Jessie Lewis lives in fear. Formerly a victim of domestic violence, she is also fairly well the town outcast. Jessie does not know who to trust. In fact, once she hears of a recent fire that took the lives of an entire family, she worries for the safety of others in her town. Jesse has very good reason for fear. In fact, painted a liar and as she is often gaslighted, she knows that the town does not have her back.

With wildfires approaching at a rapid rate, the town evacuates while Jessie drives closer to the source. She realizes that despite the danger, she must stop the arsonist. Meanwhile, Ruth, a former FBI agent traumatized by a previous bomb attack, might be Jessie’s only chance at finding answers. However, Ruth’s traumatic memories just might get in the way of helping Jessie. 

It becomes quite clear that someone is setting Jessie up, and the worse things get regarding the fires, the more danger she faces. This thrilling read will no doubt take you on a wild ride. In fact, some of the scenes about the fires were filled with such intensity that I felt like I could feel the heat. Secrets and lies were coupled with suspense and danger. Then when you factor in characters who only meant harm, then you have a well-rounded, well-written book that I literally could not put down, no matter how hot it got. Pun intended. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Safe Place is the eighth novel by Australian author, L.A.Larkin. Accusing the town’s favourite son, Marcus Harstad of domestic violence doesn’t win Jessie Lewis any friends. In fact, it makes her the target of ostracism for most in Eagle Falls, Washington. Jessie takes her dog, Bartie and moves to a cabin in the woods, avoiding unnecessary contact with the town, except for her gardening business. Marcus is the fire station captain, so she gives up volunteering as a firefighter too.

When investigations show that the cause of the fire that took the Troyer family in their home is arson, many are quick to blame Jessie, recalling a very public argument between her and Paul Troyer over a payment dispute. And when Jessie is found at the scene of another housefire the next day, claiming she was trying to save her clients and friends, everyone is sceptical, and Sheriff John Cuffy is ready to arrest her.

Former FBI agent, Ruth Sullivan, is a recent arrival with her family in her husband Victor’s hometown. When she meets Jessie at the self-defence class she gives for women, her opinion is not coloured by preconceptions. As she gets to know her, she’s inclined to believe Jessie’s claims, both about Marcus and the fires. But those who believe they run the town don’t appreciate her behind-the-scenes enquiries…

Larkin gives the reader a fast-paced action-packed thriller set against a background of the escalating threat of forest fires in Washington State. Her depiction of the panic and chaos of the evacuation of a town under threat will resonate with readers in certain Australian towns. Her main characters are believable, although many are nasty and the arsonist is particularly chilling.

Even if the underground confrontation between the main protagonist and the murderer is a little clichéd, with some suspension of disbelief required, Larkin’s plot has enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing right up to nail-biting climax. Undeniably a page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture.

L.A. Larkin has delivered an adrenaline pumping small-town crime thriller fuelled by lies and secrets.

After being ostracised by the local community Jessie Lewis moves to a small cabin in the woods outside her home town of Eagle Falls. When a family of four is killed in a fire lit by an arsonist the town turns on Jessie once again.

Ex-FBI agent Ruth Sullivan has moved with her young family to her husband's home town of Eagle Falls. She is struggling with the damaging effects of a bomb blast plus PTSD induced nightmares. Ruth is finding it hard to fit into this tight knit community.

Ruth and Jessie, almost a generation apart in age, were alike in many ways. Both were strong determined women trying to escape their past. The two women immediately clicked and when Jessie found herself in trouble she turned to Ruth for help. Jessie is determined to clear her name and uncover a corrupt sheriff, long held secrets, a murderer and an arsonist.

Larkin has created a small-town community filled with domineering, manipulative and misogynistic men. The story includes themes of domestic abuse, victim blaming and gaslighting.

The scenes of the house fires were horrifyingly real and as the story progresses the number of likely suspects mounts.
The suspense was rife, I was on the edge of my seat, it took all of my reserve not to read ahead to see what happened next.

The Safe Place is fast paced, action packed and suspense filled making it a novel not to be missed.

I really enjoyed Larkin's previous novels Devour and Prey but she has outdone herself with The Safe Place!

It felt like there was no safe place for Jessie and nobody willing to listen to her nor believing her. I admired her strength, I would just have given up. But there were also times I wanted to shake Jessie and show her that she makes things worse. In a way there was a happy ending, but at what cost. Five stars for this emotional roller coaster and I highly recommend taking a ride on it!

