Closer Than She Knows by Kelly Irvin (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Teagan O’Rourke has always loved murder mysteries. In her job as a court reporter, she has written official records for dozens of real-life murders. She’s slapped evidence stickers on crime scene photos. She’s listened to hours of chilling testimony. But she’s never known the smell of death. And she never thought she might be a victim. 

Until now. 

A young police officer is murdered just inches away from her, and then a man calling himself a serial killer starts leaving Teagan notes, signing each with the name of a different murderer from her favorite mystery novels. 

Panicked, Teagan turns to her friend Max Kennedy. Max longs for more than friendship with Teagan, but he fears she’ll never trust someone with a past like his. He wonders how much of God’s “tough love” he can take before he gives up on love completely. And he wonders if he’ll be able to keep Teagan alive long enough to find out. 

As Teagan, Max, and Teagan’s police officer father race to track down the elusive killer, they each know they could be the next victim. Desperate to save those she loves, Teagan battles fears that once haunted her in childhood. Nothing seems to stop this obsessed murderer. No matter what she does, he seems to be getting closer . . ."

My Thoughts:

Closer Than She Knows is a suspenseful read that kept me guessing.  This book would be considered Christian fiction which is something that some readers would definitely want to know beforehand in case that isn't their thing.  The characters beliefs do play a major part of this book at times which is why I felt like it was important to mention.  I found myself instantly intrigued by the setup of this book.  Teagan finds herself in the sights of a serial killer at the very beginning of this book which really started this book off with a bang.  I found myself trying to figure out who the killer could be right along with all of the other characters.  I liked that the author also hit on some other heavier issues within this book.  For example, Max is a former alcoholic.  This isn't something that is just glossed over but is something that he deals with throughout the book.  The need for foster parents is another issue that was also brought up within the pages of this book.  I thought that the way that the author brought these things into this book added to the mystery without distracting from it.  It made the book feel more like real life as these are issues that are faced by so many all of the time.  I spent the entirety of this book trying to figure out who the killer was and the why's behind it all.  While I did end up suspecting the correct person at one point, I wasn't for sure until the very end when everything is revealed.  I thought that this book was a page turner - especially with that ending!

Overall, I liked this one and would be open to reading more by this author in the future.  I thought that the author did a good job of writing a suspenseful read that kept me guessing.  I really liked Teagan's family and would love to read more of them in future books.  I also enjoyed the fact that the author's love of mysteries was interspersed throughout this book.  The killer would leave Teagan notes signed as the killer from different mystery novels that Teagan had read and loved.  I just thought it was a fun way to pay homage to the mystery genre and the author's love of books.  I think that readers who enjoy suspenseful reads, Christian fiction, or just mysteries in general would enjoy this book.

Bottom Line:  A suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages.

Disclosure:   I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher as part of a PICT book tour.  Honest thoughts are my own.

Book Details: Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Thomas Nelson Publication Date: June 9th 2020 Number of Pages: 352 ISBN: 0785231862 (ISBN13: 9780785231868) Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads Author Bio: Kelly Irvin is a bestselling author and two-time Carol Award finalist. She is a former newspaper reporter and retired public relations professional. Kelly lives in Texas with her husband, photographer Tim Irvin. They have two children, three grandchildren, and two cats.  Visit her Online: KellyIrvin.com Goodreads BookBub Instagram Twitter Facebook  Here is an excerpt from the book: “We’re almost there, Ms. O’Rourke.” Officer Moreno came to a full stop at the corner of Park and Academic Court, where the glass-covered police department recruitment center and property room facilities glinted in the late-afternoon sun. A smile brought out dimples on Moreno’s cherub-cheeked face. Her assignment to escort a court reporter and the evidence to the property room was almost to the halfway point. Teagan had told Moreno to call her by her first name, but the patrolwoman couldn’t seem to manage it. “I’ll get us through security, we’ll stow the evidence, and I’ll have you back to your car in a jiffy.” Did people still say “in a jiffy”? Teagan’s grandma might, but this woman was no more than twenty-four. A couple of years younger than Teagan. She studied the officer’s face as she turned onto Academic Court and accelerated. The woman was for real. A straight shooter determined to be successful in a man’s world. Teagan smiled, but Moreno had already returned her gaze to the road, hands at the proper ten and two positions on the wheel. “I know there’s plenty of other things you’d rather do than babysit evidence—” The driver’s side window exploded. The force knocked Teagan’s head against her window. Sudden pain pricked her face. Fragments of glass pierced her cheeks and forehead. The car swerved, jumped the curb, and crashed into the wrought-iron fence that protected the academy. Was this what Mom felt the day she died? The inevitability of it? Air bags ballooned. Teagan slammed back against her seat. I’m sorry, Max. I’m sorry I never said it. A second later the bag deflated. The smell of nitrogen gases gagged her. Powder coated her face. The skin on the back of her hands burned. Time sped up in an odd, off-kilter tick-tock. Teagan struggled to open her eyes. Pain pulsed in her temple. Her stomach heaved. Waves of adrenaline shook her body as if she’d grasped a live electrical wire. I’m alive. Today’s not my day to die. The evidence. Protect the evidence."