Features The Big Thrill Recommends: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen

The Big Thrill Recommends: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen

Recommended by Millie Naylor Hast

If you loved Strangers on a Train and Gone Girl, you’ll find KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE mesmerizing, from the terrifying prologue to the twisting, nail-biting last chapters. Leah Konen’s fourth venture into the complicated world of female friendships among the milieu of wealthy Brooklynites will keep you up at night!

In KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, Mary is terrified her soon-to-be ex-husband George will take their son Alex away from her unless she rejoins the marriage. But Mary has reasons not to go back to him. One day at the park with Alex, she meets Willa, a twenty-something woman with another little boy in tow, and the two women bond. As their friendship grows, Mary comes to look forward to their days at the park and evenings drinking margaritas. Then Willa disappears with no explanation.

Two months later, Mary is trying to rebuild her life. She travels to Woodstock, NY, to look for a new home, and whom should she spot in the small town but Willa? Except now, Willa’s name is Annie, and she has a new family. When Mary finds George dead, she becomes the prime suspect. The circumstances leave her no choice but to turn to the one friend who vanished, only to reappear far from the city with a new life.

This story raises so many questions you won’t be able to put it down. Will Mary be able to keep custody of little Alex despite George’s family’s wealth and influence? Can Willa/Annie really be Mary’s friend? Should Mary forgive Willa/Annie for disappearing? Are female friendships always competitive? What is a true woman friend? Unfolding in chapters alternating between past and present, KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE will keep you enthralled and wanting more.

The Big Thrill Recommends: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen