The Safe Place: A Novel

Anna Downes

Jul 2020 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

While I have to give this author kudos for a well edited and well written debut novel, I also have to say this bookaholic found it to be just okay. I mean don't get me wrong she has everything here for it to be a great read it just for me fell flat. This isn't a dull read it just didn't have the meat I personally needed to be amazed, struck dumb and done but it's good. Emily is one of those folks that just skates through life using people for what they cn do for her and giving nothing of herself in return. this is all quite evident when she finds herself once again making the call for help without even acknowledging her adopted mothers birthday. Now she finds herself in a secluded location, no wifi, no one to contact for help and in the middle of a sh$$storm. All of her bad choices have led her to a place where she is now forced to finally make good choices and make things right. It's a story of someone who is misguided by her own bad choices, misplaced in her own mind and now is paying the piper. The only question that remains is will she do the right thing or once again let her selfishness be her guide.

This book was so twisty and fun! It didn't take me very long to read this book because I had trouble putting it down. It is such an intense story! Weird, and wild and a great read to help you forget about the crazy times we are in right now. When I first started getting into the book, it reminded me of the great classic, "Wuthering Heights," mainly because of the romantic nature in the story. Later on in the book, Emily says the same thing. It was pretty cool that I was in the same mind frame as the protagonist. Though some of the choices Emily made...if something sounds too good to be true, like after being fired your ex boss offers you a job in an isolated house with no cell phone signal or internet and you still decide to stay... but I guess there wouldn't be much of a story if she decided to be smart and get right out of there. I think anyone who loves a good intrigue will want to pick up a copy of the book. Though you should be sure to set aside a chunk of time for reading it! Anna Downes is a new author and I'm anxious to see what she does in the future.

I really enjoyed this book as it pulled me into this heroine’s semi dysfunctional life. All the machinations that are required to put her exactly where she needed to be and when she needed to be there kept me glued to the pages. Her journey is well constructed and the relationships she builds along the way added to the emotions I experienced at this book’s end. This story definitely took me out of my comfort zone and plopped me down in a remote location only to lure me into relaxing before throttling me with what was really going on. This story will be lingering in my mind for a good while.

About the author

ANNA DOWNES was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, but now lives just north of Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. She worked as an actress before turning her attention to writing. She was shortlisted for the Sydney Writers Room Short Story Prize (2017) and longlisted for the Margaret River Short Story Competition (2018). The Safe Place was inspired by Anna’s experiences working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate in 2009-10.