In the small town of Eagle Falls, Washington State, nearby wildfires run rampant during one of the hottest summers ever recorded. An unknown arsonist / killer takes advantage of the situation, using it as a cover for his sadistic murders and starts his own well planned house fires, standing back to watch his work afterwards. After the second house fire doesn’t go exactly to plan, the arsonist has to take measures to ensure his victims succumb to his will, leaving local outcast, Jessie Lewis who attempts to help the homeowners under suspicion from local Sheriff, Big John Cuffy and local Fire Chief / Fire Scene Investigator, ex-boyfriend Marcus Halstead. Both of whom seem hell bent on pinning the crimes on Jessie. With the tight-knit community eagerly believing the worst and turning against Jessie yet again, she seems to have only one friend in town willing to stand by her - newcomer and ex-FBI agent Ruth Sullivan, who finds herself drawn to Jessie after meeting her at a local self-defence class that she runs in a bid to get to know the locals but instead finds them less welcoming towards her as they are to her husband who was born and raised in Eagle Falls. The story is told from three POV’s. The arsonists / serial killers, Ruth Sullivan’s and Jessie Lewis’s. The story is fast paced and full of action with lots of twists in a whodunnit thriller. The three points of view keep the story line fresh and interesting with a feeling of not knowing who to trust and who is out to get you. With the whole town hot on her heels as well as the arsonist turning his attentions toward Jessie she has to decide wether she should run or stay and fight!

This book gave me anxiety. I don’t know what I would do if I was in the Jessie’s shoes. This book was fast paced and makes you anxious. I loved two female MCs Jessie and Ruth were such exceptional characters: strong, confident, and always doing and fighting for what is right even if it’s the hardest.

If you like action packed books that keep you on your toes, this is definitely for you!

Thank you @bookouture @netgalley and @la_larkin_author for this ARC and being a part of this book tour. I love when Oregon get mentioned in any book.

⚠️ domestic abuse

I went back and forth while reading this book. I loved the story at times and the characters were sometimes complex and sometimes flat. I don't know which I landed on, so I am going for middle of the road. At times it was gory and gritty. Other times it was simplistic and cheesy. I can't decide if there was balance or chaos.

Thank you to Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wow! I literally read this book in a few hours! I could not put it down! A purported serial arsonist is on the loose in the small town of Eagle Falls while forest fires are ravaging the landscape around the town. Jessie Lewis' reputation has been destroyed, and she has lost almost everything because she dared to accuse her ex-boyfriend (a local "idol" of the town) of abuse. There is a creepy stalker with a camera filming things he should not, and a seemingly dishonest sheriff in charge of law enforcement in Eagle Falls when a retired FBI agent moves to town. All of these characters make up a great story and compose an awesome psychological thriller with non-stop action from the first page to the last page! This one will be a hit! You will not be disappointed!

The Safe Place is another cracking story from L.A Larkin. It immediately hit the ground running with lots going on and twists and turns galore. I was on the edge of my seat throughout and I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This book is explosive in every way possible! Every page has to be turned at speed as it’s jam packed with action.

I loved reading from Ruth and Jessie’s perspectives. We have the former FBI agent and the accused. The twists and turns had me aghast. At no point did I guess the outcome.

I found the descriptions of the forest fire as it slowly encroached on the town, haunting. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be to live in a house that is in such danger.

If you love huge doses of action and the fight to unravel fist clenching levels of injustice, then The Safe Place has to be your next read!

Had a splitting headache afte reading this! This book made me so mad, upset, sad, filled with rage and screaming bloody murder! Holy sh*t, that was good!

A serial arsonist is terrorising the town of Eagle Falls and the events sorrounding the crimes ignited a fire in me. The story was perfectly crafted that I found myself unsure who to trust. The author really did a great job in formulating the individuality of each character. Three characters drove me on edge and I wanted to hurt and break their bones so bad.

Wow. I love this book. It shocked, agitated and angered every bit of my being. Make sure to drink lots of cold water while reading this. You’ll probably feel hot and sweaty just by reading about the fires.


Cheers to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Jessie is an outcast in the small town of Eagle Falls. Apparently, accusing the town’s golden boy of domestic abuse will do that. So, when a slew of house fires occurs, killing the families stuck inside, Jessie quickly becomes the prime suspect. Befriending a former FBI agent new to the town, Jessie and Ruth start their own investigation. Will Jessie be able to prove her innocence or will the people of Eagle Falls let Jessie burn?

Buckle up and hold on tight as L.A. Larkin takes “never give up” to the next level in her book The Safe Place. A gripping ride from the first sentence to the last, one easily gets caught in the web of chaos that is Jessie’s life.

Yet, the amount of profanity utilized was somewhat of a deterrent. A perfect score could have easily been awarded if the profanity was eliminated or reduced. But given the scoring template used, a rating of 4 out of 5 stars is the result.

