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shannonw19's review against another edition
4.0
Paul McGrath's father died. He is trying to go after the man who tried to swindle his father out of a fortune. So Paul, a former officer in the Army, is working as a courthouse janitor. He meets a man who burned down another man's after being swindled out of his own home. Oh and throw in some Cold War intrigue and that's the basic plot of Too Close to Home.
This is the first book I have read by Andrew Grant and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a thriller, but it's different from a lot of thrillers I have read. It's not all action, but the action is written well and when there isn't action, the plot is driven by Paul's drive to find out what was behind his father's financial life, what secrets are there to be uncovered, and how he can help another man from going to prison for arson. I loved the plot. It had twists and turns that sometimes weren't even obvious at first, but that served the plot well. I liked the characters. They were, for the most part, three-dimensional and well-written. The plot twist near the end was worth the entire book.
If you like crime novels and thrillers, you will like this book. Andrew Grant is a fantastic writer who writes his book like old-school writers used to. I enjoyed that very much. Do yourself a favor and pick up Too Close To Home.
I won this book from Goodreads and received no compensation in exchange for this review. The opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone.
This is the first book I have read by Andrew Grant and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a thriller, but it's different from a lot of thrillers I have read. It's not all action, but the action is written well and when there isn't action, the plot is driven by Paul's drive to find out what was behind his father's financial life, what secrets are there to be uncovered, and how he can help another man from going to prison for arson. I loved the plot. It had twists and turns that sometimes weren't even obvious at first, but that served the plot well. I liked the characters. They were, for the most part, three-dimensional and well-written. The plot twist near the end was worth the entire book.
If you like crime novels and thrillers, you will like this book. Andrew Grant is a fantastic writer who writes his book like old-school writers used to. I enjoyed that very much. Do yourself a favor and pick up Too Close To Home.
I won this book from Goodreads and received no compensation in exchange for this review. The opinions contained herein are mine and mine alone.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
1.0
Too Close to Home had a great concept, or at least it sounded like a great concept. Sadly, it didn't pull it off. I picked this book up only to lay it aside again more times than I care to count, all in hopes that it would get better. It did not. The characters were superficial., the storyline was convoluted, the pacing was slow, and most of all, I was bored. I couldn't get enough excitement going to care how it ended, so it's safe to say that this one failed to engage me. It's a genre I usually enjoy, and the blurb sounded promising, so I guess I'll just have to chalk it up to a miss for me.
mrsboyko's review against another edition
4.0
PopSugar 2021 - a book with less than 1000 reviews on Goodreads
Solid 4 stars. You have to just go with the fact that Paul is ex army and can do anything, break into anything, hack anything - or knows someone who can. But beyond that, a good story that kept me reading.
Solid 4 stars. You have to just go with the fact that Paul is ex army and can do anything, break into anything, hack anything - or knows someone who can. But beyond that, a good story that kept me reading.
3no7's review
4.0
“Too Close to Home” by Andrew Grant is a first person narrative by Paul McGrath. Grant skillfully pulls readers into the story with surprises, suspense, mystery, and hint of criminality. Paul McGrath professes to be just the janitor at the courthouse; he cleans up the messes people make, all kinds of messes, and some messes that go far beyond just sweeping up dust.
The book is filled with complex characters, some good, some innocent, some questionable, and some ordinary; readers are not always sure who is which. The events and the people all contribute to the biggest mystery in the book -- the narrator.
Readers may not know whether to like Paul McGrath, or to fear him, but they certainly know they do not want to be on his bad list. Details about him emerge little by little, but many are complicated and contradictory. He skates along the edge of the law, intimidating the innocent, but then rescuing the downtrodden. He talks about his training, business, and past assignments, but readers do not know for whom he worked and are afraid to even speculate why he is no longer “employed.” His main focus is “squaring things” with those whom he feels wrongly caused his father’s death. In the process he uncovers unscrupulous market traders, corrupt judges, and a complex organization of just generally nasty people.
“Too Close to Home” ends with chronological flashbacks that detail the pivotal events in the pasts of specific characters. Telling the other side of the story adds to the intrigue and mystery of the narrator and sets up the startling climax to McGrath’s search for justice for his father. I received a review copy of “Too Close to Home” from Andrew Grant, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books. I found Paul McGrath a suspicious yet charismatic character. His past is intriguing and his current adventure is both complex and gripping.
The book is filled with complex characters, some good, some innocent, some questionable, and some ordinary; readers are not always sure who is which. The events and the people all contribute to the biggest mystery in the book -- the narrator.
Readers may not know whether to like Paul McGrath, or to fear him, but they certainly know they do not want to be on his bad list. Details about him emerge little by little, but many are complicated and contradictory. He skates along the edge of the law, intimidating the innocent, but then rescuing the downtrodden. He talks about his training, business, and past assignments, but readers do not know for whom he worked and are afraid to even speculate why he is no longer “employed.” His main focus is “squaring things” with those whom he feels wrongly caused his father’s death. In the process he uncovers unscrupulous market traders, corrupt judges, and a complex organization of just generally nasty people.
“Too Close to Home” ends with chronological flashbacks that detail the pivotal events in the pasts of specific characters. Telling the other side of the story adds to the intrigue and mystery of the narrator and sets up the startling climax to McGrath’s search for justice for his father. I received a review copy of “Too Close to Home” from Andrew Grant, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books. I found Paul McGrath a suspicious yet charismatic character. His past is intriguing and his current adventure is both complex and gripping.
reading_and_wheeling's review against another edition
4.0
Former military intelligence officer Paul McGrath is working as a janitor in a courthouse while investigating his father's murder. While there he meets a man who has committed arson and he and his roommate investigate his case as well.
This was a pretty fast paced read that I really enjoyed. The character development is fairly well done (this is action driven, not character driven) and the pacing is excellent. If you want a fast paced thriller, this is for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, Ballentine Books, and Andrew Grant for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was a pretty fast paced read that I really enjoyed. The character development is fairly well done (this is action driven, not character driven) and the pacing is excellent. If you want a fast paced thriller, this is for you!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, Ballentine Books, and Andrew Grant for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.
vkemp's review
4.0
Paul McGrath has taken a job as a janitor at the courthouse. Nobody looks at janitors, he has the perfect cover. McGrath wants to take down Alex Pardew, who, he believes, was responsible for his father's death. And McGrath has the skills, he is a trained intelligence officer who has spent a lot of time in secret locations. McGrath and his buddy, Robson, are determined to buck a corrupt system and bring justice to people facing a corrupted justice system. This is the second book in the series; I will be reading the first one and looking forward to more in the series. Recommended for all thriller readers.
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