Emma Curtis writes psychological fiction really well. Her latest Keep Her Quiet follows a tense narrative. Jenna is desperate for a baby, but her partner, Leo, is less than keen, he is more intent on focusing on his career as a writer rather than on having children. When Jenna finally gives birth, Leo knows that the baby can’t be his. He is willing to put his thoughts and feelings aside to look after his family, but a chance happening of events take things for Leo on a different course. When he accidentally hits a young woman and her baby, he makes an unbreakable promise that he will live with regret for years to come.

I found this story really tense. Emma opens the book with Jenna and Leo rushing off to hospital. For a brief moment, everything is right in their world, and then something unthinkable happens. Jenna’s baby is snatched from her crib. Fast forward sixteen years and Jenna is still searching for her daughter. Her husband, Leo, has become a bestselling author and the case of their missing daughter receives a lot of attention from the press. On their daughter’s sixteenth birthday they make a fresh appeal for information. As their appeal is broadcast to the nation, it sparks an interest in a young woman, and she soon begins to question everything about her past.

As I was reading the first few chapters, I couldn’t believe what was happening as Leo seemed to take matters into his own hands. I knew he was hurting as he knew his wife had slept with someone else, but it really made me dislike him for the decisions he took next. It made me wonder just how long Leo was going to be able to keep the pretence up. How could he, especially when Jenna believes that their daughter has been abducted by a stranger?

Emma Curtis takes the next part of the story in a different direction to what I was expecting. I don’t want to say too much more here as I don’t want to give anything away. You think you can see just where the story is going to go, and then Emma Curtis completely surprises you. She certainly hasn’t given her characters an easy ride in this book.

Keep Her Quiet is an exciting thriller, and it is a rollercoaster of a read. You do have to suspend the belief system a little bit, but I really enjoyed it. This is the fourth book I’ve read now by Emma Curtis, and I am a big fan of her writing. I’m looking forward to reading what she comes up with next.

I loved it!
Couldn't wait to find out how it all ended.
I will be looking out for more by this author, as I enjoyed it very much and liked the style.

Thank you very much to Netgalley for an early review copy

I really liked the style of the book, some characters were more likeable and believable than others, so it kept the book pacey.

However I found the story just too extreme, too far past ‘that could happen’.... to make it a great read.

I liked the concept of this book and it was an easy read although some of the characters were not likeable. Jenny and Leo have just had a beautiful baby girl that Jenny has always wanted. Leo never wanted a child and knows that this child cannot be his but he will put up with her to keep his wife. Leo then crosses paths with Hannah who desperately wants a baby girl. In a moment of madness Leo sees the answer to his prayers. Sixteen years later Jenny is still desperate to find her baby girl and Leo is a successful author.
The book is written several different POV’s including Jenny, Leo and Hannah. In some ways this almost feels like two different stories put together and it definitely has unexpected twists and turns. I really liked the first story but the second part was not believable. A good book for the beach.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#KeepHerQuiet #NetGalley

Jenny has just given birth to baby Sophie this is what she's always wanted even though the baby's not Leo's her husbands but it was a one night stand and there is no way he will ever find out

But Leo has never wanted children and knows Sophie can't be his .

Wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this but as the book progressed I started to get intrigued and wanted Zoe to survive her ordeal

He leaves the hospital using damage to his country cottage as his excuse but little does Leo know that a chance meeting will change his life forever

Years later what happened at this meeting comes back to haunt him, Leo's career has really taken off by this time and he doesn't want things to change but a 16 year old called Zoe puts his whole lifestyle at risk
How can he "Keep Her Quiet".

Wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this but as the book progressed I started to get intrigued and wanted Zoe to survive her ordeal . Leo makes a promise to Zoe but will Leo keep his word .

Great read, this has kept me guessing and my attention has been hooked. This is a five star read and completely captivated me so I devoured this entire book in just one sitting. This is completely unpredictable and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Public reviews to follow on publication day

Jenny and Leo have just had a baby, but whilst Jenny is over the moon, Leo knows for certain that he is not the father.

Seventeen year old Hannah has also had a baby and has taken it home on her own, she doesn’t have a supportive family or partner to help her. She takes the baby to bed to keep it warm and wakes up to find her poor baby has died.

Without giving away an amazing plot, Leo has been drinking and comes across Hannah on a dark, wet road. They both make a life changing decision that will affect both of them forever.

When Jenny’s baby goes missing from the hospital, she is distraught but it seems like Leo has his own demons to Fight.

We fast forward sixteen years. Zoe sees an article in the paper about the search for Jenny’s baby, she starts to wonder if she is their child, but unfortunately some people will stop at nothing to keep this secret coming out.

