Close to Home

Savannah Martin Mystery #4

by Jenna Bennett, Bente Gallagher

Sometimes, trouble hits too close to home.

Savannah's late. The kind of late that comes with midnight feedings and the pitter-patter of little feet. And while it's a circumstance that should make everyone happy - now she can finally settle down and marry Todd Satterfield, the way everyone's been hoping and praying! - it isn't Todd's baby. And Rafe Collier, whose baby it is, didn't sign on for fatherhood.

Add in the murder of Savannah's sister-in-law Sheila, the trial of Sheila's friend Marley, and the disappearance of Rafe's twelve year old son David - the kid he never knew he had - and things get complicated fast. And there is worse to come: When Rafe comes back to Nashville to help look for David, and learns that Savannah's pregnant, things do not work out the way Savannah hopes. In the end, she's left with nothing she wanted and a whole lot of trouble she didn't, and when she gets in over her head, Rafe's not there to save the day.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Jenna Bennett writes the USA Today bestselling Cutthroat Business mysteries featuring Southern Belle and new-minted real estate agent Savannah Martin in Nashville, Tennessee.

As Jennie Bentley, she writes the New York Times bestselling Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, featuring designer and amateur sleuth Avery Baker and her boyfriend, handyman Derek Ellis, who renovate houses in Waterfield, Maine.

She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace.

aka Jennie Bentley

The DIY series:

FATAL FIXER-UPPER (November 2008)
SPACKLED AND SPOOKED (August 2009)
PLASTER AND POISON (March 2010)
MORTAR AND MURDER (January 2011)
FLIPPED OUT (October 2011)
WALL TO WALL DEAD (September 2012)
HOME FOR THE HOMICIDE (December 2013)

The Cutthroat Business series:

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS (May 2011)
HOT PROPERTY (June 2011)
CONTRACT PENDING (July 2011)
CLOSE TO HOME (September 2011)
A DONE DEAL (December 2011)
CONTINGENT ON APPROVAL (November 2012)
CHANGE OF HEART (May 2013)
KICKOUT CLAUSE (October 2013)

Soldiers of Fortune series:

FORTUNE'S HERO (December 2012)

Various:

ISLAND GETAWAY (October 2012)
VIRGINIA CREEPER (October 2013)
BEFORE YOU (March 2014)

Reviews

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still punishing myself 🤷🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close to Home, the fourth book in the Savannah Martin Mystery Series, is my favorite in the series. It pulled at my heartstrings due to the matters that Savannah has to deal with on the home-front. I found myself getting teary-eyed a few times, which only gives testimony to the powerful and well-developed characters that I have come to love and look forward to visiting again and again. In addition to dealing with heartbreaking news and having matters of the heart tested, Savannah is determined to find out what happened to her sister-in-law and in doing so, her relationships - romantic, friendship, sibling, and parental, reach a deeper level. Close to Home is a definite five-star read.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a free copy of this e-book from the author and chose it for review.

[Teresa Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading book one I said I would read book two, but I wasn't sure that I would read all fourteen (currently) books in the series.

After reading book four I'm so attached to Rafe and Savannah that I find myself thinking and worrying about Rafe as I'm driving down the road, and other odd times during the day.

They're a very addictive couple.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um pequeno livro com muito sentimento e drama acerca de gravidezes indesejadas e bebés perdidos, sobretudos, filhos perdidos. É interessante que Jenna Bennett reúne temas difíceis nos seus pequenos livros que têm desfechos muito bons. Acho que foi a primeira vez que as minhas suspeitas sobre o assassino estavam corretas. Tinha de ser a médica, ela conhecia todas as mulheres envolvidas e estava sempre a dizer o contrário sobre tudo. Tive tanta, mas tanta pena que Savannah tivesse sofrido o aborto; quando vi na sinopse que ela estava grávida fiquei super-excitada e depois fartei-me de chorar...
Aquela história da Marley, uma mulher em julgamento por ter assassinado o filho bebé, que história, bolas... E o filho estava vivo, a ser criado por outras pessoas...

Tive muita pena que o Rafel aparecesse tão pouco - e em circunstâncias más. Espero é que isso não faça com que Savannah se aproxime de Todd.

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read a good book I get so caught up in the outside world, that I can almost feel that I'm right there - in the story, observing it, living it. A good book evokes a passion in me, a passion to read more.

