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For(e) Closure
When Carly is tasked with selling a house a woman was recently murdered in she does not shy away from the challenge. This grit, among other things, makes her Santa Rosa’s top Realtor four years running. But Carly quickly discovers there are more problems than leaky pipes and bad press with the property she linked herself to, the greatest of which being that the lady of the house remains.
The haunting of Carly begins the moment she enters the house as the door closes itself behind her, shutting her in. This is lost on Carly because she is already too engrossed in her mental checklist of updates to be done to the house. As Carly keeps herself busy, busy, busy, having light fixtures and tiles replaced, she doesn’t even notice she’s being gradually possessed. She does not think much of her sudden out of character cravings and interests. Like her urge to plant a garden despite her distaste for dirt and the outdoors. Or her desire to plunge into a pool she’d only ever sunbathed beside for decades, with a fresh blowout no less. Inclinations Alison, the woman haunting her, is impressing upon her as she moves deeper and deeper into her psyche. Who knew being a Realtor could be so dangerous?!
Unbeknownst to Carly or Alison the strings of fate have pulled them together for a reason, each of them in need of their own kind of closure. Alison, trapped between worlds, seeking redemption and Carly caught in an endless cycle of abuse from her neglectful stray cat of a mother who breezes in and out of her life like a hurricane wind. These two women are drawn to one another for they each hold something the other Carly with her ties to this world, and Alison with her ties to the next. If only they can find a way to meet in the middle without destroying one another in the process, they may just be able to set each other free.
The haunting of Carly begins the moment she enters the house as the door closes itself behind her, shutting her in. This is lost on Carly because she is already too engrossed in her mental checklist of updates to be done to the house. As Carly keeps herself busy, busy, busy, having light fixtures and tiles replaced, she doesn’t even notice she’s being gradually possessed. She does not think much of her sudden out of character cravings and interests. Like her urge to plant a garden despite her distaste for dirt and the outdoors. Or her desire to plunge into a pool she’d only ever sunbathed beside for decades, with a fresh blowout no less. Inclinations Alison, the woman haunting her, is impressing upon her as she moves deeper and deeper into her psyche. Who knew being a Realtor could be so dangerous?!
Unbeknownst to Carly or Alison the strings of fate have pulled them together for a reason, each of them in need of their own kind of closure. Alison, trapped between worlds, seeking redemption and Carly caught in an endless cycle of abuse from her neglectful stray cat of a mother who breezes in and out of her life like a hurricane wind. These two women are drawn to one another for they each hold something the other Carly with her ties to this world, and Alison with her ties to the next. If only they can find a way to meet in the middle without destroying one another in the process, they may just be able to set each other free.
374 pages, Paperback
Published June 12, 2025
About the author
Jude Nichols
3 books62 followersJude Nichols is a writer and mother, who has worked in non-profits such as WGBH and The Boston Adult Literacy Fund. She is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association.
Jude lives in Connecticut with her husband, two young sons, and Labrador Retriever, Bagel. Jude is a fan of and writer of dark(ish) domestic suspense. Jude truly appreciates each and every reader who takes a little break from their world to join one of her twisty, topsy-turvy fictional worlds.
Books Available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
Audiobooks Available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes
Jude lives in Connecticut with her husband, two young sons, and Labrador Retriever, Bagel. Jude is a fan of and writer of dark(ish) domestic suspense. Jude truly appreciates each and every reader who takes a little break from their world to join one of her twisty, topsy-turvy fictional worlds.
Books Available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble
Audiobooks Available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 20, 2026
✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
“Mama needs her paychecks; those TJ Maxx credit cards weren’t going to pay themselves off.”
“Relationships, good ones anyway, can shift and stretch into what is needed. And unless two people are very, very lucky, life will ask this of them. To change. To adapt. To bend. Resilience is not given, it is earned.”
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
And then there was two..
At its core, the story follows Carly, a realtor trying to sell a house steeped in a terrible past. But then things begin to unravel—strange, unsettling things happening to her, her coworkers, everyone around her until it becomes clear that whatever is haunting that house… is reaching for her too.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
Carly the FMC—resilient, hard-working, and the kind of woman who would burn the world down for the people she loves.
Alison, the other FMC, mirrors Carly in this eerie, almost haunting way. She’s younger, more naive, but just as fiercely protective of those she holds close.
Angie quietly stole the show for me. Every time she appeared, I knew I was about to laugh. She slipped into the story like a spark, lighting up every scene she touched.
