Brilliant debut novel about a revenge-for-hire business that holds men accountable for their heinous acts. This was an exciting story that kept me engaged. I thoroughly recommend this and hope to see more from this author.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an unbiased review.

Olson’s debut thriller sizzles so much you’ll need an ice bath after reading it! This is much more than a vigilante revenge story, although that aspect is cleverly done and kicks ass. It’s also about the lasting and long reaching effects of trauma not only for a victim but everyone who loves them and the power of self-forgiveness. The professional turned romantic relationship between Dylan, aka Lady Justice, and hacker-extraordinaire Daniel was natural and off-the-charts hot, but it’s their layered characterization that made me fall in love with them. I’m not sure if this is the first of a planned series, but Dylan’s the kind of character I’d follow anywhere.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the review copy!

If you like vigilante justice you'll probably enjoy Close Enough to Hurt by Katherine A. Olson. The lead protagonist, Dylan Truman aka Lady Justice, lives on a houseboat in Sausalito. Describing herself as a "professional revenge artist", she dispenses "catered punishments". After meeting with her female clientele she uses "the scope of others' betrayals" to define "what shape justice might take" coming up with boutique ideas to shame and ruin the lives of men who have wronged them. Dylan also has skin in the game, her sister Gabrielle was violently raped at knifepoint in college.

Dylan is also in love with her offsider, Daniel, who she describes as "absolute catnip" to her "hot mess express". As you can see, the novel's language is functional rather than pretty, however the book will likely appeal to anyone who hates the fact that "bullies get away with it for-goddamn-ever" with an "itch to smash the status quo." The book builds on the way we minimise violence for perpetrators, with lines like: "Jail time would ruin his entire life". It eludes to the way our justice system fails women

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

It was a fantastic read.. I could not put this book down it was so good!! I need a physical copy like yesterday!! This was a great thriller!!!

I really enjoyed this book and just love dark, unreliable narrators. A brilliant debut and for fans of the mind f**k series, its a similar type of dark revenge. Highly recommended xx

This was such a great debut novel and although it’s listed as a thriller, there is a good bit of romance. Kind of gave me *Mindf*ck by S.T. Abby* vibes!

Dylan Truman a.k.a. Lady Justice is a vigilante revenge-for-hire. She is hired to go after bad men and ruin their lives along with her hacker best friend, Daniel Haas.

When a client hires her to investigate Brent Wilder and make him pay, Dylan sees this as the perfect time for revenge for her sister as well. Brent Wilder assaulted her sister in college and got away with it.

Dylan moves into a condo next door to Brent and works her way into his life while also struggling with her feelings for Daniel and trying to keep her identity a secret from the public. She has to decide If she must follow through with vengeance at any cost even if it means losing the only man shes ever loved.

Katherine also lists the trigger warnings as
Emotional & physical abuse
Suicide
Graphic violence
Off page sexual assault.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Close Enough to Hurt will be available October 10, 2023

When I started this book I was thoroughly hooked in and expecting it to be amazing. The first few chapters were everything I thought it would be. As the book went on, though, I found myself losing interest. It became a little repetitive and predictable for me. It was almost like I could predict what our main character was going to do before it was going to happen. The back and forth between Dylan and Daniel became annoying before the end of the book. It was good, but not exactly memorable for me.

If you enjoy “modern times” thrillers this book is for you. I love the premise of this book. Getting revenge on those that deserve it. Unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Don't judge a book by it's cover- I thought this book was going to be a typical she pretends to be someone else to avenge someone but boy this book was a whole ride. I wasn't on board with the whole Daniel relationship at first because Dylan seemed a little to toxic for a relationship but I ended up rooting for them. Brent obviously had 0 redeeming qualities and was just annoying with his paranoia.

Close Enough to Hurt was everything I wanted in a thriller and more.

