I really loved this Mary Burton thriller! It has excellent characters development, twists & great atmosphere. I was in for the ride & am so glad I got to read this one!

A pretty good mystery from Mary Burton, you can clearly see how she's improved from her earlier novels. Full of suspense and tension, a good read when you're in the moods for a mystery

This was more of an extended romance than a crime thriller. The characters were good but I thought the plot was weak and a bit unrealistic. It really wasn't what I expect from Mary Burton.

Keep you close

Small town romance
Romantic thriller
Second chance romance
Slow burn

I really liked this book and its a short, fast read

Soon after beginning this title I had a strong feeling of deja vu and after a little investigation discovered that this is a re-issue of Mary's earlier book 'In Dark Waters' which I have already reviewed.

This book felt like I had read it before. And not in that old familiar favorite book way. In the, I've seen this plot over and over and over again way. The characters are underdeveloped. The ending is easily guessed. It was also over way too quickly. I love this author and really thought I was gonna love this book.

I have read nothing by Mary Burton before, so I was excited to delve into this. But to be honest, I couldn’t get into it. Firstly, it was short and in my opinion the story would have worked better as a longer novel. There just didn’t seem enough time to develop the characters and plot events enough to keep me engaged and on the edge of my seat. It was also so predictable and full of cliches. Rekindling with an old love (that first start off bickering and hating one another before falling back in love), protagonist returning to hometown because of some tragedy, and who also had a difficult and turbulent childhood. It was also dragged out and there was a lot of setup, and that’s why I think it would have worked better longer. As the setup itself was decent and intriguing, but then the rest of the story seemed rushed and predictable.

This wasn’t for me, but it wouldn’t put me off checking out other work by the author. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

I was disappointed with this book, feeling that the characters were not developed enough, the plot too obvious and over-done, and finally, that it was over far too quickly.

To start with, I thought the story was really slow to get started. The writer takes a lot of time to establish that there is a dead body in the quarry that needs investigating, and this just sets the pace for the rest of the story. Realising that I soon only had a fifth of the book left, I could not see how Burton would conclude the plot without it feeling rushed. Alas, it did come around too soon and I finished the book feeling I had experienced a massive whirlwind with not much to show for it afterwards.

The premise of someone returning to their home town does feel rather over-done recently. I have somehow come across several books all with the same backbone to the plot and this did not feel very original as a result. Furthermore, Kelsey has had a troubled childhood: abandoned by her mother and then only barely looked after by her aunt. This sense of isolation and a need to find out more behind her mother’s actions made me feel a bit bored by this sub-plot of the narrative. I knew that Kelsey would be dissatisfied by the answers she finds and that the big reveal about her father would eventually come as part of this murder mystery.

Finally, Kelsey’s return to her hometown inevitably leads to her working closely with her first love. Unsurprisingly, the flame is rekindled, creating some very cheesy love scenes! I’m not sure whether I really liked Mitch, particularly his comment about unprotected sex which, quite frankly, made me squirm. In my opinion, he comes across as a very dated character with out-of-touch opinions. Not my sort of hero at all!

The reason why I continued reading this book was because I was hoping for some big ‘spark’ to energise the story. I was also keen to massage my ego and see if my predictions were correct! Whilst there were some surprises towards the end, it was not enough to change my opinion that this is quite a tedious, predictable novel that felt rushed throughout.

A short mystery, with good characters and an intriguing storyline. Lots of twists,a good read over too soon.

I am a true Mary Burton fan, if she writes it, I will read it.

This was a quick read, a second chance love, a 10 year murder solved, with twists/turns, and a lot of determination.

This was an addicting mystery but the plot was a bit obvious and overdone. I feel like it could use a good edit to make it read a bit smoother. The characters were interesting, if not a bit overdone in their descriptions. The case was interesting and had me invested in the story. Overall a fine read but not my favorite of hers.

Loved it! As usual you are taken on a rollercoaster ride throughout the story. The twists are spectacular and keep you flipping pages as fast as you can. A great cast of characters and a vivid plot create an amazing story.

This was a quick little read, which was sad because I wish Mary brton books would be like 500 Pages because they are so good! This was a good mystery second chance at love, perfect for an afternoon or beach read!

Reissue of a 2005 book "In Dark Waters". I love a good tightly written Romantic-Suspense that gets the job done in a reasonable page count. Harlequin Intrigue books do a great job of doing that. This is a reissue of an older version, same story, different cover. Mary Burton is a very good writer, but as this is an early work from her, don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.

At 18 Kelsey Warren left town after a one-night stand with Mitch Garrett. Now, eight years later she is back after her estranged aunt died. Kelsey is a world class diver, and her photography has taken her around the world and made her a success. Her younger life was a disaster, a promiscuous drug addict for a mother who abandoned her at 15 to an aunt who wasn't meant to be a caregiver. Kelsey is back to lay some of those old ghosts to rest.

Sheriff Mitch Garrett is shocked to find Kelsey at the quarry for a dive to find an old, abandoned car. The real shocker is finding Kelsey's mother, Donna, in that car. Kelsey and Mitch need to find the killer before they end up dead too.

My thanks to HQ Digital, Publisher, and Mary Burton, author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

A new author, but a familiar plot. The heroine was not abandoned as a child, her mother was murdered! And now she needs to use her journalistic skills to solve the crime. Not familiar with the author but she seems well liked and famous for the plot twists which happen regularly in this book.

this is my second book from this author and i loved the arsonist. The author writes crime thrillers which is great. I was all over the place in my writing of this review and how to rate it because different parts of the book had me feeling different. I loved how the book started with a dead body, returning to the family home, and overall the main characters back story. The love scene of a rekindled romance was cheesy and so easily seen from a mile away.
I think what truly took the story away was the love interest aspect because the murderer mystery bit was very good and developed.
I also feel it was a .. wrap everything up in a pretty bow ending that felt very jarring.

Another quick read from a favourite author.

“Keep you close” it's a fast-paced romantic suspense that you have no other option but to read it in one sitting. And that's because it's addictive from start to finish.

Second chance romance, an arson attack at her aunt's house and so many dead bodies showing up when least expected. What more could I want from a great book?

Perfect for any reader.

Keep You. Close by Mary Burton unfortunately for me was a bit of a disappointment. I am a huge fan of Mary Burton, but for me, the story was over way too quickly, was way to predictable and the characters were underdeveloped. It pains me to write a review like this but I unfortunately have to.

Thank you to #netgalley and #HQ. All opinions expressed are my own.

Keep You Close is a fast-paced afternoon read. Kelsey Warren returns home for her aunt's funeral. Before she leaves town she agrees to do a favor and dive in a quarry for a friend. While she is diving she takes pictures of the fish and of the car they are supposed to be looking for. Kelsey recognizes the car and discovers a body inside of it. Mitch her first love thinks Kelsey is acting strangely and they begin the process of surfacing. Once they are out of the water Kelsey says that the body they saw was her mother.

Kelsey wants to know the truth, but more bodies turn up and an arson sets her aunt's house on fire. Mitch and Kelsey will have to put their feelings aside as they solve the mystery.

I like all of Mary Burton's books. Some are fast paced, but they are all page turners. There is lots of drama and intrigue that keeps you wanting more.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I found this book to be a very fast paced read. I have always enjoyed Mary Burton's writing style and how she manages write fantastic psychological thrillers.