A fabulous and intriguing story which kept me guessing right up to the end. A great follow-up to the last book. I am looking forward to book no 3.

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

The second book by this new author. Really enjoyed this book highly recommend. Looking forward to the next one
5 stars

I enjoyed this book and will be keeping an eye out for other books by M.J Ford. Crime seems to be a genre I am reading a lot lately

A very enjoyable read. Kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Flipping brilliant! Thrilling, gripping and fastr paced, everything you want form a decent thriller! Hurry with the next one MJ Ford!

I read the first book, which I enjoyed so looked forward to reading this one too and I wasn’t disappointed. However this book could be read without having read the first one. Keep Her Close is a well plotted and well thought out book with realistic characters and a wonderful sense of place (Oxford). I would love to read a third one!

i had already read the first book in these series and loved it but I think this one was even better - great characters and a fantastic story. I didn't know where it was going at all and didn't guess the ending but I thought it was really well done. I will be looking for more books in this series. Highly recommended.

DI Josie Masters has just about recovered from a series of difficult events when she is plunged into a new case. A rich, well-connected student has disappeared from one of the Oxford colleges. Her boss however has Josie investigating a supposed hit and run of a girl who was a cleaner at another college. When a third girl disappears from Somerville college it suddenly becomes clear that someone is sending a message to Josie and that someone is connected to her past.
This is not the first book that MJ Ford has written about Detective Josie Masters and at times it seemed the backstory was super important. However a convoluted plot does get resolved in the end. There are lots of red herrings and blind alleyways which made the book really quite enjoyable, the whole plot line about drugs among the students was brought up and then proved to be nothing. Yes, it is a very predictable conclusion and there are glaring gaps in the narrative but as far as police procedurals go, it's one of the better ones I've read in the past year.

Absolutely loved this book, it is set in Oxford where I spent half of my life, it even mentions the village where I used to work. I really enjoy a book that is set in an area that I know so well.
The mystery keeps you entertained and bowls along nicely. The characters are well described and you can feel a sense of affinity with them. The end comes as somewhat of a surprise, but I have to say that I had guessed the murderer, unusual for me, as I normally do not have a clue.
A great read, that was much enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book! Had me gripped from the start and the twists in this book were so great. When you think you have one lead it totally changes direction!
So glad I was able to read this would definately recommend :)

5/5 on goodreads for a really good detective read. It’s got a good back story and a strong female lead. Can’t wait for the next book!

3☆ Cat and Mouse Police Procedural

Keep Her Close is a race against time police procedural, crime fiction.
This is also the second book in the series

Unfortunately I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading the first book, and I do believe this is the main reason I found it difficult to connect with the story.

Although it has been said it can be read as a standalone I really don't think this is the case.

The opening story was of DS Josie Masters attending counselling for a horrific case that took place in the previous book.
Which had me confused and a lil lost as i didn't really know what was going on.

DS Masters was called to a College when a student goes missing.
They see signs of a struggle and blood splatter but no evidence as to what actually happened to Malin.
When two more different young girls go missing, Masters knows it's a race against time to find out who is taking the girls.

With no evidence they truly have their work cut out.

Unfortunately I struggled to get into the plot, I found it difficult to connect with the characters as i feel like I was missing something.
It is a slower paced, quick read and at times gripping.
I only wish I had read the previous book then my ratings might have been higher.

I do believe others will really enjoy Keep Her Close, DS Masters has alot of potential to make a great series.
To be honest after getting a glimpse of the previous book (Hold My Hand) it sounds thrilling, so i think I'll give it a read.

Overal a good read. Would still recommend to others, I'm intrigued to see what is next for DS Masters and her Team.

This is the first book that I have read by MJ Ford. I found it to took a little bit of time for it to draw me into the story, but once I was drawn in, I was hooked. The slow start is why I am not giving it a four out of five stars. I will be looking into more books by MJ. Ford.

