Keep Him Close

Alice keeps her identity secret when she befriends the mother of her son's killer. Keep Him Close is a dark psychological drama about love, hate and forgiveness.

Keep Him Close was a magnetic, all-consuming read. A heart-breaking suspense which deals with love in all its forms, however it is expressed.

A moving account of family relationships and mainly low-level but devastating criminality

Keep Him Close isn't just a suspenseful mystery about two women's determination to discover the truth about the night that left one of their sons dead. It's also a really well-written, deeply moving and psychologically affecting study of motherhood and heartbreak. Highly recommended.

Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient

Powerfully written and packs a real emotional punch.

A gripping, dark domestic drama with motherhood at its heart. Beautifully written and emotionally charged, the characters leaped off the page and stayed with me.

A beautiful and heart-breaking story that I can’t stop thinking about. Simply stunning.

Jo Jakeman, author of Safe House on Keep Him Close

This is domestic noir as it's meant to be done; riveting and beautifully written.

Intriguing, heartbreaking and deftly drawn, Keep Him Close is a mystery novel with a beautiful character study at its heart.

Melanie Golding, author of Little Darlings

A beautifully written novel with a cast of richly drawn characters, and a plot that grows ever more menacing as it twists to its powerful, unexpected conclusion.

Keep Him Close is a compelling and deftly plotted read, exploring complex dynamics with sensitivity and empathy.

Emylia Hall, author of The Thousand Lights Hotel

I loved that at the core of the novel's mystery was these mothers' love and belief in their sons...A tense, taut page turner filled to the brim with emotion.

A hugely readable and assured thriller about what could be every parent’s nightmare.

A beautifully moving novel about acceptance and forgiveness.

Laura Pearson, author of I Wanted You to Know

I loved this book. Wonderful characterisation and tense plotting. Bravo!

Keenly researched, steeped in real life and dripping with tension, this book is a must-read for any fan of the genre.

Heart-wrenching and page-turning, Keep Him Close delivers and then some.

C.C. MacDonald, author of HAPPY EVER AFTER

This subtle novel is as moving as it is thrilling

Emily Koch is an award-winning journalist and author of two novels, If I Die Before I Wake and Keep Him Close. Her books have been shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award, won France's Prix du Bureau des Lecteurs Folio Policier, longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award, and been selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Waterstones said her second novel 'cements Koch's place as one of the most exciting new crime writers of our day.' She lives in Bristol.

'A SUSPENSEFUL MYSTERY...DEEPLY MOVING AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY AFFECTING' ALEX MICHAELIDES, AUTHOR OF THE SILENT PATIENT 
 
PRAISE FOR KEEP HIM CLOSE: 
'A tense drama' Sunday Times 
'A beautiful and heart-breaking story that I can't stop thinking about. Simply stunning.' Jo Jakeman, author of Safe House 
'Powerfully written and packs a real emotional punch.' Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home 
'A magnetic, all consuming read. A heart-breaking suspense which deals with love in all its forms.' 
Gytha Lodge, author of She Lies in Wait 
_____________________________ 
 
ONE SON LIED. ONE SON DIED. 
 
Alice's son is dead. Indigo's son is accused of murder. 
 
Indigo is determined to prove her beloved Kane is innocent. She is helped by a kind stranger who takes an interest in her situation. But little does she know that her new friend has her own agenda... 
 
Alice can't tell Indigo who she really is. She wants to understand why her son was killed. But how long will it take for Indigo to discover her identity? And what other secrets will come out as she digs deeper? 
 
No one knows a son like his mother. But neither Alice nor Indigo know the whole truth about their boys, and what happened between them on that fateful night.

If I Die Before I Wake

A stunning edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller with an unforgettable narrator

The author conveys a real sense of the true horror of being locked inside a body that won’t move with a brain that still works. And she persuades us to stay with the story to its strangely exhilarating conclusion.

If I Die Before I Wake is a captivating thriller by an exciting new voice. I read it in two days because I had to know who did it! Koch keeps you guessing until the very end.

Mary Lynn Bracht, author of White Chrysanthemum

I loved If I Die Before I Wake. I was completely gripped - a sign of a true story-teller. It's utterly compelling and has an ending that will rip the heart out of you.

A great premise and really beautifully written, with a very moving ending.

A crucial decision in fiction writing is point of view, and Koch, having found a striking angle, makes compelling use of it.

