The Safe Place
By Anna Downes
Minotaur Books, 9781250264800, July 14, 2020, 368pp.
The Short of It:
A surprising read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The Rest of It:
The cover hints at something sinister going on and yet I could not for the life of me figure out what until very late in the story. It kept me guessing and I really enjoyed how it all unfolded as I eagerly turned each page.
Emily is a young, struggling actress who works temp jobs just to get by. One morning she shows up to work only to find out that she’s being let go. She can’t make the rent, her bank account is depleted and now this. What she doesn’t know is that Scott, the boss who just decided to let her go, has other plans for her.
He offers her a live-in position caring for his wife and daughter at his home in France. Included in the deal is a car, a bank account with plenty of spending money and a beautiful place to call home. This is the answer to Emily’s dreams and after a few weeks with the family she discovers that she loves this family and has really grown attached to their young daughter, Aurelia.
As the story unfolds, Emily becomes concerned. Something isn’t right and there seems to be many secrets that Nina and Scott are keeping from her. At one point in the story I was seriously creeped out!
I really enjoyed The Safe Place. I read it in just a couple of sittings because the story starts with a bang and right out of the gate you want to know what’s going to happen next. I am loving these kinds of reads during these COVID times. If you need a quick, riveting read to get you through the day, pick this one up.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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Book Chatter 
I love these types of reads 🙂 This one sounds great! I’m definitely adding it to my TBR list – thanks, Ti 🙂
Now this sounds like one for me! Maybe it will get me back into reading fiction
I think I’ll look for a copy, I love that it kept you eager to read to the end.
Yes, I’m thinking I need to read this one and I read another review that said the author did the audio narration and it was very good. I might try it that way. Will look and see what the library has available (probably nothing or a mile-long list of holds – ha!).
Sounds creepy to me! Unsettling cover ! Emily better run fast!
It was a tad creepy for a little bit. I couldn’t figure out what was going on and it was rather unsettling.
Sounds good; I requested it from library. You are on a psych thriller roll in 2020 LOL
Psych thrillers are my jam this year. Mostly because one of the students in my youth group also reads that genre and we’ve been sharing books with each other.
I can’t read scary but I’m glad you enjoyed it so much.
It’s not scary but there is one part that hints at something sinister in the works.
I’m such a scaredy-cat that even a hint of something sinister scares me.
Super intriguing! I haven’t heard of this one before, but it sounds good.