The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale

Item: The Close-Up
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted December 1, 2024 by BaronessMom in Mystery, Review, Thriller and Suspense / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Close-Up

by Pip Drysdale

Published by Gallery Books on December 3, 2024
Setting: Los Angeles California
Genres: Psychological Thrillers
Pages: 352
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Publisher
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon

A struggling author discovers the dark side of fame when a stalker begins reenacting violent events from her thriller in this electrifying and twisty new novel.

When Zoe Ann Weiss moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, her whole future is wide open. But then Zach, the bartender and aspiring actor she’s falling for, ghosts her. Her debut novel, a thriller, fails. And she has writer’s block worse than ever before. Now, three years later, Zach is famous and Zoe is...not.

She’s facing her thirtieth birthday, a dead-end job at a flower shop, and a demanding agent, terrified she’ll never get her life back on track. But when she goes to make a flower delivery and Zach is at the address, it’s like no time has passed at all. They start casually dating in secret, her writer’s block disappears, and Zoe begins to wonder: Zach inspired her first novel, so why can’t he inspire her second?

But then the inevitable happens and photos are leaked, landing Zoe in the press. Her first novel goes viral, and now everyone seems to know her name. Except the problem with everyone knowing your name is that everyone knows your name—including the mysterious stalker obsessed with Zach. A stalker who begins reenacting violent events from Zoe’s book, step by step, against her...

The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale is a thrilling ride with an unforeseen twist. I loved it!

Will Zoe find love and her newest book?

Zoe Ann Weiss

Zoe is our main character and only point of view. She is making it with one published book but hasn’t finished her second required book. Writer’s block has caught her, so she works as a florist to supplement her income. I like Zoe, but sometimes I want to smack her and say, “What are you doing? Listen to your friends!”

Zoe is stubborn and full of pride. She doesn’t want to admit that she needs help and doesn’t want to move back in with her Dad in London. Yet, perhaps she should. She could also write in a different genre, and as long as the book was good, her publisher wouldn’t mind. At least, I think.

The Mystery

So, the mystery was crazy good. Zoe meets up with Zach, a guy she knew before he became a famous actor. He was her muse for her first book. So, she is hoping that he will be able to inspire her to write again. But that isn’t what happens. Now she has Zach’s stalker after her, or does she? There are all these secrets she isn’t aware of until the end, which leaves her feeling blindsided. I was guessing through the whole story, and Ms. Drysdale kept surprising me turn after turn. The twists keep coming all the way to the Epilogue! OMG!

Five Stars

The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale starts slow, but once it’s moving, you will be on the edge of your seat until the very end. I was entranced. My rating for The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale is five stars. If you like thrillers, you will love this one. I highly recommend it.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale.

Until the next time,

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About Pip Drysdale

Pip Drysdale is an Australian author, musician, and actor. She grew up in Africa, Canada, and Australia, became an adult in New York and London, and lives on a steady diet of coffee, dreams, and literature. All four of her books – The Sunday Girl, The Strangers We Know, The Paris Affair and The Next Girl – have been bestsellers in Australia. And her latest book, The Close-Up is out in November in Australia/NZ and December in the US and Canada. She lives in Sydney.