A new author for me, and a really good thriller. A tense study of the consequences of domestic violence. Twisty and shocking. Recommended.

I dare you to figure this out.

It’s not the best topic, but it’s real folks, it happens. This is a deep story that will make you think, will make you see how domestic violence impacts not just on the person being violated but any children too. The consequences of this and horrific expenditure of a person’s wellbeing.

It’s ugly.
But we can’t hide like it’s not happening. It is!

And although this is fiction it could be your neighbor.

So a body is discovered and looks like a straightforward case of suicide.

Then it delves deeper.

I listened to this on audio and it treble impacted this book on me.

What a read!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a powerful, hard-hitting book. The content is all very real-especially for anyone who has had to deal with abuse. Brilliantly written, great characterisation. A compelling read.

This book was just incredible, will definitely be in my top 10 of the year! I was engrossed in it from the very beginning and don't think I've read anything quite like it before.

Moor shines a light on coercive control, domestic violence and both physically and mentally abusive relationships in this disturbing and gripping debut novel.

A dual timeline shows the current investigation after Katie Straw's body has been found in a river alongside the past which has led Katie up to this point.

Early on you can see where this story is going but it is so addictive and so absorbing I genuinely couldn't get it out of my head.

Alongside the point of view of the detectives we also get stories from women in a women's refuge and my god they are harrowing. Plot lines like this are always a bit harder to read because you know they are real life situations many people live through. Some parts had me in tears. It all felt so real.


The ending of the book was so amazing. I did not see it coming at all and actually gasped out loud. It was the perfect finish to an already incredible read, cementing its place in my top 10. I am incredibly excited to see what Moor writes next as this was an astounding debut novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

This was a frustrating read for me. Obviously I wanted to find out what happened, but the blundering plot line was so frustrating. I know what the author was trying to achieve, but the end made me want to hurl my kindle across the room. So, 3 stars for the visceral reaction.

This was a fantastic read. It was more than just a crime thriller book. It was a difficult read at times but it totally gripped me.

This is a fantastic book based around the uncomfortable subject of domestic abuse. The book is set between two timelines, now and before, and is centered on the suicide of a young girl. Some very unforgettable characters are introduced with a very clever twist thrown in the mix!

A gripping read covering some hard hitting topics. Domestic Violence is something that needs to be talked about and this is covered well. Interesting and compelling and a really good read. 4/5.

This was a visceral and enthralling read that had me on the edge of my seat, shouting at the kindle!!
Very clever insight into domestic violence and the pre-conceived ideas that we have around this awful subject.
Fantastic, pacy debut. Thank you to Jessica Moor, Viking, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I enjoyed this thriller, it was the first book of this authors That I had read. I liked the way the story unfolded, I found the descriptions very realistic.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Jessica Moor for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Keeper was one of those books that had the premise of being outstanding, but it didn’t work for me for several different reasons. Firstly, the characterisation didn’t work in any aspect. I didn’t feel connected or invested in their back stories or their end game. This was a real shame because good characterisation is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Like other readers, I went through bouts of anger and not the type that invoked such emotion that I was intertwined with the plot, the anger was for reasons that I will discuss below.

The main protagonists were so devoid of human kindness and emotion that I seriously wondered how far they had either got/or would get in the police force. I mean, you are dealing with a potential suicide and Detective Whitworth spend most of his time wondering why the deceased partner was such a wimp? We all have different reactions to grief and I was astonished that the Detective would actually voice this. He seems like an overly jaded officer, jaded about marriage, parenthood and women in general.

Katie Straw works at a women’s domestic violence refuge. She’s later pulled from the river and suspected suicide is considered. There’s no note but its suggested that that only happens in Hollywood movies. It’s the Detectives job to piece together that last moments of her life to work out if it was indeed suicide or that she was murdered. The question is who would want to kill the shy and reserved woman?

The plot thickens when they discover that there is no-one named Katie Straw – no birth certificate, no university degree and no tax records. Surely this is impossible? Only one plausible reason stands out – that she was hiding from something or someone. Katie’s boyfriend is questioned, her employer Val and the women who live in the refuge. Someone must know something? It was a nice touch being able to have the women’s take on the situation. We get to see a little snapshot of Katie’s day and it wasn’t necessarily a pleasant one.

