This is almost my fantasy Jane Casey book. Maeve and Derwent stuck in a house together forced to face that great big elephant in the room. I almost didn’t need the excellent background mystery. You’ve got romance, Village England mystery and dark people trafficking all in one package. I loved it. My only criticism is that the initial premise to get Maeves team involved is a a little forced but it all pulls together in the end. Five stars fully gripping and despite the established characters (that I’m obsessed with) works well as a stand-alone or introduction to the series

This is another in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series but the first one that I’ve read. It can easily be read as a standalone.

Maeve is investigating the death of a doctor, found murdered in his car in the hospital car park, but she is also working on other cases so gets sent to live under cover in Jellicoe Close. Also with her is DI Josh Derwent and there’s a ‘will they, won’t they’ situation between them. One of the residents is suspected of exploiting vulnerable people, but other residents have stories.

A brilliant read that I found difficult to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

This is a bit of a tricky one to rate! I have to admit, I received this book by accident as I was sent the wrong link but the synopsis sounded like something I’d enjoy so I gave it a go.
I haven’t read any of the previous books so I didn’t know Maeve or the other characters in the series - As this is the 10th book I possibly should have dipped into the series before reading this instalment.
Crime genre wise it was a really good read, the romantic element between the two characters, I found a bit annoying though. However, as mentioned, I haven’t read the other books so I might have missed the point a bit.
All in all, an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction,

I’ve read other books by Jane Casey, but this is my first in this series. I’ve probably missed some of the character development of the two central police officers. To be honest, there’s a fine balance in relationships; I don’t want the personal side to intrude to the extent that it detracts from the crime thriller side. I liked both as individual characters but at times, their personal interaction interrupted the pace of the plot.

The actual story, if a little far fetched, is good. It’s the ultimate nosy neighbour scenario where everyone knows everyone else’s businesss. The plot is complex and covers a number if difficult issues including domestic abuse and violence, but it’s tackled with sensitivity. The narrative moves along quite well, although there were a couple of times I was confused by the voice of the perpetrator. There’s a strong sense of claustrophobia and both being watched and watching and the tension mounts. An enjoyable read, well written with a great ear for dialogue. A rather generous 4* for that reason.

Having previously read The Cutting Place it was great to be reunited with Maeve and Derwent again. The chemistry between the 2 of them in this book was immense and definitely has me eager to read the next book. I think I need to go back read the earlier books in the series too.

The plot itself was interesting, I love the claustrophobic feel of a neighborhood where everyone is in everyone eles's business.

I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

This was a great read but the ending was not as i expected.. The characters kept me thinking of what was going on in the close and how the other murder was related. I think that this was a very cleverly constructed book but I kept having to read back at places where the character had suddenly changed and the part I was reading lost sense.
I have liked Jane Casey’s previous books but the mixed up voices of the bad person and the rest of the close took away some of the readably flow which is why I only feel it did not warrant a full 5 star award.

I have no doubt that Jane Casey devotees will give this book 5 stars so I'd better admit that this is only my third Maeve Kerrigan novel. I know all about the "Kerrwent" situation though due to other fans posting. So I have to make a second confession - I really couldn't care less whether they got together. I know I'm bad, I've not a romantic bone in my body etc etc. Truth is that the whole on again/off again romance drives me nuts, very much like it does with the Strike series by JKR. Its also the reason I knocked a star off. It just takes up too much of the book for me. Personal taste folks.

Apart from that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's no particularly gory scenes, which I also find gratuitous on occasion. The story doesn't involve one crime but several and Maeve is a great character who brings just enough of her personal life to bear on the cases (excepting the Derwent nonsense).

The Close deals with some serious issues of child abuse, domestic violence and abuse if vulnerable persons. Jane Casey doesn't shy away from tackling subjects such as this and she's good at it. What I also like a lot is her dialogue. It's so easy to read and the characters speak so naturally. That's a talent for an author of crime thrillers that can come across as procedural handbooks in some cases.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read and I'll definitely read more (whilst skipping through the romance bits).

