Title: The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 365 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
They had the perfect plan to start a new life together…before it all went horribly wrong.
A new twisting novel of psychological suspense from the acclaimed author of The Girl I Used to Be.
Coworkers Ruby and Harry are in love—but they’re married to other people. They decide to tell their spouses that their marriages are over and to start a new life together. Ruby has wanted to leave her controlling husband for a while, so she tells him she’s leaving and waits at the hotel where she and Harry are to meet. But Harry never shows up.
Suddenly, Ruby has lost everything. Harry won’t answer her calls, and she’s fired from her job. She finds a cheap apartment in a run-down part of town, all the while wondering what happened to Harry.
Just as Ruby thinks she’s hit rock bottom, strange and menacing things start to happen—someone is sneaking into her apartment, and someone is following her home late at night—and she is going to have to fight for her survival.
Review:
The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen is an enthralling domestic mystery.
Ruby Dean is more than ready to leave her husband Tom and begin her new life with her married boss Harry Sheridan. She is nervous, a little scared and a lot excited as she gives Tom the news then leaves to meet Harry. When he fails to show up at the hotel that evening, Ruby is concerned but assures herself he will meet her tomorrow. After Harry does not join her, she goes to work, certain he will have a logical explanation for his absence. However, Ruby is unceremoniously fired and she learns distressing news about Harry and his wife, Emma.
With her plans in tatters, Ruby decides to go it alone and rents a shabby flat. She soon grows uneasy as she begins receiving shocking phone calls and chilling notes. Ruby then begins to feel as though someone is watching her and she is soon terrified by the realization someone has been in her flat. Who could be behind these increasingly menacing threats?
Ruby has been unhappy with Tom for years and she is stunned by her unexpected attraction to Harry. Over the years, Tom has worn her down with his negative comments and controlling behavior. She has no say in their life as he contemptuously dismisses her suggestions. Harry, on the other hand, is charming and she basks in the glow of his attention. Taking care to keep their eighteen month affair far under the radar, Ruby and Harry are now ready to begin their new life together.
Harry’s wife Emma is a successful, independent business woman who realizes early on that Harry might have a crush on Ruby. But as time passes, she believes his infatuation with her has ended. But when Harry is leaving for a business trip, Emma is immediately suspicious that her husband and Ruby have a much more intimate relationship than employer and employee. After her worst fears are confirmed, Emma’s kneejerk reaction sets in motion a series of events that could jeopardize her future.
Alternating between Ruby and Emma’s points of view, The Closer You Get is a tension-filled mystery that is quite riveting. Ruby is easy to empathize with as she tries to restart her life on her own. Emma is not quite likable at first, but as she is caught up in an increasingly fraught situation, it is much easier to feel sympathy for her. Tom is surprisingly solicitous and caring after Ruby’s departure but can she trust he is being sincere? With intriguing twists and turns, Mary Torjussen brings this thrilling mystery to a satisfying conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this psychological mystery to fans of the genre.