Keeper was written in such a way that it invoked anger and questioning into its narrative. I didn’t like the detectives, nor did I like Val. She had the condescending air of a female supremacist. Yes, she wanted to protect the women under her care, but she also didn’t think that men were capable of being in the same situation. Ultimately, she conducted herself with an air of toxic femininity. I truly wonder what kind of impact she had on the women and children living there.

The two saving graces for Keeper was the ending and the awareness it tried to show in regard to domestic violence. The ending was a complete doozy and one I didn’t see coming. It blew me straight out of the left field and I was utterly gobsmacked. I wish the rest of the book had been as thrilling as that because I wouldn’t have felt exasperated whilst reading it.

Katie appears to have jumped from the local bridge that is ‘popular’ for local suicides but as the police look into it there are some things that don’t seem right. Firstly, why and then it appears that Katie Swan didn’t exist. As Katie’s story unfolds in the dual dialogue of ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ a pattern of abuse, manipulation and control is laid bare, but Katie had escaped from that hadn’t she?
You feel the growing confusion and terror Katie feels as Jamie takes control of her life but her suicide still doesn’t sit right and there is the final twist in the tale which reminds you that real life is not always tied up in neat packages.

The author has tackled a touchy/tricky aspect of life- domestic abuse in all it’s forms. At the offset I found it the storyline a little difficult to follow so it took me a while to get into it but once i was I was gripped. Stick with it!

The premise for KEEPER drew my attention and I was thoroughly engrossed for about the first 30%. After that...my interest waned. The concept was promising, as the light on domestic violence really needs to shine a little brighter sometimes and the twist at the end was brilliant, but everything in between was just a little bleh.

Katie Straw worked at a domestic violence refuge for women. But when her body is pulled from the river, at first glance it appears to be suicide. Or is it? Detectives Whitworth and Brookes must piece together Katie's life to work out if she did in fact kill herself or if she was murdered. But the question is, who would want to kill Katie?

As they delve into her background, detectives discover that there is no trace of anyone named Katie Straw. No birth certificate, no tax records, no nothing. The only real reason to change one's name is to hide in plain sight. So who exactly was Katie? And what, or who, was she running from?

Detectives question her boyfriend Noah and the women at the refuge, much to the chagrin of the woman who runs it, to try and get a lead on exactly who Katie was and what secrets she kept. The women, all of whom are a mixed bunch, aren't convinced Katie killed herself. Yes, she seemed sad at times but that wasn't who she was. The reader is slowly let into the confines of both the refuge and the minds of the women who shelter there.

KEEPER is Katie's story told in the past and present - THEN and NOW. As her story unfolds in the past chapters, we soon learn that her boyfriend Jamie is incredibly controlling and abusive. He doesn't hit her but then abuse comes in all shapes and sizes. He uses coercive control, he manipulates her, slowly chipping away at her and breaking her down...ultimately leading to threats. It is obvious from early on that Katie isn't happy. She stops eating and begins to lose weight. Jamie's pointed remarks about her being skin and bone only add to her growing loss of self confidence. It isn't until she finds herself in hospital that she finds the strength to leave.

I found myself more drawn to Katie's past story than the current one which was just so boring. Detective Whitworth was a wet blanket with a somewhat complacent view on abused women. He had no backbone and I kind of felt what was the point of him even being there. The women in the refuge, as sad as their stories were, all seemed to bleat on endlessly and Val, the woman who ran the place, wore a permanent cat's arse expression with tired lipstick. No one was very likable at all. As a domestic violence survivor myself, I found I couldn't relate to any of these women...except Katie, because she's the one we got to know the most.

It was unfortunate that this was such a disappointing read for me as it certainly had the potential to be a fantastic thriller. But it is not a thriller at all. It's not even a crime thriller. But it is a mystery. However, having said that, the best part of KEEPER is the ending. It was a shocking twist that I didn't see coming and it was a clever one at that...which is probably why I am so disappointed in the rest of the book.

So even if you don't like this book, I do recommend you read till the end...that twist may change the entire book for you. It didn't for me, but I still thought it was such a clever ending.

I would like to thank #JessicaMoor, #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for an ARC of #Keeper in exchange for an honest review.

it didn''t work for me as literary fiction or a thriller. Not sure where or how to position it but i felt the description was misleading which made it harder for me to enjoy

Very well written, very gripping, good on gendered violence. I think this writer has an excellent career ahead of her!

