Title: The Safe Place: A Novel
Author: Anna Downes
Release Date: July 14th 2020
Genre: Psychological Thrillers
Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes’s debut, The Safe Place, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.
Welcome to paradise…will you ever be able to leave?
Emily is a mess.
Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.
Emily is desperate.
Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.
Emily is perfect.
Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn’t play along, the consequences could be deadly.
I finished this book awhile back. I’ve been struggling with how to write my review. I really couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not. Some parts I did like which I found added to that suspense factor but the rest of the scenes didn’t support them. There were some scenes that had me trying to figure out what they had to do with the story. They didn’t further the plot and I ended up confused. I did like Nina. She had many layers and I admit I wanted to know more about her. Emily fell flat for me. I think as a whole, I did like the book. It didn’t wow me or have me on the edge of my seat. I felt the wrap up was ok and the twist wasn’t enough to save it. I wanted to like it more than I did. I will read more of the author’s work because her writing is good. I give this 3 stars.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*
The Literary Vixen 