Monster In The Closet - Karen Rose (pub. Headline)

By ireneann, 1 Jun 2017. Permalink May 2017

MONSTER IN THE CLOSET is a novel that reunites readers with characters from Karen Rose's bestselling Baltimore series.

Private Investigator Clay Maynard locates missing children for clients, but has nearly given up hope of finding his own daughter, cruelly stolen from him by his ex-wife twenty-three years ago.

Equine therapist Taylor Dawson has chosen to intern at Daphne Montgomery-Carter's stables so that she can observe the program's security director - her father, Clay Maynard. Trying to reconcile the wonderful man she's getting to know with the monster her mother always described, Taylor never expects to become the target of a real monster, the man who murdered the mother of the little girls she works with at the stable. Neither does she expect to fall for Ford Elkhart, Daphne's handsome son, who is dealing with his own demons. As family and friends gather for the wedding of Joseph Carter's sister Holly, Taylor starts to imagine a permanent life in Baltimore with her newfound father and Ford.

But not if the real monster in the closet gets to her first...

Monster In The Closet proved just why I'm right to have Karen Rose on my must-read list; it's a beauty of a book.

Putting aside the thriller aspect for just a minute, this was a much more tender story than I was expecting. The relationships built up are actually really touching and I'm not afraid to say that I shed tears several times whilst reading it. The nuances of what it takes to make a family, and the heartbreak of loss and the pure joy of discovery managed to hit a real nerve with me, they were so exposed and honestly written that the emotion was heart-warming to read. On the other hand the burgeoning romance between Taylor and Ford brings an altogether different sort of energy to proceedings. For established fans of the Baltimore series like me, it was good to see Ford having a successful romance at last; it definitely brings a heat to the storyline and there's an air of (pleasant!) raunchiness that runs throughout. And whilst the actual thriller part is what drives the plot, I felt this was much more a book about taking the characters forwards, and the relationships, both forged and existing, are what makes this book so special.

Then so to Jazzie and Janie, and their devious and evil Father, Gage, who opens the books by killing their 'mama'. Whilst despicable obviously, it all felt plausible and realistic, and as usual, gripping. The fact that pretty much all of the 'Healing Hearts with Horses' family gets involved in the action just makes it even more thrilling, with most in some kind of danger if not physically then certainly emotionally. And whilst I don't want to put myself in the line of danger, I can't help but feeling just how lovely it would be to be part of this extended family.

So once again Karen Rose show why her books are so popular with this latest, Monster In The Closet. I loved every word.