The Close is a neighborhood thriller, yes, but it’s also something more surprising: a fauxmance mystery. Is this a thing I need to know about? Check out all my thoughts in my Review of The Close by Jane Casey.
The Close (Maeve Kerrigan #10) by Jane Casey
Published on March 2, 2023 by Harper Collins. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a finished copy for review.
Plot Summary for The Close by Jane Casey
Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street lined with well-kept houses with pristine lawns. Neighbours chat over garden fences, while their children play together.
But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.
It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before.
And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.
Review of The Close by Jane Casey
Reading The Close broke one of my reading rules: never read a book in the middle of a mystery series.
The Close is #10 in the Maeve Kerrigan series, and I have not read a single book in it.
But I wanted to include The Close on my popular list of neighborhood thrillers, and I really didn’t have time to read the NINE prior books, so I decided to jump in.
Here’s my take: yes, you can read The Close as a standalone. It did make perfect sense and the mystery is self-contained.
But there was a LOT of character backstory that I was missing. If you’ve read this series, please clue me in down in the comments. Because this was a FAUXMANCE MYSTERY.
Yes, these two detectives pretended to be a married couple to solve their case, which seemed funny to me. And yet … I love a good fauxmance.
However, I was missing the entire Josh and Maeve relationship history. I know there is a backstory and maybe this summer I will have time to catch up on it.
List of the Residents of Jellicoe Close /Character List for the Close by Jane Casey
I actually kept a list of all the characters and where they lived, which is super-nerdy but was quite helpful, so I will share. NO spoilers here.
Jellicoe Close #1: Empty
Jellicoe Close #2: Fleur and Brian Nolan
Jellicoe Close #3: Vanessa (now Maeve and Josh)
Jellicoe Close #4: Antiques dealer Stephen Bollivant
Jellicoe Close #5: Gillian and Gary
Jellicoe Close #6: Rhys and Nicola, plus teenaged daughter Camilla
Jellicoe Close #7: Judy Thwaites (has a grown son Tom and daughter-in-law Myra)
Jellicoe Close #8: Ruth Otis (plus Alan?)
Jellicoe Close #9: Mike and Alice Knox, plus teenaged son Tip
Have you read any books in this series? If so, please give me some comments on this Josh-Maeve situation!