Tess was my favorite. As a tarot reader myself, I felt deeply connected to her—her ability to see beyond the veil when others can’t, or won’t. There’s something so real in that experience, in not being believed until someone finally sits down and sees it for themselves.
And Brandon, Carly’s husband, I loved him. Every time he showed up, it felt like a warm, steady hug. Comforting, grounding, and just what the story needed in those moments.
Lillian… hmm. How do I say this kindly? Screw Lillian. The author did such a brilliant job with her. You feel exactly what you’re meant to feel. Just when I thought she might redeem herself, she’d snap right back to that same selfish, infuriating place. Over and over again.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
I loved the alternating timelines between Carly and Alison. The way their lives seem to mirror each other, almost like they’re unfolding at the same moment, just in different shadows. It gave the story this haunting rhythm that pulled me in deeper with every chapter. I loved how her coworkers became her family. How tightly woven that inner circle was. It felt real. It felt earned.
But beneath the comedy, the thriller, the suspense, there’s something deeper. This story is about motherhood. About family. About our children and the invisible threads that bind us together. It’s about going to the fucking ends of the earth for your people—because blood doesn’t define family, love does.
There were so many moments I laughed out loud, and by the end, I was in tears. Jude’s writing is hilarious, sharp, and deeply kind. The story never once felt slow or disconnected. I devoured it.
Beautiful. Fun. Hilarious. Scary at times. And that ending… whew, it wrecked me. Endings are the hardest thing to get right, and the writer nailed it.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
“Mama needs her paychecks; those TJ Maxx credit cards weren’t going to pay themselves off.”
“Relationships, good ones anyway, can shift and stretch into what is needed. And unless two people are very, very lucky, life will ask this of them. To change. To adapt. To bend. Resilience is not given, it is earned.”
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
And then there was two..
At its core, the story follows Carly, a realtor trying to sell a house steeped in a terrible past. But then things begin to unravel—strange, unsettling things happening to her, her coworkers, everyone around her until it becomes clear that whatever is haunting that house… is reaching for her too.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
Carly the FMC—resilient, hard-working, and the kind of woman who would burn the world down for the people she loves.
Alison, the other FMC, mirrors Carly in this eerie, almost haunting way. She’s younger, more naive, but just as fiercely protective of those she holds close.
Angie quietly stole the show for me. Every time she appeared, I knew I was about to laugh. She slipped into the story like a spark, lighting up every scene she touched.
Tess was my favorite. As a tarot reader myself, I felt deeply connected to her—her ability to see beyond the veil when others can’t, or won’t. There’s something so real in that experience, in not being believed until someone finally sits down and sees it for themselves.
And Brandon, Carly’s husband, I loved him. Every time he showed up, it felt like a warm, steady hug. Comforting, grounding, and just what the story needed in those moments.
Lillian… hmm. How do I say this kindly? Screw Lillian. The author did such a brilliant job with her. You feel exactly what you’re meant to feel. Just when I thought she might redeem herself, she’d snap right back to that same selfish, infuriating place. Over and over again.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
I loved the alternating timelines between Carly and Alison. The way their lives seem to mirror each other, almost like they’re unfolding at the same moment, just in different shadows. It gave the story this haunting rhythm that pulled me in deeper with every chapter. I loved how her coworkers became her family. How tightly woven that inner circle was. It felt real. It felt earned.
But beneath the comedy, the thriller, the suspense, there’s something deeper. This story is about motherhood. About family. About our children and the invisible threads that bind us together. It’s about going to the fucking ends of the earth for your people—because blood doesn’t define family, love does.
There were so many moments I laughed out loud, and by the end, I was in tears. Jude’s writing is hilarious, sharp, and deeply kind. The story never once felt slow or disconnected. I devoured it.
Beautiful. Fun. Hilarious. Scary at times. And that ending… whew, it wrecked me. Endings are the hardest thing to get right, and the writer nailed it.
•─────⊰⋅☽⊱✦⊰☽⋅⊰─────•
July 20, 2026
A lake, a dark history and a house with secrets embedded within its walls... do sign me up.
For(e) Closure follows Carly, a successful realtor who takes on the challenge of preparing a lakeside property for sale after the recent murder of its owner. While planning renovations and trying to look beyond its troubled reputation, she soon discovers that the past is not quite ready to release its hold on the place or the people who enter it.
From the opening chapter, I had the feeling Carly wasn't as alone as she believed she was, and I couldn't wait to see what was really going on inside the house. The property almost becomes a character in its own right, with its history hanging over every room and the feeling that something isn't quite right always in the background. I also enjoyed the dual timeline following Carly in the present and Alison in the past, which gradually reveals how their lives became connected.
