The Keeper

January 6, 2020
Set in rural England, Moor’s clever debut presents a movingly sympathetic portrait of the victims of domestic violence. The investigation of Katie Straw’s apparent suicide takes two policemen, old-school Det. Sgt. Daniel Whitworth and his trainee, Detective Constable Brookes, into the women’s shelter where she worked and where the director is protective of the women under her care. Meanwhile, in an alternating narrative, Katie relates the deterioration of her relationship with boyfriend Jamie, who’s initially indulgent, if overprotective, then becomes isolating, controlling, and worse. Though the characters hit a lot of the expected tropes, such as the addict with mental health issues, the skittish wife and mother, and the tough feminist, they come through more as archetype than stereotype. Katie’s simultaneous identities as protagonist and corpse effectively build a sense of resigned dread, while also helping the reader understand how an intelligent, resourceful woman could become trapped in an abusive relationship. Moor is off to a fine start. Agent: Alexandra Cliff, Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (U.K.).

February 15, 2020
In bucolic Widringham, England, Katie Straw's body washes onto a riverbank, soaked clean of evidence that could tip investigators toward either murder or suicide. DS Daniel Whitworth and his trainee, DC Brookes, begin their inquiries with Katie's boyfriend, but Whitworth's gut tells him that the man's alibi will stand up. Besides, Whitworth would have to be a fool not to suspect Katie's work at the local women's domestic-violence refuge may provide the motive. Inside the refuge, an unremarkable upper-middle-class home, five women have found protection. They all talk about the man they've seen outside, but none of them claims him as their abuser. The plot thickens when Whitworth learns that Katie Straw is an assumed identity, adding frisson to Katie's own first-person account, which alternates with the main narrative and crackles with tension as she heads toward her death. DS Whitworth's wearily pragmatic investigation, without benefit of the clues unveiled in Katie's story, generates page-turning doubt for the reader on the case's resolution. Moor's confident, well-crafted debut keeps suspense taut while exploring conflicting perceptions of domestic violence and concluding with a chilling twist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)