Closer Than You Know: A Novel

by Brad Parks

Overview

Brad Parks delivers a riveting, emotionally powerful stand-alone domestic suspense thriller perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door and What She Knew.

Disaster is always closer than you know.

It was a lesson Melanie Barrick learned the hard way growing up in the constant upheaval of foster care. But now that she’s survived into adulthood—with a loving husband, a steady job, and a beautiful baby boy named Alex—she thought that turmoil was behind her.

Until one Tuesday evening when she goes to pick up Alex from childcare only to discover he’s been removed by Social Services. And no one will say why. It’s a terrifying scenario for any parent, but doubly so for Melanie, who knows the unintended horrors of what everyone coldly calls “the system.”
Her nightmare grows worse when she arrives home to learn her house has been raided by sheriff’s deputies, who have found enough cocaine to send Melanie to prison for years. The evidence against her is overwhelming, and if Melanie can’t prove her innocence, she’ll lose Alex forever.

Meanwhile, assistant commonwealth’s attorney Amy Kaye—who has been assigned Melanie’s case—has her own troubles. She’s been dogged by a cold case no one wants her to pursue: a serial rapist who has avoided detection by wearing a mask and whispering his commands. Over the years, he has victimized dozens of women.

Including Melanie. Yet now her attacker might be the key to her salvation... or her undoing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101985649
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	362,427
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Brad Parks is the only author to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. A former reporter with The Washington Post and The Star-Ledger (Newark), he lives in Virginia with his wife and two children. His previous novel, Say Nothing, was named both a Library Journal and a Kirkus Best Book of 2017.

Read an Excerpt

ONE

He was dressed in his best suit, the one he usually reserved for funerals.

She wore pearls. It made her feel more maternal.

Arm in arm, they walked up a concrete path toward Shenandoah Valley Social Services, whose offices filled a cheerless metal-sided building. There was no landscaping, no ornamentation, no attempt to make the environs more inviting. As an agency of county government, Social Services had neither the budget nor the inclination for such gilding. Its clientele was not there by choice.

The man paused at the front door.

"Remember: We're perfect," he said to his wife.

"The perfect couple," she replied.

He pushed through the door, and they traveled down a stark cinder-block hallway toward the main waiting area. A sign read notice: no weapons.

The room they soon entered was ringed with blue imitation-leather chairs and stern warnings against food-stamp fraud. A smattering of people, all of them luckless enough to be born into multigenerational poverty, looked up and stared. Men in suits and women in pearls were not a common sight here.

Ignoring them, the man and woman crossed the room and announced themselves to a receptionist who was bunkered behind a thick chunk of clear plastic. This could be a tough business: The administering of benefits; the denying of requests; the dispensing of abused and neglected children, taking them from one family and bestowing them on another. There had been incidents.

After a minute or so, the man and woman were greeted by the family services specialist who had been assigned to them, a woman with a tight ponytail and square-framed glasses who received them warmly, by name, with hugs and smiles.

It was all so different from when they had first met her, about three months earlier, when it had been nothing but dry handshakes and justifiable suspicion. Families like this didn't just stumble into Shenandoah Valley Social Services and volunteer to become foster parents. Families like this-who had resources, connections, and that air that suggested they weren't accustomed to waiting for the things they wanted-either went with private adoption agencies or traveled abroad to acquire their babies: eastern Europe if they wanted a white one; Africa, Asia, or South America if they didn't care.

Seriously? the family services specialist wanted to ask them. What are you doing here?

But then she started talking with them, and they won her over. They told her about the failed efforts to get pregnant, then about the tests that revealed they would never be able to have children of their own.

They still wanted a family, though, and they had decided to adopt locally. Why go overseas when there were children in need, right here in their own community? They were just looking for a vessel to receive their love.

The family services specialist tried to explain to them there were no guarantees with this route. It might be months or years before a baby became available. Even then, they might foster the infant for a time and then have to turn it back over to its birth mother. Adoption was always a last resort. Social Services' goal-to say nothing of Virginia statutes-prioritized reunifying children with their biological families.

The woman chewed her fingernails when she heard this. The man seemed undeterred.

After that initial interview had come the parent orientation meeting, then the training sessions. They had taken notes, asked questions, and generally acted like they were trying to graduate at the top of the class.

Their home study, in which every aspect of their residence was inspected, had been flawless, from the child safety locks all the way up to the smoke detectors.

And the nursery? Immaculate. A crib that exceeded every standard. Diapers squared in neat piles. The walls freshly covered in blue paint.

"Blue?" the family services specialist had asked. "What if it's a girl?"

"I have a hunch," the man said.

They flew through the criminal background check. Their paystubs showed ample income. Their bank statements swelled with reserve funds.

Home insurance, check. Car insurance, check. Life insurance, check. Their physician had verified that both the would-be mother and father were in excellent health. Their references gushed with praise.

In her thirteen years on the job, the social services worker had interacted with hundreds of families. Even the best, most loving, most well meaning among them had issues.

This one didn't. She had never met two people more ready for a child.

They were the perfect couple.

Shenandoah Valley Social Services did not officially rank potential foster families, but was there any question about who would be number one on the list if a baby became available?

Even now here they were, turned out like they were attending an important public ceremony when really they were just going back to a shabby, windowless office to accept a piece of paper. It was their certificate, indicating they had completed the necessary steps to become approved foster-care providers.

They beamed as they received it. They were official.

More hugs. More smiles. The receptionist came out of the bunker to take pictures. It was that kind of occasion for this couple.

Then they departed.

"What if we did this all for nothing?" the woman asked as she walked out of the building.

