A tough yet compelling read about domestic violence. A woman is found dead, drowned in a Northern market town. She worked as a support worker in a women’s refuge so the investigation into her death is worrying. At first they think it’s suicide but it could be something much more sinister.

It’s a hard hitting read and one I found hard to keep going. Purely because of my ‘enjoyment’ of the novel and nothing to do with the compelling characters and subject matter. It’s just a hard novel to like in many ways, The two timelines worked well but were shocking in their stark portrayal of violence and the gradual way even a ‘strong’ woman can be worn down. The ‘before’ part of the book which takes you deep inside that relationship is shocking and hard to read. Katie’s fear and reactions are tough to ‘watch’.

The storyline after the death was more unusual s the police look to find the truth about the young woman’s death. The residents of the refuge become under the spotlight and it was interesting and tough to read. IT shines a light on who might be in such a place and why.

I’m not usually a fan of domestic noir but it was interesting to read. Perhaps painfully accurate sadly. Overall if felt a little too serious and this got in the way of the suspenseful plot.

I’ d like to see what readers of domestic noir make of it.

My thanks to Jessica Moore, Viking and NetGalley for the ARC.
A totally absorbing tale of a young woman who gradually becomes captured in a relationship of coercive control. When her body is found after an apparent suicide, the investigation takes a different route when the DI discovers she changed her name before she began working in a women's refuge.
This story is topical and one can see why there are so often unhappy outcomes in these cases. Very well written, immersive story.

A disturbing and gritty story. With a lot of suspense, but good backstories with the other characters. It gives you a good insight into police procedures and the different types of abuse there are. Sensitively and well written. Will keep you hooked.

I found Keeper by Jessica Moor and really gripping read. The storyline had me really engaged to the point I was getting intens,y angry! I’ve not read any books by this author before but if this is anything to go by she will become a firm favourite soon! Excellent book, good story and I loved it.

Set over two timelines of then and now which I did find a little confusing at first but I soon got on track. The novel revolves around a woman's refuge where the main character Katie works. We learn something about all the women at the refuge and the violence they are trying to escape from. Katie has also had a violent, controlling partner in the past and now she works at the refuge to help other women.
Full of twists and turns if a little drawn out in places, but on the whole a gripping read. I did have some unaswered questions at the end but it was well written and a very thought provoking subject.

The storyline is set between then and now which is not unusual in modern books. Making sure the reader doesn't become confused is an art that the author Jessica Moor appears to have mastered, unlike some other writers I have come across that have me so flummoxed that I have to re-read chapters to get on track.
The story is mainly about Katie, who having escaped from an abusive, controlling relationship has started a new life working in a women's refuge. We not only learn about her past but also the back stories of the women in the refuge, some of whom have had traumatic experiences involving violence and coercive control, quite a topical subject. When Katie is found dead, having drowned in a local river, the police investigation begins and they begin by questioning whether it was suicide or something more sinister. As the pieces of Katie's past are gradually revealed to the reader, not the police, my initial opinion began to change and then change again - another sign of a good writer who can keep you guessing to the end. When the final chapter came and I realised what had really happened I have to say I was a little disappointed but it did tie the loose endings up. This is definitely an author I will want to read more from.

4 Stars from me

This is a sad yet captivating psychological thriller which will (and should) get under your skin.

Split into ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ we follow (mostly) Katie and how she falls prey to a calculating abuser and becomes trapped in a spiral of subtle and steady abuse. I think anyone reading this book needs to think about their own family members and their own circle of friends - a hugely sad part of this story for me was that Katie's friends and family essentially let her down and pretty much helped Jamie build his prison of coercive control around her. Her mum was taken in by his charm and ignored the red flags and her friends just let go...

'Now’ focuses on the police who are initially investigating Katie's death, and is told primarily from the point of view of Detective Sergeant Whitworth, although also by some of the women living in the Widringham women's refuge.

DS Whitworth is old school and seemed a little of out his depth at times. I felt he was lacking in awareness and quite possibly this is real issue for victims. His younger side kick, DC Brookes seems more able to relate and there are hints at some darkness from his past which suggest a reason for him being able to connect with the women and children at the refuge.

Val who runs the refuge is a great character and I like to think that there are plenty of Vals in the world striving and pushing in order to provide a little bit of sanctuary and safety for people in this situation.

There is a great pace to the plot of this book and the alternating between 'Then' and 'Now' added a measure of urgency - particularly so in the 'Then' parts as it almost felt like Katie could be saved.

Knowing the writer has experience of working in the sector adds a layer of credibility.

I didn't enjoy the ending.

Just BTW, I found Keeper hard to find on Good Reads, it seems to be listed on there are The Keeper but I could only find it by searing the authors name.




Synopsis: He's been looking in the windows again. Messing with cameras. Leaving notes.
Supposed to be a refuge. But death got inside.

When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police decide it's an open-and-shut case. A standard-issue female suicide.

But the residents of Widringham women's refuge where Katie worked don't agree. They say it's murder.

Will you listen to them?

An addictive literary page-turner about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace, Keeper will leave you reeling long after the final page is turned.

The premise of the story is well laid out as well as the subtlety of the abuser. The time line changes were a bit confusing. In my opinion the main character, Katie should have morphed to KATE in her second incarnation so we could tell straight away which era of her life we were talking about. The story illustrates the quicksand , slow effect of the controlling boyfriend. Noah could have been fleshed out a little especially as he was "boring", an attribute which Katie (KATE) liked. Some loose ends like what happened to Mums old house? And just how did our killer change his name when he joined a new police force? BUt 3 out of ten for trying, maybe a better edit next time.

