Closer Than You Think (Cincinnati, #1)

by Karen Rose

Susie James (Narrator)

A woman on the run must confront her dark past at her family’s home in Cincinnati in this thrilling novel of romantic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose. 

Psychologist Faith Corcoran is desperate to escape the stalker who’s made her life a nightmare for the past year—desperate enough to run to the one place that has been her nightmare far longer. Her recent inheritance of her grandmother’s old house in Cincinnati offers sanctuary in which she can start her life anew, but requires that she face the dark memories that still resonate to this day. But she has no idea how close to home her fears still are...

Two college girls have gone missing in the area, and FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak is called to work on the case. When his inquiry unexpectedly leads him to Faith, he finds a beautiful and brave woman he can’t help but fall for. Soon they’ll discover that this seemingly simple investigation is anything but. Reaching back decades into Faith’s own past, it will shatter everything she believes to be true and will give terrifying new meaning to flesh and blood.

• ISBN10: 1445039028
• ISBN13: 9781445039022
• Publish Date: 1 January 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: ISIS Publishing
• Imprint: ISIS Audio Books
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 23 hours and 4 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

The story begins when we meet Psychologist Faith Corcoran. Faith is on the run from a serial stalker. One who has made numerous attempts on her life. Faith inherits her grandmother's old homestead, and the timing couldn't be better. She changes her name, sells her car and leaves her old life behind. She Relocates to Cincinnati taking a position outside of her profession in hopes to begin anew. But TROUBLE is following her, and she is in more danger than she knows. When she almost hits a naked woman in route to her grandmother's house, it is just the beginning of her nightmare.

FBI Special Agent Deacon Novak is called in when the girl is identified as one of two missing college students. As Faith sits in the ambulance having her wounds checked from the car accident she thinks she is hallucinating when Novak comes into view. Clad in a leather jacket and wraparound glasses this white haired hulking man moves towards her like something out of a movie. When he pulls off his glasses, she is mesmerized by his strange eyes. Their first interaction was intense and I liked the undercurrent and awkwardness. Novak knows she is hiding something and Faith is leery of law enforcement, but the two soon find themselves working together because someone desperately wants Faith dead.

Faith proved to be a competent, complex heroine and I admired her guts and level-headedness. She faced some serious scrutiny and handled things with surprising fearlessness. I admired Agent Novak and appreciated his uniqueness. Novak and his siblings share a rare genetic disorder and Rose brought attention to this disease. The romance that develops between them was intense, and despite how quickly it progressed physically and emotionally the author made it feel realistic.

The story is presented using different perspectives from Novak, Faith, the serial killer and a current victim. These were clearly defined and done in such a way that it pulls the reader in, amps up the suspense and allows them to feel like an engaged participant. The novels length of six hundred and eighty-eight pages allowed Rose to develop the storyline entirely. I found no lulls or unnecessary meandering as events unfolded. Each thread was sound and pulled me further into the story creating an authentic feel to the case and characters.

The thriller/mystery aspect was complex and intense. Firs,t we have the young naked woman, who leads us to the discovery of bodies and a serial killer. Then we have Faith who's linked to those bodies and has someone attempting to kill her. Rose presented a well-developed mystery with a complex cast of suspects. Secondary characters from other FBI agents to Deacon's family brought additional threads and ramped up the suspense.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

4.5 Cocktails

Closer than you think by Karen Rose, is another perfect combination of romance and suspense from the first page. It features psychologist Faith Sullivan and FBI Agent Deacon Novak. We met Deacon earlier in her series, but this book is definitely a standalone, although the rest of the series is pretty amazing as well.

The opportunity to get to know Deacon was one of the best parts about this book. He was such an enigma, and it was interesting getting to see what made this fierce protector and police officer tick. Faith was a woman still haunted by her past, but I liked the way she was willing to open herself up to this man she did know too well. As always, the mystery and suspense leaves you guessing until the very end, and Karen Rose weaves an interconnected story as only she can. The only issue I had with the book was the sheer length, oftentimes with minute details that made it hard to follow along. Despite that, it was a great book and the perfect addition to the series!

Reviewed by Lucy for Cocktails and Books