Single mom and FBI agent, Steph Maddox, has felt like her son has grown distant recently and is doing her best to spend time with him before he heads to college in a few months. When she stumbles upon a gun hidden in his room she begins to suspect that the distance between them holds more than just time spent apart with her demanding job. To make matters worse, she has a visit from a co-worker who has given her a heads up that her son is being investigated as being part of a group of terrorists. Desperate to prove her son's innocence, salvage relationships with her son and her mother, continue to hide secrets from her past, and keep up with her job, everything starts to unravel faster than she can control.

This book grabbed me from the start. When she found the gun in her son's room and the FBI agent showed up at the door, I couldn't stop turning the pages to see if her son was really innocent or if he was up to something sinister. The story from her past was interesting but the back and forth seemed abrupt at times. By the end of the book I had a hard time believing that she really was that distant and disconnected from her son. A mom who was so invested in proving her son's innocence would realistically be a more involved parent over the years. I found the book to be pretty far fetched but I will admit I still enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down. A great thriller if you don't mind a little stretch when it comes to what is realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Publishing for the free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

KEEP YOU CLOSE was action-packed and compelling. A great read by an author I never read before. I would definitely recommend.

Karen Cleveland has done it again! Last year, I was blown away by Need to Know and had been eagerly anticipating what she would write next. When I heard it was not a sequel, I was disappointed as NTK ended on a giant OMG moment - I was thrilled to see plot points from Need to Know addressed in Keep You Close! You do not need to have read Need to Know first but if you have, I think it will really add to the story!

How far will you go to protect your son is the question our heroine, FBI agent Steph Maddox has to ask herself when her son is accused of domestic terrorism. Told in Cleveland’s signature style with twists, turns and gasps along the way, Keep You Close was another winner for me and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this CIA agent turned author!

Thank you to Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Good book. I enjoyed beginning got me hooked very quickly! Thank you NetGalley for my copy! NetGalley has a great selection of books!

This book opens with the main character, FBI agent Stephanie Maddox, in charge of Internal Investigations, is meeting a friend and agent in a bar. While a previous friend and agent, he currently has open charges of sexual harassment and fraud. Upon meeting Stephanie advised the agent that she expects his resignation first thing tomorrow morning. When he attempts to get her to ignore these issues, she advises that there are agents in the bar who will make things really bad for him unless he agrees to the immediate resignation. This starts the book by letting the reader know has a strong Stephanie has a big sense of right and wrong and does give breaks to those who bend or break the rules.
After leaving the bar Stephanie goes home and we meet Stephanie's son, Zach. Zach is a 16 year old only child who excels in school. However, Stephanie and Zach do not have a great relationship. There are endless half-finished conversations between Stephanie and Zach. Any single mother who reads this story can understand the how difficult it is to have a complete conversation with a teen boy. At this point the plot starts getting to exhilarate since Stephanie supposes if she straighten ups Zach's room things between them will become better. However, Stephanie finds a gun in Zachary's room which makes her wonder, what is her son into, how did he get the gun and what did he plan to do? While contemplating these ideas the doorbell rings and another agent at the door who accuses Zach of being associated with a terrorist group. This group has been categorized as planning mass attacks. Although a strict rule enforcer Stephanie is determined to protect her son even if it jeopardizes her job.
As she delves deeper into this allegation, she finds there is a conspiracy more nefarious than she could have imagined. This make her have to choose between her duty to her country or her duty to her country.
This is a good easy to read and entertaining book but not quite as good as her previous book, "Need to Know," I am anxious to read the next book by this author.

Stephanie Maddox works for the FBI and is a single mom to her teenage son Zachary. She has always been career-driven, and her mom frequently accuses her of putting her job before her son. But when there is a knock on the door one evening and it is a fellow agent wanting to speak to her son concerning a possible terrorist organization, she has to use her powers to prove his innocence, and find out who is setting him up and why.

This is a very fast-paced book. I did not want to put it down. It had lots of action, and a good storyline. I am on the fence about the ending...it seemed as if it were setting it up for a sequel, but if not then it just left me with lots of questions. So, my fingers are crossed for a sequel! I highly recommend it for all fans of suspense.

What an amazing book. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen in the next chapter. Karen Cleveland is an amazing story teller. I look forward to more of her books!

Stephanie Maddox has dedicated her FBI career to taking down the bad guys. She has sacrificed her personal life, time and again missing milestones in her son Zachary’s life. As a single parent she relied on her mother and babysitters to take over for her. All in the name of the “greater good”.

Zachary is a great high school student and has excelled in all areas at school. He’s in the Computer Programming Club, an Honor Society Member, part of the student government, and works a part-time job writing code for a tech firm.

