Review for 'Closer than she knows' by Kelly Irvin.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Thomas Nelson publishing .

Available to preorder ready for release on June 9th

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I wouldn't go out to look for more of her books but I would possibly pick one up and read it if I did happen across one.

This book is a Christian thriller/suspense. I'll be honest and admit I must have missed the Christian part in the description as I probably wouldn't have chosen it to read if I had seen that. No offence to anyone but Christian novels are just not my usual cup of tea. However, I am glad I tried a new genre.

This book was written from the perspectives of Max and Teagan. I normally enjoy these types of books as you can read what is going on from the points of views from several characters rather than just one and you pick up more of the storyline.

THE plot was an average crime novel plot with murder and mystery. I didn't really get into it until the second half. It was well written and the descriptions were good but I didn't really connect with the characters.

THE author had obviously done quite a bit of research which is excellent as I have read some crime novels where it is obvious the author is oblivious to how the legal system works.

However, I figured out who the killer was about 50% in as soon as a certain fact was discovered. However I hadn't quite worked out where the person was hiding and as whom, although it also didn't come as a shock which is a shame.

If I was going to recommend this book it would be to fans of crime, Christian and murder novels.

Rated 3/5 (It was OK) on Goodreads and Amazon (UK and. Com) and over 30 Facebook pages

£6.99 to purchase on kindle. I personally think this price is rather steep and wouldn't pay it.

352 pages

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Closer Than She Knows is my first read from Ms. Irvin, but it won’t be my last. This easy-to-read book caught my attention from the first page and kept it through the exciting, satisfying end. This suspenseful story focuses on the life of court reporter Teagan O’Rourke. A psychopathic serial killer is coming after her, mentally torturing her, and no one in her life is safe! As the author puts it: “The violent, ugly evil permeated every part of her life.”

Ms. Irvin masterfully melds romance, mystery, and faith into one exciting read. The characters are well-developed and relatable. Even though I guessed the identity of the killer early on, I was not sure because there was not even a hint of a motive until much later in this skillfully-crafted plot. Vivid descriptive language and imagery such as this add to the enjoyment of the read: “The truck lights illuminated a crazy, tilted view of thick juniper branches dripping with green pollen.” The faith element permeates the narrative as Teagan learns that “faith is believing God is good even when bad things happen” and learns to trust God with her life and the people she loves.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I received a copy of this book in e-book form from the publisher via netgalley but am under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Closer Than She Knows – Kelly Irvin - 3. 5 stars
A letter addressed to Teagan O’Rourke shows up from the person who killed Officer Moreno who was driving the car that she was a passenger in and it’s addressed to her.
Closer Than She Knows jumps right in as Teagan O’Rourke witnesses the death (and murder) of Officer Kris Moreno who was driving Teagan O’Rourke away from evidence concerning a court case. As a court reporter, Teagan has seen (and heard) some gruesome photographs as part of cases that she had typed for. But never had she been directly involved in a case, in which the crimes involved her personally.
Teagan comes from a family of police officers. Her Dad is a retired homicide detective, her half-brothers and half-sister are also police officers, but she instead chose the profession of Court Reporting. She’s a self-professed pacifist who doesn’t believe in using guns, and doesn’t allow them in her house. Each time someone is killed, it is someone who is dear to Teagan. At each crime scene, there is letter address to Teagan, but he really hits the jackpot when her younger half-sister Leyla goes missing…
I’ve read Ms. Irvin’s Amish novels so I thought I would give her suspense themed one a chance.
It took more than half of this novel before I felt I could find my footing because I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. I tried not to find reasons not to like them but Teagan seem closed-minded on a couple of issues brought up. I kept reading because despite it all this is a well written and well-plotted story. The characters are fleshed out well, but there was just something about Teagan that didn’t jive with me. It wasn’t until probably that last quarter that I saw her less as someone who seem weak, and more as someone who I could root for. I saw a strength in her spring to life that wasn’t present in most of the novel.
I liked the last half better than the first and I was glad that I stuck with it.

"Closer Than She Knows" is a Christian romantic suspense novel. Police detectives (which included family members) were officially investigating the murders, but we got little detail about their progress. Teagan and her retired police officer father decided to investigate a serial killer that was in prison whom the current serial killer seemed to be mimicking. Instead of following up clues like "who is close enough to Teagan to know the details that are ending up in the letters?", they investigated the background of a serial killer who could not be doing the current killings. Not surprisingly, they made no progress on identifying the current killer until Teagan's kidnapped. Still, it seemed very obvious to me who the bad guy was from the moment we met him, so Teagan didn't come across as smart. There were also some loose ends that were never explained.

