I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite not having read any of the previous books in the series. Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent go undercover and move in to a house in Jellicoe Close under the guise of dog sitting for the owner. One of the residents is suspected of being involved with exploiting vulnerable people. Josh and Maeve are posing as boyfriend and girlfriend which adds another layer to the story, as they are definitely attracted to each other, though Josh is in a relationship. We gradually get to know the residents of the close and discover some dark secrets lurking behind closed doors. This is a fast paced story that will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I love this series and was so excited that the next instalment is out! I found this series part way through so am collecting the previous books to be able to go back and catch up on the start, but it really doesn’t stop me enjoying the newest one.

Each book can be read as a stand-alone as all the crime side of things is rounded off within the book, but the series takes us on a journey with Maeve Kerrigan.

This book was very relevant with some modern crime topics which were well handled. The characters were great, not just our old friends in the met, but all the news ones too, some were loathe some but so well written.

I loved the way the suspense was kept with some of the narrative from the perpetrator’s point of view, without allowing us to fully guess who they were.

The development of Maeve and Josh is both exciting and painful but I love their chemistry.

Now I just need the next instalment to hurry up!!

This is book number 10 in the Maeve Kerrigan series, it can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the whole series for the back story.
Like the previous books in the series this is a well written, fast paced and compelling read with well drawn characters.
If you like police procedural books then you will love this series.

I’d forgotten just how much I love Jane Casey, and her brilliant DS Maeve Kerrigan, but The Close has very much reminded me. With three strands of investigations for Maeve and handsome DI Josh Derwent to follow, a suffocating remote village setting, and romance heating up between the colleagues, I was totally gripped. The only thing about the novel that I didn’t think quite worked were the third person inserts from mysterious watcher who was observing Maeve and Josh. With almost all of the rest in first person from Maeve’s POV, these just weren’t very well signalled and I found them more confusing and frustrating than teasing towards a twist.

An enjoyable book. It was a bit slow in the middle section despite having three murders and other crimes. It does pick up pace at the end. I did find it annoying that the thoughts of 'the peeping tom' were included without being identified except by realising they didn't connect with the previous passages. I often had to re-read the passage. Italics might have made it easier to follow. None the less, well worth reading.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

This was a proper page-turner, with several crimes in the mix, a will they/won’t they hint of romance and some interesting if not always likeable characters. DS Maeve Kerrigan goes undercover as a couple with her arrogant but devilishly attractive boss, Josh Derwent, to investigate the disappearance of several vulnerable adults after they have left respite care with an elderly lady living in a small rural community. It turns out that this is not the only dark secret lurking within the picturesque Close. Meanwhile, Maeve begins to come to terms with trauma in her own past, to supervise remotely another current case involving the murder of a doctor, and to get better acquainted with Josh, who already has a girlfriend with a son he has promised to always be there for, but who is giving out mixed messages. Really well-written, with skilfully drawn characters and some clever plot developments, this was a great read. I was amazed to see it is the tenth book in the series about Maeve, but although it can easily be read as a stand-alone, I will certainly be seeking out the others in the series.

The Maeve Kerrigan series is one of my current favourite crime series, and I have been really enjoying the growing chemistry between Maeve and Josh over the past 9 books. (I actually can't believe this is the 10th because personally for me the will they, won't they isn't growing old at all.) That said, since the Maeve and Josh story is such an important part of this series, I'd imagine it is better to read at least some of the other books before coming to this one, which puts Maeve and Josh into a situation where they are forced to spend a lot of time together as they take on surveillance of a house in a nice suburban close, the owners of which are believed to be involved in the death of a vulnerable young man. Spoiler alert: there's sexual tension aplenty, and it would definitely be more satisfying for readers who have been with the series for a while.

Somewhat different to the other books in the series, because Josh and Maeve are working undercover, it feels less like a police procedural and more like a domestic thriller, and it works quite well, a refreshing variation at this point in the series. I really enjoyed the plot, which was straight forward and unconvoluted without any silly "twists", but still kept the reader wondering. I thought the different characters on the close were all well depicted, and it had a good pace and that "just one more chapter" feel to it. Another great book by Jane Casey.

Long-standing fans of the DS Maeve Kerrigan series can rejoice - the latest instalment (the tenth) is here and it is a good one!

In this book, DS Kerrigan goes undercover with DI Josh Derwent - they move into Jellicoe Close posing as a couple to investigate some shady goings-on around the death of a vulnerable adult. As they get to know their new neighbours, they start to realise that danger lurks in this most perfect-seeming suburban street. Nothing is as it seems, and peril gets increasingly close to Maeve and Josh's new domestic set-up.

Readers of the series know that there has been a long will-they-won't-they aspect to Maeve and Josh's relationship. Well. this is the book where that sexual tension is ratcheted up to maximum! Through the (slightly dubious?) cover story, Maeve and Josh have to pose as lovers and convince those around them of their romance. Cue lots of lingering looks, the intimacy of co-habitation and the breaking down of the boundaries between them... but will the relationship last when the job is done? No spoilers here.

Because of the focus on the two main characters, I think this book would probably be best read in the context of the rest of the series. Lots of the books work as standalones but I think this one is probably a lot more enjoyable if you have some sense of the back story. Maybe you don't need to have read all of the nine previous books, although a few would probably be good.

The fact that Maeve and Josh's relationship takes centre-stage means that the mystery is perhaps not as taut and tense as in some of the previous novels. The pacing is not as quick, but there are some moments of slow-burning tension and cannily placed clues. Casey is an expert at plotting a fiendish mystery and this one is no exception. From the murder opening the book, the team back at HQ working on the murder, the death of a vulnerable adult, Maeve and Josh in Jellicoe Close, the strange happenings in the neighbourhood - all are handled skilfully in the narrative and the solution cleverly weaves in more elements than expected.

