How far will a mother go to protect her child? What happens if her child is guilty? This fast-paced crime fiction novel centers around Stephanie Maddox and her son Zachary. Stephanie is the head of the internal investigations division of the FBI, so she’s no stranger to tough decisions. But when it comes to her son, the line between right and wrong becomes a bit blurry.

When Stephanie finds a gun in her son’s closet, and an FBI agent from the domestic terrorism unit shows up at her door and utters the words “It’s about Zachary…”, she must decide if she should protect her son, but risk the safety of the greater good, or try and protect the greater good, but at what expense to her son?

One of the types of thriller sub-genres is crime fiction. I love anything that centers around the police/FBI/CIA world. I’ve grown to love them because they feel more in depth than some of the normal psychological thrillers that involve domestic disputes. Keep You Close is no different. Cleveland weaves current events into her novel, that make the reader question whether or not there is any truth to the story. The entire book is told from Stephanie’s point of view, with the occasional flashback of the early days of her career. There isn’t a ton of character development (this can be good or bad, depending on the read), but has a ton of dialog and short chapters that help make it a quick, easy read.

I read Karen Cleveland’s first novel, Need to Know last year and loved it, so I knew I had to read her sophomore novel when I saw it being released. I love her current events spin on her novels so I look forward to reading more from this author! 4/5

I was so nervous reading this book, trying to figure out if Steph was imagining a conspiracy or if it was real. It was real. This book is a journey through Steph’s mind, as she reasons out the who and why of a past operation she experienced as an agent and if what she saw was real or just imagined. But she must protect her son at all costs. Period. She did it once before and she must do it again. She has to figure out if he is involved or just a pawn in the whole thing. Follow her thoughts as this comes to a thrilling conclusion. Just read it already!

I really enjoyed Cleveland's first book, Need to Know, so I was really looking forward to this one, especially when I realized it's actually a kind of continuation of the "series" that was started in Need To Know. Like many other reviewers, though, I found that Keep You Close was underwhelming. So much is half-baked in this book: the characters, the plot, the ideas. Although Keep You Close deals with a lot of hot-button political issues, such as single motherhood, sexual assault, and the abuse of power, it never really finishes talking about any of these things. Stephanie's relationship with her mother is touched upon, but never really delved into, as are her relationships with her ex-boyfriend, Scott (another FBI agent), and her son, Zach. Additionally, while Vivian (from Need To Know) was featured in the book, we don't really get a continuation of her plot line and it felt like the plot didn't start going until the last few chapters, so the ending felt quite abrupt.

That aside, I was first drawn to Cleveland's books because they featured strong women characters, but with Keep You Close I'm realizing more and more that these women continuously define themselves in relation to the men in their lives. Vivian (from Need To Know) saw herself almost completely in her relationship with her husband and their kids, and Stephanie seems to center herself around her son and her ex-boyfriend, Scott (who seems to represent the potential husband that she seems to feel incomplete without). I wanted to hear more about Stephanie's career (and Vivian's, too), but while she continually claims that she is career-focused, not super attached to the idea of a relationship, and often is seen as a "bad mom" to Zach, all of her actions in the book related to her son or her ex-boyfriend. I get that she's a single mother, and that naturally entails juggling home and work, but the way Stephanie's relationships were presented in relationship to her job struck me as a little off.

What was most jarring to me were the veiled references to police brutality, and Stephanie's dismissal of the issue entirely. Whenever Zach listens to rap music that references police abuses of power, Stephanie mentions that she disapproves, which didn't make any sense to me, first of all because to dismiss police brutality just like that is horrific (as police brutality clearly exists) and especially because her job is to "police power." Stephanie seemed to understand that there are bad cops and good cops, but she was unable to understand flaws in the system itself. I'm not sure why these references were even included, because they weren't at all relevant to the plot (and seemed out-of-place, considering how little information in the novel wasn't relevant to the plot), and because they seem to be the start of a conversation that is neither continued nor given any significance. Add to that the fact that all the characters in her book seemed to be white (not even a token minority) and I started to get very uncomfortable. I'm not sure if any of this was intentional (perhaps Cleveland even meant it as a critique? it felt too unfinished for that), but it certainly struck me as odd.

