Brad Parks delivers a riveting, emotionally powerful stand-alone domestic suspense thriller perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door and What She Knew.Disaster is always closer than you know.It was a lesson Melanie Barrick learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she’s survived into adulthood—with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby … adulthood—with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby boy named Alex—she thought that turmoil was behind her.
Until one Tuesday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he’s been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why. It’s a terrifying scenario for any parent, but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls “the system.”
Her nightmare grows worse when she arrives home to learn her house has been raided by sheriff’s deputies, who have found enough cocaine to send Melanie to prison for years. The evidence against her is overwhelming, and if Melanie can’t prove her innocence, she’ll lose Alex forever.
Meanwhile, assistant commonwealth’s attorney Amy Kaye—who has been assigned Melanie’s case—has her own troubles. She’s been dogged by a cold case no one wants her to pursue: a serial rapist who has avoided detection by wearing a mask and whispering his commands. Over the years, he has victimized dozens of women.
Including Melanie. Yet now her attacker might be the key to her salvation… or her undoing.
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The best book that I have read in a long time.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this book, but boy did I enjoy it! There are twists and turns and surprises galore! This is the story of Melanie and Ben where cocaine was left in their ceiling and the surprises go from there! They have a son who is of course then taken from them, and they must fight to get him back. This is a book of surprises, twists, turns, and drama. This is a must read.
It had great characterization. And, you had to follow all the
clues to figure out the ending. I read it in 2 days.
Wow this is an amazing book, it truly is. Page after page, not one dull moment. It is very fast paced and I hated the moments when I had to put it down. I truly hated to be this woman, absolutely not a thing was going right for her. Lots of different characters so you didn’t know who was guilty or not guilty. I don’t believe I’ve read Brad Parks before but he now has a new fan. I’ve added his other books to my wish list. One thing I did love about this book is that it so easy to read, the sentence’s just fit perfectly. The ending is so good too.
Thank you Good Reads Giveaways for this opportunity. I probably would have missed reading this book in my life. That would have been a shame.
I’d like to mention 2 errors on page 94 and 304 otherwise it’s perfect. Might just be my copy.
I almost didn’t read this book. As soon as I read that social services was involved, I didn’t pick back up for a few days. What this poor woman went through from the very people who are supposed to protect victims was disgusting! Your book just proves that if you’re poor, you are toast in the system. Thank goodness for a happy ending for an innocent woman and her baby.
Very well written. loved the plot.
This book had Twists and Turns. You will not know until the end because you missed the beginning
Closer Than You Know starts with every parent’s worst nightmare and doesn’t let up. The story moves at a fast pace, the characters are interesting, and there are plenty of twists along the way. All of these things combined should’ve made this a four or even five star read, but my problems lay with the completely implausible events scattered throughout this tale. The reasons for what was happening to Melanie were obvious very early on, if not the identity of the person behind it all. However, that became pretty clear to me about half-way through, despite a ringer thrown into the mix. Without going into too much detail, so as not to give spoilers, I found it hard to believe that no one around the antagonist would have any idea of things going in their personal life, especially given who it is. So, by the time I reached the big reveal and conclusion, I was left with a couple of choices – either the big baddie is a brilliant criminal mastermind, which is a big stretch given what we’re told, or everyone around them is an idiot. Either way, the story had potential, but came up a bit lacking in the delivery for me. I realize that this is fiction, so a certain amount of leeway can be given, but everything combined was just a little too much, making this just an okay read.