I absolutely adored this book. The tension had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, I found myself reading faster glued to the pages!!

An author to look out for.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Emma Curtis just gets better all the time. This was a really gripping and exciting story.
At first I found the scenario slightly implausible but nevertheless it drew me in and I was unable to put the book down.
The story is told, in the main, from four points of view. The characters are not necessarily sympathetic or likeable. They are selfish, too introspective and they frequently make stupid decisions. It is their vulnerability and self-interest that drives the story. There are so many unexpected twists, it is an emotional rollercoaster of a read. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately I couldn’t download this book so I can’t leave a review. I will download it or buy a paper copy at some point.

I've never heard the phrase "grip-lit" before but this is it!!
Quite a slow starter but picks up quickly and was very engrossing. A really original story too. Definitely recommend!

Keep Her Quiet, Emma Curtis

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction ( Adult), Mystery and Thrillers

Wow, what a read, full of surprises I didn't see coming. Some stories you can see way ahead whats going to develop but this one threw all the curve-balls....

Leo, what a narcissistic man, concerned only about himself. It made me wonder what Jenny ever saw in him. When she strays that one time she has no idea Leo knows the baby isn't his and yet I felt it wasn't so much for love of her he kept quiet but because he didn't want to lose his cushy life that allowed him to be An Important Author. How much of that was down to his childhood, with a weird mother and a father who felt he'd had to give up his dreams of being an author to teach because of Leo. Who knows what shapes people, or whether they just are that selfish.
Jenny, poor Jenny. I don't condone cheating but Leo must be a hard husband to live with, she had to do literally everything in their marriage, so the man could focus on his writing. He made that very clear, he was going to be a great Man, make his mark on the literary world and nothing would stop him. She strays just that once and that changes the direction of so many lives. I so felt for her, she had her life changed by things totally out of her control.
Then there's Hannah, not much more than a child herself, yet abandoned by her family, abused by those she trusted and left to make her own way. She and Leo hatch a plan on the fly, trap each other into long standing events. In a way I understood her actions, and her later ones, though I found it hard to believe she would have acted that way. It proved to me really that however much I felt for her she was in her own way as selfish as Leo. Put herself above everyone else.
Then the later events of the book, well, once more we saw there was no end to Leo's selfishness. He was callous in his musings about what to do, it was all about what worked best for him. At times it was incredible the way he casually went through possible scenarios, how he felt he'd had no choice, how he portrayed himself, even after these terrible actions, as a good guy, just doing his best in difficult circumstances.

Its a gripping read, stunning the way shock after shock gets delivered, the way that one cataclysmic event had consequences that lasted years, that get wrapped in lies, falsehoods, actions beyond imagining. I really didn't see so many of the twists, big ones and even up to the end, smaller ones. That letter shocked me.
There's one true innocent at the heart of this who gets a life she really didn't deserve. I so felt for her. What long standing consequences could come from her innocent actions.

I think what I always had in the back of my mind too was this is so far fetched and yet...we see over and over it actually does happen. There's one particular story that sticks in my mind from a few years back that reminded me so much of the events here, how we can do unimaginable things for our own ends, to save face, how we can justify wrongdoings to ourselves, telling ourselves we had no choice.

Stars: Five. A great read, full of surprises. The characters were so perfectly written, I felt as if I was there with them, a voyeur in their lives. A read to treasure, to whip out on a dull day and lose oneself in.

Arc via netgalley and publishers

Jenny has just given birth to the baby she’s always wanted. She’s never been this happy. Her husband, Leo, knows this baby girl can’t be his. He’s never felt so betrayed. The same night, a vulnerable young woman, Hannah, wakes to find her newborn lifeless beside her. She’s crazed with grief. When chance throws Hannah into Leo’s path, they make a plan that will have shattering consequences for all of them. Years later, a sixteen-year-old girl reads an article in a newspaper, and embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about herself. But what she learns will put everything she has ever known – and her own life – in grave danger. Because some people will go to desperate lengths to protect the secrets their lives are built on.

I really do not have much to say about this read as it is one of the most ridiculous plots I have ever read. I am not sure I can come up with anything positive to say. This begins with very emotional scenes and Curtis does write this well. However, events quickly turn farcical. I can understand events in the heat of the moment but they could be undone. Instead, Curtis runs with them, then adds more insane events to the mix, until we are left with a very unbelievable read that I lost any connection with. To be honest, by the end of the read I came to view this whole book as a joke.

I move on to the characters now and if you were hoping for something positive here well I am afraid you would be mistaken. The characters are so unlikeable, all of them! I am not even sure I found them realistic which makes it even worse. They all come across as horrible people. Yes, devastating events happen to some of them but they remain flawed, unlikeable and characters that I just did not connect with.