Coercive control has been in the news recently with the case of Sally Challen and this book details the process and result of a controlling partner. The ever popular 'now' and 'then' format starts with the end, with Katie's body in the river, and then leads us through the preceding years back to the start, or is it the end?

A thriller which I can see doing very well this year. There is a twist, but there are some pretty big clues, so I think most people will have an inkling of where the story is going. I am hugely impressed that this is a first novel, and having just done a bit of research on Jessica Moor see that she has worked in the field of violence against women, so she knows her stuff.

Wow. This would be impressive from an established author, but for a debut it is absolutely outstanding. The subject matter of domestic violence in all its various forms is portrayed brutally honestly with no sugar coating. The attitudes of the characters towards the violence, its victims and the perpetrators is unfortunately all too realistic. At times, as my stomach churned and my temper flared, I totally forgot I was reading a fiction novel.
It’ll be a huge hit, a worthy prize winner and most importantly, an education.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I found this a compelling read because of it’s subject matter - domestic abuse and control. Katie is found dead and the Police investigate if it was murder or suicide. The story is told by Katie in 2 parts, then and now. You read of her previous relationship and how it affected her and how she escaped it. When the police investigate they visit her place of work, and find the people there seem to know more than they’re telling and are adamant Katie wouldn’t take her own life. The Police Officer investigating was very likeable. The author really drew me into the story, she was very descriptive with Katie’s thoughts, feelings and emotions and I really had empathy for her. There were quite a few twists and turns in the story, some I expected and some I didn’t. A huge shock at the end though. 4 stars

Keeper is a tense, powerful, thought-provoking literary thriller, and an assured debut novel by UK writer Jessica Moor. It centres on Katie’s story. A young woman working in a refuge for women and children victims of domestic violence who drowns in the nearby river. Police investigate her death. A suicide? Connected with a man supposedly spotted outside the shelter several times lately? Attributable to her boyfriend, Noah? An escalation upon vicious messages someone (or more than one person) is sending the women’s shelter? As we learn more of Katie’s story, the reader is also taken into the lives of women she has been helping. All so different, yet all so similar – each a victim of male violence and each having lost something of themselves in their journey, and some with children born into a messy, unhappy, toxic environment. Gradually, Katie’s past is revealed, along with how that ties in with her death. Do the police uncover the truth? The full truth? Can there be a happy ending for any woman in such a situation? What will happen to the women in the refuge as they try to pick up their lives? Keeper is a story that touched me and will stay with me. I will be keen to read more of this new author with a voice for stories that need to be told.

A stark,powerful novel on the harrowing effects of domestic violence this book really made an impact.
The plot is complex and I did find myself losing concentration at points and have to go back to make sure I hadn't missed anything but it didn't take anything away from the importance of the book.
It's rare that such an accurate portrayal of domestic violence is made in literature and the way the author has balanced this with character development is outstanding.
It's a psychologically demanding read that had me biting my nails at several points in the plot.
Thoroughly recommend this book, it's dark and gritty and really covers such an important subject in a sensitive, highly intelligent manner.

This book was very good. It felt very authentic, and was thought provoking. The characters and plot, based around domestic abuse, were well paced. I would recommend this.

This was a very compelling story. I like the storyline of the control elements of domestic violence and thought this was well descibed. I thought the interweaving of the back story worked quite well. It is well written and the characters are well drawn. However, there is something here that does not work for me. I found parts of the book to be confusing and unnecessary. There were one or two areas that I wondered why they were there at all, they did not contribute to the overall story and made things overcomplicated. The ending is unexpected and thought provoking in itself.

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.

This is a dark, well-written book with compelling characters and a sense of place that makes it easy to imagine them, even as it keeps you guessing right up to the very end of the book.

Now: Katie Straw's body is pulled from a river. She is a worker is a domestic violence unit. As is customary the police investigate her death, is it suicide or murder?
Then: A young woman called Katie meets a man called Jamie. She is uncertain about him at first but gradually gets drawn into a relationship with him.

The narrative of this debut novel goes between Now and Then, showing the development of Katie's relationship and the progress of the police investigation into her death. It is a compelling story bringing in many tales of domestic violence and in the Then story showing very clearly how a coercive relationship develops. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and found the characters believable whether they were the abused women, the police or the manager of the refuge.

A tragic story, one that is all to familiar and relevant today. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Sorry but not for me. I read the book to the end but found the story boring. The idea was good but a long book with very little happening

What starts out as the apparent suicide of Katie Straw a care worker at a domestic violence unit turns out to be just the start of an intriguing mystery as Katie’s past slowly unfolds. Added to this her fellow coworkers and residents at the unit are also troubled by the suicide claims and fear it could be murder.
This is an intense and powerful read as we also find out a lot more about the women residents in the unit and the terrible abuse they have been subjected to, control, abuse and fear on a day to day basis this sure makes for some sad and difficult reading but it’s written in such a way that it really gets to you and makes you care deeply for these women.
This is such a well crafted story part police procedural and part a story of domestic violence it’s a book that really hits deep and I felt very privileged to read so many thanks to Jessica Moor for her wonderful writing and empathy of such a difficult subject.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK, Viking for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.