A mother lies dead, and now her killer hunts the child that witnessed the brutal crime...
MONSTER IN THE CLOSET is a novel that reunites readers with characters from Karen Rose's bestselling Baltimore series.
Private Investigator Clay Maynard locates missing children for clients, but has nearly given up hope of finding his own daughter, cruelly stolen from him by his ex-wife twenty-three years ago.

I didn't realise this was a series, so maybe I should read the others first before this one.

I have read so many of Karen Rose books that I sometimes lose track of what series I have and haven't read so was thrilled when I came across this and realised I had read up to book 4 so got stuck in and boy am I glad I did. This series of book sis about a group of people who are friends and they all seen to get a book in the series so it's easy to pick them up as standalones. However, once I was a few chapters in all the familiar people were re-introduced to me and I felt like I hadn't been away. The opener of this book is shocking but gripping all at the same time. A young girl Jazzie comes home from school and finds her Mother dead on the floor. What is worse is that the killer is still there so Jazzie hides. When the police investigate Jazzie clams up and refuses to speak while they hunt for her Mother killer.


Jazzie and her sister are put into a therapy programme where they are riding horses and that centre is run by one of the clan of people that are featured in this series. A new young woman named Taylor is working at the therapy centre as an intern but what everybody doesn't realise is that she is there to find out about her Father and that will have huge repercussions for everybody! This book had me gripped from the first to the last page and I absolutely loved it. I was so pleased that I went straight out and brought book 6 in the series as I needed to know where everybody

The characters and their endless caring bonds keep you wanting more from Karen's books. Clays story with Taylor and how they help the motherless kids is amazing. They hold together everything whilst hunting a killer and protecting 2 children and themselves

I"ve read each and every one of Karen Rose's books before and could not wait to pounce on this one.
I was not disappointed and can honestly say, her books just get better and better.
Highly recommended, and worth your time and effort!

Unfortunately, this book was archived before I got chance to read it.

There are a few things I look forward to throughout the year, the release of Karen Rose’s latest offering is definitely one of them. Monster in the Closet is the fifth book in the Baltimore series and works well as a standalone however I recommend reading a few of the others in the series before this one, just to give you a bit more background on the host of colourful characters featured in the Baltimore series.

Jazzie is 11 years old. Coming home from school she finds her mother dead on the floor and her killer rooting around in the closet. Terrified, she hides behind a large chair and holds her breath and waits for the killer to leave. Weeks later, Jazzie is receiving therapy through the Healing Hearts With Horses organisation. She has not spoken a single word since finding her mother’s body and has never revealed she saw her mother’s murderer.

Taylor Dawson is interning at Healing Hearts with Horses, prior to becoming a practising psychologist. Taylor begin to make a small connection to Jazzie, but Taylor has her own secrets. She’s been asking a lot of questions about a man who also works for the organisation. Having just arrived from California, why would she be asking about a man from Maryland who she has never met?

Tensions rise high when the murderer discovers that Jazzie has witnessed the attack and is starting to talk to Taylor. This monster won’t stop until they are both dead.

Intense and suspenseful, Monster in the Closet is an intricately woven web of lies and deceit. Rose skillfully has several threads of sub-plot running simultaneously throughout the main story before being neatly tied up at the end. Narrated in third person from various points of view, Rose keeps the pace flowing at top speed leaving the reader on the edge of their seat.

The large group of surrounding cast were great characters, multi-dimensional and full of depth. The character development of the “monster” was absolutely superb and you get the see the “why” behind the things he did and how his smart thinking allowed him to go undetected for so long.

As with all of Rose’s books, there is a bit of romance going on, this time between Taylor and Ford Elkhart giving the story a flash of light amongst all that darkness.

Monster in the Closet is a taut, tightly wound tension filled thriller that you will not be able to put down, and leave you yearning for more in the series. Highly recommend, thanks to Karen Rose, Headline publishers and NetGalley for sending the review copy.

Karen Rose's writing style is a dream to read. Pacy and descriptive, although you to quickly bond with characters and plots that are intricately woven but never overly complex so you can't keep up. It was great to go back to Baltimore and to catch up with the crew there, especially with the younger generation being involved. This felt like a natural extension of the previous books and I would recommend it to someone who hadn't read the ones before. However, why would you not read the ones before? That would be the crime!

I have read many Karen Rose books in my time and enjoyed them all and this one is no different. It keeps you glued to the pages from start to finish. Also, what I really liked is that you could actually read this without reading the first five. I found that it could be read as a one off novel.

There are several sub plots that keep you interested throughout the book. The main story is regarding an 11 year old child who comes home to find her mother dead and the killer rooting around in the closet. She hides. But she hasn't said a word since. Now the killer is looking for her.

That's the main plot. It is an intriguing story one that keeps you hooked. I would definitely recommend this book.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2094891222

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RTTB7JA7VGOP0/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Another fantastic read from Karen Rose. The story centres around Taylor who is searching for her father who is Clay Maynard. Regular readers of Karen Rose will recognise Clay as a recurring character and indeed there are an abundance if recurring characters here to catch up with. I won't spoil things for anyone who has yet to read the series I would only say that this novel is the usual tried and tested formula. A killer on the loose, interwoven plots and characters and a healthy dose of romance but if it ain't broke don't fix it as the saying goes! Fingers crossed for the next instalment soon! Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy.

