Matt Miksa has created something new and interesting with this story. The combination of science, theology, and religion with a pinch of mystery is something I have never read before. It's a twisted and somewhat complicated story that I had to slow down my reading to wrap my head around what was happening. The time line is long and twisted and if you blink you will miss an important part. The characters are full of life and background stories. The pace was fast, but it doesn't leave the reader behind.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I started to read Don't Get Close, I didn't really know what to expect. I thought it would be a very slow-paced book, but full of action and fight scenes, like a lot of FBI books I read.

But I was positively surprised. The book is, in a way, a little bit slow-paced. But in this case it's a good thing because we are able to absorve well all the informations, stories and explanations given without feeling confused and lost.

Don't Get Close was very interesting and a great reading for me. The plots were well linked from beginning to end, I feel like the questions were answered and the characters and stories were very well built.

If you like FBI books with mystery, plot twists and badass sapphics, I hope you'll like this book. Because I did.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of my honest rewiew.

The book is well written and has an interesting plot. There were many twists and turns which kept me motivated to read it. There were some aspects of the book that were a little confusing but did clear up later on in the chapter. The main idea as to why different events occurred came from an interesting perspective but at times seemed a little out there.

There a lot of books in this genre that follow a similar path but this one was excellent and I was really enjoying it. I didn’t want it to finish so that’s praise indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Don’t Get Close is a slow burn police procedural and governmental thriller. The novel started off quite slow, but about halfway through, it was hard to put down!

The book follows Special Agent Taggart who gets assigned to a cold case (that’s 30 years old) of the cult “The Sons of Elijah”. Oh and the cult...is believe to have continually been reincarnated (wHat!!). Then there's a bomb in Chicago that is believed to be tied to this cult and now this newbie FBI agent is going to stop them!

The book has a lot of history and details that I found myself skimming through or wanting to get through as quickly as possible, but I’m not much of a history person so that could be unique to me. This book is a unique thriller (deals with a cult and reincarnation) overall but I definitely got confused with the characters from the past lives and how they relate. I would recommend this book!

I really liked the way this one started.. The premise, the misdirection and the questions about what it all meant were managed very well, as was the pacing and the sense of suspense. But as things started to be revealed, it started to get odd - and that's where it lost me a bit...

It stayed off-kilter for me until the last pages, unfortunately - although came back around at the bitter end with a surprisingly dark ending that I actually liked (even while rolling my eyes). It was an entertaining read, just a little more uneven than the beginning led me to expect.

Don't Get Close follows Vera Taggart, an artist recruited by the FBI, as she tries to solve an old cold case about a cult of suicide bombers called "the Sons of Elijah". She talks down a guy from jumping off a bridge only to find out that he might have something to do with that cult.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The start was a bit slow, but when the plot picked up it was hard to put down. But I had some issues with it. First, lets just say that you'll need a lot, and I mean a LOT of suspension of disbelief to be able to enjoy this book. Which is something that I usually don't have a problem with, but there's only so much disbelief I can suspend (if that even makes sense). I personally don't believe in reincarnation. I certainly don't mind reading about it, but there were just so many other things that I had to turn a blind eye to while reading to be able to enjoy it and it just became more than I can handle.
The historical parts, although relevant to the story, were honestly quite boring as well.

I would've enjoyed it a lot better had the author stuck with the logical explanation, but it was a pretty good read overall.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

This was such an interesting read! It was a thriller mixed with sci-fi and historical fiction.
The story is told from Special Agent Taggart’s POV as she tries to uncover a decades old cold case involving the cult, The Sons of Elijah. It also includes excerpts of Dr. Johnson’s book on his dealings with the Sons of Elijahs members as his patients.
The book starts out a little slow but once I got about halfway through I couldn’t put it down! This isn’t the typical style of books I usually read but I really enjoyed it.
I recommend this if you like- psychological thrillers, history, sci-fi, FBI stories

When the newly recruited FBI agent Vera Taggart is pulled into a 30 year old investigation of the cult, The Sons of Elijah, she needs to find her way in a world full of intriuge, speculative hypnotherapy and reincarnation.
Throughout the book we follow Taggarts attempt to solve the case of the suspicious suicide cult, while she begins to doubt the people around her and herself.

Reading this book felt like watching an episode of Criminal Minds, full of action and twists, loveable, but flawed characters and insane, if somewhat unrealistic, policework.
Usually books with police as the main character isn’t really my thing, but the way that Matt Miksa develops the plot makes it so addicting to read.
A lot of the plot is over the top and I doubt that it works this way in the real FBI, but I enjoyed reading the story and was entertained throuout.

Special Agent Taggart has just been assigned a cold case. After 30 years of silence, the FBI is attempting to uncover the mysteries of the Sons of Elijah. It’s Taggart’s job to find out exactly what they’re hiding, and where they plan to strike again.

This book started off a little slow, but as the story built and the plot thickened, I found myself having a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed the overall story and dynamic of the book.

This book was incredibly detailed oriented. There was a lot of history that was discussed in great detail in the book. And while it was relevant to the story I found myself getting lost at times or skimming to get back to the main plot line.

I would definitely consider this a slow burn until about the half way mark. That’s not at all a negative comment, I just had a little bit of trouble getting into it until that point.

I really enjoyed this thriller! It was fresh and exciting and I loved the idea of a cult surrounding reincarnation. Great story!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Don't Get Close by Matt Miksa is an police procedural and government thriller with elements of pseudo-science and science fiction. The story revolves around FBI Special Agent Vera Taggart, who gets caught up in the case of the Sons of Elijah, a cult who committed suicide bombings decades ago. When it seems that the Sons of Elijah have returned, Tag has to investigate by going to sessions with the psychiatrist who treated some of the members. Dr. Seth Jacobson believes that under hypnosis, people can remember their past lives and use those memories to work through problems they're experiencing in their current life. Suspected that the good doctor is more than what he seems, Tag decides to undero hypnosis treatment herself as a part of her investigation. What is the Sons of Elijah's secret? How is Dr. Jacobson involved?

