Wow, talk about drama! This book had it all. It was like an episode of The Real Housewives and I couldn't look away. Spouses cheating on spouses, secrets galore, creepy things happen every time you turn the page. I was totally invested in this chaotic story. It was a total cluster of messiness, and if you like your mysteries dramatic and drama-filled, I highly recommend it!

A fantastic psychological thriller where all the characters keep turning the tides on each other - no one is innocent in this book. Everyone has their own agenda and they're all out to out smart each other.

One of the reasons I enjoy the domestic thriller genre so much is that it takes place in an environment that every reader can identify with. Spouse, home, children… these are the touchstones for so many of us, which is why it feels so personally frightening when things go wrong. And the big reveal, while often far-fetched, still resonates. Husband was secretly replaced by his identical twin? Long-dead mother wasn’t dead after all? Our best writers pull off these twists with ease.

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What a twisted tale this was! Mary Torjussen cranks up the psychological suspense in her novels through a string of small moments that leave the character (and the reader) feeling slightly off-kilter. I couldn’t put this down! A must-read for psychological thriller fans.

Ruby and her boss Harry are in love. Neither meant for it to happen, but they developed feelings and an instant connection over shared time together, and neither has been happy in their current marriages for some time. Now, they are ready to finally tell their spouses they are leaving them and in a few short hours they will reunite at a hotel and begin their new life together.

Though Ruby has been terrified of her controlling husband for years, she is emboldened by Harry’s love and support. So she does it. She leaves work, packs her car, and waits for her husband to get home. But when she arrives at the hotel later, Harry isn’t there. In fact, she waits all weekend and Harry never shows. Something must have happened, right? She’ll be able to talk to him Monday morning.

Only when Ruby arrives at work on Monday morning, her badge doesn’t work and she soon finds out she has been fired. Now, alone and jobless, Ruby tries to put together the pieces of how things went so wrong. Trapped in a low budget apartment and blacklisted from any jobs, Ruby still can’t reach Harry. Still, at least she isn’t back with her husband.

But then strange things begin to happen. Ruby is convinced someone is breaking into her place and following her. Who is stalking Ruby? And what happened with Harry? As Ruby struggles to put the pieces together, she finds herself fighting for her survival. Someone has it out for her, and she isn’t safe until she finds out who it is…

I absolutely loved this book! Definitely a keeper for me, and one I have been recommending to friends who love psychological thrillers as much as I do! The number of twists and turns kept me guessing the whole time. It was so hard to figure out who was good and who was bad—so many clues that I was mulling over until the very final reveal. A slam-dunk and reminded me why I love Mary Torjussen! Can’t wait for whatever she writes next!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Ruby's marriage has been under strain for some time but falling in love with her boss has prompted her to do something about it. She and Harry are going to be together. They have it all planned out. And on a Friday evening, the plan is set in motion. They're to tell their respective spouses that their relationships are over, meet up at a local hotel where the room is already booked, and start their new lives together.

But when Ruby arrives at the hotel, Harry is nowhere to be found. She waits all weekend, and Harry never shows. Then, on Monday, she arrives at the office to be told she's being fired. No explanation from Harry at all.

As Ruby tries to move forward, things get even worse. She's unable to get work at another temp agency. Her funds are low until her house is sold. And it appears Harry has reconciled with his wife. And then things take a darker turn. Someone has been in Ruby's apartment. Someone has gone through her things. Someone is out to get Ruby and it's only a matter of time.

Mary Torjussen's latest is an absolute page turner. The book is told in multiple perspectives, but we begin with Ruby. And we're given an inside look at her marriage, her hopes about her future, her confusion when things don't go as expected, and her growing terror as her life spins out of control.

It's not hard to guess the motive behind her harassment but this doesn't take away from the experience of reading it at all!

Ruby is immensely sympathetic. Which you might not expect considering she's married and having an affair with her (also married) boss. And this is perhaps down to the fact that we open with her and spend so much time with her at the beginning of the book.

But it's also down to the story!

Torjussen has built narrators that are multi layered and real. The kind of characters that are not all good or all bad. Because of that, The Closer You Get is an easy and fast read! And great fun, if you're into dark reads like I am :)

This was the first book I have read by this author, and I must say, I am impressed. I liked that the story was told by several different characters, and I thought that the premise was just fascinating. I will look for books by this author in the future.

