Today, I’m delighted to be sharing my review of Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy. I have thoroughly enjoyed her previous work so was excited to sink my teeth into her latest YA thriller.
Thank you to Penguin YA for running a giveaway for this at YALC 2024, where I was lucky enough to win a proof.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
Chloe Roberts is on top of the world at Morton Academy. She’s a shoo-in for Head Girl and the lead spot in the school’s secret society: Jewel and Bone. But then her best friend, Nikhita Patel, betrays her, and life comes crashing down.
Things take a darker turn when Chloe stumbles upon the Book of Crime and Punishment – a record of every misdeed committed by Morton students and the fitting penalty. And it’s not long before entries in the book start to match up with murders of Jewel and Bone members. Anyone could be a suspect.
Can Chloe get to the bottom of this twisted game before she’s next on the killer’s hit list . . . ?
Publication Date: 11th September
CW: death, murder, violence, cheating, gore, blood, injury, drugging, body horror, classism, manipulation, grooming
My Thoughts:
Keep Your Friends Close is a masterclass in plotting, pacing and tension. It is a triumphant return to the halls of Morton Academy, which are as full of darkness and secrets as before.
This has a fantastic concept, acting as a prequel to the smash-hit Win Lose Kill Die and the fascinating story of secret societies within those pages. Here, we travel back to the 90s and explore the history that informs the events of the later book. The premise of the revenge confessional book becoming the driving force for death and destruction is fantastic and instantly creates morally murky ground for our characters. They wrote these fuelled by hatred and now that is coming back to bite them. It opens up interesting ideas about the thin in between justice and vengeance and where our own actions may sit. Additionally, I loved how much this story complements its predecessor, but also works as a standalone. You could enter these dark corridors with either story and it would work, which is commendable. That being said, the level of detail and the way Murphy weaves the stories together is inspired. There are some familiar faces encountered and more than a few Easter Eggs tying the two together. It feels like such a rich and lived-in world, with this nefarious secret society hiding behind the glamour and prestige of the academy. In particular, there is one implication that I hope I am right about as it adds another twisted layer to both stories.
The story is compelling and the type of book that you’ll keep racing through to the early hours as you just have to know the exact who and why of it all. Murphy has a wonderful knack for pacing and tension that gives you just enough to keep going but also constantly wanting to know more. Some of these twists were jaw-dropping, which aligns with her reputation for some brutal and impactful surprises. If you are not already familiar with her work, you are missing out on a thriller treasure trove and I would highly recommend changing this as soon as possible. In this book, she did not come to play and there is a worrying escalation of the body count as the pages keeping flying by. Actions will have consequences here and often, they will be fatal. There is a brilliant sense of atmosphere as well, stemming from the Gothic descriptions of the academy and the hollowness of the power attainable through the societies. It is a desperate, clawing race to the top. Across the two books, a core theme is about the lengths we would go to in order to gain power and then keep it. These societies offer keys to every locked door – a nepotistic web of connections and influence that you can wield. For some characters, this is an impossible dream that they would do anything to make a reality. It also heightens the stakes of the story with Murphy’s sharp insights into social climbing, class and structural inequalities.
Within this, we follow Chloe who was tipped to be the new Head Girl until her former best friend stabs her in the back and steals her title. With her relationship soon falling apart too, Chloe is vengeful and adds a message of revenge in the Burn Book style journal. Once the listed names start showing up dead, she has to unpick the secrets at the heart of the academy. Her voice is so relatable and you can’t help but root for her to succeed, as she is ostracised from her circle of friends. I loved her passion and dedication; she is truly invested in this group and the opportunities it could afford her. She is smart and observant, which serves her well in her investigation, but runs into walls as the circumstances around these incidents gets ever more mysterious. This is a nightmare around her and you feel her nerves coming across through the page.
Keep Your Friends Close is a slick and unputdownable YA thriller that cements Cynthia Murphy as an undeniable force within the genre. This is not a book that you should let pass you by.
A Short Book Lover 
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