Don’t Get Close by Matt Miksa came out this month and I finally have a chance to share my review of the book. I have had this book prepped and ready to read for weeks and have been so excited to delve into it, but as it seems will always happen this year, life got a bit in the way. Now that I’ve finally been able to sit down and write up my thoughts I am excited to share this thrilling read with all of you. Prepare yourself for an intriguing read with cults, deadly plans, and a psychiatrist performing hypnotherapy.

The focus of the story is Special Agent Vera Taggart who left a promising career as an artist to join the FBI. In this new role she has impressed her colleagues with her ability to seemingly pluck a conclusion from a crime scene just by herself. Her first assignment is seemingly ice cold case that focuses on a cult of suicide bombers, the Sons of Elijah. They believe that they have been reborn hundreds of times and while this initially was supposed to be a low-risk assignment when a bomb destroys a crowded Chicago restaurant Taggart learns that the Sons of Elijah have returned and she is the only one who can stop them. As she starts investigating she meets with Dr. Seth Jacobson who insists he has helped people remember their past lives through hypnotherapy. Two of the Sons of Elijah founders have met with him just prior to committing horrific murders. Taggart agrees to undergo a similar treatment and while she is in these sessions she suspects the next target is a high-tech government laboratory. Taggart must contend with the idea of her own role in these events and what is truly real as she tries to determine what to do next.

Admittedly the first thing that made me want to read this book is that it is billed, probably for my sake, as a book with a strong female LGBT protagonist. I love when I am contacted to review books that focus on queer characters and as I work out my schedule for this year I would love to review more. Please reach out to us if you would like us to feature your LGBTQ+ read. I really loved following Tag, Vera Taggart’s nickname throughout, and the fact that she was such a different character for this sort of psychological FBI thriller. She is young, recruited at 24 and instead of coming from some sort of government tied agency, she is a queer artist who was recruited at her first gallery show. I truly appreciate that Miksa wanted to break the mold of what we would expect as readers for the main protagonist. I also really enjoyed this read and following the investigation through, especially with the inclusion of hypnosis, was really engaging and felt very fun and new. You can get your copy of Don’t Get Close today.

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