Ruby is married and having an affair with her boss, Harry. They keep this secret arrangement for a year until they both decide to leave their spouses. Together, they select a date and location to begin their new lives. When that day arrives, Ruby goes to their hotel but Harry never shows up.

Harry is not answering her phone calls and Ruby begins to panic. She no longer has a home and money is dwindling after losing her job. Tom is surprisingly understanding with kind words and offers her money . Ruby's resolve doesn’t waver while she scrambles to find temporary work and a meager apartment. While she tries to put her life back together she develops a feeling of being watched and her job interviews are sabotaged. Ruby begins to suspect that her bad luck is connected to her affair.

The Closer You Get is the second novel that I have read by Mary Torjussen. This book is filled with betrayal, jealousy, scorned spouses, and desperation. I enjoyed the story with it's fast pace and dual narrators.

Harry and Ruby, coworkers, love each other. They plan on leaving their spouses and go live together. The problem is, Ruby is waiting in a motel as planned but Harry never shows up. Ruby has lost everything, her job, her home, her husband and she finds out that Harry's wife is pregnant. Harry does not return her calls and she wonders what happened to Harry.

Ruby gets herself a cheap apartment and looks for jobs. When Ruby thinks all is well, strange things start to happen to her. Someone is getting into her apartment and moving things around. She is being followed late at night.

Who is trying to make her life a misery? Is it her husband, her stepson, or someone else?

This story is told from different points of view, Ruby, and Emma, Harry's wife. The reader learns more about both marriages and the dynamics of each. This is a story that is both addictive and page-turning. I love a good psychological thriller and this one fits right in. I enjoyed the book immensely and look forward to reading more

The inspiration for The Closer You Get came when author Mary Torjussen heard about a woman she knew who had an affair with a married man. He left his wife and moved in with her, but the relationship did not last and he ultimately returned to his wife. Torjussen says she pondered what would happen if two people who were both married began having an affair, contemplating whether one could "ever trust someone enough to be the first person to leave home?"

The Closer You Get challenges readers to consider the question that propelled Torjussen to write the book . . . and other troubling questions, through the eyes of Ruby, a woman who endured disapproval and harsh judgment from her mother while growing up, and has seen the man she married become increasingly dogmatic, controlling, and cruelly critical as the years have passed. During the early days of their marriage, Tom was loving and attentive. Now he insists that everything be in accordance with his wishes and desires, and even demands that Ruby pay half of the household expenses despite the fact that he earns far more money than she does. He demands that she wear the FitBit he bought her, using it to check up on her activities. Ruby tells her friend and coworker, "He kept a check of everything I did, Sarah. Every step I took. I couldn't bear it." In contrast, she and Harry had undeniable chemistry from the moment they met when Ruby began working at his company eighteen months ago. They had long conversations, and he valued and respected her. Eventually, they acknowledged their feelings for each other, and vowed to leave their unhappy marriages, making a pact to launch a new, happier future together.

So when Harry doesn't show up at the hotel where he booked and paid for the room they would share, Ruby is understandably shocked and devastated. She realizes she left a beautiful home and financial security for a man who didn't even bother to tell her he changed his mind and decided to stay with his wife -- after she trusted him to keep his word. As the days pass, she resents and is angered by Harry's behavior. "In the pit of my belly was a growing fury that he thought so little of me that he couldn't even be bothered to tell me it was over." To make matters worse, she is summarily and humiliatingly dismissed from her job when she arrives at the office on Monday, and discovers that she has been blackballed so her prospects for securing another job are bleak. She confides in Sarah, and writes a letter to Harry when she is unable to reach him by telephone. Sarah vows to deliver the letter to Harry.

Torjussen takes readers on Ruby's journey to make a new life for herself. Returning to Tom and the home they shared is not an option, although his sudden consideration and kindness, coupled with requests that she come home, tempt her. Determined, she rents a dilapidated apartment and accepts a temporary position that will barely pay enough to cover her bills until she can secure suitable employment. Ruby quickly discovers two things. First, she does not know herself. She acceded to Tom's wishes so consistently that she no longer even knows what kind of food she likes. She permitted Tom to make decisions for her, just as she allowed her mother to make decisions because her family "either did things her way or we suffered. . . " Ruby enjoyed only a few years on her own before she met Tom and went right back to permitting someone else to manage every detail of her daily life for her. Now she is overwhelmed by the choices available to her, even while performing the simple task of shopping for food. Second, she quickly figures out that someone is stalking her. She returns home to her apartment to find that things are not as she left them. She can't remember, for example, hanging her dresses in the closet. She thinks she may simply be forgetful until someone tails her in a vehicle she doesn't recognize as she is walking home one evening. And she observes that vehicle pass by her apartment as she peaks out the window. But who is slipping into her apartment when she is away? And why?

