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!

Also noticed in the author description that the author is a "former FBI intelligence analyst who helped prevent foreign spies from stealing America's secrets." so safe to say all the details were a good thing!!

This wasn’t my favorite book. I felt it was hard to keep up with all the different characters and it was hard to focus while listening. I think it might have been better to read the physical book instead of listening to the audio.

Wait wait what did I just read (err listen)?!? There are no suitable for review words to describe how I’m feeling after finishing this audiobook. My mind is blown. And I’m still not sure what actually happened and who was right or wrong. I feel as though I’ve been on the fastest spinning wheel and I don’t know which way up is.

What I do know is that was a wild ride. I will say I think this may be better as a book rather than an audiobook. There were so many characters and the chapters didn’t follow a pattern of who’s pov would be next. It made it hard to differentiate with one narrator (although she was incredible)

I love when a book gives me chills. I love the creepy and the crazy. I switched back and forth on audio book to physical book with this one. The audio narrator was phenomenal. I started listening first and that prologue! Omg. CHILLS. Love it!

I didn’t realize it was a paranormal thriller at first. 😂 that was my bad, I went in kinda blind. I knew it was a thriller and it sounded interesting. But I love going in blind sometimes. I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of wide eye moments where I’m thinking OH WOW OK THAT IS WILD. So many good twists. I’ve already added his first book to my TBR list because I loved his writing style.

I was excited for this but it ended up being far to speculative. The main character was interesting, the narrator did a great job but ultimately I just got lost and couldn't get into the story.

This book took me more time than other thrillers to really get into. The narrator does a good job with all of the characters but there is an air of unbelievability that hangs over the book, not just because reincarnation is a topic that isn't everyone's belief, but the dialog felt forced and not 'real'.' I did not find myself forming a connection with many of the characters. I think Miksa has promises, but the story here doesn't quite sing for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Matt Miksa for the audio version of Don't Get Close narrated by Kristin Price. This is my honest opinion. I really enjoy FBI stories however, this one was not at all what I anticipated. It delved into reincarnation, Sci-fy (in my opinion) and unrealistic happenings. I had to really concentrate to follow along. I think Kristin Price did a good job with the narration to differentiate the characters.
I can't recommend this unless your genre is cults, or reincarnation-type books. It just wasn't what I thought it would be you may have a different opinion.

I really had NO idea what to expect with this book. The story definitely twists around and leaves room for more books after this. I haven’t read many books that revolve around philosophical ideas, but blending it into a mystery/thriller was actually pretty good.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my free ARC audiobook, given in exchange for an honest review.*

It's present day Chicago and Vera "Tag" Taggart is a newly minted FBI agent on a huge case: stopping the Sons of Elijah, a terrorist organization known for mass murders and bombings, active for decades. One of her first meetings is with Dr. Jacobson, a psychiatrist, who explains his unusual practice of hypnosis to get at memories of his patients' past lives. As it turns out, some of his patients turn out to be members of the Sons, but also have intertwining past life stories which hold the key to solving and stopping a mass casualty in the present.

This was a bizarre story which was not at all what I expected from the description. I find it impossible to categorize it into a single genre. It's classified as a mystery/thriller, and while it has elements of both of those, it also bears the markings of sci-fi, dystopia, and maybe fantasy, along with historical fiction. I have nothing against mixing genres normally, but this one was just not executed well enough to justify so much disparity. It just seemed to be trying to be everything and ended up falling short.

The story jumps continually between the supposed past lives of several main characters over time periods spanning about 1500 years. Elements of different religions and their offshoots, international political events, and some obscure references to lesser-known times in history make up the essential background of this story. I did appreciate the inclusion of some of these things, as it's rare to read a novel including the Arians and the Cathars, but even as a person who has studied these movements, the jumping between them was confusing.

I do applaud the attempt and appreciate that it kept me guessing until the end, it's a fine line between serving up a good twist and making a reader constantly say "what the... what did I just read?" This was just on the wrong side of the line.

Much of the dialogue was unrealistic, and the sex scenes were just cringe-worthy.

In fairness, my review is based on my subjective preferences, and while I love mysteries, thrillers, and historical fictions, I mostly detest science fiction and fantasy. The book falls just enough into the categories I don't enjoy to turn me off to it, even though it's mostly well-written and I still think it's worth the read for people who enjoy these more than I do.

