It was definitely a book that was hard to put down, but it annoyed me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as someone who is fussy about English grammar, I found the book was not very well written - a lot of sentences ending in prepositions ("Prop me up against the wall - where I can watch him from."). Also, it annoyed me just how right DI Sean Corrigan was throughout the book - the things that he imagined or guessed nearly always turned out to be correct, even when he had no evidence for them. This just seemed too unrealistic to me.
Like I said at the beginning though, it was a book that was hard to put down, and I read all of it! ( )

The Keeper is one of those novels that is hard to put down although there were a few times when I wanted to set the book aside. Why you ask? Well, it was so well written and certainly had a tremendous creep value. Of course, serial killers are always creepy but this one, to me, was one of the creepiest that I have read in a while. This man abducts women right from their homes, cages them, rapes them and ultimately murders them. He is looking for that elusive woman that he can keep for his own.

The case is investigated by DI Sean Corrigan, who is able somehow to step into the killers mind and from the clues he imagines, is able to hunt down and capture the killer. Sean always gets 150% involved in his cases, to the consternation of his wife, who understands that Sean has to do what he needs to do. If that means not being home for the duration of the case, that is what it will take. I highly recommend this read for anyone who loves the thriller genre.

I love reading thrillers and I have read his previous novel, Cold Killing and after this one, I have found another author that I will put on my favorite list and eagerly await his next novel.

A copy of the book was provided for my honest review and I was not monetarily compensated for said review. ( )

I raced through this fat book. My advanced reader's copy is 553 pages and I read it in a very short time because I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen next. I was so scared for the victims.

You know from the beginning that a man with a psychosis of some sort is keeping two women in cages in a cellar. He seems to be fixated on women who have a similar appearance and he keeps calling the current favorite Sam. When she tries to tell him that isn't her name, he gets enraged and takes it out on the other one. When he takes a woman he is armed with a stun gun and chloroform, so she's aware she is being kidnapped but unable to do anything about it. Can you imagine how terrifying that is?

The cop heading the investigation is D.I. Sean Corrigan from the Murder Investigation Unit in South London. His own past history gives him intuitive insight into the motives of psychotic murderers. He is quite a strange investigator as he tries to get into the mind of such people to solve the case and catch the killer. Thankfully he is married to a doctor who loves him enough to bear with him during his cases, keep up with her own job, and care for their three children. His family is what saves him from going off the deep end himself.

Ordinarily a story featuring a mentally ill villain is tough for me to read, but I was so caught up in this one that I just couldn't put it aside without finishing it. If you read this one, and I encourage you to do so, brace yourself for a tense time. You might also want to lock your doors.

Highly recommended
Source: HarperCollins ( )

I picked up this book because it was one in the genre that I really liked. I did not know that this was book two in a series. Not that it mattered. This book may be the second one featuring D.I. Sean Corrigan but it can be read as a stand alone novel. This book brings me back to why I love this genre. It is dark, the mystery is high, good investigative research work, a menacing serial killer, and a good ending. Even though the identity of the killer was known right in the beginning of the story, what he did to Louise and his motive was what kept my attention. Than there was Corrigan. He is a complex character. What he brings to the story with his abilities is great. The fact that the author has experience with what he is writing helps to really leads to him and gives the author a upper hand. He made the story come alive. I was right with Corrigan and Louise the whole way until the end. This book is a "Keeper". ( )

Brilliant Crime Novel

The Keeper is an excellent crime novel from the pen of Luke Delaney a former Metropolitan Police Detective in London, who has dealt with a wide range of crimes including murders and gangland assassinations. This novel feels like he has brought some of his experiences to bear especially in the descriptions of the victims and their families as well as with how officers approach and live each case. It is as if the hard learnt experience is laid out for the reader, rather than someone doing research into the police procedures then writing about them.

Detective Inspector Sean Callaghan is the lead of the Murder Investigation Team for the South London division of the Metropolitan Police, experienced dealing with the human detritus and sorting the wheat from the chaff and achieving a successful conviction and another murderer off the streets. His Superintendent gives Callaghan and his team an unusual missing persons’ case to investigate. Women of a certain height and look are being taken in broad daylight but it is not till the dead bodies’ start turning up that they realise they are racing against the clock.

We are introduced Thomas Keller at the beginning of the book as he is looking for someone in particular and knows South London well. He has nobody to call a friend, not at work where he is hated or at home, but he is used to that as his life has always been about being different to others and alone. He knows what he wants knows how and where to get it and has the means and location to suit, but will DI Callaghan be able to find him in time?

This crime story is a compelling read as it unfolds as we get the back story to the main characters as well as what they look and how they feel about life. Delaney is good at getting inside the head of the criminal and the chasing detective. We are not bogged down with irrelevant details but feel as if we are part of the investigation team and under the same pressure as the police. You are able to feel the desperation of the hunt and the exhilaration of discovery from both criminal and police.

This is a fantastic novel a great read and feels like you are part of an authentic Murder Investigation Team. To use the oldest cliché of the lot it really is a page turner with a chilling dash of reality. The race is on who will achieve their end game Thomas Keller or Sean Callaghan, the only way to find out is to read the book and enjoy the race to the end. ( )