Thanks Netgalley and the Publishers. Liked everything this author has done but this was up there as a 5 star read. Absolutely loved it.

Told from the point of view of two mothers, Alice, whose son Lou has died following a fall, and Indigo, whose son Kane is accused of murdering Alice's son. Indigo can't believe her son would do such a thing and sets out to prove his innocence; Alice just wants to know exactly what happened the night her son died. The background story of both families is revealed, and we find both sons were keeping secrets. Part family-drama and part thriller, this kept me reading and did have a few unexpected twists and turns on the way.

A really great story about how secrets can impact on the truth. And how tragedy can make enemies or friendship.

This is a superbly written novel, very gritty and tense, dealing with difficult subjects with care. I was this in a day and am now seeking out her other novels!

Alice has bought up her two sons Lou and Benny on her own. Her life is turned upside down when she is informed by the police that her son Lou has died in suspicious circumstances when out with his brother Benny.

Indigo has a son Kane who is getting ready to go to university. When Kane is arrested Indigo cannot believe that her son can be connected with the death of Lou.

The story follows the two women. It is an emotional rollercoaster of a ride, of a mother’s deep love for her sons and what they would do for them.

Both Alice and Indigo are desperate to find out what happened on that tragic night, they are two very different women but in a chance meeting they unite to find out the truth unbeknown to Indigo that Alice is Lou’s Mother.

I was so caught up in this I finished it in one day. With characters you can identify with making this a great book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I've not read any work by Emily Koch before and I really enjoyed this novel. Set in Bristol it focuses on the family dynamic of a single mother Alice and her two pre-adult / teenage boys Benny and Lou. On Alice's birthday Lou has an accident while out with his brother and tragically dies. The story unfurls from there and is a great character study about families cope in the aftermath of unexpected tragedy.

I found Emily's characters to be well rounded, deep and so detailed (but without describing them banaly) that I felt as if i was following the characters around and that's a good sign I've been hooked by a book, when I feel like I'm another character in the story observing everything unfold.

You are quickly introduced to the man responsible for Lou's death - Kane (nice biblical touch) and his mother Indigo. I loved the dynamic between the two mothers, each with their own complex histories, troubled relationships and their passion to find out the truth no matter whatever the circumstances.

It's a corker of a story, I took my time with it, as didn't want it to end and the various 'reveals' were nicely delivered and the ending really good, I even enjoyed the obvious reveal.

Definitely recommend this book, Emily's a great storyteller and I'll be telling my two bookclubs all about this book - great read.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

A powerfully written book about the complexities of human relationships. How well do children really know our parents ... and vice versa. Two women thrown together by a tragic death. But did Louis fall or was he pushed ?

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 fateful night when one son died and one son admitted to killing them. What follows is an intense and compelling story told from both the mothers point of view and these are two very different women who both have different emotions and ways of dealing with the tragedy, the portrayal of the women is done in an excellent and beautifully written way by the wonderful Emily Koch.
It’s a read that is slow paced and very emotional as the tension builds and we find ourselves getting closer to the truth and it was a read I very much enjoyed.
So a well recommended read and look forward to more from this author in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Harvill Secker for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My first book of Emily Koch's and certainly won't be my last. A moving and intriguing story of how two polar opposite mothers' lives become entangled after a tragic event involving their sons. I finished this in one day I just had to find out what happened! At times I found the switching perspectives of the two mothers hard to keep track of, but on the whole I really enjoyed this!

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 brilliant read,it starts very dramatically and is told through the points of view of two Mothers ,Alice who has two sons Benny and Lou and Indigo who has Kane .Their worlds collide one dreadful night, one a grieving Mother and the other the Mother of her son's Murderer.Both are determined to find out the real truth of what really happened that night.This is a very moving story with some twists and turns until we eventually find out the truth about that night.A wonderful story of Mothers and their strong love for their sons .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

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 on a night out. Indigo has only one son, Kane and he has been arrested for Lou's murder. She doesn't believe he has done it even though he has confessed. Meanwhile Alice is determined to find out what happened and why.

What I liked best about this very believable domestic drama was the development of the characters especially Alice. At the start of the story she is really quite unlikeable, a rigid somewhat cold person. But by the end you feel a great deal of sympathy for both her and Indigo. An emotional read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A brilliant suspense filled novel with a real emotional heart. I found the way Koch developed her characters very satisfying - little details here and there that built up slowly to reveal the whole picture. Really enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley & Random House for the proof.

Completely captivating from the start, I couldn't put it down. The story of two mothers both with sons, one son died but how? The very different mothers become entwined and solve the mystery between them. A family story of compromise and love.

Great twisty turny thriller with that page turning vibe. Well written with believable characters and a great denouement. Wonderful, exhilarating fun. Highly recommended

Keep Him Close was my first read of 2020. This book had me hooked from the start. It’s compelling, and intriguing featuring two families both with secrets but become drawn together. Beautifully written, I’m sure people will love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

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.