The Safe Place

Reviews / Votes

The tension ratchets up and up in this beautifully paced thriller - an outstanding debut which is atmospheric and populated by complex and sympathetic characters. You'll be thinking about them long after you've finished reading. The Safe Place is destined to be a book club favourite, as readers debate the morality and motivation driving the characters and plot * Chris Hammer, award-winning author of Scrublands * It's such a rare thing - a claustrophobic, addictive thriller that lets you actually feel for all of the characters involved. Anna has such skill in combining the heart-in-mouth feeling that everything is building to a disaster with genuine emotion * Gytha Lodge, bestselling author of, She Lies in Wait * A brilliantly atmospheric novel that keeps you equally gripped and unsettled from page one. Starkly original and with an alarmingly plausible premise, this is destined to be a bestseller * Call Me Evie * The Safe Place is a dark and wonderful debut that 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. Everyone will be talking about this book! * Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child and The Wife and the Widow * The Safe Place is compellingly disturbing. Anna Downes is a powerful story writer who will lull you into a false sense of security - and then pounce. An author to be watched * Jane Corry, The Sunday Times bestselling author of My Husband's Wife and I Made a Mistake * I loved THE SAFE PLACE... it was tense and atmospheric with the seemingly idyllic yet eerie setting. A truly gripping read * Karen Hamilton, author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Perfect Girlfriend * An exciting and compelling new voice, Anna Downes' The Safe Place is a very accomplished debut * B.A. Paris * I was completely captivated, which, let me tell you, is rare these days. I loved the characters, how clearly they were painted, their quirks, their flaws and strengths, and I blazed through the book. Richly evocative with a dark, atmospheric heart, THE SAFE PLACE is seductive, irresistible and suspenseful. I was completely gripped from the first page to the pulse-pounding end. I recommend reading THE SAFE PLACE poolside with a strawberry margarita in hand. It's the perfect summer suspense. Five stars from me * Christina McDonald, author of The Night Olivia Fell * As thrilling and gripping as everyone is saying. Can't wait to see this making a splash in the book world on its release. Put this on your #mustread list now * Kate Mildenhall, author of The Mother Fault * A gripping, brilliantly written thriller * The Sun * The Safe Place by Anna Downes is truly a one-sitting read for me as once I'd started it, I honestly couldn't stop. Anna's writing is so immersive that I was with her protagonist Emily every step of the way until the very end, when I realized I'd forgotten to breathe! A mesmerizing debut * Sandie Jones, author of The New York Times bestseller The Other Woman * When something seems too good to be true, it probably is. A captivating narration by author Anna Downes adds that extra spark to her neo-gothic novel . . . Downes knows her characters and delivers them with professional expertise, original plotting, and a masterful performance. She creates an uneasy atmosphere from the first, adding layers of uncertainty that cause Emily (and the listener) to question reality. Chilling. Disturbing. A nail-biter to the end. * Audiofile Magazine * A great read and one that should be made in one sitting * WW Magazine *