What would you do and how far would go to protect your child? Keep You Close starts with that question, then it bends and twists it until I'm not sure what the right answer should be. The book is very action driven, which does keep the pages turning, but I found it hard to connect with the characters. I was hoping to warm up to Stephanie as more and more of her past was revealed, but I never quite got there. I could certainly empathize with her, but the character was a bit flat, as were all of the characters in this one. As the story progressed, the conspiracies got more complicated and convoluted, and it felt like character development was put on a back burner to make room for twist after crazy twist. All of that may have been okay if not for the lack of conclusion. I kept reading to see which way things would go and granted, there is a big twist, but it felt like the story stopped before it was meant to. I thoroughly enjoyed Cleveland's first novel, so maybe my disappointment comes from high expectations, but this one didn't come close for me. Nevertheless, the author is talented, and I'll be interested to see what she does next.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." (Oscar Wilde)

Stephanie Maddox heads the FBI's Internal Investigations division and is uniquely placed because of her inherent beliefs about right and wrong. She's all about love of country and the greater good. How to shake up a strong-willed person like that? Get to her son. Steph's a single mother to teenaged Zachary. Lately the two haven't gotten along so well and she is suddenly faced with some discoveries that make her realize that she doesn't know Zachary at all. When Steph finds out that Zachary is implicated in a domestic terrorist plot, when she finds a gun hidden in his room, and when she's told that he's in real trouble -- what does she do? DENIAL. Stephanie believes that her son is being framed because of some deep secrets that she discovered as part of her own previous cases and investigations. All she is asked to do in order to protect her son from prison is to "let it go." NO SPOILERS.

Make no mistake, this is a fast-paced and very complicated thriller involving the FBI, CIA and the upper levels of government. It's quite difficult to guess at what is going on, and even after I finished, I had to go back and read the last couple of chapters several times. Even now I'm not quite sure I completely understand all the nuances and the cross-double cross espionage pieces of the plot and definitely unsure of which are the bad guys. As far as the character of Stephanie Maddox -- that's tough. She's definitely dedicated to her job and never makes the choices I'd make as a mom but I guess all she's ever known is how to keep her cards and information close to her chest and she exists in a state of distrust. And she is full of questions and secrets without anyone to turn to with her dilemma.

I was quite surprised to find that this novel is somewhat related to NEED TO KNOW though it's not a series per se. I'll be interested to see what the author does next and if any of these characters reappear in her next book. Although I enjoyed this, I didn't like it nearly as much as I liked the first one. It was a little hard to keep all the players straight as they didn't go into neat little boxes! Probably my fault!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.
3.5 stars

I liked this book, but didn't love it. It was a thriller that kept you on the edge of your seat, curious to understand what is the truth and who can you trust.

FBI agent Stephanie Maddox finds a gun in her son's room, and then the doorbell rings and a fellow FBI agent confronts Stephanie about her son Zachary. It appears they have found evidence that her son has gotten involved in a group to take down the US government. She doesn't believe them and asks for time to prove her son is not involved. She doesn't tell her son what she has found out, and instead tries to investigate on her own.

The part I had a difficult time with was how secretive Stephanie was about everything. There were some things that happened in her past that we see through flashbacks, and it obviously is still haunting her. She won't confide in her friend Scott, her mother, or her son which I felt so frustrated with because these other people just wanted to help. This book brings in a lot of issues - terrorism, political conspiracy theories, Russian meddling, blackmail, ethical dilemmas... and definitely leaves the door open for a follow up book.

I really, really liked Karen Cleveland's last book so I was looking forward to this one. The first half of the book was full of suspense and mystery and I liked Steph (even though she seemed a bit scatter-brained for an FBI agent). I particularly liked the personal and family aspects of the story. There were sometimes too many characters to keep straight and some of them seemed to serve no purpose in the narrative.

The last half of the book was heavy on the espionage aspects which isn't my favorite genre but Cleveland does well keeping it pretty intriguing. As the body count kept adding up with surprising characters being eliminated, it went from wondering who would be next to wondering who would be left!!

While I didn't like it as much as her first book, lots of twists and unexpected events in this book make it a fast and enjoyable read.

I'm still deciding what I think of the ending.

Even while I was reading this, I thought it was just too much. A little out there and beyond belief. But I still loved it. It was fun and interesting to read. I was going back and forth between 3 and 4 but ultimately settled on 4 because I read this in one day and just enjoyed it. An FBI agent having to protect her child is not a new story. An FBI agent being set up so that a criminal or terrorist organization can get her/him out of the way isn't new. It still felt fresh in some way. A fun read, quick read.

