Close to You by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 28th October 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(publication: 17th October 2019)
★★★ 3.5 stars
I always thoroughly enjoy reading Kerry Wilkinson's standalone thrillers and he never fails to disappoint! This one drew me in with its premise.
A friend snaps a photo of Morgan at an awards night. When looking at the photos later, Morgan is shocked to see her ex-husband hidden in the background of a group shot. Primarily because she knows she killed him. And then things start to go a little helter-skelter.
Morgan Persephone (per-sef-oh-knee and not rhyming with telephone) is a personal trainer with a life seemingly going nowhere. She appears successful on the outside but inside her life is riddled with turmoil. Two years ago her husband David disappeared...but Morgan knows differently, because she killed him. Now she is in a relationship with Andy, seemingly happy, and about to move in with him. And yet, just a few days before the move she has yet to pack anything. To me, her heart just didn't seem to be in it. Or was it she was just distracted?
After the awards ceremony, Morgan had booked a room to stay the night but found she couldn't sleep....with thoughts of David filling her mind after seeing him in that photograph. So she decides to make the two hour drive home instead, arriving around 5am. As soon as she walked in she knew someone had been in her home. Things seemed out of place. Her Tigger jar David had bought her for £5 that always sat on the bench was now missing. Why that jar? Only she and David knew of its significance.
The next morning when she wakes, she discovers her car is missing. So she does what anyone would do in this situation - she calls the police to report it stolen. But then that afternoon when the police arrive at her flat, they are not there to take a statement regarding her stolen car; they are there to question her in regards to a road accident where an elderly pedestrian was critically injured...with her car, which was left abandoned at the scene. The police don't entirely believe her story, finding her claims of being stolen somewhat convenient. But Morgan knows she wasn't driving...so who was?
Things begin to unravel for Morgan and yet she confides in no one. Not even her lifelong friend Jane, whom she has known since primary school. Jane knows most of her secrets...but not this one. When David disappeared two years ago everyone believed it to be the case as he wasn't exactly reliable. Only Morgan knows the truth. So she was hardly going to confide in anyone her confusion and panic at the possibility of his return!
CLOSE TO YOU is told entirely from Morgan's perspective over two timelines, The Now and The Why. The story builds slowly, creating a tension that was palpable for a good portion of the book, but petered out into an anti-climax by the end. I am not saying that this is a bad book, as it isn't entirely as I did enjoy it for the most part, but it's not one of Kerry's best...largely because I could not connect with its main character.
The picture painted of David throughout the "why" chapters highlights him as such an unappealing person I fail to see what Morgan ever saw in him! Although I can't say that I liked Morgan either, who seemed more robotic in character with no real affection for anyone. This made her difficult to relate to...but not only that, I was also left wondering could anyone be so stupid? And trust me, David was just one of her many stupid decisions. But then, throughout the whole story, I wondered exactly why was she even with Andy she hardly seemed connected to him. The woman was an island I just failed to understand.
Aside from the unreliable characters, CLOSE TO YOU is an incredibly thrilling read which has the reader asking questions throughout. Did Morgan really kill David? Is he really dead? Is it someone else masquerading as David? And if so, why?
CLOSE TO YOU is a cleverly spun tale that will certainly keep readers on their toes and racing through the pages. It is a slow burn, so have patience as all will be revealed. It will certainly keep readers guessing. I only started putting the pieces together as it neared the end as I had no idea who was behind it all. But then the ending was not what I expected and while it failed to satisfy me it still seemed to be a fitting conclusion.
I must add that I love Kerry's humour and wit peppered throughout the pages that had me laughing...particularly those regarding little Norah's hilarious use of the English language and the comparisons made to it. Tree, duck, cow, the 45th President of the United States...all had me laughing till I cried.
Despite this not being my favourite of Kerry's books, nothing will stop me looking forward to more standalone thrillers in the near future!
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #CloseToYou in exchange for an honest review.
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