Alternating with Ruby's first-person narrative is that of Emma, Harry's wife, who openly declares that she is going to "blow up" Ruby's life. With that mindset, Emma sets in motion a series of events and circumstances that have lasting repercussions for all concerned. She has no intention of letting Harry leave her, but also wants to ensure that Ruby is held accountable for her role as the "other woman." Emma has no idea, of course, of the lengths to which Tom will go in order to get what he wants.

Torjussen propels the story forward at an unrelenting pace. As it progresses, it is apparent that the characters are neither aware of the information that the other characters possess nor how they will use their knowledge in order to plot and scheme to achieve their own goals. Each character proceeds in accordance with assumptions that frequently turn out to be horribly inaccurate. And when they discover the truth and are forced to pivot, they continue to make choices that lead them in unplanned, unforeseen directions.

At the outset, Ruby is a woman with no confidence or voice who is wooed by a man with his own flaws. Emma is calculating and confident, but is forced to deal with the consequences of her own actions. The Prologue reveals that someone will end up dead and Torjussen gradually intensifies the action leading up to the revelation of how that death came about, as well as the aftermath. But in the process, she injects red herrings and shocking revelations that make The Closer You Get a first-rate thriller with a surprising, but satisfying ending.

Thank you Berkley Publishing {partner} for my gifted copy of The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen in exchange for my honest review. Publication date 4/21/20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From the moment I saw him, I knew we would be together. He makes me feel special, listens when I speak, and the chemistry is electric. We have been careful, planning for months how we would make it work. As I sit here on the couch waiting for my husband to walk in, I am scared. But for the first time in many years, I feel hopeful. I wonder what his reaction will be when he finally realizes I’ve had enough. I’m leaving him, and I should have done this long ago.

Ruby has been living half a life. For years her husband, Tom, has been belittling her, criticizing her, and slowly taking away her self-esteem. He controls her, keeping her emotionally and financially dependent on him. Not anymore. Enough is enough. She met someone who makes her feel valued, loved, and cherished. So what if they are both married. He is unhappy, too. Doesn’t that make it okay?

Ruby finds out just how wrong her every move has been. She leaves her husband to run away with her lover, only he changes his mind, and she is left alone. She has nowhere to live, no money of her own, and loses her job when her boss, the man she has been having an affair with, fires her. How could everything fall apart so quickly?

Emma is devastated when she finds out her husband is cheating on her. How could he do this to her? She goes to his paramour’s house to tell her husband about the affair. They drown their sorrows in bottle after bottle of wine, and end up in bed with each other. Riddled with guilt, Emma hides her discovery and its resulting betrayal from her husband and goes on with her life like everything is normal. Until she discovers she is pregnant.

Emma’s pregnancy ignites a spiraling turn of events that threatens to destroy everyone involved. As she races to determine her child’s paternity, Emma and Ruth find out just how dangerous it is to weave a web full of lies, and that the truth could ultimately devastate their lives even more.

Gripping, suspenseful, and thought-provoking are just a few of the words that come to mind when reflecting on The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen. Not only an engaging piece of fiction, but a look at one’s inner moral compass, and what some are willing do to get what they want.

Conflicted from page one, I read this book with a heart familiar with the subject matter of emotional abuse, and the mind of someone critical of betrayal. With writing so authentic it evoked powerful emotions in me, this book dares to examine morality, ethics, and the state of the human heart.

Torjussen expertly developed characters who were relatable, attachable, and fascinating to follow. There were times I wanted to throw the book across the room at things that were said and done, then run over to eagerly scoop it up to see what train-wreck situation would happen next. I found myself thinking, if this character doesn’t get what’s coming to them, I will be furious. Eliciting such a range of emotions is a cornerstone for a well written suspense novel, and in my opinion Torjussen hit the nail on the head with this one.