While I haven't become the biggest supernatural reader, some of my favourite thriller films include paranormal elements, and I couldn't help thinking of What Lies Beneath while reading this. The stories are very different, but both share an atmospheric lakeside setting, a restless spirit and a haunting that slowly begins to affect the protagonist. It scratched an itch I didn't realise I'd been missing.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how naturally the different genres complemented one another. The paranormal side created plenty of eerie moments without overwhelming the emotional story or the questions surrounding Alison's death. The suspense also builds through chapter cliffhangers that gave my thinking face quite the workout as I tried to piece everything together.
Carly was an easy character to get behind, and I particularly liked her hardworking nature. She's genuinely good at what she does and never shies away from a challenge. At the same time, she's carrying plenty of emotional baggage of her own, particularly through her complicated relationship with her mother, Lillian. Their mother-daughter dynamic adds another layer of tension and gives us a clearer understanding of the trauma Carly is dealing with outside the property. It's refreshing to come across a genuinely good husband in this genre for a change, so Brandon's steady, supportive presence was a welcome surprise that balanced Carly's determination nicely.
Beneath the darker elements, there's a thoughtful exploration of grief, trauma, motherhood and family. These relationships are never presented as simple, and the story acknowledges how messy they can become. In the end, I felt a great deal of sympathy for Alison and the heartbreaking circumstances that had left her restless and caught somewhere between holding on and letting go.
I really enjoyed Jude Nichols' writing. Having interacted with her on Goodreads, I'd already seen glimpses of her sense of humour, and that same wit is peppered throughout the novel. Several moments genuinely made me laugh, providing some comedic relief from the heavier scenes without taking away from the tension. I also loved the clever double meaning behind the title For(e) Closure, which becomes even more fitting as the story unfolds.
By the final chapters, someone must have been cutting onions because my Kindle suddenly got a little blurry. The heartfelt ending left me smiling, genuinely glad I'd read one of Jude's books and excited to read another one very soon.
If you're looking for a character-driven mystery with a supernatural edge, an atmospheric setting, complicated family relationships and a few laughs along the way, For(e) Closure is well worth picking up.
For(e) Closure follows Carly, a successful realtor who takes on the challenge of preparing a lakeside property for sale after the recent murder of its owner. While planning renovations and trying to look beyond its troubled reputation, she soon discovers that the past is not quite ready to release its hold on the place or the people who enter it.
From the opening chapter, I had the feeling Carly wasn't as alone as she believed she was, and I couldn't wait to see what was really going on inside the house. The property almost becomes a character in its own right, with its history hanging over every room and the feeling that something isn't quite right always in the background. I also enjoyed the dual timeline following Carly in the present and Alison in the past, which gradually reveals how their lives became connected.
While I haven't become the biggest supernatural reader, some of my favourite thriller films include paranormal elements, and I couldn't help thinking of What Lies Beneath while reading this. The stories are very different, but both share an atmospheric lakeside setting, a restless spirit and a haunting that slowly begins to affect the protagonist. It scratched an itch I didn't realise I'd been missing.
One of the things I enjoyed most was how naturally the different genres complemented one another. The paranormal side created plenty of eerie moments without overwhelming the emotional story or the questions surrounding Alison's death. The suspense also builds through chapter cliffhangers that gave my thinking face quite the workout as I tried to piece everything together.
Carly was an easy character to get behind, and I particularly liked her hardworking nature. She's genuinely good at what she does and never shies away from a challenge. At the same time, she's carrying plenty of emotional baggage of her own, particularly through her complicated relationship with her mother, Lillian. Their mother-daughter dynamic adds another layer of tension and gives us a clearer understanding of the trauma Carly is dealing with outside the property. It's refreshing to come across a genuinely good husband in this genre for a change, so Brandon's steady, supportive presence was a welcome surprise that balanced Carly's determination nicely.
Beneath the darker elements, there's a thoughtful exploration of grief, trauma, motherhood and family. These relationships are never presented as simple, and the story acknowledges how messy they can become. In the end, I felt a great deal of sympathy for Alison and the heartbreaking circumstances that had left her restless and caught somewhere between holding on and letting go.
I really enjoyed Jude Nichols' writing. Having interacted with her on Goodreads, I'd already seen glimpses of her sense of humour, and that same wit is peppered throughout the novel. Several moments genuinely made me laugh, providing some comedic relief from the heavier scenes without taking away from the tension. I also loved the clever double meaning behind the title For(e) Closure, which becomes even more fitting as the story unfolds.
