Back in 2009, Brad Parks introduced his Carter Ross series…and somehow I totally missed them all. Then, in 2017, his standalone thriller Say Nothing came out. Somehow I stumbled on it and it was TERRIFIC. So I was happy to have the chance to write an honest review of his latest standalone novel, Closer Than You Know, thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley.

The two standalone novels both include plotlines related to children taken from their parents, and both demonstrate good understanding of the justice system. While the protagonist in Say Nothing was a judge being blackmailed to rule a certain way in order to get his children back, this time it is a young mother who is struggling to get her child back from the foster family he was placed with after the police found drugs and money hidden in her house. The young mother, Melanie Barrick, is completely dumbfounded but her years as a foster child herself have made her believe that “Disaster is always closer than you know.”

Melanie goes to pick up her baby from daycare and learns that Social Services staff have taken him. Soon she is in jail, and experiencing one crisis after another. It’s quite a ride. I appreciated the plotting, suspense, and dialogue (handled deftly despite the varying points of view and the fact that both primary characters are women – Parks has a good sense for the thought processes of both women, but does seem a bit fixated on breastfeeding). I’m terrible at figuring out mysteries, but had half of this one fairly early on – but not the whole thing.

TBH, the last couple of chapters didn’t really work for me, and I wondered if it was possibly written with an eye to a film version of the story. That didn’t stop me from enjoying the book, just took off one star. Four stars, and I look forward to more from Mr. Parks.