Dylan aka Lady Justice is a revenge-for-hire vigilante that works alongside her hacker best friend Daniel. Her targets are the worst of men, they cheat, hurt women, and commit white-collar crimes. She doesn't take them down with violence but instead with embarrassing ways to ruin their lives. When a new client comes forth with a well-known target things get messy. This one is personal and Dylan will stop at nothing to see justice for not only her client but for her sister too.

As she plots her revenge in unique ways against the billionaire pharmaceutical CEO Brent Wilder, things start to heat up with Daniel, is there more to their friendship or is he really going to have to move on from the business to start his life?

Despite being marketed as a thriller there was a good chunk of romance and it was delicious. It was written so well alongside the suspense that it didn't take away from the story but actually aided it. Daniel Haas just may be one of my favorite book boyfriends. Their chemistry and steamy scenes were amazing. The development of their characters was fun to read.

I love Dylan, she's a strong character, she had flaws but was motivated to achieve her goals. Her narration was easy to follow and I immediately liked her. I was rooting for her and was happy to see the small character growth that led her to get the future she deserved.

This is an addictive story, it's fast-paced, and the tension and suspense kept me engaged the entire time, I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend picking this one up! Now I will surely be in a reading slump after this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Katherine Olson for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Keep a look out for this one, scheduled to release on October 10th.

Book Title: Close Enough to Hurt
Author: Katherine Olson
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: October 10, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 320

I believe this cover gives readers a warning that there just might be some violence going on.
However, the book does start off with trigger warnings ~ states it contains darker thematic material, including references to sexual assault, on-page emotional and physical abuse and graphic violence.

Dylan Truman runs a revenge-for-hire business entitled ”Dark Horse Consulting”.
She has a new client who hires her to investigate Brent Wilder and make him pay for his fraud, Dylan is totally on this as he also assaulted her sister back in their college days and got away with it.
Dylan’s job is to make despicable men held accountable for their infidelities, corporate crimes, and violence towards women. She doesn’t kill them; instead she comes up with ways to ruin their lives.

Daniel Haas is a digital genius and works part-time as Dylan’s Digital PI; Dylan loves his work and is starting to view him more than just a part-time colleague. However, is aware that he is not available as he and beautiful Yoon So Ah are planning to marry
Story is more than just Dylan and Daniel but have to admit they sure kept me curious!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 10, 2023

bad ass woman takes down a very bad man. LOVED this. the excitement, the tricks and even the romance. would recommend! 10/10 :)

Wow! I loved this book. Katherine A. Olson delivers a riveting, fast-paced story that kept me glued to my Kindle from the first page to the last. Her author voice is clear, distinct, and reader-friendly and she gives her protagonist, Dylan Truman, a personality that jumps off the page. I liked everything about her.

Though Close Enough To Hurt is marketed as General Fiction and Thriller, lovers of Romance will enjoy this novel too. There is a strong romantic element in the subplot, which this reviewer absolutely loved. (I craved a cigarette after reading Chapters 15, 16. No lie!) The sensual scenes are beautifully written and steaming hot but filled with emotion and not at all salacious. The thriller scenes are frequent, tense and exciting. I rooted for Dylan over and over again. I wanted this woman to win!

Highly recommended for readers who admire a strong heroine that can kick some serious bad-guy butt, while also learning the joys of intimacy in a loving relationship.

Many thanks to NetGally and Crooked Lane Books for offering an ARC to read for review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Close Enough To Hurt by Katherine Olson (coming out October 10, 2023)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This is one of the better suspense books I’ve read in a while. The buildup is amazing, the revenge is spot on, and I’m a sucker for a little romantic twist in the story as well. The concept of a real-life professional revenge-seeker is mind blowing, and Katherine Olson lays out her story extremely well. Romance, suspense, revenge, and soul searching; this book really has it all. I was lucky enough to receive a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

If you like vigilante justice you'll probably enjoy Close Enough to Hurt by Katherine A. Olson. The lead protagonist, Dylan Truman aka Lady Justice, lives on a houseboat in Sausalito. Describing herself as a "professional revenge artist", she dispenses "catered punishments". After meeting with her female clientele she uses "the scope of others' betrayals" to define "what shape justice might take" coming up with boutique ideas to shame and ruin the lives of men who have wronged them. Dylan also has skin in the game, her sister Gabrielle was violently raped at knifepoint in college.

