The Close by Jane Casey

The tenth book in the Maeve Kerrigan series and the first one where I actually figured out who did it in both cases! I am so proud of myself. 😂

DS Maeve Kerrigan begins investigating the murder of Dr. Hassan Dawoud. He is found dead in his car in the hospital car park but everything indicates he was killed elsewhere. Was he the victim of domestic violence or did a family who were suing him for malpractice have something to do with his death?

As intriguing as this case is, Maeve is simply going through the motions. She still hasn't fully recovered from a vicious assault by her ex-boyfriend and her DI, Josh Derwent thinks she needs some time away. He volunteers them both to go undercover and live as a couple to try and unearth the truth about the death of a vulnerable young man. When they move into Jellicoe Close, they don't realise just how much danger they, and their neighbours, are in........

Fans of @janecaseyauthor and Maeve will love the 'will they won't they' tension of Maeve and Josh's relationship as they spend an inordinate amount of time together working the case at Jellicoe Close. Suspenseful and fast paced, it's a perfect thriller for those who enjoy a detective series. It wouldn't work as a stand alone novel as there is a lot of background information referred to throughout.

Go back to the start and read "The Burning". You won't regret it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsire for the advanced e-copy. This book will be published on the 2nd of March 2023

Jane Casey will always be a favourite of mine. When I saw this novel pop up on Netgalley, I knew I had to request it. Thank you to the publisher for granting me a copy of the book.
Maeve Kerrigan is back!
And back with a bang!
I absolutely love Josh and Maeve together and this time we get a sneak peak of them living together and what it will be like.
Jane Casey creates the perfect crime novel and after 10 books, I am still not bored of her stories. I want her to write more and more of this duo.
As I thought, this is a five star read and the perfect crime thriller!

D.S Maeve Kerrigan and D.IJosh Derwent are going undercover to find out the truth of what's going on in Jellicoe Close where children play in perfect gardens with perfect parents but behind each door a secret is lurking.They have to uncover the truth but they don't realise what they are really facing because someone has murder on their mind.
A great storyline with lots of tension and twists.
I love the relationship between Maeve and Josh and in this 10th book in the series we find the sexual tension really mounting and I'm definitely looking forward to reading what way things go for them in the future.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

#TheClose #NetGalley
It was like All Good People Here but it's a better version.
At first glance, Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street – well-kept houses with pristine lawns, neighbours chatting over garden fences, children playing together.
But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.
It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before. And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face – because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

This was a great read and I loved it. Can’t wait for the next installment.
The characters in this story kept me gripped and although there were crimes to solve the main focus was on the residents of Jellicoe close which includes Maeve Kerrigan and DS Josh Derwent. Sent to investigate a possible crime you are absorbed into the nuances of Maeve and Josh. I was also hooked on Maeve dealing with her previous trauma.
I can’t wait for book eleven!
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read other Jane Casey novels and loved them, but this one didn't really hit the spot. Maybe it's because it's the 10th instalment in the series and I didn't know the background or characters. Having said that, the main characters were wonderfully drawn and very real, and the plot was good, except perhaps a little far-fetched at times.

There was as much focus on the relationship between Maeve and her boss D.I. Josh Derwent as there was on the two unrelated cases they were investigating - one a murder of a surgeon, the other the disappearance and subsequent death of a young destitute man. Sent undercover as a dog-sitting couple to a small close in a small town, they were watching a neighbour who unofficially fostered a series of young men before they inevitably disappeared. There, they stumbled upon the lair of a murderer looking for victims, whose thoughts we were occasionally exposed to. This was confusing at first as there was no new paragraph or italicisation to indicate the change of viewpoint.

It's a well-constructed story with multiple threads and almost everything is resolved (at least as far as the crimes are concerned!) by the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review e-copy.

When requesting an ARC of this novel, I was unaware that it represents the tenth instalment in a series built around detective superintendents Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. Not knowing their backstories or previous feats did not diminish the pleasure of reading this book in the slightest, however. The beginning was a little confusing – Kerrigan and Derwent investigate the murder of a surgeon who is found slumped in his car in a hospital car park – and the action then shifts to the quaint English village where the detectives have been sent. However, soon things start falling into place and the serious secrets the pretty village is hiding come to the fore, exposing a despicable underbelly of society operating from within the rural idyll. A highly readable police procedural with believable characters, this book left me wishing to read Casey’s back catalogue next. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free ARC I was given in exchange for this honest and unbiased review.

I love this series with a fiery vengeance so I don't say lightly that this is my favourite so far.

The mystery element is brilliant. Not only does it allow us to see Maeve and Derwent cope in close quarters but it is utterly unpredictable and hugely addictive. There's a lot going on and you will immediately be hook, line and sinkered.

The continuing story of Maeve, Derwent and the rest of our usual suspects is unimaginably superb for us constant readers.

Biggest thumbs up ever. Also how on earth I'll wait for the next one I don't know.

6 million stars.

