Mary Burton does it again! Absolutely no disappointment! Quick paced, full of detail, mystery/ Thriller with a bit of romance/spice. Her books are the best of both worlds.

In this book we follow Kelsey who is returning to Virginia to try and attend her Aunts funeral, and unfortunately doesn't make it on time. While being around the last place she called home before her worldly travels, she soon helps discover a body in the quarry, with the help of her ex love interest. They soon discover that this body is her mother, who vanished more than 10 years ago. With another body turning up in the quarry, someone else missing, and a near death experience for Kelsey, you start to realize everything has to be linked, but why? You'll just have to read this one to find our! You will enjoy it I promise.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reading of Keep You Close!

Photo journalist Kelsey Warren returns home for her aunt's funeral and winds up caught up in a criminal investigation. During what should be a routine dive in a quarry to check out a submerged car, Kelsey realizes that the car belonged to her mom and that her mom's body is in the front seat. Donna wasn't the best of mothers, and for years Kelsey has believed that Donna abandoned her. Now she's come to find out that Donna was murdered. Kelsey's old flame, Sheriff Mitch Garrett, is in charge of the investigation. Kelsey is doing everything she can to keep him at arm's length. As more bodies start piling up, Kelsey finds herself in danger. The same person who killed her mother is now trying to kill her.

I have read a lot of Mary Burton's novels, and this is probably my least favorite. The mystery plot was interesting, but the romance was too quick and came off as very cheesy. I also didn't care for either main character. Kelsey is very immature. And, for someone who can't wait to leave town and never stays in one place long enough to put down roots, Kelsey somehow thinks it's a good idea to adopt a puppy. As for Mitch, he bungled their relationship the first time around. It's understandable. But now she's back, and he falls in love with her. He just doesn't go about it in the right way. Shoving your tongue down someone's throat is not the proper way to comfort them after just breaking the news that their mother was murdered.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this interesting book

this book was first released several years ago, but it still has the key ingredients that most of mary burtons fans will love

the bonus for me was the scuba diving and with this adventure and a dead body showing up all adds to this one being an enjoyable read

its a light and fluffy read and if the ending seems rushed it doesnt really spoil the enjoyment of reading a feel good book

Keep you close is the first book I’ve read by Mary Burton but I will definitely look out for her future work, The novel draws you straight in and I liked the dynamics between Kelsey & Sheriff Mitch Garrett. Definitely worth a read.

Kelsey Warren grew up with a selfish, drug addict mother who took off when Kelsey was 16. Ten years later, Kelsey has become a successful photographer but still suffers abandonment issues. When her mother's body is pulled from a flooded quarry, Kelsey realizes her mother didn't take off, she was killed. Determined to find out what happened, Kelsey is forced to work with her ex-boyfriend/first love, Sheriff Mitch Garrett. A quick, enjoyable read, but a pretty formulaic romantic suspense, not as good as Mary Burton's later work IMO (this book was first published in 2005 as "In Dark Waters").

Wow…!… I caught myself holding my breath more than once, genuinely worried about what would happen next… a breathless read! It’s definitely an unforgettable story!

Great mystery and suspense that keeps your interest from the start! Love this author and her style of writing, you won't be disappointed! As always lots of twists and turns with gritty characters that you cant help but love. Once you start reading you can't put it down!

I absolutely devour anything that Mary Burton writes. She is an automatic go-to author for me to grab and read. She has definitely done it again!

Overall I thought this book was pretty good. I received an ARC copy of this and it was not formatted at all, it made for a little bit of a difficult read. The plot and the characters kept it interesting. I really enjoyed the main character. But I felt like the book ended a little abruptly.

I’m a big fan of Mary Burton and this book was no exception. Although there is some predictability in the romance, the mystery side always leaves me guessing until the end. She always writes couples that you really root for and Kelsey and Mitch were no exception.

Kelsey and Mitch have a past, and Kelsey doesn’t want to go down that road again. In town for her aunt’s funeral, she runs into Mitch and tries to avoid him at all costs. That doesn’t work out so well for her because Mitch is now the Sheriff and is heavily involved in the discovery of several bodies that directly connect to Kelsey.

Twists, turns, secrets, danger, romance, and more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this fast paced novel. I didn’t realise this was part of a series and I haven’t read the others but the story does work as a stand alone. It’s made me want to read the other books by this author now!

It’s full of twists and is hard to put down, I have to say the ending felt a little rushed which is why it drops a star.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins for the arc.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I enjoyed this book and all the characters and the twists and turns along the way. I shall certainly look out for more from this author/

A Twisty turning four-star read. This was a great story, and I am a fan of the author, but I have found their other works a little better. This one was so filled with twists and will keep you guessing, but it was let down by the current romantic tryst between Kelsey and Mitch, it just felt a little revengey, like Mitch wasn’t ready before so now had to go overboard and prove himself. That annoyed me, but overall, I did enjoy it. The history and twists made it a good story for me.

Keep You Close
by Mary Burton
Pub Date 27 May 2022
HQ, HQ Digital
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers



I am reviewing a copy of Keep You Close through HQ and Netgalley:



Kesley Warren is now a high-flying journalist but she has never forgiven her reckless mother Donna for abandoning her as a teenager..



But when returns to her hometown and discovers her mother’s body at the bottom of a flooded quarry with a gunshot wound in her chest, Kelsey’s world is flipped upside down. Her mother didn’t desert her; she was killed.



Despite Sheriff Mitch Garrett's pleas to leave the case alone, Kelsey is determined to uncover the truth about her mother. But small towns hide big secrets, and someone has their eye on Kelsey and is set on silencing her for good.



I give Keep You Close five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Never read a burton mystery but I am intrigued about her other works after this one. I did enjoy the story and thought it was fabulously well written. I did devour this. Plot was good and characters were interesting. Thanks to netgalley for the copy.

Love anything by this author and this one did not disappoint! Absolutely fantastic. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for access to ARC.

(Reviewed for Net Galley) This was a super quick easy read! I loved that it got into the story quickly of Kelsey and finding her mother dead after 10 years.. sometimes stories can take forever to get in to. And it was a relatively quick read which was nice considering sometimes long mysteries and thrillers can be annoying. I loved the storyline all up until the end when BAM! Mitch saves the day, Kelsey gets stitched up from a grazed gun shot wound and all of a sudden it’s “I love you” and “I love you too” THE END. WHAT?! I wish the story would have been finished out a little more than just that. Yes the mystery ended and the killer was found, but WAY TOO QUICKLY. Just a bummer for me that the story wasn’t wrapped up better, hence the 3 stars.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, HQ and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fast paced mystery, well done and compelling.

This book is loaded with mystery and deceit. I love Kelsey’s sarcastic personality. She had such a rough childhood. This is also a second chance romance with Mitch the town’s sheriff. Mitch is definitely alpha. The writing is really good and had me turning the pages as fast as I could. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.