I have read most of Karen Rose's books. This one is not as good as some of the others but it is still a really good read. There is loads of story packed into it. The plot is good and the characters are good as well. Definitely worth reading.

I have always enjoyed Karen Rose books and in particular her Baltimore series or romantic thrillers. however monster In The Closet was a real disappointment.. There were too many characters for a start and I think perhaps the series has now reached saturation point. It was distracting trying to remember where the various characters slotted into the story or the other novels in the series and I found it tough going. which is a real shame as hitherto I have really enjoyed this series of books.

I've always been a huge fan of Karen Rose, and eagerly looked forward to publication dates...but it's all becoming a little too Mills and Boon for me. Her books were crime/thriller with a little romance thrown in, now they are all romance and the two lead characters always fall instantly head over heels. It even sure I can finish this title, it's a little too schmaltzy for me!

Having read a few of Karen Roses books before I was very much looking forward to this. Even though it is book 5 and the only one I have read in this series I have to say I really enjoyed it, it was fab!! It was refreshing to know who the bad guy was from the beginning but the storyline was still gripping and I loved the interaction of all the characters. It was quite emotional in places especially regarding the children but other parts had me smiling so I guess it all evened out! All in all a fab book!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
The book opens with a graphic and harrowing description of a young girl, Jazzie, returning home to witness her mother's horrific murder.
Fast forward and a traumatised Jazzie is refusing to speak and thus identify the killer. Sent to an equine programme for children who have suffered trauma, Jazzie come into contact with Taylor, who will provide the support and reassurance that the girl needs to finally speak out about her ordeal. The problem is that the killer is still out there he is desperate to make sure that Jazzie says nothing!
I love this book because of the story line alone but it also brings together all out favourite characters from Rose's other novels and it turns out that Taylor is the missing piece of the puzzle for one of our favourite recurring characters.
I would highly recommend this book and it could be read as a stand alone novel but to be honest I don't think that the reader would fully appreciate the complexities of the novel and the cleverly woven relationships if they had never read one of two of Rose's other excellent novels.

Taylor is helping to heal Jazzie, who has witnessed her mom's murder. Jazzie knows the murderer will hurt her and her family if she talks about what she has seen. There is plenty of suspense in this book. I liked finding out about Taylor's family and love how she grows to be a feisty heroine. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.
Full of emotion and suspense. A page-turner.

this book should come with a warning....have tissues handy at all times...its a weepy

i found myself crying on buses whilst going to and from work..i cried in work if i had time to read and then cried at home as i was reading it to finish it...

this book is so emotional and gut wrenching and so good, karen rose writes from the heart and you can feel the emotions coming off the pages in waves

two little girls hidden away from the murderer of their mother because if he finds out that one of them was there he will kill them

this is an action packed book that just doesnt stop, one of her best yet

I have enjoyed the whole series and this book was as good as all the others and I would definitely recommend it

Karen Rose is one of my top favorite authors!

This book was amazing and had me hooked from the start.

Believable characters, awesome storyline and kept me wanting more

Would recommend and look forward to reading more

I am reviewing Monster In The Closet (The Baltimore Series Book 5) by Karen Rose. Here are my thoughts:

^^ Would you believe this is Ms Rose's nineteenth romantic suspense book? It's also number five of The Baltimore series. I am sure I've read a few of the previous books that date back to around 2003 (Don't Tell, You Belong to Me, Watch Your Back), so I was kind of pleased to recognise a few of the supporting characters like Detective JD Fitzpatrick and his partner Dr Lucy Trask ME and Clay Maynard and Detective Stevie Mazetti. There are more familiar faces fans will recognise, but I'm well aware I may spoil the book for you if I were to tell, as there are a huge amount of sub-plots throughout, which makes this review quite tricky.

^^ In this fifth book of The Baltimore Series, Private Investigator Clay Maynard is looking for his missing daughter, Taylor, whilst working for clients locating missing children. Taylor turns up and a tough reconciliation ensues. After all, she's heard what a monster he is. Meanwhile, Taylor starts to fall for Ford Elkhart's charms, but it would seem a real monster is out to get her and he won't stop until she's dead.

^^ I really enjoyed the depth of characterisation of both the main and supporting characters, although I did at one point get a little confused to who was who. I'm sure I'd benefit from re-reading the previous books of Karen Rose's romantic suspense series and refreshing my knowledge of their ensemble of characters.

^^ There's an enjoyable will-they-won't-they romance, plus the usual murder and mayhem, which kept me racing to the last page. I get the feeling, that with so many characters, there's going to be more books where they return and branch off with their own story.

Overall: A fast read with deep characterisation, tense suspense, and an ending to die for! If you've read the previous four books from this series, I can happily recommend this one, as you'll know what to expect, her writing style, and you'll enjoy hearing from old friends and families from earlier stories! I'm definitely going to try and re-read the rest of this series now. I need to refresh my memory. Like I said, there is PLENTY of scope for future books!