Written from dual points of view, going back and forth between Emma and Ruth, the author develops a broad spectrum of perspective, perception, and reality based on a person’s state of mind. I found myself sympathetic to both sides, even though I didn’t agree with the choices they made.

And the antagonist in this story, ohhh!!! I wanted to inflict bodily harm on him. He was despicable, revolting, manipulating, and infuriating beyond belief. I couldn’t believe the things he thought he could get away with, the audacity with which he acted, and the self-inflated opinion he had of himself. The perfect character to hate. Believe it or not, I was hanging on every word to see what he would do next, willing karma to be served to him on a silver platter. Shew, I still get fired up thinking about him. That is what makes a good storyline become an amazing read, characters popping into your thoughts and immediate reactions stirring your emotions.

This is a book that is hard to put down! Thought provoking, mysterious, with a sense of uneasiness through one of the narrators. Written well enough that you feel you’re watching a movie. This is a must read!

This may have been written similarly to other domestic thrillers, but the writing and differing point of views was enjoyable to read! I’m not much for multiple points of view, but it flowed really well in this book. It was a fun, easy read that kept me on the edge of my seat even if it seemed like a familiar story. It read even better than watching a good Hallmark Movie Mystery. It had just the right amount of mystery with some good twists in-between. It’s a perfect weekend binge read.

The Closer You Get started off really interesting. I had so many questions. However, finding out the answers to those questions left me a little disappointed. It also didn’t help that I didn’t like any of the characters.
I think this book would have been better if there had been more backstory about the original couples, especially Emma and Harry. I did enjoy having Emma’s perspective for parts of the story, and it was important to have it. As I mentioned, I didn’t like the characters. Ruby was the most likeable of the characters but it was really hard to like and therefore root for any of them.
I think the overall story was interesting. The premise was great and the “bad” guy was certainly bad.

Tense and addictive. Mary Torjussen has written a captivating and engaging thriller. Ruby and Harry are in love they want to spend the rest of their lives together and live happily ever after. Sound sweet, right? Well not so fast, you see Ruby and Harry are married to other people. And in order to get their “happily ever after“ they need to leave their spouses and that is just what they plan to do. That is until... they don’t. Well at least Harry doesn’t, and he fails to tell Ruby that he has changed his plans. So after Ruby packs her boxes and tells her husband she’s leaving, She heads to the hotel where she is supposed to meet Harry and there is NO Harry to be found. Ruby is unable to contact him and for one long weekend she holds onto hope. That is until Monday and when her life starts to unravel. No man, no job, no house,. Not only that someone is spreading salacious rumors about Ruby making it impossible for her to find a new job and to top it off it appears as though someone is stalking her and sending her creepy messages. How could her life have fallen apart so quickly? And who is to blame?

Oh Ruby... I definitely felt for the girl. Her husband was a complete ass and her beloved Harry was nowhere to be seen. But maybe this was all for The Best Ruby wanted to get out of her loveless marriage anyways, but now Tom is acting like the man she fell in love with. What a hot mess! This book had the perfect amount of tension and kept me engaged throughout the entire story. What was going to happen to Ruby next? I had to know. I also had to know who was screwing with her life. Torjussen did a marvelous job of leading me in one direction and then taking me in another. An entertaining story with a satisfying ending.

This book in emojis 🏩 🕶 🧣 📥

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

The Closer You Get is the type of book I lean toward. It’s marketed as a mystery/thriller but I would say it’s more suspense than thriller. Regardless, it’s still a good read.


Let’s start with what I liked. I got into the story immediately -- so much so that I read the book quickly and did not want to put it down. I liked that the book varies between Ruby’s viewpoint and that of Emma, her lover’s wife. It provided the reader with differing concepts that came together by the conclusion of the book. Differing viewpoints, both told in the first person, don’t always work but they did in this case, allowing the reader to relate to both the wife and the mistress.


I felt sympathy for Ruby over her controlling husband and got that nervous, sick, stomach-dropping feeling when she realized that her boss, Harry, wasn’t going to show up for their scheduled new life together. I intensely felt Ruby’s anxiety over her new life and her fears that she was being watched.


As someone who adores London and the U.K., I gravitate toward books that take place in Britain and this book checked off that box. Thanks to the location, and the overall story, I could easily visualize every action, every conversation.