Here is a chilling excerpt from the Prologue:

"Another drop of blood detached from the cuff of her coat and landed on the bright ground. Sophie winced and grabbed the sleeve, which was too long and hung limp past her fingertips. It wasn’t actually her coat... In any case, she’d ruined it (blood never came out completely), but it was still in better condition than her own coat, which now sat stuffed inside a trash bin with a hole punched through its Gore-Tex shell. A perfect, round hole that matched the one in Sophie’s shoulder.
Even if he can’t track the boot prints, he’ll follow the dripping red trail. And if he catches me …"

Overall, Don't Get Close is a well-written police procedural and government thriller that I could not put down. I was fascinated by the pseudo-science aspects of this book, particularly the hypnosis scenes. I should warn you though that if you are unable to suspend your disbelief regarding hypnosis, reincarnation, and government conspiracies, you may not enjoy this book. I took 1 star off, because I was expecting a typical thriller that is based completely in reality. There are some parts that you will really have to stretch your mind to believe. It's really hard for me to think of movies that give off a similar vibe to this book, but I guess that I could compare it to Mission Impossible and National Treasure. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in March!

This is a a book that is filled with very detailed information that will keep you thinking long after you finish the book. It is a style and a topic are not what I would have normally chosen but I did find it interesting and very thought provoking. This is a story about an artist that is recruited for the FBI and she goes through training and gets assigned a cold case. Tagg on the first day talks down a jumper on a bridge only to learn later he could be tied to her cold case. Tagg interviews the psychologist who wrote the book about his patient Sophia who was believed to be one of the Sons of Elijah. Tagg is trying to understand why the woman would kill so many people.

What will Tagg uncover as she investigates? Will she be able to understand why Sophia killed so many people? Will she be able to prevent another disaster?

Thank you to Netgalley for complimentary copy.

Tag is an FBI agent on the hunt of a religious cult leader cold case. With her ability to solve cases quickly and efficiently, only Tag can figure out the answer to this one.

Tag is led to a psychiatrist who has treated members of the cult before, and puts herself in the shoes of the cult leaders as she tries to uncover their next move. What will this treatment uncover that Tag has hidden ? And will it help her solve the crime?

I thought the book was well paced and action packed. The book leaves further exploration of other stories so I'm sure there will be more from this author in the future.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review…I do not prefer novels set in the future even though this was not that far into the future…I maintain that no one can predict the future…also the thought of reincarnation does not resonate with me…this I will pass on reading this novel again…others who like these themes might enjoy the book…

It was a book that had a interesting story . I recommend it for people who aren't offended by unorthodox ideas. And you the ending is open to interpretation

I don’t even know where to begin?

The story is based on this cult, The Sons of Elijah. They set of several bombs a couple of decades ago and killed about a thousand of people (and themselves in the process). The members also believe in reincarnation and they truly believe they have been reincarnated for several centuries, protecting a secret.

Our MC Vera Taggert (Tag) is a novice FBI agent who gets this cold case and starts her own investigation into the events. This leads her to Dr. Seth Jacobson a psychiatrist who has treated two of the leading members of the Sons of Elijah, through hypnosis sessions.

Tag decides to undergo one of the sessions for herself and gets pulled into the middle of this puzzle. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance and she has to decide who’s side she’s fighting for.

This was a very intriguing read and kept me guessing the whole way through. It definitely is not predictable and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

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Crooked Lane Books you have become my favorite pub and I just can't thank y'all enough for the approved ebooks! 😘

Don't Get Close was such an intense book! I devoured this book in a matter of two days!
The setting was fabulous. I was intrigued throughout this entire book and had me scanning the pages to find out how this book ends!
I absolutely loved this book! It was fast-paced with a lot of action and suspense.
With amazing characters that instantly pull you into their story and keep you gripped.
I had a hard time putting this book down after I got started. I kept thinking "just one more chapter" and as usual I kept reading...... That is this book right here!

Thanks NetGalley and CLB y'all rock!

“They should rejoice. All of them. Even if they’ll never know what the Sons of Elijah have done for them. What I’ve done for them.”

Don't get Close is a book that with just the title makes you want to read it. It is incredible that with only 3 words a book attracts so much attention.

Let's start with the plot: The concept seemed really interesting to me. I have always heard the topic of reincarnation and past lives, and I must admit that it is a fascinating topic for me. It was amazing to be able to read about the past lives of certain characters and see how each of them related to each other.

About the characters: Let's start with our protagonist Tag, who used to be an artist and who after a tragic event decides to accept a proposal to join the FBI. I think the character was written well; she makes mistakes, gets angry, and sometimes acts impulsively, she's basically a real person. I liked the idea of ​​including the reason why she joined this institution as it helps to have a better context and background. I must admit, her co-workers many times made me angry or their comments annoyed me. In certain chapters I got confused with the characters from the past lives and how they relate to the Tag, so if you're gonna read this book you should try to read really carefully.

The format of the chapters: I was pleased that they added parts of the doctor's books to know his perspective and relationship with the members of the terrorist group without using him as a narrator. The chapters weren't long and they were quick to read because of that.

The plotwist: I WAS SHOCKED. It literally says "wtf" out loud. I was really amazed with every plotwist I read; when I thought I was finally guessing something, a plotwist would come by and change my overall perspective of what was happening. AND THEN THE CLIFFHANGER, GOD, IT WAS SO INTENSE. I need a sequel for this, like for real omg

I thank NetGalley and its publisher for the arc of this book!