"We didn't," the man assured her.

"You really think it's going to happen?"

He leaned in close.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll have a baby in no time."

Editorial Reviews

**A Kirkus Best Book of 2018**

“Parks has produced a gripping story, masterfully drawn.”—Oprah.com (Editor’s Pick)

“Another winning tale of domestic suspense from the Shamus- and Nero Award–winning author Parks, who knows how to get readers to empathize emotionally with his characters while amping up the tension and suspense from the first page.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Parks (Say Nothing, 2017, etc.) dishes out another irresistible descent into hell.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Closer Than You Know grabs you by the gut in Chapter One and keeps upping the tension through every shocking plot twist. Don’t expect to come up for air until the final, satisfying pages.”—Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife

“Strong plotting, memorable characters, and situations that will hit readers where they live make Closer Than You Know a compulsive read.”—Linwood Barclay

“Rolling out a finely constructed story filled with tension and suspense is Parks' stock in trade, further underscored in his newest edge-of-your-seat domestic thriller.”—Inside Jersey

“A diverting, exciting read, with an ending you won’t see coming.”—Booklist

“A mystery is supposed to be a surprise but this one floored me. Parks has been a consistently solid writer but with this book, he entered a new level with even fuller characters and superb plotting. Parks plumbs parents' anguish when their children are kidnapped.”—NJ.com

“From the author of the incredible Say Nothing, this new title is so riveting that it pulls you even deeper into the thrilling imagination and amazing writing of the talented Brad Parks...a tale that at times makes the blood run cold. Brad Parks is a master at creating frightening, emotionally-overcharged stories that take your breath away.”—Suspense Magazine

“[A] real gem...  Closer Than You Know [is] full of what makes a great novel great. Brilliant characters, as well as a plot line that will rattle your nerves with every page.”—Fredricksburg Free Lance-Star

“[Closer Than You Know] beautifully levels the tension higher towards its climax and will keep readers on the edge of their seats trying to find out whodunit and devouring every word.”—Bookreporter.com

Praise for Brad Parks and Say Nothing

“Parks does a fantastic job conveying every parent’s worst fear while also showcasing the marital conflict and mistrust that erupts in the midst of a crisis. The complications and twists build to an unexpected climax that is both perfect and gut-wrenching...Fans of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner will love this thriller. Don’t stay silent, tell everyone.”—Library Journal, Starred Review

“The novel’s final pages are exciting, surprising and deeply moving. How moving? Its ending brought me to tears, and, where books are concerned, such moments are rare… [Say Nothing] carries his work to a new level.”—The Washington Post

“Parks dispenses plot twists with a poisoned eyedropper...The nerve-shredding never lets up for a minute as Parks picks you up by the scruff of the neck, shakes you vigorously, and repeats over and over again till a climax so harrowing that you'll be shaking with gratitude that it's finally over.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“[Say Nothing] grips the reader from the get-go and doesn’t let up until the final twist in a story that’s filled with surprises.”—Associated Press

“[Say Nothing] begins by shocking the mind and ends by shattering the heart. The work of an author who continues to raise his sights and refine his immense talent...readers will quickly say ‘yes’ to this spellbinding, disturbing novel.”—The Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Brad Parks latest, Say Nothing, says it all—perfectly. Some books, especially stories about children acting nobly, make me mist up. But real tears, enough to require dabbing eyes? That does not happen. Yet as I finished the former Star-Ledger reporter’s latest book, I was crying... [Say Nothing] takes Parks to a new level.”—The Star-Ledger 

“Shamus Award–winner Parks’s excellent domestic thriller credibly portrays a family under severe stress… [readers will] find themselves on pins and needles awaiting the reveals.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Fast-paced and terrifying, Say Nothing is a roller coaster of fear, deception, jealousy, and terror.”—Bustle

“With the tension ratcheted up to 10, you’ll churn through pages like your life depends on it. Filled with more twists and turns than a country back road, you will never see what lies ahead in Say Nothing. After reading Say Nothing, I only had one thought in my head: I have to read everything Parks has written. After this book, I’m going to be a fan for life.”—Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

“Parks’ legal thriller gets off to a roaring start, plunking us immediately in the middle of things.”—Booklist

“Terrific stuff, and a strong writer’s career continuing to rise.”—About Books by George Ernsberger

“Terrific book. Truly terrific. Tension throughout and tears at the end. What could be better than that?”—Sue Grafton
 
“Outstanding—starts with a bang and gets tenser and tenser. Say Nothing shows Parks is a quality writer at the top of his form.”—Lee Child
 
“Say Nothing moves Brad Parks onto the top shelf of thriller writers.  He grabs readers' hearts in the first chapter, and doesn't let go until the last line.”—Joseph Finder
 
“A pedal-to-the floor thriller! Say Nothing grabs you from the first few paragraphs and never lets go. Writing in sharp, no-nonsense prose, Parks perfectly nails the dynamics of a family under the gun and has conjured a plot (did I mention high-speed?) that leaps straight from today’s headlines. This novel’s a winner!”—Jeffery Deaver
 
“Say Nothing is tremendously satisfying, packed with engaging characters and surprising plot twists and a furious build of tension until its gut-wrenching pay-off.”—Chris Pavone
 
“A twisting, suspenseful ride that adds a new and original twist to the legal thriller: a judge, cornered. If you haven't discovered Brad Parks yet, Say Nothing is your chance. Smart, propulsive storytelling.”—William Landay

“Grips you in a vice from the very beginning, and shreds your emotions. Terrific, powerful storytelling at its very best. A tour de force.”—Peter James

From the Publisher