By the final chapters, someone must have been cutting onions because my Kindle suddenly got a little blurry. The heartfelt ending left me smiling, genuinely glad I'd read one of Jude's books and excited to read another one very soon.
If you're looking for a character-driven mystery with a supernatural edge, an atmospheric setting, complicated family relationships and a few laughs along the way, For(e) Closure is well worth picking up.
May 1, 2026
"It is so much harder for someone to swat at you when they’re kept at arm’s length; a lesson Carly learned early and too well."
"Spouses do things for each other, like allow harmless delusions to carry on."
"The baby smiled, as if he alone somehow knew this whole operation was not above board."
For(e) Closure by Jude Nichols was a thoroughly enjoyable read that blends mystery, horror, and drama with impressive balance. The premise hooks you immediately: a realtor begins fixing up a house to sell where a woman recently died, but the house proves to be an insurmountable obstacle in her and her friends’ lives. Just because the woman died does not mean she’s gone.
What really elevates this story is the thematic thread of parenting, particularly motherhood. Nichols doesn’t put motherhood on a pedestal. Instead, she examines it through an imperfect, deeply human lens across multiple characters. It adds emotional weight to the tension and gives the story a grounded, relatable core beneath the supernatural elements.
The characters and humor are what stuck with me most. Angie, the older woman who works for Carly (the FMC), was an absolute riot, bringing energy to every scene she’s in. Brandon, Carly’s husband, felt incredibly real to me as well, a steady presence balancing out his wife’s fire.
There were so many moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, which is no small feat in a story that also leans into darker territory. Nichols has such a distinct voice, and it made every page a pleasure to turn.
A sharp, funny, and haunting read that lingers in all the right ways.
"Spouses do things for each other, like allow harmless delusions to carry on."
"The baby smiled, as if he alone somehow knew this whole operation was not above board."
For(e) Closure by Jude Nichols was a thoroughly enjoyable read that blends mystery, horror, and drama with impressive balance. The premise hooks you immediately: a realtor begins fixing up a house to sell where a woman recently died, but the house proves to be an insurmountable obstacle in her and her friends’ lives. Just because the woman died does not mean she’s gone.
What really elevates this story is the thematic thread of parenting, particularly motherhood. Nichols doesn’t put motherhood on a pedestal. Instead, she examines it through an imperfect, deeply human lens across multiple characters. It adds emotional weight to the tension and gives the story a grounded, relatable core beneath the supernatural elements.
The characters and humor are what stuck with me most. Angie, the older woman who works for Carly (the FMC), was an absolute riot, bringing energy to every scene she’s in. Brandon, Carly’s husband, felt incredibly real to me as well, a steady presence balancing out his wife’s fire.
There were so many moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, which is no small feat in a story that also leans into darker territory. Nichols has such a distinct voice, and it made every page a pleasure to turn.
A sharp, funny, and haunting read that lingers in all the right ways.
June 20, 2026
Where do I start? This was a roller coaster of emotions…fear, suspense, chills, but in the end peace. I loved the entire ride ❤️. I was completely shocked by page 309 and the entire part after. Jude, this was wonderful and I cannot wait to start another of your books
February 1, 2026
Love it! The style of writing is Liane Moriarity meets Stephen King!
August 20, 2026
The style that this book was written in is not for me. There were clichés and sentence fragments throughout the book. I didn’t care about the characters and genuinely disliked one of the main characters. The author made sure to spell everything out and didn’t leave much to the reader to figure out. I think I would’ve enjoyed this book more if the author had focused more on the story and less on “filler”. It felt like I was with an elderly person who was just giving me unwanted advice.
The way the book is written felt unnatural and I don’t know anyone who talks the way this is written. The repeated use of, “And so it was…” and “__ has a way of….” was distracting as was the number of sentences that started with “for”. “For she knew..” “For once a person…” “__ has a way of __” is another sentence that was overused. I almost didn’t finish this but I was curious enough to finish so ⭐️⭐️
The way the book is written felt unnatural and I don’t know anyone who talks the way this is written. The repeated use of, “And so it was…” and “__ has a way of….” was distracting as was the number of sentences that started with “for”. “For she knew..” “For once a person…” “__ has a way of __” is another sentence that was overused. I almost didn’t finish this but I was curious enough to finish so ⭐️⭐️
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews