“Is a marriage worth saving – whatever the cost?

Ruby didn’t plan to have an affair. She doesn’t love her husband, but wouldn’t set out to steal someone else’s. Yet when she met Harry they simply couldn’t keep apart. Now, she’s brave enough to leave her marital home and start again, and so is Harry. Or so she thinks.

Waiting at a hotel for her lover to arrive, Ruby realises she has made a mistake. Harry won’t come. He will never leave his wife.

What Ruby hasn’t worked out is that someone else knows all about the affair. They have been watching Ruby’s every move. They are determined to punish her. And they are even closer than she thinks…

Don’t miss this taut and gripping novel packed with edge-of-your-seat tension and a tale of love that goes badly wrong, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland and Lisa Hall.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen as part of the blog tour. The Closer You Get was published in digital format on 21st April 2020 by Canelo. I received a free digital eARC which has in no way influenced my review.

If you’re looking for a character-driven domestic suspense novel to get your teeth into, then look no further, dear reader. You have found it. What a cracking book this is! I have to be honest and confess to not reading many domestic thrillers of late. I seem to be leaning back towards my first love, crime and serial killer fiction, so reading The Closer You Get reminded me exactly how good the genre is, how devilish and despicable the characters can be and how I should really be reading A LOT more.

Ruby is a very relatable character and I warmed to her almost immediately. Despite the fact she’s out the door, with her bags packed, when we first meet her. Leaving her husband of ten-plus years for another man. It’s quite clear to the reader though that there’s something else going on here. Something which we haven’t yet been made party to. After, very decently I think, waiting for Tom to return home, explaining that she’s been unhappy for a while now, and departing the marital home, she heads to a local hotel to wait for her new love, Harry, to join her. But he doesn’t show. So she waits some more. And he still doesn’t show. Your heart sinks for Ruby. You can imagine the anguish she’s going through, the realisation as it dawns on her that something isn’t right. Ruby is alone, heart-broken and homeless. But then strange things start happening to her. It seems someone else knows her secret and is going to make her pay…

It’s not often I write an expletive in my notes whilst reading a book. But I did as I read The Closer You Get. I’m not going to reveal the word but looking back at my notes now, I wouldn’t change a thing! There are some characters in this book who will really get under your skin and make you want to scream. Manipulative, controlling and detestable people who the author has written so very well. You can’t help but hate them! They made the book for me. I  couldn’t wait to see what terrible event was going to befall poor Ruby next.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. It’s a gripping domestic suspense thriller and I was hooked from the first page. The ending is very satisfying and exactly what I hoped for. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book and I will definitely be reading more from Mary Torjussen in the future.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Closer You Get. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen was published in the UK by Canelo on 21st April 2020 and is available in digital format (please note, the following links are affiliate links which mean I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Goodreads |

Mary Torjussen has an MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University and worked for several years as a teacher. She is the author of two novels, Gone Without a Trace and The Girl I Used to Be, and her new novel will be published in 2020. She writes dark, gripping thrillers and her debut novel, published in several international territories, has been optioned for television by Ecosse Productions.