Her "no mercy" attitude towards criminials when she was an agent, and towards fellow bureau members in her current Internal Affairs role has guaranteed a few enemies. Life is black and white for Steph, no gray areas. Until, she finds a gun in her son’s room; and, an agent she used to date shows up at her door asking questions about her son....his possible links to an anarchist group... potential threats.

Karen Cleveland takes you along Stephanie’s race against the clock to protect her son, who she knows has to be innocent, while she is trying to uncover who is behind this plot to threaten her world;and preventing precious lives from being lost.

As secrets unfold you won’t know who can be trusted, or how long Stephanie’s black and white view of right and wrong will last.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Karen Cleveland for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

Posted to Instagram 5/10/19: https://www.instagram.com/p/BxS7QgTnfmN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Posted to Twitter 5/10/19: https://twitter.com/Lizzieg424/status/1126951026291040257
Will be posted to Amazon on 5/28/19

Keep You Close is a fast-paced political-ish thriller!
'The story picks up where Need to Know (the author's last book) left off, but from a different perspective and drip feeds you the basics from Need to Know, so you could read Keep You Close without reading the other book.

I loved getting a peek into the life of Stephanie Maddox, an internal affairs investigator at the FBI, and seeing what she would do when it's discovered her teenage son might be involved with an anarchist group plotting a terrorist attack. The story is jam-packed with action and swishes back and forth a lot, but kept my interest with the conspiracy theories and quick timeline.

My only criticism was that there was so much happening at once I felt like I didn't get enough background into who Zachary and his mom were.

This was an intense, irresistible mystery. Rowan is investigating her friend Marrianne’s death and there are many twists and turns along the way. Why had they been estranged for ten years? The story was fast paced and kept me interested.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars

Karen Cleveland's 2018 debut, Need To Know was one of my top reads last year and I was eager to read her second book.

The fast pace/action and suspense are back, but I felt the story lacked the character development and intrigue and overall "cleverness" that was created in her debut.

FBI Agent Stephanie Maddox is at the heart of the story as she tries to unravel a domestic anarchist groups involvement in a web of lies that could hurt her son, Zachary. She struggles to search for the truth and keep her Zachary safe. These characters weren't developed enough for me to really become invested in the outcome.

The "action" is definitely what drives this novel so action fans will enjoy. I just needed to feel more for the characters and the timeline felt too jumpy. The reveal was definitely a surprise.

Fans of conspiracy theories and a plot of non-stop action may find this one a winner.

FBI Agent Stepanie Maddox is a single parent to a teenage son, Zachary. Some evidence has come up showing that Zachary is involved in some criminal activity. Even though Stephanie finds some incriminating things in Zachary's bedroom she knows otherwise and will do everything within her power to protect him and prove his innocence. Both Stephanie and Zachary have some secrets that they are keeping from each other that will put their lives on a spiral course. This is a roller coaster ride of a story where you try to conclude what the real truth is. A really great story!

I was thrilled to be finished with this book! Not because it was fantastic and I couldn’t wait to talk about it, but because I simply wanted to be done!

Stephanie Maddox works her dream job with the FBI. Getting there has taken her nearly two decades of hard work and personal sacrifices—the most important, she fears, being a close relationship with her teenage son, Zachary. One day while straightening her son’s room, Steph is shaken to discover a loaded gun hidden in his closet. Then comes a knock at her door—a colleague who utters three devastating words: “It’s about Zachary.”

I’m a mother and I could understand Stephanie’s need to protect her son, but her character annoyed me! SO MUCH! She’s made her way through the ranks of the FBI, so one would assume she’s an intelligent woman, but her actions didn’t always show that. While I can relate to the mom fear factor clouding her judgement, I expected more from this woman. It also bothered me that she seemed to put her career above her child. While I know I’ve put things before my child before, it doesn’t mean I think it should be a regular occurrence as it seemed to be for Steph.

I finished this book, interested enough to continue, hoping something with a wow factor would happen! It didn’t. I’m completely clueless about the whys and hows of this story. Perhaps it was the skimming I did through parts of the book, but I closed the book feeling like things were unresolved. As if the book just stopped and I was missing the last chapter.

A disjointed read that was often repetitive, this reader is going to keep away from this author until she can get the bad taste of this book out of her head.

I really enjoyed this book, except for the fact that I feel like there was no real resolution at the end of it. I feel like usually in a series, there is something that reaches a comfortable ending point even if its clear that there will be another book to follow. I feel kind of like this ended abruptly in the middle of the wrap up, which was sort of disappointing. Other than that, this book kept me riveted and kept me trying to figure out what was going on the whole time. I also enjoyed that the story was believable. It wasn't one of those thrillers where the main character wins in some preposterous way. I'm excited to see what the next installment will bring.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

The book brings you to the question of how far would you go to protect your child?
The FBI shows up at your door and asks how well you really know your 17 year old son... How would you answer?

Fast-paced, full of twists, read this book.