A neighbourhood is never quite as it seems and no one knows what goes on behind closed doors is the main theme in this book. While wanting them to get to the bottom of the who did what and why, they uncovered other crimes. You were willing them to sort out their personal lives too but only time will tell on that one.

Hope there will be more in the series.

Another cracking read in the Maeve Kerrigan series. Jane Casey is a such a deceptively good crime specialist; her well-plotted novels flow, thanks to crisp writing, believable characters and natural dialogue. Nothing is ever laboured or clumsy, everything is clear without being plodding or deliberate.

The Close covers many contemporary issues without giving the sense that it's jumping on bandwagons; toxic relationships, coercive control, the many forms of domestic violence, grooming, cuckooing, people trafficking...they are all here and handled with Casey's customary sensitivity.

The book is well-titled, not just for its physical setting in a small cul-de-sac of homes. There's a sense of a close community where secrets are kept from outsiders, but there's also a claustrophobic feel. Casey also explores physical and emotional closeness in relationships, whether things are better to be in the open or closed off, and we get the consideration of friends and enemies and just how close you should allow them to get...

My only doubt with The Close is whether you need to have read others in the series to fully appreciate the relationship between Kerrigan and Derwent; the extreme nature of their shared experience can only ever be hinted at without spending too much going over old ground. This shorthand might mean The Close fails as a stand-alone, but for series followers it's perfect.

Once again Jane Casey doesn't disappoint. Couldn't really tell how the book would end, so many twists and turns which I loved. Only gave it 4 stars because of the romantic element, only for that I would have given it 5. Thought the romance part was a bit cliqued and predictable.
NetGalley kindly sent me a copy for an impartial and honest review
#TheClose #NetGalley

DS Maeve Kerrigan is not herself. At work she is going through the motions, not happy at all. When the powers that be suggest she takes on an undercover role, along with DI Josh Derwent, she is not interested, but is assured it’s what she needs. However, during the event the developing feelings she has for Derwent leave her more confused than ever.

This is book of two halves. There’s the police procedural plot, which is very good, with all the twists and turns of not one but three criminal cases unfurling and Kerrigan is across them all. The plot lines to these are fast paced and full of tension, very exciting. Then there’s the other half of the book, the relationship between the two main characters which left me cold. At times it was very Mills and Boon, not to my taste at all. I didn’t realise that this is one in a series of books with these characters, and reading other reviews it seems they are slowly getting towards being an item. However, this is a perfectly good standalone book and I didn’t feel I was missing out by coming into the series at this stage, though if the “romance” is a recurring theme then I’m happy to have missed out!

A very good story apart from the romance element which took up far too much space.

Thank you NetGalley.

I am not sure how to review this book. It was an okay read but a bit too 'Miss Marple' for me.
Everyone has a story and there are enough skeletons to fill numerous closets but they don't all rattle in tune.
Not for me but not bad either.

This book works as a stand alone as well as, I assume, a part of the series to which it belongs. Reading it I didn't feel like I had missed anything by not reading the others first but it does make me happy to know there are more that I can read now without having to wait for them to be written!
This was quite a complex storyline with a few different cases all winding around each other as they each raced to their conclusions. There was quite a bit of understandable misdirection, which may have just been me assuming stuff again, which lead to some interesting twists and character arcs.
All in all, it was an easy to read, moderately paced police procedural with a fascinating story which kept me picking it up as often as I could until I reached the finale!

What appears to be the perfect place to live is everything but.
A good read full of tension which kept me engrossed.
A very dark drama which i really enjoyed.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
This is not to be missed.

A good police procedural that I enjoyed and did have twists to keep me guessing and continue reading,well written and love a story involving streets and neighbours etc

This is the 10th book in Jane Casey’s DS Maeve Kerrigan series – and the third that I have read so far. The remaining seven are very much in my To Be Read pile!

