The Safari
A Novel
by Jaclyn Goldis
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Pub Date May 20 2025 | Archive Date Jun 03 2025
Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Description
When a wealthy family goes on a South African safari, a series of shocking murders rocks their exclusive compound in this unputdownable thriller from the acclaimed author of the “rollicking good fun” (The Wall Street Journal) The Main Character.
Odelia Babel, CEO of a sustainable fashion empire, is about to marry for the second time—to a man twenty-five years her junior. Asher Bach is the thirty-something designer of Odelia’s luxury clothing line, the darling of every high-fashion journalist, and madly in love with Odelia.
Eager to celebrate her nuptials with her nearest and dearest, Odelia invites her adult children, her daughter-in-law, her grandchild, and her best friend/assistant to an all-expenses-paid luxury safari at Leopard Sands in South Africa, the Babel family’s favorite vacation spot. In its soil, they have deep roots—and even deeper secrets.
It seems like the perfect trip, but not everyone is thrilled for the happy couple. Amid game drives in the bush and bonfires beneath the desert stars, tensions among the family threaten to boil over. And then, the morning after a big fight with her son Sam—and hours before the wedding—Odelia is found murdered. Sam is immediately the prime suspect, but he claims he has an ironclad alibi—he was with his twin sister, Bailey. Only Bailey is nowhere to be found…
As the heat roils, desperate poachers and ferocious animals lurk, and dark motives fester, it becomes clear that whoever killed Odelia isn’t quite finished yet, and the rest of the Babel family is their prey.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781668066959 |
| PRICE | $28.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 966580
Like a luxury safari, Jaclyn Goldis’s enormously entertaining new novel takes readers on a thrilling ride through terrain as brutal as it is beautiful: an imperiled ecosystem of secrets, manipulation, and murder that will leave you breathless. With characters as richly realized as its sub-Saharan setting, The Safari is a transporting page-turner with surprises around every corner. I couldn’t put it down.
Reviewer 1533407
This book is insane... and I loved it. The way it was written was semi-unsettling, but it propelled the plot forward because I had to know what happened. It reminded me of being inside of some kind of escape room, and gave off shades of The Veldt, which is one of my favorite short stories ever. It's hard to write a summary without giving anything away, but if you're looking for a unique thriller with a killer setting... this one is for you! Highly recommend! (I need to do a re-read now, knowing what happens!)
I will share more on my YouTube, Instagram, and other social media on release day!
Hillary W, Reviewer
This was such a good read. It started off really dull for me but I ended up addicted a few chapters in and couldn’t put it down. It had a family of perfectly cast characters (super flawed and classically relatable) and a lot of mysterious secondary characters I didn’t figure out until literally the last page (a pleasant surprise). There was lots going on in the plot which I loved, and lots of twists I didn’t see coming. I found there were some parts that languished a bit long but truly a pleasure to finish.
Ellie L, Reviewer
4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed “The Main Character” by this author, so I was excited to read her next book. And this was such a great read!
First off, I love the multiple POVs and how they were utilized. Each character was fleshed out and became well-developed too. Every POV felt very unique, which is important in a book like this.
The setting was also very unique. I loved the safari setting and the South African culture sprinkled throughout the book. It was a real treat reading a book set in this particular setting.
Finally, the plot was well done and I loved the twists and turns! I honestly didn’t predict all of them, which made my reading experience that much better. I loved watching the mystery unfold and how everything slowly but surely came together.
If you’re looking for a slow-burn mystery set in a unique location, I can’t recommend this one enough!
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