{"product_id":"9781250264800","title":"The Safe Place : A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Anna Downes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSuperbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes's debut,\u003ci\u003e The Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e, is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWelcome to paradise...will you ever be able to leave?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmily is a mess.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmily is desperate.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eEmily is perfect.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScott 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA July 2020 Indie Next Pick!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA PopSugar \"Best New Book of July 2020\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of Travel + Leisure's \"20 Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of Ms. Career Girls's \"Summer Releases for Your TBR List\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of Parade's \"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eNew Thrillers and Mysteries You Won't Stop Thinking About This Summer \"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Frolic \"Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2020\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of \"The Most Anticipated Books of Summer\" on Getaway House\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \"Most Anticipated Crime Book of Summer\" on Crime Reads\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne of the \"Best new Books to Read This Summer\" from She Knows\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA She Reads \"Summer's Hottest Thrillers\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA\u003ci\u003e South Florida Sun-Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e \"Best of the Year\" Pick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“[Downes is] skilled at ratcheting up the tension and conveying Emily’s sense of thrumming unease . . . an unusual and thrilling narrative.”—\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Downes keeps the sense of foreboding building . . . Emily is a compelling character who arrives in France scatterbrained and immature but find the inner strength to save herself.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Downes imbues \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e with a strong sense of the gothic, keeping the suspense high and the tension in the Querencia household palpable. Surrounded by decay, Emily proves her mettle as her maturation and emotional growth enhance the solid plot with its myriad surprises and twists. \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e delivers a deliciously creepy debut.”—\u003ci\u003eSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Secrets are laid bare, and the novel moves toward a conclusion that melds sorrow with satisfaction, ruin with redemption. She does so with evocative and insightful prose, striking characters and a plot that’s astute, addictive and alarming. Downes, who draws on her past for elements of \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e, shows great promise and creates equally great expectations.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Free Lance-Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The perfect summer mystery read.”—PopSugar\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I absolutely devoured \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e, and lived and breathed every second. The images Anna Downes creates are so vivid and real that I was transported between Soho and France in the flick of an eye. I had no idea where it was going; I just knew I had to hold onto Emily’s coattails and go along for the ride. This one is going to fly! \u003cb\u003eIf you love a suspense thriller with a punch, I’d highly recommend \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e”—Sandie Jones, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Other Woman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] mix of romantic escapism and gothic menace. Ruth Ware fans may want to check this one out.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Downes' debut novel is a slow burn of a story with Emily picking up on snippets of conversations as a breadcrumb trail leads her to an astounding conclusion. A great read for those looking for a side of mystery with their women's fiction.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A riveting review.”—SheKnows \"Best Summer Books of 2020\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e is such a rare thing—\u003cb\u003ea claustrophobic, addictive thriller\u003c\/b\u003e that lets you actually feel for all of the characters involved. \u003cb\u003eAnna Downes has such skill in combining the heart-in-mouth feeling that everything is building to a disaster with genuine emotion\u003c\/b\u003e. I was right behind her as she chose this big change in her life, and in a strange way, right behind Scott and Nina, too, whose stories were heartbreaking.”—Gytha Lodge, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eShe Lies in Wait\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea brilliantly atmospheric novel that keeps you equally gripped and unsettled from page one\u003c\/b\u003e. Starkly original and with an alarmingly plausible premise, this is \u003cb\u003edestined to be a bestseller.\u003c\/b\u003e”—J.P. Pomare, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eCall Me Evie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ecompellingly disturbing\u003c\/b\u003e. Anna Downes is a powerful story writer who will lull you into a false sense of security—and then pounce. \u003cb\u003eAn author to be watched.\u003c\/b\u003e\"—Jane Corry, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMy Husband’s Wife\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eI Made a Mistake\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003ea dark and wonderful debut \u003c\/b\u003ethat lulls you in with beautiful prose and complex, believable characters, then beats you over the head with a killer plot and a thrilling climax. It’s the kind of book you race through as quickly as you can so you can start it again. \u003cb\u003eEveryone will be talking about this book!\u003c\/b\u003e”—Christian White, internationally bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Nowhere Child \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Wife and the Widow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The tension ratchets up and up in this \u003cb\u003ebeautifully paced thriller\u003c\/b\u003e—\u003cb\u003ean outstanding debut\u003c\/b\u003e, populated by complex and sympathetic characters. You’ll be thinking about them long after you’ve finished reading. \u003cb\u003eDestined to be a book club favorite.\u003c\/b\u003e”—Chris Hammer, international bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eScrublands\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I loved \u003ci\u003eThe Safe Place . . . \u003c\/i\u003eit was \u003cb\u003etense and atmospheric\u003c\/b\u003e with the seemingly idyllic yet eerie setting. \u003cb\u003eA truly gripping read.\u003c\/b\u003e”—Karen Hamilton, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Perfect Girlfriend \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I could just close my eyes and float away reading this book. I tore through this one and was as blindsided as Emily was when the truth came out. Downes did a fabulous job of sucking me right into this perfect little world and left me wanting more. This was my first book by this author and I’ll absolutely be back for more!”—We Are Bookish\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gripping, satisfying and also promising first suspense novel. Psychological suspense, really, but in a setting where we expect a “gothic romance”—isolated house, mysterious owner, troubled child needing care. . . . But a larger cast than that, and characters that, even though we are in close point of view with each in turn, continue to surprise us.”—\u003ci\u003eShawangunk Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It all adds up to an intriguing and addictive read. A real page turner; I couldn't put the book down once the secrets began to be unveiled.”—The AU Review.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Anna Downes’ debut places her firmly as a new player on the psychological thriller playing field! I can’t wait to see what she does next. With her strength for characters, structure, and pacing, I am definitely all in on it!\"—Novel Lives\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"All the stars!  An incredible debut from a new voice in suspense fiction, this was a tension-building and atmospheric read.\"—The Reading Beauty\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250264800\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Minotaur Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40739355951310,"sku":"9781250264800","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_b2a200e2-2742-42a5-9895-a0b74ceeec1d.jpg?v=1641362357","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250264800","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}