It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before. I clued into who the unnamed narrator was pretty early, but I appreciate that the author threw in a couple of curveballs near the end that had me second-guessing myself. Which is silly because when am I ever wrong??? (obvious sarcasm) Anyways, Maeve did have her detective dumbass moments – can detectives please stop heading out into heavily wooded areas without cell phones or basic protection?? Tysm. Pressure from the mayor's office has the team assigned to Jellicoe Close in the home counties to conduct surveillance into the death of a vulnerable man. A teenage girl is killed on a London bus. The case should be simple. The bus was full of witnesses, and there are cameras everywhere. There are some interesting characters resident in the Close. There is Gillian, an elderly woman with dementia, who is terrified of 'the devil'. Is it just her dementia talking, or does someone pose a threat to her life? Ruth, a complainer, and her overly-friendly husband, Alan. Judy is the local do-gooder. She volunteers at charity shops, and takes in the homeless. If something is going on, Judy's involved. There's a neurotic housewife, and another undergoing IVF; a couple of sports-mad husbands, a single antique dealer, Gillian's son and caregiver, and an assortment of children.

In this book Mauve goes undercover with her boss DI Josh Derwent and moves into a house together in Jellicoe Close to try and uncover the truth. A really interesting book, with some great characters and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Jane writes one of my very favourite police series, and this is her best yet. Terrifying, intense and devastatingly astute’ Sarah Hilary There's a lot more going on in The Close than is at first apparent and, despite Maeve and Josh's intention to not get involved in any crime other than the one they are investigating, fate and their natural instincts work against them. For those who are tired of Rowling´s handling of a similar situation (I am, and stopped reading the series because of it),don´t worry. The "new" characters were not likeable but it didn't change how I felt about it - I literally only cared about Maeve and Derwent.On the surface, Maeve and Josh don't appear to get on, but underneath they have a deep respect for one another. But what is living in close quarters and posing as a newly loved-up couple going to do to that relationship? Thank you to Harper 360, HarperCollins and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Secondly, it’s a fantastic portrait of the neighbourhood and the neighbours, it becomes clear that something very dark is lurking at its heart. At the very least this lot are harbouring secrets, the dynamics are certainly intriguing and yet it’s obvious there’s more……. Maybe it’s a conspiracy or is it pure evil? Josh and Maeve are closely observing them all and it’s a fascinating unfolding situation with some startling discoveries. This will not withhold me from trying another book by Jane Casey but I will not be running to the bookstore for any more books in this series. One sentence review: Half Kerrwent (Maeve Kerr + Josh Derwent) romance, half police procedural, all the vibes As I mentioned tensions mount in this book and some of the tension is between Maeve and Josh. They have engaging and fun banter. There has always been a spark there, will it ignite in this book? Having read The Killing Kind and loving it, I was happy to be approved for The Close. Sadly, it was a DNF at about 30%.In this book there is not one but two cases to solve. Dr Hassan Dawoud has been found murdered in his car. Maeve, who is not quite at her best yet begins to investigate before she and DI Josh Derwent are tasked with posing as a couple while house and dog sitting. While there they will investigate the death of an emaciated young man. The man was found with horrible injuries and his last known residence was in a home on Jellicoe Close. Jellicoe Close looks like a pristine street with nice homes, friendly neighbors, and happy children. But there are secrets on this street...

I’m an executive producer of the TV adaptation of my novel The Killing Kind, which is being filmed at the moment. I’m finishing the 11th Maeve book and planning a novel set in Dublin. I’m only bearable when I’m writing, so I write a lot. Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage? DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Close by Jane Casey for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. This book is juicy almost like Louisa Scarr’s series but on steroids. You kind of have everything, police procedure, murder investigation, under cover investigation two deprived human beings that have a lot of internalised issues like we do portrayed. Although this was my first book of the series, I’m definitely joining the ride on this one! Pros: solid suspense and sexual tension (this is a rare time where I don't mind it), decent writing, the cases were quite juicy but I was really just here for Kerrwent, some good jokey jokes

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MY THOUGHTS: I am a late comer to Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan series, and I have a lot of books to catch up on. If The Close is any indication of the quality of the series, I am in for a wonderful reading experience. EXCERPT: All murder investigations were different and yet all of them began the same way, at least for me: standing in silence near a body, trying to catch the faintest echo of what had happened. Sometimes the air still vibrated with violence and high emotion, and sometimes the silence was empty. It was a habit I kept to myself, but one that reminded me of the fundamental truth: this was more than a job. Someone's life had been ended too soon. Finding out who had done it, and why, was my duty. After a man’s body is found in a derelict house, DS Maeve Kerrigan goes undercover, posing as a couple with DI Josh Derwent in a small suburban cul-de-sac that hides some unexpected dark secrets. It’s your 10th Maeve Kerrigan novel. What makes for a successful series character?