Gripping from the outset and beautifully told, If I Die Before I Wake sucks you in and stays with you long after the final page

One of the most intriguing premises I’ve ever seen in a crime novel… This is a tense, suspenseful novel which slowly builds up into an absolute page turner… this novel definitely establishes Koch’s name as an exciting writer in crime fiction

HOW DO YOU SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER? 
 
Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support, he can only listen. 
 
But he soon begins to suspect that his accident wasn't really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger. 
 
Alex must use a series of clues from his past to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him. He needs to protect those he loves - before they decide to let him go... 
 
WHAT JULY KNEW - the new moving mystery by Emily Koch. Available now! 
 
Keep up to date with all things Emily Koch and subscribe to the newsletter at emilykoch.co.uk 
____________________________ 
Praise for If I Die Before I Wake: 
 
'Exhilarating' Daily Mail 
 
'Beautifully written' Cara Hunter, bestselling author of All the Rage 
 
'This is a debut to be reckoned with' Guardian 
 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA STEEL DAGGER AWARD 2018

Emily Koch

Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

July Hooper is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined - that you'll be rooting for her every step of the way as she unravels the mystery of her own life in this captivating story.

Tenderly told and utterly compelling, this coming-of-age mystery is as full of twists and surprises as it is of heart. July is an unforgettable lead - I loved following her back to the 90s!

Stick What July Knew by Emily Koch on your TBR pile - it's a beautiful coming of age story that will break you then make you as July navigates her quest to find out the truth about her mother. Outstanding. One for Joanna Cannon fans

What July Knew is a quirky, original, and immersive read. I was rooting for July on her quest to uncover what happened to her mother. A gloriously nostalgic and affecting read

This book broke my heart. I adored July's voice throughout. Heart-wrenching, deeply moving and so compelling, July and Sylvie's story will stay with me for a long, long time

Sara Nisha Adams, author of The Reading List

Hugely enjoyed this story of a brave 10-year-old girl seeking the truth about her mother's death. Beautifully written and full of warmth, nostalgia and the complex, unsettling emotions of family life.

A moving and heartfelt mystery. Funny, thrilling, nostalgic and deeply affecting. Emily Koch is such a wonderful storyteller.

A heartstopping, heartbreaking, heartwarming drama. I was with brave and funny July down every alley, wrong turn and misstep until she finally found out the shocking truth. She'll live on in my imagination for a long time

A compelling, dark tale ... an enthralling central character. What July Knew is a seamless canvas of how secrets affect a family dynamic and the powerful consequences when they are revealed. A coming-of-age story quite unlike any other. Brilliant!

Intriguing, with an unravelling mystery that really kept me guessing. The story is a rollercoaster which increases in intensity as the pace ramps up towards the denouement, and I was bereft when I finished as I wanted to still be reading it!

What July Knew is a compelling story about growing up and grief told in the fresh and innocent voice of a child. I was gripped.

Come for the 90s nostalgia and stay for the warm and unforgettable protagonist. I rooted so hard for July and will always remember her.

What July Knew is a winning blend of sweet, nostalgic, compelling, shocking and heartbreaking. I defy readers not to root for July as she searches for the truth about her mother

What a wonderful story. Full of vivid characters, but mostly of course, July.

Heartbreaking, joyous and deeply compelling, What July Knew is a beautifully-told tale of great loss and great hope. I loved it.

The plot is full of extremely satisfying twists and turns. Koch has written other thrillers, but this is destined to be her big breakout.

[What July Knew is] touchingly effective in conveying the oppressiveness of a childhood lived in fear

Compelling plot, this is an emotional read

Fans of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep will devour this

Totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting, this is a real gem of a read

Summer, 1995. July Hooper knows eighteen things about her mother. 
 
Like number thirteen: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number eight: she was covered in freckles. 
 
And then there's number two: she died after being hit by a car when July was small. 
 
She keeps this list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they're not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever. 
 
But an anonymous note slipped into July's bag on her tenth birthday is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her mum... 
 
'If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this' CARA HUNTER, author of Close to Home 
 
'July is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined' T.M. LOGAN, author of The Catch 
 
'A moving and heartfelt mystery. Funny, thrilling, nostalgic and deeply affecting' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of We Begin at the End

Emily Koch

Praise for What July Knew

Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

**If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this**

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

**If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this**

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

**If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this**

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

Books by Emily Koch

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