The Close by Jane Casey, in my opinion, isn't a detective thriller or a mystery novel, it's a novel about the relationship between DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent (fit as a butcher's dog apparently) set in the weirdest stake-out scenario one could imagine. There is a bit of a police investigation regarding a murdered surgeon which had an 'off the wall' conclusion, plus an undercover operation (the reason for the stake-out) to garner evidence for suspected slave labour and manslaughter. Frankly I found it tedious and not remotely plausible, even the allusion to Alan Bennett (of Earl Grey and biscuits fame) didn't redeem it. However, that is not to say that many people will find it all very entertaining.

Wow what can I saw except that this was another fast-paced fantastic book from Jane Casey. The 10th in the Maeve Kerrigan series finds Maeve and her boss, Josh Derwent undertaking surveillance in a bad to catch the bad guys in action. On the face of it, Jellicle Close looks like the perfect place - well to do families with gorgeous homes and wonderful children. However, appearances can be deceiving.

In order to fit in and convince the neighbours they are housesitting, Maeve and Josh must pretend they are a couple and in love. Can the pull it off or will the neighbours get wind of the fact that they are Police Officers.

An excellent read which I can’t recommend highly enough. I must admit it did leave me wanting more - can’t wait to the next instalment. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Close by Jane Casey is a delicious will they-won’t they story that kept me guessing right to the end! So many times I thought I’d figured it out -,but I hadn’t! DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are addictive reading, and I just HAD to get to the end of this fantastic story! So many twists and turns, a complete rollercoaster of a ride that captured me from beginning to end! The story is exceptionally well plotted, very descriptive, and racks up the tension beautifully. More please!! Highly recommended.

I missed Maeve and Derwent! :) I adored everything about it and wholeheartedly recommend it—as well as the previous books from the series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Having read previous books in this series by Jane Casey and enjoyed them, I was very much looking forward to reading this latest but I'm afraid to say I just didn't get this particular one and ended up giving up around the half way stage as it just didn't grab me

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Close, the tenth novel to feature DS Maeve Kerrigan of The Met.

Maeve and her boss, DI Josh Derwent, go undercover as a house sitting couple in Jellicoe Close. It seems like a pleasant, affluent area but there is more to Jellicoe Close and its inhabitants than meets the eye.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Close, which is different from the previous novels in its emphasis, concentrating as much on the personal relationship between Maeve and Josh as the crime solving.

Maeve is pulled from a murder investigation when Josh twists her arm to go undercover as one half of a couple with him. As they are on surveillance there is little happening on the crime front. This allows the author to develop the characters and give the reader a sense of the secrets in Jellicoe Close. In particular there is a developing sizzle between Maeve and Josh that turns into a will they/won’t they scenario. This is not the usual romantic suspense as there is a lot of nuance in their decision making and reactions to each step. I found it realistic and even more enticing for that. There have been hints of it in previous novels, but this time the gloves are partway off. I’m already looking forward to the next novel on this matter alone.

The novel is told in the first person from Maeve’s point of view, so the reader gets close to her thinking, with sections from an unnamed male in the third person. He is definitely a creep, but of what stripe is less obvious, until he reveals himself.

I found the novel to be very readable and compulsive in a different way from normal. Maeve, initially, is not herself so the break in routine does her good. Josh is more difficult to judge, but their usual routine (with added sizzle) is fun and addictive. I liked the way they were part of the community as it offers a different type of investigation. To be honest I just liked everything about the book, from the way the author builds her plot to the tension and twists.

The Close is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Was a exciting crime mystery. It was my first by this author. It won’t be my last. It was very well written and all fitted together well. It had lots of twists and turns to it Definitely eventful to keep your interest

Full of suspense and gripping storyline, this book will keep you guessing until the very end. A great read.

This is a cleverly constructed detective story entertaining the reader to more than one murder. Back at base in London a hospital doctor has been murdered but while that is being investigated a case with political overtones is added to the case load of DI Josh Derwent and his sergeant Maeve. They go to a rural village to pretend they are dog sitters for an absent resident. There is reason to believe that adults are being processed through one of the houses who have been damaged while forced to work on the farm of a relative of the house owner. The case gives an opportunity for the two detectives to experiment with a possible relationship but it never goes any where. There is a lot of description in the book such as when the dog they are looking for escapes. Also, the chapters suddenly switch from one part of the tale to another without warning. That can take away from enjoyment. Eventually the murder cases do get solved and towards the end abuse of local girls suddenly surfaces. The village the detectives have been sent seems to have more than its fair share of crime. This is a good read even if the presentation is poorly structured.

Jane Casey knows how to keep a story going. There are so many curve balls in this story that you’re not exactly sure who the guilty person actually is.
Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent Are sent undercover to pose as a loving couple dog sitting. However, there are so many interesting characters living on the close they have moved to. Are they in danger and will they be uncovered before there job comes to an end.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

The relationship between Maeve and Josh in this book really increases the tension as you wonder if they will take their eye off the ball as they become further embroiled in their own personal agendas. Unfortunately to an extent the focus on their relationship whilst undercover drew away from the crime they were supposed to be uncovering, leaving the book to be a bit of an odd procedural romance!
That said it is still a very enjoyable read- just not my favourite of the series.

This is an intriguing murder mystery complete with romance, adventure and undercover surveillance, told in first person by DS Maeve Kerrigan herself. I like to hear her thoughts and feelings as her personal life cleverly intertwines with her work. This is Jane Casey at her best and I thoroughly enjoyed it.