As most of my readers know I simply adored the first three books in Jenna Bennett's Savannah Martin series. However, my adoration was nothing compared to how much I simply LOVED the fourth book, CLOSE TO HOME.

CLOSE TO HOME sees Rafe off deep undercover, and Savannah back in Nashville missing him more than ever. However Savannah has her hands full, with an unplanned pregnancy and her sister-in-law turning up dead. It's up to Savannah, yet again, to put aside her real estate career and try and figure out the puzzle of Sheila's death.

CLOSE TO HOME is an emotional rollercoaster. I had read a few reviews that had said how much CLOSE TO HOME is an emotional read, but I don't think I was prepared for how emotional.

I quickly got wrapped up in the story, as Savannah tries to decide what to do with her pregnancy, especially without Rafe by her side to help, and tries to help her brother come to terms with his wife's death. I read CLOSE TO HOME within a day, as I was constantly willing myself to read more, more, more to find out what would happen to Savannah and her family.

I won't give too much away as I don't want to spoil this for other readers, but I will say that this is a 5-star read that evokes so much emotion and backs up everything that I have said that this series is an outstanding series.

If you love your mystery and your romance, you need to be reading this series! Jenna Bennett will have you falling head over heels for this Southern Belle, her complicated love life, and the adventures she has!

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotion packed suspense pushes this forth novel in the Savannah Martin Mystery Series to a 4.5 starred rating. While Savannah tracks down the mysterious boy in the picture from Contract Pending, tragedy strikes close to home in this outing. Because she has personal ties to both situations, Savannah pushes harder than usual to resolve both mysteries. While Rafe makes a pivotal visit, he is not available to support Savannah through most of her trying times. For the most part the story moves away from real estate and more into Savannah's personal life.

Dix plays an even greater role in this book than the last one. I see definite opportunities for "Tammy's" role to expand so it will be interesting to see what happens there. After the last book, I had wondered if there was a chance for a romance between the detective and Todd because she is a strong enough woman that he would not be able to suffocate her the way Savannah feels she is being suffocated. That possibility still exists but now I am looking for her role to expand in another direction in the long run. I like to see that she is a good person and a good cop.

There are a couple of times that I really want to have a chat with that girl but the fact in that she acts and feels based on her life, not my mine. These are people that I have come to care about; a good author makes the characters real enough for us to care about even if it mean we get irritated with them. J. Bennett make her characters matter.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read in a very strong series. Nothing real estate oriented in this book, but mysteries much closer to home for Savannah. This book has her dealing with her family, with Todd, and with Rafe - coming to terms with her place in the world now that she no longer is able to meet her family's expectations. This all dovetails nicely with the murder plot, and Savannah's involvement in it's resolution. While it's not hard to figure out the culprit (it hasn't been in any of the books thus far, except the first one) the story isn't one of the over hashed plotlines found in a lot of books; I found the story line to be someone unique and therefore interesting. This series as a whole, and this book in particular has been gripping enough and interesting enough to make me read them back-to-back without doing much of anything else. A good read.

[ElaineY · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; JANUARY 1, 2020
Narrator: Amanda Stribling

Despite wanting to smack Savannah in every installment, I've found myself glued to the series because the murder mystery is compelling and the whodunit not always obvious. Also, I'm hooked by Savannah and Rafe's is-it or isn't-it relationship. Every time I start an installment (I'm on Book 4 now) I wonder if theirs is finally a romance...or isn't - because Rafe takes off for parts unknown at the end of each book, only to pop up suddenly in the next. Thank God the absences are not long and before Savannah is done with her navel-gazing or telling the reader why she can't marry Todd, bad boy Rafe turns up like the proverbial bad penny.

I didn't expect Savannah's sister-in-law to be the murder victim this time though there was no reason why not. In any case, the murder is more complex than meets the eye at the start. Combined with Savannah discovering she's pregnant with Rafe's baby, this ought to be a good installment. Yet I'm only giving it 3 stars because I find it hard to believe Rafe would have had unprotected sex. He had made it very clear in the previous books that he didn't want any offspring of his running around considering he's in no position to be a father (a two-year prison term plus his frequent mysterious disappearances, and being from the wrong side of the tracks). Since he always struck me as a responsible guy, I can't see him sleeping with Savannah (who's from the very right side of the tracks) and not using a condom. IMO, that was the last thing he would do since it was also clear he truly cared about her and wasn't interested only in getting in her pants so he would not risk getting her pregnant. On the contrary, it has been Savannah, from Book 1, who's been wanting to get into his but denies it in every single book. Even after she's slept with him in this installment and goes so far as to tell him she's in love with him, in the next book she's back to denying her feelings. Smack! Smack! Smack!