question. “What if he’s not who she thinks he is?”
Stephanie Maddox is chief of Internal Investigations at headquarters, and the tale unfolds in her first person narrative. The present tense structure creates a sense of immediacy and personal connection. Maddox talks to readers, and she talks to herself. She shares her struggles, “It shouldn’t be this difficult,” and explains her coping mechanisms, “It’s what I do when life seems out of control, try to make my house perfect.” She interprets the actions of others, “He told me so and I ‘believe him,” and she rationalizes what she does not understand, “Zachary made a mistake, sure. Fell in with the wrong crowd.” Readers get to know her well, and understand that she has a problem, a big problem.
Readers follow as she plans, “Okay. I need to think about this rationally.” She shares startling revelations with readers, and she is incredulous at what she finds, “He knew. He knew about Zachary all along.” She second-guesses her thinking and investigative process, “Now I don’t know what to think.” Readers have the same questions as Maddox “Who’s doing this to us?” and feel her tension and concern, on every page. Day to day activities are interspersed with flashbacks that raise questions and reveal secrets, important secrets that have big consequences.
There are other voices, third person narratives. There is a woman, watching, waiting, and wondering about another woman. “What are they doing to her? And what are they doing to her son?” There is a young man, and there is an older man. Then, the man has a name, and the man with a name has connections.
Cleveland’s descriptions elucidate the beauty of Washington, DC. “The cherry tree outside my brownstone is starting to bud, dozens of pink knobs closed tight like tiny fists. In a few weeks, it’ll be in full bloom, and the city will be bursting with pink blossoms. Hordes of tourists, too; they’ll clog the usually quiet sidewalks around the Tidal Basin.”
Cleveland contrasts that with stark atmosphere of Maddox’s workspace “It’s a large office. There’s a desk in the center, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases on one wall, filled with legal tomes. A row of lockable filing cabinets along another, which doubles as a table for my coffeemaker. A television mounted to the opposite wall. A wide window in front of me overlooks the cubicle bullpen where my agents work.”
“Keep You Close” is filled with unexpected twists and turns. Readers agree when Maddox admits that things are not always what they seem to be “I thought I had it all figured out. Now I’m completely confused.” I received a review copy of “Keep You Close” from Karen Cleveland, Random House, Balentine Books, and NetGalley. It throws readers right into the fray with the characters. The action never lets up until the startling end

In this book, a mother is put in an impossible situation. Her teenage son is accused of being involved in something awful, and she is not only a single mom, but also an FBI agent. Can she protect her son without jeopardizing her career? And how well does she really know her teen son? How well do any of us. An action thriller, also quite thought provoking.

Steph is Chief of Internal Affairs in the FBI’s Washington D.C. field office. But at nineteen, she was a summer intern for Senator Halliday when she was raped by him. Finding herself pregnant, she decides to keep her baby in Keep You Close.

Her now seventeen year old son, Zachary, is distant and uncommunicative. Steph blames her long hours and his age. However, when a colleague warns her that Zackary has been emailing a domestic terrorist group, she decides to investigate.

After speaking to Zachary, Steph is convinced of his innocence. She decides that someone from her past is getting to her through Zachary. Could it be Senator Halliday? A mob boss she took down years ago? Another disgruntled FBI agent who lost his job because of her?

For a FBI agent, Steph seems to be searching for phantoms for most of the book. Names and motives are thrown around but no real research or investigating is done. She doesn’t even do a background search on the gun she found that started it all. How could a trained agent not remember that she failed to set her alarm and/or not be concerned when the alarm is off when she returns home after work.

Keep You Close requires a suspension of disbelief that I just can’t get past. Worse, despite starting well it is boring throughout the middle. Steph needs a real psychiatrist—not just the one in her head that sounds like the most annoying parent ever.

I enjoyed the author’s last book, Need to Know, but this one is a disappointment. Hopefully, her next book will be better. 2 stars.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Keep You Close is a fast-paced government/espionage thriller. How far will hyper-ethical FBI Internal Affairs agent Stephanie Maddox go when she finds out that her son is suspected of anti-government activity?
The quick moving plot kept my attention, and the sense of danger and the impending deadlines drive the story forward. Most of what we learn about Stephanie comes from flashback scenes that explain how she got where she is today, but I would have enjoyed a little more character development for some of the other characters (such as for her son, Zachary- but, perhaps, this was intentional?).
Keep You Close can be read as a standalone, but if you read Need to Know, you'll find that there is some continuation of plot lines from that book.

Fast paced and complicated plot line. So glad I am not an FBI agent- especially when family becomes involved. Steph is a tough cookie. I loved all the twists. This is a book that definitely keeps you on your toes.

A fast-paced, action packed, suspense story.

Keep You Close is my first Karen Cleveland novel. I was impressed by the breakneck speed with which this story unfolded. It grips you from page number 1 and doesn't let go until the end. I read the entire book yesterday, and it definitely kept my interest. The political fodder is scary to contemplate.

Having said all that, the novel felt somewhat empty. There was next to no character development, and the writing was so abrupt and unexpressive, I felt little personal engagement to the story. It needed something more. And let's be real here, for a woman who had worked her way up the ranks of the FBI, Stephanie was a bit of a dimwit. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why she did/said certain things. That was the biggest turn-off for me, and why I didn't rate this novel higher.

Recommended to those who enjoy brisk action novels. I could see this being a good beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Keven Cleveland for my copy.

How well do you really know the people you love the most? And what would you do to protect them? Those questions are at the core of Keep You Close - the second thriller by Karen Cleveland. I love books that challenge me to think about these things.

