The Closer You Get

Ruby Fletcher receives mysterious silent phone calls and unsettling emails from an unknown sender who seems to know intimate details about her life. Her growing unease intensifies when she notices someone watching her house at night and discovers small items in her home have been moved. As a successful real estate agent in a small English town, Ruby has worked hard to build her career and reputation after a difficult past. Now her carefully constructed world begins to crack as the stalking escalates and those closest to her question whether she's imagining things. The story tracks Ruby's desperate search to uncover who is targeting her while maintaining her grip on her sanity and her relationships. Multiple suspects emerge as Ruby realizes that someone from her present - or her past - harbors dark intentions toward her. This psychological thriller explores themes of trust, perception versus reality, and how well we truly know the people in our lives. The narrative raises questions about memory, truth, and the ways people rewrite their own histories.

Readers describe it as a psychological thriller that starts slow but builds tension in the second half. Many found the dual perspectives between Ruby and Emma effective for revealing different sides of the story. Readers appreciated: - Unexpected twists in the final third - Realistic portrayal of manipulation/gaslighting - The gradual reveal of character motivations Common criticisms: - Slow first half that tests patience - Some plot points feel contrived - Several reviewers found Ruby's actions unrealistic Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (1,900+ ratings) BookBub: 4.2/5 (300+ ratings) "The ending made the slow build worth it" appears in multiple reviews. Several readers noted feeling frustrated with Ruby's decisions but understanding them better as secrets emerged. A frequent complaint was that certain revelations required "too much suspension of disbelief."

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🔍 Mary Torjussen worked as a teacher before becoming a full-time writer, drawing from her experiences with workplace dynamics in her psychological thrillers. 📚 The novel explores themes of online dating and digital deception, reflecting growing concerns about romance scams which cost victims nearly $1 billion in 2021 alone. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The story is set in the Wirral Peninsula near Liverpool, England, where the author lives and frequently uses as a backdrop for her suspense novels. ✍️ "The Closer You Get" is Torjussen's third psychological thriller, following "Gone Without a Trace" (2017) and "The Girl I Used to Be" (2018). 🎭 The book's dual narrative structure, alternating between Ruby and Emma's perspectives, was inspired by classic psychological thrillers like "Gone Girl" and "The Girl on the Train."