Safe House

By: Jo Jakeman

Narrated by: Helen Keeley

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Not everyone deserves a second chance.

The morning after a terrible storm, a woman turns up in a remote Cornish village. She calls herself Charlie, but it's a name she's had for only a few days. She keeps herself to herself, reluctant to integrate with the locals. Because Charlie has a secret. 

Charlie was in prison for providing a false alibi for a murderer. But Lee Fisher wasn't a murderer to her; he was the man she loved. Convinced of his innocence, Charlie said she was with him the night a young woman was killed. This sacrifice cost her everything. 

And now she has a chance to start again. But someone is watching her, waiting for her, wondering if she's really paid the price for what she did.

©2019 Jo Jakeman (P)2019 Random House Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"An excellent, page-turning psychological suspense novel. Kept me guessing to the end." (Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl)

"Gripping, tense and chillingly claustrophobic." (Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend)

"I was absolutely gripped by this tale of secrets, lies, and the impossibility of running away from your past. I struggled to put this book down. Fantastic!" (Luca Veste, author of The Bone Keeper) 

Very Well Written

This was my first book written by Jo Jakeman. I have to say that it was a great piece of writing. I had no difficulty in visualising myself in the plot, watching everything happen, and holding my breath as the threats to the main character became real. I loved the use of an anonymous "creepy voice" addressed only to the listener, confirming the threat to our heroine.

The story is told in two separate time-lines:
Stephie Finn starting in December 2017 when she was in prison, having been found guilty of providing a false alibi for her murdering boy friend. At the time she was convinced of his innocence.

Charlie Miller starting in October 2018. She has changed her name from Stephie Finn, has completed her 10 months in prison and is trying to start a new life in a remote Cornish village. (The Safe House.) She gradually starts to feel that somebody from her past may be catching up with her.

We anticipate the two threads converging to finally understand what really happened.

The ending was fine, perhaps I expected more following such a well written story.

Good performance by Helen Keeley. She has quite a range of male and female voices.

Fabulous!

This is a really strong, compelling read. The characters are very well drawn, there is suspense throughout and the storyline is original. It is also beautifully written. Sadly, the quality of the writing and, to some extent the story, deteriorated in the last 5 short chapters and that left me a little disappointed. Nevertheless, it still merits a 5* review. It’s one if those rare books that could have been a 6* read up to those final chapters. I wonder

Loved It

A great psychological thriller. The story is told over multiple time lines, which nicely reveals the story piece by piece without ever getting confusing. A very nice listen.

compelling

Very good story. lot's of twists and turns. Well read. I am usually good at guessing thrillers this one was un guessable. Enjoyed it. Great ending. edge of seat stuff !

Gripping

Great plot with twists and turns , kept me listening and finished in 3 days!

Safe?

An alright and interesting story. Good pace and good start. Not a great heroine but a story to read. Not bad.