Being totally honest here, the book seems too slow at the beginning it made me want to give up. I am glad a didn’t give up as it picked up speed and something just clicked.

Keeper highlights different aspects of domestic abuse and give an insight into what happens when you get away.

I loved the plot twist at the end. 3.5*

I usually try to avoid books where there's violence directed against women, particularly spousal abuse. I just find it too uncomfortable. I seem to be feeling braver as I get older, and I'm so glad that I read this book. It's an interesting insight into the lives of women who find safety in Women's Refuges. It shows how hard it is for women to make their ways there, how many of them arrive nothing but the clothes on their backs - and the same goes for their children. It shows how hard the people who run these refuges work, and how undervalued they are - in fact, they're often a target for hate themselves. And we also get to see how some women return to abusive partners, and the ramifications.

Katie Straw's body is pulled from the river, and it looks as though she has committed suicide. However the women at the refuge that she worked at are adamant that she was murdered. The detectives who are put on her case really do seem to thoroughly investigate Katie's death, even though the older of the two is very much on the side of suicide (and he is a bit of a dinosaur). As they investigate though, it looks more and more likely that this is the case.

I found the lives of the women in the refuge fascinating, and I could easily have read more about them. To be honest, the older of the tow detectives was really interesting as well - it was like I was looking at the attitudes of a police officer from another age.

Near the end of the book, there's a fascinating twist - I didn't see it coming at all (I should say that I'm very much a reader who is along for the ride. I tend not to try and guess whats going to happen). I'm a big fan of unresolved endings too, and this certainly delivers (so there's a warning for those who DON'T like an unresolved ending!). You're left wondering what's going to happen next.

This was a really satisfying read, that I very much enjoyed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

A clever who done it, if indeed it was done

I expected this book to be a standard psychological thriller and, whilst it did follow the rules of the genre I hadn’t ever read one like this.

Told in the alternating timelines, the first after tragedy and the second before, the story follows Katie. Dying under potentially mysterious circumstances, detectives have to investigate whether she died by suicide or whether the unknowns were more sinister. Knowing the outcome for Katie, hearing about her life before was difficult. It was hard to get attached to her knowing what was going to come next.

Whilst I enjoyed this book I felt that Katie being able to work in a therapeutic role in a women’s shelter so soon after her experiences to be a bit unrealistic (which is always a risk in fiction), especially with no specialist training. I just feel that it would have been too difficult at that point in time.

The selection of supporting characters gave insight into the different types of domestic abuse that women suffer at home. Not all characters had experienced partner violence but all were survivors of tragic tales. The author was very clever in her choices and I enjoyed meeting all the women from the refuge. All were wonderfully human.

I would rate this book:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘Keeper’ (or ‘The Keeper’, it seems to have been published under both titles) is a gripping mystery novel set around a women’s refuge. Given that venue, it’s no surprise that domestic violence is the central theme. This an assured debut from an author who clearly knows the subject matter. As a mystery it doesn’t quite make the top tier, but it is an engrossing and thought-provoking read.
The plot concerns the investigation of the apparent suicide of Katie Straw, a young woman who works at a shelter in a small Northern town for women who have been victims of domestic violence. The action switches regularly between following the investigating officer, a gruff, older copper nearing retirement, and the experiences of the women in the refuge. Author Jessica Moor uses these multiple viewpoints to give an admirably balanced and comprehensive view of domestic violence and true impact it has on its victims. Alongside this, Moor tells Katie’s story in flashback, focussing on her relationship with an abusive boyfriend.
It’s this part of the book that gives ‘Keeper’ its narrative tug, gradually unravelling the mystery of the dead woman as the story progresses. The boyfriend, Jamie, is convincingly creepy. Not a violent wife beater, but instead a quiet monster who gradually erodes Katie’s self-confidence and freedom. Katie is similarly believable, a recognisable everywoman whose plight is moving and compelling.
Moor has experience of working with abused women and that shines through in the book. The stories of the women in the refuge are horribly real and told with a passion that craves justice but resists easy answers. It’s that balance that makes the book so good. The characters feel like real people rather one dimensional outlines conjured up to make a point. The life they breathe into the book makes its message all the more powerful.