The Safe Place
by Anna Downes
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.
Momma Says: 2 stars ⭐⭐
I had high hopes for The Safe Place. The storyline sounded so promising despite the possibilities for predictability. In the end, it was predictable, but that isn't what bothered me. My problem was that this whole thing relied heavily on Emily being completely gullible or not very bright. Maybe both? Had she at least known Scott, I could've maybe seen her accepting the job, but it just doesn't ring true. Plus, I struggled with Emily anyway. I tried, but I couldn't find it in myself to like her. I won't go into any other details so I don't give any spoilers, but it's safe to say that this one didn't work for me. This is a debut, which surprised me based on the writing style. The story does have good flow, it's a bit slower paced than I care for, but I didn't find any serious lags, so that's a plus. What it comes down to is yes, I would read something else by Anna Downes. She does show talent, and I'll be interested to see how her writing takes shape. This one just didn't happen to be the one for me.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press
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