Overall, if you're already in love with DI Maeve Kerrigan, this will be a welcome addition to the series for you. If you haven't yet met Maeve and Josh, start earlier in the series but definitely work your way round to this one!

DS Maeve Kerrigan is investigating the murder of a surgeon when politics intervene and she has to go undercover to discover why a vulnerable adult disappeared from care and turned up dead in a boarded up house. Meave has to work with her boss, DI Josh Derwent, pretending to be a couple in a tight-knit community, the last known whereabouts of the possible murder victim.

I came across Jane Casey in 2021 when I read The Killing Kind. I enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the chance to read The Close. What I didn't realise was that The Close was book ten in a series. Thankfully the story was so engrossing that it really didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous books.

As the book opens we are straight into the murder of a surgeon. This story alone would have been great as a police procedural but the introduction of a new story-line really does take the whole thing up a notch. Alongside this are hints to what happened in previous books that mean that Maeve isn't functioning as well as she normally does.

The undercover aspect of the case results in Maeve and Josh having to pet sit, pretending to be a couple. The writing is so good that you can feel the attraction between them, there's a frisson of excitement as you constantly wonder "will they, wont they"? I was on the edge of my seat fascinated by where the relationship was going to go.

The setting, a close in the small town of West Idleford, sounds very charming. All the neighbours know each other and are very friendly. I found the majority of the characters quite creepy, particularly the men. This was further cemented when we suddenly switched narrator, someone who was creeping around, watching through windows, lurking in undergrowth. This new voice gave a very sinister feel to the whole story. It was impossible to figure who the new narrator was, you just knew that danger could be lurking around any corner.

As we reached the conclusion my heart was racing as the tension increased. I've thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to the Maeve Kerrigan series, I now want to read the rest of the books. I want to know more about how Maeve and Josh's relationship developed. I also want to know where it's headed.

Always an incredibly good read from this author and this novel is one of the best. Develops ongoing characters with a slight departure in situations this is a very strong story. Highly recommended.

Brilliant. I lovethese characters, but how can it continue now ? The will-they-won't=they was part of the enjoyment...

I love Janes’s stories as they always drag you in and you cannot stop reading, I blame her for the bags under my eyes. I wasn’t sure what would happen in the build-up as nothing is predictable in these books and that is why you have to keep turning the pages—another bestseller from Jane Casey, a brilliant writer.

First a body is found in a car in a hospital car park ,then DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent go undercover in a quiet suburban close after the death of a vulnerable young boy in London his family believe a resident of Jellicoe Close is exploiting vulnerable people.This is such a brilliant book ,I enjoyed the sparky banter between Maeve and Josh pretending to be a couple dog minding for a friend whilst she is away .There are secrets to expose all is not as it seems .One of those very hard books to put down ,there are twists and turns heart stopping moments and an excellent ending .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Jane Casey's latest novel is a treat for the book-lover community. This book has not just one mystery to solve but three complicated ones to unravel.

DI Josh Derwant and DS Maeve Kerrigan move to suburbia in their undercover assignment. A vulnerable person died and it happened in the same Jellicoe Close. They must stay there to find out what exactly took place that led to a murder of a person. At the same time, a 34-year-old well-reputed doctor is killed in the most bizarre way.

Quite like her previous books, the author grabbed the reader's attention from the start of the book. Jellicoe Close is described as a close-knit community. At the face of it, everyone seems loving and welcoming. But there is no denying that someone from the community did kill a guy.

it's difficult to put the book down without turning a page or being curious about what happened next. The book also takes a peek at Maeve's life as well.

Overall, the book keeps the magic of Maeve Kerrigan's books and more.

My rating is 4.5 stars.

Another episode in this series. I have read others but it is fine as a stand alone . This book is quite slow moving as Maeve and Derwent are working under cover for much of it. It did keep my interest though and I liked the observations about the locals. I guessed the perpetrator about half way through, though there were a couple of twists in the plot as well as a couple more crimes needing to be solved. Towards the end, it was action packed and became a real page turner.
My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading the next installment in the story of Keerighan and Derwent

This is the second Maeve Kerrigan book I have read, and in full disclosure, I've not even read two back to back consistently, so if you are worried that you are joining the party late and therefore are considering not joining at all, let me tell you what a mistake that would be. Maeve Kerrigan is a detective who is a force to be reckoned with, she is smart, cunning and fearless. Or she was, until something makes her question herself and who she truly is.

When given a unique opportunity Maeve and her senior officer, landlord, friend, Josh, move into a cosy neighbourhood to play at being a couple, to uncover a criminal ring that threatens vulnerable individuals. There are actually multiple crimes to be solved in this book, an aspect that I loved. I didn't even manage to guess the endings of them all. I was so entranced by the book that I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning reading it, only to seriously regret it the next day.

This is the kind of book where if you've been in a bit of a slump with reading (like I was) will definitely get you out of it. I love the characters, I loved the drama and the intrigue.

Perfect 10th novel in the series, only upset that I now need to wait for thr next one. Loved the crimes, loved the Maeve/Josh relationship, hidden depths in both, just really intelligent writing.

I really wanted to like The Close. It had a great synopsis and some brilliant reviews, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I found it lacked pace and I didn’t particularly like the majority of the characters. Sorry but this just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

Love this series and this was no disappointment. Excellent plot and narrative. A real page turner, and as for the ending, counting down the days for the next one

My thanks to netgalley for my copy of The Close. My two favourite genres in one, crime and romance, what more could you ask for! I enjoyed every page, it was the perfect bedtime read.