She's tiresome where Rafe is concerned but I tell myself I am not familiar with the Southern belle culture and upbringing which has made Savannah what she is and to just go with the flow.

There's a lot going on in this installment and the author keeps up the breakneck speed. What I love about this series, so far, is that Rafe plays a major role even with his disappearances at the end of each book. I've found that in the cozy mysteries I've tried, the romantic interest is like a piece of furniture or a kitchen appliance that's there but not used very often. Not in this series! Rafe is very involved in the plot in every book and I really, really love that. I wish more cozy mysteries were like that. Plus - very important to people like me who came over from the Romance genre - Rafe doesn't go bedding every woman. In fact, he stays faithful to Savannah even during his absences and even when I thought he'd slept with Carmen, I was assured it was no threat to Savannah's fragile state where her feelings for Rafe are concerned. Most of all, I loved the ending of this installment where not only is Savannah able to face up to her feelings for Rafe and tell him so, she also gets the response she's been waiting for from him.

If you want to give this series a try, bear in mind you should start with Book 1 and keep it in sequence as the relationships, especially between Savannah and Rafe, Todd, and the rest of the cast, develops over each book and you will be missing chunks if you don't following the series in order.

[Short, Sweet and Cozy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great mystery in this series! This one was a little more emotional and heavy at times and the romance aspect was a cliffhanger. Definitely worth reading! Very exciting and I couldn't put it down! Savannah ' s sister-in-law is murdered so Savannah begins to ask questions and gets involved in a complicated situation. The culprit was not a surprise but there is alot going on and the mystery was riveting. Savannah matures in this one and starts to figure out her life but definitely has a rough time getting to that point. I can't wait for the next book! This series is so well written you get sacked into the story and the characters.

[Stephanie Osborne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review effective through chapter 6. At this point, I’d much rather DNF than continue. However, I am hoping for a better outcome than the beginning. First issue: so far all six chapters have been filled with consideration of abortion for an inconvenient pregnancy. I will stay on my soapbox all day every day against this. Simply because a baby was not planned or wanted is not an excuse to kill another human. It is sickening how flippant the characters are about this. The second issue at this point, is the statement that said something along the lines that dad’s don’t feel anything or aren’t to be considered when there’s been a miscarriage. This statement about made me throw up.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little torn about this book. I thought the villain was pretty obvious very early in the story and it was frustrating for me watching everyone else stumbling around completely overlooking what I was seeing. However, I really appreciated seeing all the emotional growth Savannah goes through in this volume, I just wish it could have been done in a way that didn’t seem quite so painful. Though, growth often is. Now, I’m very curious to see what the future has in store for Savannah since the present is so rocky.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savannah martin is my hero. She also gets on my nerves by being so naive unwilling to admit the truth about her own feelings. These qualities just make her more endearing. Love this series. Though I enjoyed one through three, number 4 is my favorite. Can’t wait to start #5

[Vesna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warning for a character's miscarriage.
This book was, to me, a bit heavier and a bit better than the last two. It's weird how you start thinking it's "just" a soap opera, and then the murder mystery plot starts happening and you're like whoa. Onto book five!

[Leigh Goldian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the previous books

This series is wonderfully written, with the perfect amount of mystery, romance, heartbreak and comedic timing. Normally I don’t like long series but I’m strapped in and ready for the ride! 20 books, here I come!

[Chris Blackton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The books in this series are finally getting interesting. I am glad I persevered. Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my this book was so good. I really get wound up sometimes when Savannah doesn't just say what she needs to. Can't wait for the next book!

[Sue Pigott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great bedtime read

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the series so far. Too easy to figure out "whodunnit" and why, and too much of Savannah over analyzing her relationship (or lack thereof) with Rafe. Still enjoyed it and will keep reading the series.