A complicated novel about revenge, kidnapping and holding a grudge. Jo Morris is a Detective and is involved in a case where a student has disappeared from one of the Oxford colleges. There is blood in her bathroom, and some evidence that she had been smoking cannabis.
When a second girl disappears, then a third, Jo starts to thiink she may be involved in their abductions in some way. After bringing in a police profiler, who tells them they may be dealing with a psychopath.
However, after starting to unravel the clues, Jo realises someone she knows is involved in this case. No spoilers, but the ending is very tense, and powerful.
The characterisation in this novel is strong, and the plot tense and well thought out.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this novel.

DI Josephine Masters is just finally recovering from her most recent case and is back at work at Thames Valley police in Oxford. Jo’s moved on and has a new work partner, Jake and a new man in her life, Lucas, who seems to be ‘the one’. Just as life is settling down Oxford is hit by three abductions all female and all in rapid succession. Despite being quite senior in the department Jo is sidelined to deal with a hit an run seemingly unrelated to the abductions. However, something is niggling at the back of her mind and Jo keeps looking for links. Suddenly everything starts to unravel, the case Jo is working on and it appears that Lucas is just another cheating lying boyfriend.

This is a wonderful psychological thriller that works as a stand alone or as a second novel. I was gripped from the first page as the writing is fast paced and the characters are engaging. I will most certainly be looking forward to the next D I Masters novel.

2nd book featuring DS Josie Masters but could be read on it's own. Really enjoyable and worth reading.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

When female students begin to disappear from Oxford’s colleges, DS Jo Masters and her new partner investigate. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game with the killer, drawing Jo closer and closer to an unexpected conclusion.

Jo is an interesting character and she is also a stellar police officer. She’s easy to like. Keep Her Close is a police procedural that is suspenseful and chilling and the conclusion is unexpected but satisfying.

When I started this book, I didn’t realize that it was the second book in a series and it would have been helpful if I had read the two books in the order they were written. However, the author does an admirable job bringing the reader up to date and filling in the gaps. I highly recommend this book and this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Really enjoyed this as much as the first one. Well written and I’m invested in the characters and what happens to them. Can’t wait for the next instalment! Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Avon for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

M.J. Ford stirs a pot full of menace, danger, secrets and lies in his latest thriller featuring DS Josie Masters, Keep Her Close.

Police officer Josie Masters is trying her hardest to move on with her life after a traumatic event that had cost her everything. With everybody at the station treating her with kid gloves, Josie has grown weary of everyone thinking that she is a fragile little flower who needs special treatment. She wants to prove to her colleagues and superiors that she is a police officer with exceptional capabilities and when a young girl goes missing from her Oxford college room, Josie thinks that this is the case that will put her back on the map and show everybody that she is more than capable of holding her own. But not even Josie could foresee the dark and dangerous paths which this investigation was going to force her to travel down. Does she have what it takes to catch a dangerous criminal? Or has Josie bitten off more than she can chew?

As Josie begins working on the case she discovers that the young woman in question, Malin Sigurdsson, had plenty of skeletons in her closet and a secret life that Josie must untangle if she is to discover the identity of the person who kidnapped her. From a much older married lover to a retired lecturer with a lascivious connection to Malin, Josie’s list of suspects continues to grow with each passing day. However, when two more students go missing, Josie quickly realises that this case has just got a whole lot more personal – especially as this evil criminal is sending her a deadly message in a cruel game of cat and mouse. Can Josie unmask the identity of this dangerous kidnapper in time? Or will this be a case which she simply cannot solve?

As time begins to run out, Josie realises that she must tread carefully because one false move is all it takes for this despicable deviant to claim the ultimate prize: Josie herself…

Keep Her Close is a fantastic crime thriller that will leave you breathless. A tense, taut and terrifying thriller that will keep you up all night, Keep Her Close will send chills down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat frantically turning the pages desperate to find out what happens next.

DS Josie Masters and her sidekick DS Jack Pryce are a terrific double act and M.J. Ford has created two fantastic detectives crime fiction fans are going to add to their list of favourites.

Full of shocking twists and turns, nerve-jangling red herrings and jaw-dropping revelations, Keep Her Close is a first class crime thriller you are simply going to love.