Community Reviews
Karen Cleveland's debut novel, Need to Know, was a dazzling thriller and she does not experience a sophomore slump with her new release. Keep You Close further establishes Cleveland as an important new voice in American fiction.
In Keep You Close, a woman is forced to confront her sense of right and wrong. The one person she loves most is accused of a horrific, unimaginable crime. Stephanie Maddox is an FBI agent who has worked for nearly 20 years to establish herself and cement her reputation within the organization. She's a single mother to Zachary, her teenage son, who has sacrificed along with Stephanie for her career. She has missed school functions, birthdays, and other events. Despite that, she and Zachary have a close relationship and Stephanie is certain that she knows her son better than anyone else possibly could. She is devoted to him and would do anything to protect him from the terrible secret she carries with her.
But Zachary has secrets of his own.
And one day Stephanie is rattled when she finds a gun hidden in Zachary's closet. She can't imagine how a loaded gun got into his room. The possibilities are too horrible to contemplate. One of her colleagues -- a member of the domestic terrorism squad -- comes to her house to speak with her, She is stunned when he tells her, “It’s about Zachary.” He proceeds to brief her about the activities of a terrorist group known as the Freedom Solidarity Movement. Stephanie knows its not possible that Zachary has gotten involved in such a group. If he did, he had to have been tricked or gotten caught up with the wrong crowd the way kids sometimes do. She is confident there is no chance that her boy, a good kid, could have willingly agreed to be part of a terrorist group plotting the murders of several high-profile government officials. "He wouldn't be involved in that," she tells her coworker.
Keep You Close moves at a relentless, compelling, and sometimes terrifying pace. Cleveland, a former CIA analyst, again demonstrates her command of her subject matter. And showcases the internal struggle of a mother desperate to learn what she doesn't know about her teenager. But Stephanie is not just any mother in America. She is a trained, experienced agent with integral knowledge about exactly how far terrorists groups will go to recruit, indoctrinate, and manipulate unwitting citizens. And ordinary mothers don't get greenlighted -- the term used when the mob puts a hit out. Moreover, if Stephanie withholds information from the Bureau her career could be ruined.
It soon becomes clear that neither Stephanie nor those closest to her are safe. Whoever is behind planting evidence to make it look like Zachary is guilty will stop at nothing to keep Stephanie from discovering and exposing the conspiracy,
Cleveland injects numerous plot twists and revelations, as well as a few heartbreaking developments, that propel the story forward to its explosive climax. The story is sophisticated, timely and frighteningly realistic. When Stephanie finally learns what is actually happening, it is apparent that the truth could be the lead story on any American news broadcast.
Stephanie is a sympathetic, relatable character. What mother wouldn't take any risk necessary in order to save her child? And because Cleveland has crafted the character so skillfully, readers will cheer her on and, like her, hold on to hope that her child is innocent. And that the country is safe. "I'll always keep you safe," Stephanie told Zachary when he was a little boy. Finding out whether she is able to keep that promise is entertaining and mesmerizing. Keep You Close is another tautly-constructed, must-read thriller Cleveland. A worthy successor to Need to Know.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
In Keep You Close, a woman is forced to confront her sense of right and wrong. The one person she loves most is accused of a horrific, unimaginable crime. Stephanie Maddox is an FBI agent who has worked for nearly 20 years to establish herself and cement her reputation within the organization. She's a single mother to Zachary, her teenage son, who has sacrificed along with Stephanie for her career. She has missed school functions, birthdays, and other events. Despite that, she and Zachary have a close relationship and Stephanie is certain that she knows her son better than anyone else possibly could. She is devoted to him and would do anything to protect him from the terrible secret she carries with her.
But Zachary has secrets of his own.
And one day Stephanie is rattled when she finds a gun hidden in Zachary's closet. She can't imagine how a loaded gun got into his room. The possibilities are too horrible to contemplate. One of her colleagues -- a member of the domestic terrorism squad -- comes to her house to speak with her, She is stunned when he tells her, “It’s about Zachary.” He proceeds to brief her about the activities of a terrorist group known as the Freedom Solidarity Movement. Stephanie knows its not possible that Zachary has gotten involved in such a group. If he did, he had to have been tricked or gotten caught up with the wrong crowd the way kids sometimes do. She is confident there is no chance that her boy, a good kid, could have willingly agreed to be part of a terrorist group plotting the murders of several high-profile government officials. "He wouldn't be involved in that," she tells her coworker.
Keep You Close moves at a relentless, compelling, and sometimes terrifying pace. Cleveland, a former CIA analyst, again demonstrates her command of her subject matter. And showcases the internal struggle of a mother desperate to learn what she doesn't know about her teenager. But Stephanie is not just any mother in America. She is a trained, experienced agent with integral knowledge about exactly how far terrorists groups will go to recruit, indoctrinate, and manipulate unwitting citizens. And ordinary mothers don't get greenlighted -- the term used when the mob puts a hit out. Moreover, if Stephanie withholds information from the Bureau her career could be ruined.
It soon becomes clear that neither Stephanie nor those closest to her are safe. Whoever is behind planting evidence to make it look like Zachary is guilty will stop at nothing to keep Stephanie from discovering and exposing the conspiracy,
Cleveland injects numerous plot twists and revelations, as well as a few heartbreaking developments, that propel the story forward to its explosive climax. The story is sophisticated, timely and frighteningly realistic. When Stephanie finally learns what is actually happening, it is apparent that the truth could be the lead story on any American news broadcast.
Stephanie is a sympathetic, relatable character. What mother wouldn't take any risk necessary in order to save her child? And because Cleveland has crafted the character so skillfully, readers will cheer her on and, like her, hold on to hope that her child is innocent. And that the country is safe. "I'll always keep you safe," Stephanie told Zachary when he was a little boy. Finding out whether she is able to keep that promise is entertaining and mesmerizing. Keep You Close is another tautly-constructed, must-read thriller Cleveland. A worthy successor to Need to Know.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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