[Henriette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently stumbled on this series and I quite like the mysteries. I gave this book a lesser rating than the previous ones, not because I didn't like the case, which as usual was actually quite interesting. Not even because the drama surrounding Rafe's and Savannah's relationship, especially when she dithers on whether she can withstand the snobbery and prejudice of her well-bred Southern peers and admit to their relationship took on almost Soapdishesque proportions. Yes, it is a little annoying. But considering she is fighting against her upbringing, which is deeply ingrained in her, it is not quite so bad. Her taking ages to admit her feelings to herself or being unable to tell Todd no is annoying, but would only have had a small impact on my rating.

The reason for my lower rating is that the consequential errors in this book grew exponentially. While in the third volume I only noticed one glaring mistake (Tamara told Savannah about a conversation that she had and Savannah told her she hadn't mentioned that before, when indeed she had), there are quite a few such errors in this volume. Some were in relation to previous volumes such as Brenda's husband (murder victim first book) allegedly being distraught over his wife's death, when indeed he's been having an affair long before her death and their marriage was on the rocks and Savannah saying that she and Grimaldi weren't on a first name basis, when indeed in Book 3 they started calling themselves by their first name when talking about Savannah's relationship with Rafe. But there were also inconsistencies within the storyline such as Savannah and Dr. Seaver talking about Elspeth's baby three times. But when you read about the third conversation, it seems as if the second conversation never took place.

Consequential errors between books can happen, even though they shouldn't, but within a story.
I hope they pay better attention in the next volume.

[Linda Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something is rotten in Sweetwater, Tennessee and once more Savannah Martin finds herself in the middle of it. When the body of her sister-in-law turns up in the river, Savannah sets out to prove the accusations around her deceased relative are false.

Close to Home differs from the three previous books in that the mystery revolves around her family rather than real estate. Savannah's boyfriend, Rafael Collier comes to the rescue until events force his departure. Fortunately, Savannah's grown a lot over the course of the four books and she's more than capable of dealing with murder.

The story is fast-paced with plot lines from the other three books being brought up (The backstory is deftly handled, but I would recommend reading the other three in the series before this book). As usual, Ms Bennett brings together a wonderful, quirky cast to off set the darker themes of the mystery and tell a touching and amazing story.

[Jessica Limestall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really love this series. However, this book is tough to get through. What had me ripping through each page in every book prior was missing in this one - Rafe. Understandably, there has to be separation to make the heart grow fonder, and make the heroine independent and strong...I'm just ready for Savannah and Rafe to be together and in love. I'm over Savannah leading Todd on, he has served his purpose. Savannah has over killed the "Rafe is not my boyfriend" thing. I also feel that Savannah has self preservation to the point of jeopardizing her relationship with Rafe. I can't wait to read the next one, hopefully Savannah can get over her coyness and Rafe can set his pride aside and they can team up together.

[Bette Stanek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok. I'm officially sick of Savannah always doing what is "right" instead of what is right! She is closer to standing up for herself and what she wants in this book than she ever has been. I thought she was finally there. Until the very end. She's pretty much lost Rafe because of always worrying about what a Southern belle is supposed to do instead of what a mature woman would do. She knows she's not interested in Todd but she still won't tell him to get lost. It might hurt his feelings and her mother would be upset. Meanwhile Rafe is OK to hurt. Stupid, stupid, STUPID girl. I really had hope through most of this book. Until the end. Now I want to scream.

[Morghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is possible the hardest for me to read. Not only does it kill me when Savannah has a miscarriage, but it also really irritated me the way she handles everything with Rafe. I know that the whole Savannah denying the Rafe attraction is part of the plot but I feel like it got dragged through the mud in this book. That being said, I sped through this book without putting it down, and the ending is a cliff hanger which makes you immediately pick up the next book.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first 3 a lot more than this one. Mainly the murder was sort of the background for most of the book. To much time spent on Savannah problems with Rafe. Overall it was a good story line though, just to much other "Stuff".

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I would keep up with this series, but I loved her Fixer Upper series (written as Jennie Bentley) so I kept up after the first couple of books. Now I wish I had the whole series. I can't wait to read more.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I spent the last 5 days reading the 10 current novels of this series and two short stories. Yes it was that good, in fact I didn't stop to update my feed so I'll put this short review on the whole dang set. its a goodread, go for it.

[Stacie Pradmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

love how each book starts where last ended. another good read

[Jodie D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Now that I have finished the series, I'm going to re-read them all.

[MaryBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story. I'm looking forward to the last book in this series.

[Louise Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read