Close to You is one of the most exciting books I have read in a while, and I have read a lot of cracking psychological thrillers lately. Because of the number of books I go through, I have become quite good at usually figuring out at least one or two plot points.
That was not the case with this book. It kept me guessing right up to the very last page, and for that reason, it is one of my favorite books that I have read in a long time.
Right from the beginning, the author grabbed me with the unique premise of the story. I liked that the main character had an unusual job (personal trainer) and that the plot started with a bang. I have found that my favorite books often state something shocking, and then elaborate on how the characters got to that particular point.
In this case, the story unfolds with mostly alternating “then” and “now” chapters. As always, there are no plot spoilers here. Suffice to say that the author does a fantastic job of keeping the narrative flowing in spite of the jumps back and forth in time.
I also appreciated how I was never quite able to get a total read on the main characters. Just when I thought I had figured out a character’s motivations, there was a red herring or an incident that changed my mind. And about the red herrings: sometimes an author uses them in a way that is too obvious, and they stand out by a mile. Not the case in this book. They are perfectly placed and just plausible enough to keep the reader turning the pages.
One thing, however: this is the third book in a week where the author has felt the need to throw in a political comment that has no bearing on the characters nor the story. Frankly, I’m getting tired of it, because it takes me out of the drama at hand. It is gratuitous and (as I have stated before) annoying. Authors (and editors) would do well to remember that people from all walks of life read their books; alienating a large population for the sole purpose of earning some sort of “cool points” seems counter-productive, self-indulgent and childish.
I’m marking it a 5-star read because I didn’t see the twist coming for a change. But I do wish that authors would wise up and stop pandering. Next time, I might just stop reading – and that would be a shame.