I also had problems with Teagan as a character. I think she was meant to be complex, but it seemed like she two distinctly different people. Sometimes Teagan was completely disillusioned with all humans due to her job and the knowledge of what horrible things people can do. This is why she refused to have children or a relationship with Max, who wanted children. On the other hand, we have a completely naïve Teagan who is certain that none of her neighbors can be the murderer because they're just so nice and normal – even though she knows that the serial killer that's in prison was considered a nice, normal man to everyone who knew him (except his victims). The other characters seemed more realistic, and I did care about what happened to them.

Max was a youth pastor, and several people talked with Teagan about trusting God with the future and the people that she loves. This issue wasn't really resolved, just kind of skipped over to get the happy ending. There was no sex or bad language.

Lots of action and suspense! Readers who enjoy stories about crime and serial killers will like this novel. It was hard for me to connect with the story. Teagan, the main character, as a court reporter didn't seem to fit into the investigation. Max was the most interesting character and I would have liked to have heard more of his story.

Suspenseful Christian thrillers are quite rare. This is one of them. A serial killer, love, redemption and trust, all great issues are there.

This was a unique Christian suspense book because it dealt with the perspective of a court reporter. That woman happened to have many family members in law enforcement who were definitely a bit overprotective. The cases do not seem to connect at first, but then when all is revealed, that intensifies the plot. I really liked how the many characters related to each other. Teagan had some strong beliefs, and through the book, her motivations and reasoning were revealed. And how could a reader not appreciate Max - a man looking for a second chance and a new start?

Topics dealt with: divorce, grief, alcoholism, kidnapping, deceit, serial killers. So this is not exactly light-hearted reading. Yet the characters are compelling - the story was still enjoyable to read. While I did figure out parts of the ending, I definitely did not guess several key elements. The author did a really good job of weaving the storyline together. This is a book that I am glad to recommend to anyone looking for a well done suspense book. But it is intense and not for those who are looking simply for a cozy mystery.

Thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

An intense and emotional read:
I enjoyed reading this action packed book. The mystery and suspense was well done and there were plenty of twists and turns. However it was rather heavy going, especially in the first half, due to the serial killer subject matter and because the story line was so heavily focused on the case with very little downtime. It was interesting exploring about court reporters and the role that they play in the justice system. I however found that many of the internal dialogue 'transcripts' that Teagan "typed" were confusing and unnecessary for the advancement of the story.
I liked that the characters were flawed and had real issues to work through. Teagan has determined that the world is full of evil and is no place to bring a child into and thus decides she can't pursue a romantic relationship. In the meantime Max loves her and wants to have a family with her. I enjoyed seeing how they worked out their issues and came to rely on Christ to guide them. I also appreciated the reminder that despite living in a fallen world, we are called to trust God and by His grace, live with joy and hope.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This book is one of mystery and complete guessing. Although I ascertained who the murderer was early on, there were a few times I had my doubts. The protagonist is an interesting character with a personality that intrigues the reader. She is ambivalent about many things in her life except one-she does not want children. I am not sure why this was such an important part of the story, but possibly the ending made it somewhat clear. The serial killer gets his in the end...justice prevails...however,
The repercussions of his actions affect the characters for life. All in all, this is a mystery that intrigues to the end. My only complaint was that it was difficult to keep the family members and their names straight while reading. Perhaps too many...

#CloserThanSheKnows. #NetGalley

I read this book in one day, I couldn't put it down. This book was creepy. Teagan O' Rourke is a court recorder, among a family of police officers. Her family is really close knit. When Teagan starts receiving letters written by a serial killer, and bodies are found and she is the common denominator, it is a race to find the killer. Max Kennedy is a friend of Teagan's and my favorite character. A fast paced read that I couldn't put down, even though I guessed who the killer was, fairly quickly, it was still a good read. Christian suspense at its best.

Closer than she knows was full of suspense and love. Full of lessons about God as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves clean thrillers that are also inspirational.

Closer Than She Knows is filled with suspense and unexpected twists in the plot.