Moments after finding a loaded gun in her son’s bedroom, a fellow FBI Agent was at Stephanie’s door asking how well she really knew her son. From that moment forward this book careens at breakneck speed to its final conclusion. Is Zach guilty or is he being framed. Packed with moral dilemmas and some big twists this book was an extremely entertaining read from start to finish, although I was a bit disappointed in the ending.

Having read, and loved, Cleveland's first novel, Need to Know, I was excited to read this one. While I do think her first book was a bit better, I really enjoyed Keep You Close as well. This novel is fast-paced and kept my attention to the end. Some twists, you will see coming, but the author threw in enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. Though I don't usually go for spy type novels, I'll be keeping an eye out for Cleveland's next book!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I have read by this author. She is amazing!
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review -
Steph exposes the corruption in the FBI - but who would have thought her son would be accused of terrorism?
With twists and turns that make you wonder if you really know your child? - or is something else going on here?
You will want to read this book - it is a page turner!

How far would you go to protect your teenage child? So far that you are willing to bend or break legal boundaries and those you’ve vowed to uphold in your career at the FBI?
These are just a few of the moral dilemmas that Stephanie Maddox, veteran FBI agent and single mother of 17-year-old Zachary, is forced to face in Karen Cleveland’s sophomore thriller, Keep You Close.
The twist and turns abound in this novel, always something new and threatening around every corner. And at every turn, you are certain you have everything figured out. But you won’t know for sure until the last few pages. And unless you are a super sleuth, most likely, you’ll be wrong. I certainly was. I enjoyed the rapid pace of the story, though I did feel as though it was difficult at times to keep up with the multiple characters. Also, I know the constant struggles of the main character are central to the story, but I did feel at times that there was no one on her side, no one that she could trust or confide in and that was sad. This was one of those books that you are sure doesn’t have enough pages left to wrap things up satisfactorily, but Cleveland manages to do just that. In my opinion, this is not quite as good as her first novel, I would still recommend it to someone looking for a fast-paced suspense novel that touches on federal government procedures, familial relationships, and how your choices can effect your life in ways you’d never imagine.
I give this book four stars and thank NetGalley for providing me with this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Keep You Close, by Karen Cleveland

Short Take: Ripped from the headlines! But in a not-fun way.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

This is where I usually put a witty intro, where I find some clever way to tie some aspect of my life to the book I’m reviewing, but I recently made the fateful decision to finally join the rest of the population of Earth and start watching Game of Thrones. Therefore, my time is limited at the moment. So let’s all just pretend that I wrote something catchy about how I can’t look away from all these warring factions and backstabbing and power grabbing, k? On to the book!

Steph Maddox has the job of her dreams. She’s head of Internal Affairs for the FBI: investing the investigators, fighting corruption, and keeping the most powerful people in America from abusing that power.

As is always the case with women who hold onto major careers, she’s had to fight and make a lot of sacrifices along the way, and one of the biggest of those sacrifices is time spent with her son, Zachary, during his formative years.

Now seventeen, Zachary is closed-off and quiet, occasionally prone to teenage moods, but basically a good kid. At least, that’s what Steph thinks, until two incidents rattle her complacency. First, she finds a loaded gun in Zachary’s room, then, a fellow agent knocks on her door and informs her that Zachary’s name has come up in an investigation into a domestic terror group.

Forced to face the fact that she may not know her son as well as she thinks she does, Steph embarks on her own investigation, one that leads into her own past as well as the highest levels of government. And it’s not just herself she’s putting in harm’s way.

Of course there are many twists, a few of which are genuinely shocking, and I found myself racing to the end, reading and re-reading the final chapters, trying to absorb it all.

And in the end?

I’m exhausted. And depressed.

In any other period in American history, this book would’ve been a fun diversion, a twisty “ooooo what-if” kind of tale, something so wildly implausible that its sheer out-there-ness makes it fun.

But right now… it’s not fun. It’s not out-there, it’s not a “what-if” anymore. There is proof in the headlines every day that Bad People have, in fact, infiltrated the highest levels of our government, that corruption is rampant, and instead of leading or governing, power for its own sake is their goal (along with fattening their own wallets). I’m not one of those readers who gets mad if a book doesn’t have a happy ending, but the all-too-realistic bleakness of this one just left me feeling morose.

So I can’t say that I enjoyed Keep You Close very much. Don’t get me wrong, there were some high points. Steph is a great character (if not a great mother). We see her having to make difficult choices, never knowing what the outcome might be, and trying to do the right thing even when it’s not clear what that thing is. The pacing is great, and Ms. Cleveland is masterful at cranking up the tension.

But I can only really recommend Keep You Close if you’ve read all the US news you can find, and you still want more of the bad stuff. It’s well-written enough, but just too true.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and booze. Any kind will do.)