Review: Closer Than You Know (Vera Boyett, #2) by Debra Webb

                                                              

Print Length: 314 pages

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (May 6, 2025) 

From Goodreads.com: Vera Boyett is a master at cracking a case.

After tragedy destroyed her career as deputy police chief, she felt lost. Moving back home near her sisters, she put her skills back to use as a crime analyst, and now her star is finally back on the rise. Vera’s work really begins to heat up after the local sheriff, Gray “Bent” Benton, calls to ask her for assistance with a pressing case.

Pushing aside their complicated past, Vera agrees to help Bent search for a missing reporter. But their investigation uncovers an improbable connection to the Messenger, a serial killer she put behind bars twelve years ago. The killer, who is dying of cancer, wants his final revenge. And the reporter is merely a distraction—Vera is his true target.

When the Messenger pulls her sister Eve into his twisted game, Vera vows to stop him for good. But can she find Eve and the reporter before it’s too late?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

To start, while I suppose this could technically be read as a standalone, I really wouldn’t recommend it. There are too many references to past events that are just dropped in without enough context to make sense if you haven’t read the first book. And honestly? Even having read the first one (granted, back in 2024), I still found myself struggling to remember some of those key details. So if that tells you anything, it’s that this installment doesn’t exactly do a great job of reinforcing what came before.

One of the biggest disappointments for me was the complete lack of character growth; especially when it comes to Vera. I was really hoping to see some development this time around, but she’s still the same almost one-dimensional character, charging headfirst into situations without thinking things through. She continues to keep secrets (unless, of course, sharing them benefits her), like not telling Bent about someone lurking outside her window or that her home had been broken into until much later. It just got frustrating after a while.

And unfortunately, she’s not the only one stuck in place. Bent and Eve don’t show much growth either, though I will say Vera and Bent’s relationship does continue to move forward, so if that’s what you’re here for, you’ll at least get something out of it.

That said, I also ran into the same issue here that I had with the first book: the handling of Vera’s involvement in the investigation. I get it, she’s no longer in law enforcement and now works as a consultant, but the moment her sister is taken, that should have immediately created a conflict of interest for the Sheriff's department. Yet somehow, she’s still heavily involved. And considering that Bent (the sheriff) and Eric (her former colleague brought in to help) both know her well enough to predict her behavior? It just didn’t sit right with me.

And maybe this is the cynic in me, but given the perpetrator’s background and the secrets he knew about at least one of the Boyette sisters… I couldn’t help but think a decent defense attorney could spin that situation very differently. In fact, I would go so far as to say that a good lawyer could have argued that the perpetrator became aware of those secrets, and the sisters were trying to frame him and/or kill him in order to protect each other and those secrets.

Then there’s that scene that takes place in the cave. If you’ve read the book, you already know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, let’s just say someone with Vera’s level of training absolutely should have known better. A rock? Really? And then to stop short, leave the weapon behind, and within reach of the person actively trying to kill you? It completely shattered any remaining sense of realism for me.

Despite all of that, I’ll admit, I’m still curious. There’s one more book in the series (thus far), and yes, I already have it downloaded. Not because I’m fully invested, but because I need to see how this all wraps up. Whether that curiosity pays off… well, we’ll see.