Please note, this is not a tale for the faint of heart as there are numerous mentions of heinous crimes. A bit of warning if any of these actions may cause distress: physical abuse, heroin use, overdose, toxic brain injury, epilepsy, sexual harassment, car accident, murder, arson, breast cancer, miscarriage, anti-Semitism, rape, Parkinson’s, and gun violence.

If women that never stop fighting for what is right is up your alley, then this book is for you. Make sure to add this to your To Be Read (TBR) pile when it releases on November 9, 2021, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #TheSafePlace, #LALarkin, and #Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

Original Post found at: https://www.literarylioness.net/post/the-safe-place-review

Jessie Lewis has been an outcast in her small town of Eagle Falls ever since she accused fire chief and town favorite Marcus of domestic violence. Forced by her ex and the town sheriff to drop the allegations, she has lived in fear ever since in a small cabin in the woods. Now the town is threatened by a wildfire raging in the nearby national park and an arsonist is taking advantage. When two families that are tied to Jessie are killed in their burning homes, she knows she is being framed, and no one in town will believe that she's innocent, especially the town sheriff. And the more the town focus is on her, she knows more people will be in danger while a killer goes free.
I love that the story is set with the looming threat of a wildfire. It just makes the story even more tense as the whole town is in danger, not just the victims of the arsonist. I felt so bad for Jessie being victimized by the whole town for reporting her abuse. She really had no one to turn to for help or friendship. Just when I thought I had things figured out there was a new twist to the plot. This book was a flaming hot ride!
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Jessie Lewis had been ostracized in the small town of Eagle Falls since she’d reported Marcus, boyfriend, fire chief and loved by all, to the local Sheriff, John Cuffy, for domestic violence. The Sheriff didn’t believe her, and neither did any of the townsfolk – Marcus wouldn’t hurt anyone; he was kind and caring – no one saw him behind closed doors except Jessie, and his latest girlfriend Jude. The wildfires were surrounding Eagle Falls with the danger of a wind change keeping everyone on edge. But it was the house fires, first which claimed a family of four, and second an elderly couple, which sent the Sheriff and everyone else toward Jessie – circumstantial evidence said she was a killer.

Ruth, Victor and their sons David and Noah were new in town and while Ruth was ex-FBI, she was now a mother to her boys while Victor was trying to find a job. Ruth had been involved in a shocking attack and her injuries, as well as physical, were mental and her nightmares were constant. But Ruth, when she met Jessie, felt an affinity to the young woman. Although she didn’t know her well – yet – her gut told her she hadn’t done the things the Sheriff accused her of. But what could Ruth do to help?

With more fires being attributed to Jessie, she was on the run – she had no choice until she could work out a way to draw the killer out. But would it work? She was in constant danger of losing her own life but she wouldn’t go down without a fight…

The Safe Place by Aussie author L.A. Larkin was a phenomenal, twisty psychological thriller which I couldn’t put down. With full-on action from the very first page, the MC, Jessie, found herself continually in trouble. I couldn’t believe how much the poor woman had thrust at her! Bartie, Jessie’s dog, was a loyal and devoted companion and he was Jessie’s only support and friend. I have to say that this is the author’s best yet and it’ll be in my top reads for the year. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliant book from L.A. Larkin.
Jessie is a bit of an outcast due to her statement that her ex boyfriend physically abused her. The town all took his side, even the Sheriff, who persuaded her to drop the charges.
The town now sees her as a trouble maker so she tries to keep herself to herself.
Ruth and Victor move to the town and ex FBI agent Ruth, becomes friends with Jessie.
Wildfires are destroying the surrounding countryside and a killer sees this as their opportunity for murder - setting fire to people’s homes while they’re sleeping.
The sheriff suspects Jessie and it’s soon clear someone is trying to make her their scapegoat.
This is a fast paced thriller that is packed full of action, especially towards the end of the book.
I’d love to know what’s next for Jessie.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I took a while to warm to this book, I struggled to understand how an entire town would turn against a victim of abuse!
I felt the tension, angst and emotions as I followed Jessie’s story, immersing myself in a thriller with plenty to keep my interest!

I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Safe Place is a story fraught with a ton of action. If I was a drinker, I would have had a s offer of brandy to slam back while reading. Jess is a fighter and scrappy. I did keep wondering if I was missing something as her back story was revealed slowly. The firebug was quite prolific. When it was apparent who the arson was,, I was aghast. This book kept me on my toes and made me glad I live in a boring town. My nerves couldn’t take Eagle Falls.

The Safe Place by LA Larkin was a little slow to lure me in but before I knew it I was hooked. Larkin offers two strong female leads - both likeable and complex but very different women in very different places in their lives.