In The Close, Maeve is investigating the murder of a doctor, found dead in his car in the hospital car park. She finds herself off her game at work, struggling to concentrate and put her full commitment into the case. This doesn’t go unnoticed by DI Josh Derwent.

Sent to work with him on an unusual case, Maeve finds herself undercover, living the loved-up couple's life with Josh on the perfect suburban street, Jellicoe Close. Set to investigate the disappearance and suspected abuse of vulnerable people, the pair stumble across more secrets and crimes than they expect when they arrive on the seemingly quiet and idyllic cul-de-sac.

I have only read three in the series so far, but they really do seem to be getting better and better! It feels comforting settling down to read a Jane Casey book – a bit like how I feel about starting a new Michael Connelly book, I can just trust that it’s going to be clever and addictive, and that I won’t be disappointed with the conclusions.

The Close is the perfect blend of clever crime-solving, romantic tension, and ‘what the hell is going on / who is behind this?’ The relationship between Maeve and Josh is as complicated as ever – and all the characters in the book are brilliant. The neighbours are hilarious at times – and at others, absolutely terrifying.

A brilliant book – I can’t wait for the next, and hopefully I can find some time to go back to book number one and get fully caught up!

Found this a good read, plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, it held my attention throughout and also had a good ending …

I loved this book. I've enjoyed every Jane Casey book, including the standalone novels. This is one of the Maeve Kerrigan novels, and the overarching storyline is the one of her relationship with Josh Derwent. This book focused on Kerrigan and Derwent going undercover to try and solve a modern day slavery case. However, there is a looming threat from another one the neighbours, who lurks in the shadows and has his eye on Maeve. There is also a murder case back in London to solve. All of this keeps the book going at a good pace. I read it in one afternoon, and it held my attention for hours. This book felt tamer than many of the others, despite the nature of the crimes committed. The undercover case is a slow burner, which allows the main focus of the book to be Maeve and Derwent themselves. I enjoyed that though, as they were who I wanted to read about. I would definitely recommend this book. And I look forward to the next one.

I did enjoy this book. I'm partial to a police precedural and this was a good mystery solved at the end. I also got quite invested in the relationship between the two main characters. i feel I might have missed out not having read the previous titles in the series, This makes it less enjoyable in my view. Good story which I do recommend if you like a detective novel.

I was so glad to finally read The Close by Jane Casey, after having been given a review copy at Harrogate Crime Writing Festival last July.

We find DS Maeve Kerrigan with a murder case on her hands - a man, Hassan Dawoud, found dead in his car outside of the hospital where he worked. There are a lot of immediate dead ends (pun intended) in the who could have committed the crime, and this gets Jane and her DC, Georgia, committed to finding the answers they need to solve the disturbing killing.

Without giving too much away, it's not long when Maeve is pulled into another investigation and finds herself in the heart of strange goings on in suburbia. There's an address where people have been staying and then disappearing. Maeve and her DI, Josh Kerwent, put on a pretence of a dog-sitting couple, to be up close with the neighbours and see who has dark secrets they don't want uncovering.

A great strength of The Close is that all of the houses contain people who have their own peculiar ways, and you are left considering they are all hostile at best and untrustworthy at least.

There are some chilling moments, particularly at night, went dogs bark definite unease and there are shadowy figures going past windows where the curtains are yet to be drawn, and Jane builds the tension well. Another element which builds well is the chemistry between Maeve and Josh - there are a few physical moments, and you gain a deeper emotional and psychological understanding between the pair.

I enjoyed the rapport and relationship between Maeve and Georgia. You can sense that Maeve wants Georgia to be the best she can be professionally so there's a little tough love along the way but it's really warming and positive to see a supportive and nurturing relationship between the two female police officers.

Be warned, themes within The Close are fairly dark and there should be a trigger warning around actions involving underage children.

By the last few chapters, both cases are resolved whereas the future of Maeve and Josh as a pair outside of work isn't. I look forward to Jane's next novel featuring Maeve as you really are left wanting them to end up together...