Safe House

January 27, 2020
After Charlie Miller, the heroine of this uneven psychological thriller from British author Jakeman (The Exes’ Revenge), serves prison time for providing her serial killer ex-boyfriend, Lee Fisher, a false alibi, she flees to a Cornish village, where, with a new name and appearance, she hopes to hide from her past. Charlie plans to use the plastering and woodwork courses she took in prison to renovate a crumbling cottage, but maintaining a low profile is difficult. She becomes friends with four local women and her octogenarian neighbor, and despite the sense of community and acceptance Charlie feels, she’s reluctant to let her guard down, still haunted by the threatening letters she received in prison and the family members of Lee’s victims who blame her for the murders. When Charlie falls off a ladder because of a faulty latch, she suspects sabotage. More mishaps confirm her worst fear—she’s not safe. Flashbacks initially make for confusing reading, and at times the tension feels forced, but the story smooths out to a dramatic conclusion. Despite the flaws, readers will look forward to Jakeman’s next. Agent: Imogen Pelham, Marjacq Scripts (U.K.).

March 13, 2020

Jakeman's second novel (after The Exes' Revenge) is a psychological thriller set in a seaside Cornwall village. Charlie Miller, recently released from prison for providing a false alibi for her ex, is trying to start over with a new name in a different town. After some initial hesitation, she becomes part of her new community, getting to know her friendly neighbors and spending her time renovating a house that she purchased sight unseen. But soon Charlie begins to feel that she's being watched, and realizes that moving to a remote location and changing her name may not be enough to keep her safe from her past. VERDICT The plot moves fairly quickly, although the chapters that take place in the past may throw casual readers for a loop. With plenty of twists and turns, this title is sure to attract lovers of domestic thrillers such as Natalie Barelli's The Loyal Wife and A.J. Flinn's The Woman in the Window.--Elizabeth McArthur, Bexar Cty. Digital Lib., BiblioTech, San Antonio

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
The more remote regions of the UK are starting to feel like the new Scandinavia, with this book joining recent crime novels by Martyn Waites and William Shaw that set dark doings in run-down English coastal towns. Cornwall is the location this time. It's far-flung enough that Charlie Miller (an alias), who's just been released from prison, feels (mostly) safe buying a house there and trying to start over. Charlie's abusive boyfriend is a serial killer, and she, scared to confront him, gave the police wrong information about his whereabouts on the night of a killing. That left him free to strike again and her with no shortage of enemies, from a harassing press to someone whose plans for revenge alternate with Charlie's paranoid-yet-hopeful account of building a new life. Jakeman (The Exes' Revenge, 2018) offers here a twisty tale of gaslighting, revenge, and redemption that will be a hit with everyone who relishes an abuser getting his comeuppance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)