I liked Ruth from the moment we meet her as she's struggling to fit into her husband's hometown. We learn she's recently retired from the FBI though only forty years old and it's a while before we learn more about the turning point for her departure from law enforcement.

Jessie is a tad prickly. I obviously hadn't read the backcover blurb before starting so didn't understand the references to her credibility or the cause of her obsessiveness until we discover exactly why she's been ostracised by the town. We readers are (of course) privy to the truth and know she's been treated unfairly but left to wonder if it's that her ex partner has the town dazzled by his hero status and outgoing personality or if there's some more sinister or conspiratorial reason Jessie didn't receive the support she should have from the police and local authorities.

There's initially no obvious link between the fires that kill a local family (then another couple) and Jessie. But (given her reputation) when she becomes inadvertently involved AND has links to both sets of victims, she becomes the key suspect.

Jessie is very obviously railroaded here and again Larkin leaves it up to readers to decide if the sheriff and his offsider really do believe her to be guilty - and she really doesn't do herself any favours in terms of her actions - or if there's something else behind it all and they're part of the cover up.

I thought this book was going focus on a he-said / she-said scenario and was pleasantly surprised by the turn it takes, bumping this to a 4-star read.

It's set amidst a backdrop of bush or forest fires (one of several similarly-themed books I've read in a row) though Larkin draws on something deeper... the symbolism of fire being used to punish and cleanse.

Ultimately this was a satisfying read with a lot of surprises thrown in - many of which I did not see coming.

Jessie Lewis lives alone in a remote cabin outside the town of Eagle Falls. She was a fire fighter, a job that she adored, until her life turned to rubble. Ever since she accused her boyfriend, golden boy Marcus Halstead and fire chief for Eagle Falls, of beating her the town has turned against her. She now makes a living gardening. But suddenly she is afraid that someone is creeping around outside her house at night.

It is also a very hot summer and there are wildfires around the area. Then a house fire in town kills the whole family who are trapped inside. This is a tragedy for the town. Inexplicably, soon after, another house is on fire. This time Jessie is drawn to the fire, she still her fire retardant uniform and the homeowners are friends of hers. Unfortunately all she achieves is piling more suspicion upon herself even though she is knocked out by a blow to the head, she cannot escape the fact that she was at the scene.

The fire situation continues to escalate and somehow Jessie becomes the town pariah and is under suspicion of murder. The only friend she has is Ruth Sullivan, a former FBI agent who moved with her family to Eagle Falls after taking an invalidity payout due to injuries from a bomb attack. Her husband Victor is originally from Eagle Falls so it seemed like an obvious choice.

My first impressions of this book was that it was very cliche driven - the snivelling, scared young woman; the nasty controlling boyfriend; the small town sheriff who covers for his cronies and his son and so on. It did get better as it progressed and this was largely due to the main character, Jessie Lewis, growing a spine. However, as the story progressed, and even though I donned my disbelief suspenders, I found it hard to find the plot plausible. Sometime implausibility is not an issue and other times it is, I can’t explain it. But in this case I think I found it hard to believe a whole town would turn on a young woman and believe she was a murderous monster without any evidence beyond the thinnest of circumstantial threads.

The ending was suspenseful to be sure but my disbelief had fled the building by then. Look it was fast paced and had lots of action and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would at the start. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly. 3.5 stars rounded down,

Jessie Lewis is known as the liar and the outcast of Eagle falls. But is she a KILLER? When Jessie reports the towns beloved fire chief and hero for beating her no one believes her. Now known as a liar she’s forced to move into an isolated cabin in the woods, where there’s more than just the trees watching her. When someone starts setting fires and disguising them as wild fires, the town soon turns to Jessie as the culprit.

When Jessies faces personal tragedy during this time she decides it’s time she clears her name as no-one else is going too. She turns to the newcomer in town Ruth the former FBI agent to help her find the person responsible before the killer strikes again, unaware that she’s on the killer list.

This was a really fast paced book and kept me on my toes with the suspense at every turn. Its definitely a book you can really sink your teeth into and read in one sitting. I liked how the author wrote how a persons past actions can effect their future and that of their families and that no matter what they do they can’t run from there past and that unfortunately others also get hurt in the quest for revenge, justice and fate.

I didn’t work out who the killer was and it was a really big shock when it was revealed as I didn’t see it coming at all. I also liked how the author connected the past crimes to the present they fit perfectly in my opinion. I’m glad that Jessie got the justice she deserved and managed to get closure. I really liked the ending.

TRIGGER WARNINGS INCLUDE: Violence, Murder, Mentions of rape and miscarriage.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for my honest review.*