Dylan is also in love with her offsider, Daniel, who she describes as "absolute catnip" to her "hot mess express". As you can see, the novel's language is functional rather than pretty, however the book will likely appeal to anyone who hates the fact that "bullies get away with it for-goddamn-ever" with an "itch to smash the status quo." The book builds on the way we minimise violence for perpetrators, with lines like: "Jail time would ruin his entire life". It eludes to the way our justice system fails women experiencing sexual violence over and over again with low conviction rates: "our society practically guaranteed it wouldn't happen."

Laying it on with a trowel, this book is set where Dylan's sister's rapist and the target of one of her clients coincide. At the same time, Daniel moves firmly out of the friend zone, prompting Dylan to confront whether revenge is all she wants out of life: "my cauterized feelings have returned, reappearing with the least bit of love." With his cyber "Skynet won't create itself" skills, and her physical attributes they are a formidable pair, even if they lack nuance and depth.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Coming out 30th October 2023

I love vigilante women 💗 you probably know I do. This was amazing - I loved how the main character was realistically written, she had multiple things going on besides the love interest or the revenge plot. It definitely reminded me of the Mindf*ck series and Black Sheep. Wish more authors would write like this.

Thank you so much to the author and the publisher for supplying me with an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free e-copy of this thriller.

Dylan Truman's business is revenge-for-hire and she's very good at it. A new client hires her to investigate Brent Wilder and make him pay for his fraud. Since he also assaulted Dylan's sister in their college days and got away with it, Dylan is totally in on this case.

Her usual partner in crime wants to get out of the business, get married, start a family and be done with his almost-criminal activities. This is a wrinkle Dylan had not expected. She'd had a big crush on him for years and wasn't keen on seeing him married to someone else.

Dylan moves into the condo next to Brent and plays him like a fiddle. You'll have to read this book to find out how, but some of her ways are absolutely masterful.

I liked the book, but did find a couple of nitpicky things that made it score 4 stars instead of 5.

The fight scene at the end didn't resonate with me. It seemed too short and too obvious who would win. Also the back and forth between Dylan and her sometimes partner grew tedious.

I do totally recommend the book and I hope I get to read many more of Olson's works.

I couldn't put this one down. I stayed up very late a few nights in a row reading this! The suspense kept me going and I was rooting for Daniel and Dylan all the way through. Who was the good girl/guy and who was the bad I couldn't figure it out and that's part of what kept me glued to the pages.

This felt like I’ve met Cat woman! Please can someone bring a boyfriend like Daniel Haas to me?!
Dylan Truman is on a revenge quest to take down men who wronged all the women. She has such a unique way to this task as part of her consultation is inquiring what the victim would like to see happen to that man. Aided by her best friend and master hacker Daniel, Dylan has built this persona completely through word of mouth, and she works hard to protect her double life.
Then she receives a case through Daniel that changes everything... Pharmaceutical billionaire Brent Wilder has blacklisted one of his female employees, a scientist who knows the dangerous truth about a new antidepressant his company is marketing. This case becomes deeply personal to Dylan as Brent assaulted her sister years ago and escaped punishment. Driven by a blind need for revenge, Dylan becomes dangerously close to Brent.

I LOVED Dylan. She was driven, I know flawed but motivated, and so stubborn. Her narration of the story made her immediately likable, The reader doesn't get a lot of back story about her sister's assault, but the pain and rage is still vividly detailed. And I loved the chemistry between her and Daniel and the steamy scene! Oh My!