilfully written and edited. The author has written the book as a then and now per chapter which draws you into the book. An excellent read. I would recommend you give it a try.

A highly enjoyable and deeply disturbing psychological thriller.
The plot of this book was well written, descriptive and deliciously dark. It was gripping throughout and very twisty. The subject matter was done justice, handled well and with empathy.
The characters were well thought out and realistic, as were their reactions and behaviours..
A very good read, I will be looking out for more from this author.