Teagan is surrounded by family that work for the police force. She herself is a court reporter, and some of her thoughts are expressed as if she were typing in court. This was a clever way the author used in her writing style.

Teagan's feelings for her dad remarrying when she was younger are brought to the surface, along with being sent written notes by a serial killer. Will she or a family member be the next victim?

I enjoyed the story line, but found it hard for me to engage with the characters at some points in the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I always enjoy Kelly Irvin’s suspense novels, and this one was no exception. “Closer Than She Knows” got my attention from the first page! This is a great suspense-filled, clean novel, which I always love!

This novel centers around Teagan O’Rourke. Teagan is a court reporter so she knows what it’s like to be surrounded by crime. But this time, she’s much closer to the crime than she would like. Her very good friend, Max Kennedy, and family (who are part of law enforcement) come along side her to try to help her find out what is happening.

I definitely recommend this novel to everyone who enjoys good, clean, suspense-filled novels. Kelly Irvin is a great author to follow!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was my first foray into the Christian Thriller genre and I had high hopes. It was nice to read a mystery without the language that usually accompanies this type of book. Our main character, Teagan, is a court reporter in a family of cops. A serial killer has begun a killing spree and seems to be targeting Teagan, by killing people she knows. As he gets closer and closer, she and her retired detective father must unravel the mystery before he kills again. Her friend Max is an ex-military, reformed alcoholic who is now a youth pastor, and he was my favorite character. More Max please!! I would have loved more in-depth storyline about him.

There were a couple of things I thought didn’t fit in the context of the book. I thought the weird rants about guns were a little strange and didn’t seem to fit. I mean, come on, she has a serial killer after her and she still won’t let her friend use a gun to protect her? Also, the rant about how the world has gone to pot and why would she want to bring children into this terrible world? That was weird and seemed like political agenda.

I’ve read a lot of thrillers and I actually figured out who the killer was pretty early on, so no real surprises for me. Overall, it was a nice read.

CLOSER THAN SHE KNOWS......Kelly Irwin
Teagan was a court reporter, having written official records for dozen of murder trials. The judge wanted the actual evidence from storage. brought to him, going to get it, they were shot at. She now knew the fear, and smell of death. When Max was sure she would be okay he would go feed Tigger for her. He is greeted with yells from her elderly neighbor, then an attach happened to Max. He means so much to her, but she won’t let it happen. As a youth minister she knew what his dreams were. He still has some inner demons, and riding on his motorcycle helps, The pieces come together, was she the. target, and innocence people are now dead. A good mystery with some romance. An emotional ride from the beginning, that readers will want to read. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion from. Net Galley and Thomas Nelson.

If you're looking for a book to enjoy, and you're into mystery and thrillers, one weekend this is the one. It's beautifully written and the characters are pretty fantastic. I would love this to be a series. Max and Teagan are a wonderful example of friendship and love, patience and perseverance. The faith aspect only adds to this story.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a nail-biter! This book will have you hanging on as you read thru the different twists and turns of the story, the murders, the family interactions, and just the least little bit of romance. Fantastic story! Well-written. Hard to put down!

Closer Than She Knows by Kelly Irvin is a well written, Christian suspense thriller. Unfortunately I could not get invested in the character of Teagan or the storyline. Ms. Irvin's followers will, without a doubt, enjoy the story.


Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

WOW what a terrific romantic suspense. Kelly Irvin has outdone herself with her latest book. The plot is a real edge of your seat page turner with many twists and turns. Suspense fans will not want to miss this book. I received an arc from the publisher. This is my unbiased review.

In her new novel, Closer Than She Knows, author Keely Irvin takes readers on a roller coaster ride of thrilling suspense. Set in San Antonio, the story follows court reporter Teagan O'Rourke as she finds her friends and family are the target of a serial killer. Leaning on her friend Max Kennedy for support, Teagan tries to find the serial killer before it's too late. Closer Than She Knows provides a suspenseful, if at times, chilling read. The characters seem genuine and the storyline realistic. It's definitely an exciting, suspenseful, and interesting read set in my own home state.

My one disappointment is that this is an inspirational "clean" novel, and it hinted of some bad language. While I do understand that not everyone in the story is not a follower of Jesus and will not act like a follower of Jesus, I expect to not have to read bad language in an inspirational novel. While I know many consider it mild, the use of the word "dick" really put me off. If you can ignore the language, then you'll find this an exciting and suspenseful read.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.