Reviewing
Don’t Get Close
By Matt Miksa

Who doesn’t love a good cult thriller!?! Readers dive deep into the history and driving theology behind “The Son’s Of Elijah” as FBI agents do their best to get a head of the group and bring them down. The FBI agents in this book are unsavoury at best, sexist and power hungry, their narrow focus and self serving actions cut them off at every turn. The plot is far fetched and hard to follow leaving readers feeling confused and in bad company.

I love thrillers but this one just didn’t offer the suspense and action packed excitement that I look for in a thriller.

⭐️⭐️💫 2.5 stars for this disjointed thriller full of frustrating character. Sorry.

I was given an advance copy audiobook in exchange for an honest review upon completion.. I can truthfully say this is a book I wouldn’t ordinarily pick up, but this is a truly a nonstop thriller that takes you through major twists and turns that you won’t see coming. It is one part thriller, all together suspenseful to the end. There is intricate FBI profiling on cult activity by “Sons of Elijah”, this is a bit sci-fithere is explicit sex by the main character which is a reoccurring event necessary to the entire plot. You have to keep an open mind to believe that reincarnation is a possibility going back to the time when Christ walked this world. It was, in my opinion something that made me ponder the possibilities.. This book has left me thinking about it. Yes I am definitely recommending this book when it comes out. I wasn’t familiar with any previous work of Matt Miksa but will be watching for future works. as a change from my usual genre. I always enjoy a good thriller but this is one like none of the thrillers I have read in the past. My loss. Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #DreamWorks Media, #MattMiksa, and of course #Don’tGetClose for giving me the opportunity to have an early listen to this audiobook..

Don’t Get Close
Matt Miksa
Vera Taggart was a promising artist when she was recruited by the FBI. She has a talent for picking up clues at gruesome crime scenes. Her first assignment is a 30-year-old case. A cult called the Sons of Elijah believe they are reincarnated over and over again. The members of the cult are responsible for horrendous crimes through suicide bombings. The old case turns hot again when a restaurant is destroyed by a bomb. Dr. Seth Jacobson is a psychiatrist that uses hypnotherapy to assist his patients in remembering their past lives. Two of the Sons of Elijah were patients of Dr. Jacobson. Vera allows herself to be hypnotized by the doctor in an effort to understand why his patients became violent. Vera secretly records her sessions and realizes she regressed back centuries.
I have mixed feelings concerning this tale. I am between 1 and 2 stars. I found Vera boring; I didn’t like her partner Joe, who acted like a d*** or her boss who was using her. Frankly I didn’t like the FBI in this tale. This book did not live up to my expectations.

Don't Get Close by Matt Miksa is a book that is largely about the cult called "Son's Of Elijah." Special Agent Vera Taggart is trying to find out if she believes that this cult is reborn again, as it has said to have been many times. She recruits the help of a psychiatrist who has been studying and supposedly interviewing members of the cult who have been brought back to life from other individuals. These individuals usually go under a trance and have no recollection of the things they remember under this trance. Are these crimes ones connected or is it all a coincidence? Is there something bigger at stake here?

Unfortunately, this book isn't for me. I loved the premise of the book, as I love following any FBI or Detective perspective, as we did in this book. I just found the whole thing so unbelievable. I wasn't particularly wowed, or invested in this story. I think that other people might like this more than I did. But, I usually love books with these tropes, so it is hard for me to recommend this to others.

I was listening to this via Audiobook provided by Netgalley, and I think that was also a mistake. My preferred way to consume books is with audio and a physical copy. However, the narrator didn't have my attention and I think I would have enjoyed it more just reading the physical copy. Overall, this was a 2.5 star for me

While this book was not for me personally because I just could not vibe with the characters, I can see many who enjoy mystery/thrillers with a lot of plot twists!

I had a 4-5 hour drive ahead of me and boy did it go quick listening to this audiobook. This story is full of action, not only in present day suicide bombing but traveling back in time and visiting the idea of reincarnation. This is really not something I'm interested in and at times the multiple story layers were hard to follow but, three days later, I had another quick drive home with the FBI, Vera, and Dr. Jacobson.

I had a hard time losing myself in this book with the improbable reincarnation aspect paired with the FBI agent. I like it ok but just couldn't rectify the "supernatural" aspect of it in my brain. I feel like the book was well written and well-paced but I think I just couldn't turn off my BS meter to get truly into the story.

#DontGetClose
#NetGalley

This was an ok read. The premise is different and a little weird (not a bad thing), but the story itself was just ok. I was expecting a gripping & suspenseful story, but I didn't get that feel. I thought it would have a lot of action since they are chasing a group to prevent an act of terrorism. It is a good story and worth the read but definitely not what I expected.

