Top Recommendation for “Keep Her Safe”

Keep Her Safe by K. A. Tucker was a riveting, page-turner of a thriller with a massively intriguing storyline. There is not much I can say about the book without giving anything away, but it is about a young man and woman trying to find answers about the death of her father and the possible corruption of the police department involved. It is one of the most complex and twisty stories I have read.

Tucker was absolutely in her element with this tale, keeping the pace of the novel at its quickest and its mysteries at their most puzzling. A gritty and convoluted story, the novel also explored possible police force corruption. The expectation for a book to not only handle the subject with sensitivity and care, but still manage to fall within the realm of possibility was high–all of which it delivered on perfectly and with sound, skilled writing.

Tucker’s skill with suspense and mystery have grown with each new book of hers, continually edging up the bar in the genre, and, if anything, she has outdone herself again. This is the kind of story you cannot put down; each chapter ending manages to bring forth new information, thus eliminating stopping points, and the need to forget sleep or basic essentials to inhale more of it only heightens. The suspense was a nonstop, heart-racing whirlwind that sucked me in and spit me back out, chapter after chapter filled with excitement and revelations.

But this story wouldn’t be what it was without its enigmatic and intricately written characters, both main and secondary. Each person had their part to play and I am still amazed at how brilliantly they all circled one another to create this multifaceted and elaborately plotted tale.

Noah Marshall has known a privileged and comfortable life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. That changes the night she reveals her secret and succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family’s life. Reeling with grief, Noah is forced to carry the burden of this shocking secret.

Gracie Richards was not born in a trailer park, but after fourteen years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it is all she knows. At least here, people do not care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop, murdered in a drug deal gone wrong. Here, she and her mother are just another family struggling to survive…until a man who clearly doesn’t belong shows up on her doorstep.

Noah and Gracie were deeply connected by past family ties, placing them on the same side of the game board, but their motives and those same family ties also divided them–each step forward continuing to threaten their growing (dis)trust and connection, and creating a brilliant back-and-forth tension in the process.

Despite their differences, Noah and Gracie are searching for answers to the same questions, and together, they set out to uncover the truth about the Austin Police Department’s dark and messy past. But the scandal that emerges is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

The most provocative aspect was how harrowingly realistic the portrayal was of something that happens all over the country. The injustice of abuse of power and position was poignant and hit close to home. These characters and their stories were heartbreaking and filled with sorrow and unfairness, but ever-present was that small, undying spark of hope and justice that continued to show life in Noah and Gracie no matter the obstacles. Keep Her Safe was a wild and crazy ride of a tale that captivated and beguiled with its mysteries and slowly revealing plot points, and I cannot wait to read it again to see all the little signs I might’ve missed. It was a masterfully written story and an absolute must-read.

This book was considered a Top Recommendation with 6 out of 5 stars.

 

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