For a very brief plot summary - Stephanie Maddox is the head of Internal Investigations for the FBI. She is also a single mother to a 17 year old son who is anxiously waiting for college acceptance levels. When cleaning his room, she comes across a hidden gun. And then an FBI agent on the domestic terrorism squad shows up at her door with some questions about her son...how well does she really know him?

Last year, the author’s debut novel Need to Know was one of my favorite books so I came into this with high expectations. There were a lot of things I loved - it was a fast paced pageturner that really drew me in and I read it in one day. It felt a lot like watching great episodes of Alias or 24 - those heart-pounding moments when you are rooting for our main character to find the solution and stay ahead of the bad guys!

No spoilers - but I was disappointed in the ending. I wish there had been more. I am still really excited to read whatever the author writes next - I love a thriller that gets my heart racing!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Ballantine for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5*
Stephanie is a special agent with the FBI and the single mother of a seventeen year old son. A son who SHE is having trouble recognizing lately. Less communicative, more sullen. Is it just typical teenage behavior? Or is he hiding something.
Well that question is quickly answered when she finds a gun hidden in the back of his closet! Why would her teenage son have a gun? What is he involved in?

Stephanie is going to do whatever it takes to protect her son. Even if it costs her her career...or maybe more.

This book started off with a bang I was instantly drawn in, loving Stephanie’s character and that of her son Zachary. But about half way it turned into full on espionage and conspiracy theories.
Just a bit too far fetched for me.

If you enjoy espionage mixed with a splash of family drama then this might be a good pick for you!

A buddy read with Susanne!🌸

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and Karen Cleveland for an ARC to read and review.

Keep You Close is a thriller that takes real events and puts a spin on them. Our society is seeing the fallout of young people being radicalized online into supporting hate groups and even carrying out violent terroristic attacks. Throughout the world, Russian cyberwarfare is affecting elections and turning the world toward authoritarian ethno-nationalists as Putin seeks to discredit democracy outside Russia to prevent its resurgence in Russia. These threads are skillfully woven by Karen Cleveland with a twist.

FBI investigator Stephanie Maddox learns her son is being investigated as a possible terrorist, but she cannot square that with the boy she raised. She is certain he is being framed, but to what end and by whom? She soon comes to believe it all leads back to her son’s father, a U.S. senator and her rapist. In trying to clear her son, she unravels a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government—a threat as serious as the real threat we face now.

Keep You Close is a fast-paced thriller. From the first page, there is nonstop suspense. And of course, her son is either culpable or completely unaware and how can the readr or Stephanie know for sure? She can recall events that might be foreshadowing yet could also just be childhood tantrums. What is real?

That part of the story feels real. Now, the conspiracy is different. It feels like the conspirators are just too good at it, too all-knowing, too successful. They seem like villains 007 who would defeat 007. Of course, the real conspirators in our real world have successfully installed a compromised puppet in the White House, so who can say what is too far out there in conspiracy-world anymore?

Keep You Close will be released May 28th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley

After reading Need to Know by this author last year, I was excited to read Keep You Close. Unfortunately I felt that Keep You Close had a few too many twists and at one point it just began to feel like it was all too much.

I enjoyed the main character, Stephanie and her son Zachary. I wanted them to figure this out, but was stunned that Zachary was foolish enough to put himself in the position he did after being repeatedly warned by his mother. That was the thing that just put it over the top for me.

I also wanted some closure on what happened to Stephanie's mom, but didn't get that. It's kind of like a big subplot was left open.

This book did keep my interest and I would recommend it to thriller lovers. It's fast-paced and definitely apropos given today's political climate and the worries over Russia.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for granting my request for an ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

Stephanie Maddox is a single mother and head of the FBI's Internal Investigations Section. She has unwittingly put her job ahead of her son through the years.
Zach is now seventeen and will be graduating soon.
When she finds a loaded gun hidden in his room, she's not sure what to think.
Her first instinct is to protect her son, but after a visit from an agent on the domestic terrorism squad, warning her that Zach might be reaching out to an anarchist group, her loyalties are divided.
As she covertly investigates, she finds out that the Russians have infiltrated the FBI and may somehow be involved with her son. Are they framing him, or has Zach become a stranger to her?
This was a powerful, fast paced thriller. Compelling and filled with action, hard to put down once I got into it. Another great book by the author!
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Karen Cleveland’s first book, Need To Know, I quickly jotted down her name on my list of favorite authors. As soon as I saw she had a new book out, I waited anxiously for the opportunity to read it.

Her experience as a CIA analyst working in counterterrorism is very apparent in the vivid descriptions. I love how she spins a story and keeps me spellbound until the very last reveal. I also enjoyed that while this isn’t a sequel, she threw in a character from her first book, Vivian Miller.


I can’t wait to see what happens next, and I hope the same people pop in again.