Assigned to the cult cold case - Sons Of Elijah, Agent Vera Taggert teams up with the renowned hypnotherapist Dr. Seth Jacobsen to understand how the cult group views reincarnation and terrorism after 2 of his patients commit terrorist acts. Soon, Agent Taggert is undergoing hypnosis herself and being sucked into the cult world that feels way too familiar.

“Is it murder if the soul is immortal?” sets the tone for this intriguing story where cults and terrorism mix with reincarnation.

Here's what I loved!
✨Chicago Setting (I live here, so I loved all the local elements! 😍)
✨Right mix of character development, background story, and action to consistently move the story forward.
✨Shocking good twists
✨The ending 😳 sequel, maybe?
✨Kristin Price’s narration - perfect!

What could have been better:
✨Some of the details of the past lives could be shortened. I did get lost sometimes in the different centuries. However, reading the physical may help with some of the reincarnation details.
✨Marketing campaign should highlight the sci-fi, history, fantasy spin in the book. These mixed-genre thrillers should be promoted for their differences from a typical thriller. There is an audience for them, I promise! 🙋🏻‍♀️

Overall, I really enjoyed this unique sci-fi thriller. I discovered that Matt Miksa is a former FBI intelligence analyst, which brings some authenticity to some of the details. As a fellow Chicagoan, congrats! I look forward to your future books novels.

I'll start off by saying that with Mystery & Thriller novels, I tend to not read the synopsis. Why? Because I've found that oftentimes it spoils most of the book and I would have enjoyed it more had I not known what the book was about. Plus it helps me read books outside of my comfort zone!

"Don't Get Close" is about an FBI agent, Vera Taggart, who is trying to solve a cold case on a cult of suicide bombers called the Sons of Elijah. Since this is a "cold case" no one expects much from agent Tag, as she is a new recruit. Things quickly change when agent Tag follows a trail of clues that leads her to finally solve this strange phenomenon of suicide bombers. Only to discover that things aren't as they seem.

I would say that my summary of this book is way more interesting than the actual book. I can't say that there was a single thing I liked about this book because it was all over the place. Let me explain...

The prologue to this book was FANTASTIC. But I must say that was the last time the book ever felt interesting or exciting. So after a huge cliff hanger from the prologue, we are briefly introduced to the MC agent Tag. Her personality was very lackluster. We find out that her roommate is missing and later pronounced dead. Tag doesn't show hardly ANY emotion about this event and seemingly goes on with her life.

Then we proceed to the next section of the book that was extremely confusing and flat out boring. It switches to Dr. Jacobson's POV, a therapist who has connections to the Sons of Elijah cult, and his therapy sessions with these cult members. This entire section was pointless because in the end, Jacobson did not even play a crucial role in the plot.

Now for the MC Tag... I had so many issues with this character... First and foremost her job. You're gonna sit there and tell me that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will let a ROOKIE agent like her snoop around suspects without backup and letting anyone know where she was going? Like yes I understand the FBI was using her as bait but this just felt unrealistic. I'm surprised no one killed or kidnapped her because she was stealing evidence, talking to suspects while drinking on the job, and overall going after clues for HERSELF and not for the betterment of the case. Also the fact that Tag was SO niave in thinking that SHE was the chosen one to crack this case. No honey you literally got tricked by everyone around you and you believed everything they said.

My second issue with Tag is that is supposedly a "lesbian". There were a few offhanded remarks about Tag being gay but it sure didn't feel like it. The author made this fact know by having Tag have sex with Alex later in the book. Let's just say this... Just because two women are lesbians does NOT mean that they will instantly want to have sex with each other! That's not how that works! And I know the premise of this was "Ooo reincarnation is so cool and it means I can skip any romantic buildup" but you couldn't have built up the tension a little more? Tag realizes "Oh this chick is my lover from a past life!" and then kisses her right away. Where's the consent??? Where's the tension??? It just read as the author being lazy and not wanting to put any effort into the minuscule amount of sapphic representation in this book.

Now for the HORRIFIC ending of this book... Was I surprised? No. Was I happy that this book was over? YES YES YES. HALLELUJAH BABY!!! I am free at last!!! The entire "mystery" to this book was... pointless. I would classify this book as more of a sci-fi book than a mystery/thriller. Is this your average FBI mystery novel? No, but maybe it should've been. There were so many strange elements and lack of character development in this book that made the ending absolutely meaningless. What's the point of a catastrophic ending when you spent 85% of the book focused on everything BUT the main character.

Unfortunately I was not able to connect to this book and ended up not finishing it. It just was a bit dry and maybe not my normal type of read made it so