What wasn’t I too fond of? I found Ruby a very conflicting heroine. While I did sympathize with her, I was also frustrated over some of her actions and inactions. I felt that she should have picked up on some occurrences much quicker than she did. Sure, she had a controlling husband and not many friends but she did work outside the home and wasn’t born yesterday.


Additionally, I was waiting for a big payoff or reveal (maybe since the book was categorized as a thriller) and while all loose ends were wrapped up, it felt like a little bit of a deflating balloon rather than a pop, if you know what I mean.


That said, the cons of The Closer You Get are minor and much less than the pros. To repeat, I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn’t put the book down. It was perfect escapism and time well spent.


I would not hesitate to recommend The Closer You Get to fans of the mystery/suspense genre. You will find yourself on an enjoyable, entertaining ride.

From Psychotic State Book Reviews (www.psychoticstate.net)

Going into this book just know this is more of a suspense than thriller, I still really enjoyed it! Ruby is married to Tom, she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. Tom is controlling and emotionally abusive, when Ruby starts her new job she falls in love with her boss Harry. Harry and Ruby begin an affair the only issue he’s also married to a woman named Emma. Ruby and Harry decide to leave their spouses and begin a new life together. After going through with the plan, Ruby waits for Harry at the hotel but he never shows. Showing up to work Monday morning she’s informed she’s fired and Harry is no where to be seen. She soon discovers from her former coworker that Harry’s wife is pregnant and he took a holiday with her. Ruby tries to come to terms with everything so she decides to start over. She rents a dingy apartment, and tries to find a new job. Soon Ruby gets the feeling she’s being watched, things in her apartment are being moved, weird phone calls on her cell phone soon she’s wondering if someone is out to get her. The book is in two POVs with Ruby’s side and Harry’s wife Emma. With Emma’s side you get her side of Harry’s affair, and how she’s uncovers everything but underneath her perfect facade she puts on shes facing her own challenges and secrets. I don’t want to give away to much but the author does an amazing job unraveling the story, I was pulled into the two woman’s story. The plot had me guessing and when realize the huge reveal job will be shocked! Four stars!

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Harry and Ruby work together, are married to other people, end up having an extended love affair, and decide to leave their spouses. Big problem is that Ruby follows through and Harry ghosts her.

Now Ruby has very little money, a crappy apartment and no job.

This was a great psychological thriller. The intertwining between the two couples is masterful and there are some genuinely freaky moments throughout.

I loved the ending. Of course, I loved the whole book but the ending tied everything up in one neat package. I'll definitely look for more books by author Torjussen.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

This was such a great read! It is so hard to find original thrillers and this one was definitely a take that I hadn't seen before. The writing was great, very entertaining and kept me interested. It is told through two POV's, both of which were well done and kept me interested. This was super fast paced and I loved the flow. Overall this was a great book. I knocked it down a star for the little bit of predictability but don't let that dissuade you.

There is something about this authors style that just really appeals to me, there’s something subtle about her writing and there’s always this great undercurrent of tension running throughout the story. She also writes fairly short chapters keeping things moving at a fast pace and right now when I grab a thriller that’s basically a necessity for me. It did start out slower than it ended, but that’s kind of her signature style and the last quarter of the book things really gain momentum and there were several pretty decent twists and turns. Did this provide a much needed escape for me? Absolutely. Was it anything groundbreaking? No, but I was entertained and not put off by the parts I did see coming before they actually happened. Overall a fun type of thriller, I’m definitely a fan of MT!

Mary Torjuseen is a "new to me" author and I was very excited when Berkley Publishing reached out and asked if I would be interested in reading and review her April 2020 release, The Closer You Get. I love domestic suspense/thrillers so when I read the book description I had high hopes! 

I found this book totally engaging and full of twists and turns. It is a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for". While the plot was fairly predictable, it was a totally entertaining reading ride filled with love, jealousy, secrets, and plenty of manipulation. 

We meet Ruby and Emma who take turns narrating this fast-paced novel. Their lives become intertwined and the drama ensues. I loved the alternating perspectives and the ability to look at these plotlines through differing lenses. I loved Torjuseen's writing style and the pacing of this book was perfect for a "quarantine read" that you can devour in an afternoon. 

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.