Keeper

By Johana Gustawsson

An abduction in London and the discovery of a body on the west coast of Sweden lead criminal profiler Emily Roys and true-crime writer Alexis Castells back to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel, as they hunt a serial killer. Book two in the explosive, award-winning Roy & Castells series.

‘A terrific, original duo’ Marcel Berlins, The Times

‘Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed’ Crime by the Book

‘A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece, filled with nightmarish situations that will keep you awake long into the dark nights of winter’ New York Journal of Books

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Whitechapel, 1888: London is bowed under Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror.

London 2015: Actress Julianne Bell is abducted in a case similar to the terrible Tower Hamlets murders of some ten years earlier, and harking back to the Ripper killings of a century before.

Falkenberg, Sweden, 2015: A woman’s body is found mutilated in a forest, her wounds identical to those of the Tower Hamlets victims.

With the man arrested for the Tower Hamlets crimes already locked up, do the new killings mean he has a dangerous accomplice, or is a copy-cat serial killer on the loose?

Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells again find themselves drawn into an intriguing case, with personal links that turn their world upside down.

Following the highly acclaimed Block 46 and guaranteed to disturb and enthral, Keeper is a breathless thriller from the new queen of French Noir.

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‘A bold and intelligent read’ Guardian

‘A satisfying, full-fat mystery’ The Times

‘Assured telling of a complex story’ Sunday Times 

‘Dark, oppressive and bloody but also thought-provoking, compelling and very moving’ Metro

‘A real page-turner, I loved it’ Martina Cole

‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent’ Ragnar Jónasson

‘A must-read’ Daily Express

‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling’ Peter James

‘Bold and audacious’ R. J. Ellory

‘A great serial-killer thriller with a nice twist … first rate’ James Oswald

‘Thought-provoking, challenging, and an absolute knock-out … I’m still in shock’ LoveReading

‘A great addition to the world of noir novels, and lives alongside the best...’ TripFiction

• Language: English
• Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
• Release date: Feb 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781912374069

Johana Gustawsson

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives in London with her Swedish husband and their three sons.

Reviews for Keeper

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The body of a woman has been found mutilated and with feathers in her ears in Falkenberg, Sweden. Shortly after the discovery of this body, a well-known actress, Julianne Bell, is abducted from her London home. These two cases bear a striking resemblance to the Tower Hamlets murders. The problem is, a man was caught and charged with those murders ten years ago. Since his conviction and subsequent imprisonment in a mental hospital, no new crimes have been committed until these.These new crimes and the Tower Hamlets murders mimic the work of Jack the Ripper. In 1888, London was saturated in fear of Jack the Ripper. I local woman, Freda, witnessed a close friend of hers be discovered as one of his victims. Does Jack the Ripper and his murderous reign have a connection to the cases of present day? Emily Roy and Alexis Castells have once again been called in to assist with these new cases. Roy is there serving as a profiler hoping to catch the killer and Castells is involved because her past holds an deadly connection to the Tower Hamlets murders. Can this duo save Julianne Bell before she is murdered?Last month I read BLOCK 46, the first book in this series, and Johana Gustawsson absolutely blew my mind. Reading KEEPER was an equally fantastic experience! KEEPER once again ties London and Sweden together with the past through an entirely fresh set of cases and killers. This time around Emily and Alexis are on the case of a missing actress, whose abduction screams similarities to a closed case known as the Tower Hamlets murders. These cases and the abduction also appear to be tied to the body of a woman who was found murdered Jack the Ripper style with the strange edition of black feathers in her ears. All the while the reader is learning about these present cases, they are also treated to interwoven chapters focused in the past, starting in the year 1888, which just happens to be when Jack the Ripper was terrorizing London. See the connections happening? Also mixed throughout are chapters about Julianne’s abduction and imprisonment. Seems like a lot to take in right? Well Gustawsson spells everything out in an engaging, spell-binding style that leaves the reader with no choice, but to continue flipping pages.Each narrative section of KEEPER stands alone as an interesting topic, but woven together, they truly create a masterful book. Chapter are kept short, but information and suspense filled, as they propel the reader towards the truth. I simply couldn’t stop myself from becoming invested in Emily and Alexis, who are intriguing and complicated women with strong intellectual gifts. These characters and the cases that they are solving make KEEPER a perfect read for any crime fiction, mystery, or thriller fan. I cannot wait to see what Johana Gustawsson comes up with next!A special thank you to Orenda Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my full review!

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Keeper – Utterly CompellingJohana Gustawsson follows up her highly successful debut, with the Keeper, a brilliant second book in her Roy and Castells series. Once again, she has written an excellent serial killer thriller with a few twists you just do not expect. Every time I thought I had solved the mystery and worked out the killer, Gustawsson throws a twist in just to keep you on your toes.A story that looks back at the Jack the Ripper murders back in 1888, to London 2015 via Falkenberg in Sweden. Emily Roy a Scotland Yard Profiler and crime writer Alexis Castells are drawn into an intriguing case. There are links in this case that are a little too close to home for comfort.London based actress Julianne Bell is abducted from outside her house on the way to a television interview, and there are unnerving links to a series of crimes from ten years before. The murderer in that case is now in Broadmoor and raises a series of questions the police are not particularly happy to look at once again.A murder in Falkenberg, Sweden, seems to have links to the solved murders in London from ten years earlier. With the disappearance and the discovery of a dead body, have the police managed to catch the real killer? Did he have an accomplice? Or is this just a copycat at work? What Roy and Castells were not expecting was how close to home this case would come.Keeper is a brilliantly multi-layered thriller, that has so much blood curdling violence, and touches some of taboos that society would rather not know about. At the same time, you just want to read on as you want to know who what where and why. While at times being challenging, this book soon has you engrossed, hours will go missing.Johanna Gustawsson is the new Queen of French Noir and her writing is addictive, you will just want more of her!