'Keep Her Quiet' was not an enjoyable read or one I was in any way gripped by. I was left bemused by events and found the read to be farcical. I would go so far as to say I highly recommend you do not read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy.

Wowzers! This book was in my opinion an absolutely brilliant read. From the first chapter I was hooked and as I finished one chapter I just had to keep on reading. This is a gripping psychological thriller . I loved the short snappy chapters told from alternative characters points of view. This book will suck you right in and you won’t want to stop reading. A massive 5 star read for me.

This was such a captivating read. The story begins with the birth of Sophie, stolen within hours of birth from her hospital crib while Mum, Jenny, sleeps beside her. As if this weren’t horrifying enough, we learn that this is no random abduction. Jenny, unaware that husband, Leo, has previously had a vasectomy, leads him to believe that the baby is his. He is troubled by this lie and has no aspirations towards fatherhood.

Driving aware from the hospital on the night of the birth he, under the influence of alcohol and caught up in stormy weather, accidental hits a young woman who convinces him he has killed her baby. In the exchange that follows between the 2, they concoct a plan to steal Jenny’s baby..
The events that follow are shocking, abhorrent and utterly compelling - this is not a book that can be put down easily!

I absolutely love how Emma Curtis portrays her characters. They make some utterly despicable decisions, yet they are shown, through their narratives, as real flawed people, who simply react to the circumstances they find themselves in.

I am in awe of Emma Curtis for coming up with such an original plot, and thoroughly recommend this novel for anyone looking for a fast paced, exciting read!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Jenny has given birth to a baby girl although even at this point everything is not what it seems. Her husband Leo knows the baby can't be his, but he has hidden this from Jenny. Another birth, to a young girl Hannah, ends in devastating loss,and when Leo and Hannah are thrown together it sets off a bizarre chain of events which will have life changing consequences for all. Some of the coincidences stretch probabilities but, aside from this, it is a good psychological thriller with plenty of twists.

This was brilliant. When Jenny gives birth to a longed for baby girl, her husband Leo is furious. Jenny doesn't know he can't have children. Leo knows that baby isn't his. When he is involved in the suspicious death of Hannah's baby, the solution seems to be to let Hannah steal the baby he doesn't want. 16 years later all their lives are thrown upside down when the daughter realises who she really is. The twists just kept coming in this book. The characters are very believable and draw you in, even the ones you really shouldn't be routing for. I haven't read anything else by Emma Curtis but after reading this I shall be seeking out her other work

Another great, pacey read. Thrillers like this are fab for when you want to get yourself lost in a book for a few hours without putting it down. Enjoyed the writing style too.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

*Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

'Keep Her Quiet' is one of those books where I found myself actually making dramatic exclamations out loud and shouting at the characters as if I was right there with them amongst all the drama!
My absolute immersion and interaction with this book is enough to award it the full five stars by itself.

Onto the plot...
Writer Leo Creasey doesn’t want children and moreover a vasectomy before his marriage to Jenny means he can’t give his wife a child.
So when Jenny is pregnant, Leo is hurt and betrayed but decides to keep quiet as Jenny’s money gives him the luxury of being a writer.
But when the baby is born, Leo is conflicted. He’s not sure if he can accept the baby after all.
A tragic encounter in a storm with 17 year old Hannah gives both him and Hannah, the only answer that makes sense to them both during a moment of madness.

So the three protagonists have all made some pretty horrendous decisions that are set to rule their lives.

This type of book has been described as ‘Grip-lit’ which sums it up perfectly!
There’s no subtle build-up here - just ‘Bam’ and a direct hit straight into the drama.

I was all “Whaaat?” “No!” “Really?!” when I first read about the outrageous plan that seemed far too quickly cooked up between Leo and Hannah and I did feel it was incredibly far-fetched. But, you know what? I didn’t care how far-fetched it seemed - I was completely hooked.

Part two of the book and sixteen years have passed.
And this is where I don’t want to give away any spoilers.
Needless to say, the baby swap plan has back-fired dramatically and what follows next is a series of further disastrous choices and treacherous deceit as the characters try to keep the whole bonkers situation from becoming public knowledge.
As a villainous character, Leo ranks pretty highly in his attempts to keep life smooth for himself.
The shock ending only serves to amplify his horrendous self-interest - this character is absolutely rotten to the core!

Fast-paced and with never a dull moment, Keep Her Quiet is such a stonkingly good read that I’m more than happy to overlook the couple of far-fetched plot devices because I enjoyed it so much.

A hold your breath story. Stolen at birth so Zoe looks for her birth parents but what happens next is a NO, NO moment. You won’t believe how selfish and self absorbed some people can be. What would you do if you were in the same position. Not this.