Title: Safe

Author: S.K. Barnett

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Century, Arrow

Publication Date: 11th June 2020

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

YOUR CHILD IS MISSING.

She was only six years old when she disappeared. Posters went up, the police investigated.

But no one could find her.

Now, twelve years later, she’s home.

And knocking at your door.

You’re so happy to see her. But soon you start to wonder why she can’t answer your questions.

Where has she been? How did she find her way home?

And who is she?

My Review:

I always find the concept of a missing child reappearing years later and a family attempting to deal with that incredibly compelling so I was instantly intrigued by Safe. It follows a family with a daughter that went missing at age six whilst walking to her best friend’s house. This girl, Jenny, then suddenly comes back into their lives after twelve years. However there is a lot more going on here. Nothing is quite as it seems in this family and Jenny herself is perhaps not telling the whole story either.

I really enjoyed this tense and twisty thriller. I read it within 24 hours because I was desperate to find out what exactly was going on. I had to know what had really happened to the six year old Jenny and what secrets her family was keeping. I really don’t want to give anything away about the plot because the unpredictability is part of what makes Safe such an enjoyable and addictive read. There is a great deal simmering beneath the surface in this book and also an intense darkness which will suck readers in. The story of the missing child returning comes up a lot in crime fiction but I have to say that this story felt original and something a bit different in the genre. The writing is direct and bitingly sharp. The chapters are generally short and snappy which keeps the momentum going beautifully. Safe is twisted, disturbing and completely engrossing from the beginning to the end. If you enjoy intense and original psychological thrillers then I think you will definitely enjoy this book.

Thank you to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is my own honest opinion.