The Safe Place

By: Anna Downes

For struggling actress Emily Proudman, life in London is not working out as planned – in fact, it’s falling apart. So, when she is offered a live-in job working for a wealthy family on their luxurious coastal property in France, she jumps at the opportunity to start over.

The estate is picture-perfect, and its owners exude charisma and sophistication. But as Emily gets to know the family, their masks begin to slip, and what at first appears to be a dream come true turns out to be a prison from which none of them will ever escape – unless Emily can find a way to set them all free.

A dark and wonderful debut that lulls you in with beautiful prose and complex, believable characters, then beats you over the head with a killer plot and a thrilling climax. Everyone will be talking about this book!’ Christian White

‘The author is brilliant at keeping us on tenterhooks … It all comes together in a story that rattles the nerves.’ Stephen Romei, The Australian

‘A satisfying and devastating debut.’ Readings

‘An engaging thriller and a promising debut.’ Herald Sun

‘Downes keeps the sense of foreboding building’ The Washington Post

‘The tension ratchets up and up in this beautifully paced thriller – an outstanding debut, populated by complex and sympathetic characters. You’ll be thinking about them long after you’ve finished reading.’ Chris Hammer

‘A brilliantly atmospheric novel that keeps you equally gripped and unsettled from page one. Starkly original and with an alarmingly plausible premise, this is destined to be a bestseller.’ J.P. Pomare

‘One of the most exciting Australian debuts of the year. Four stars.’ The AU Review

‘Downes’s characters are fully realised and revealed with careful pacing. A powerful debut.’ Newtown Review of Books

‘A pacey psychological thriller.’ New Idea

‘An exciting and compelling new voice.’ B.A. Paris

‘Creepy and addictive, The Safe Place is a slick modern thriller with the perfect amount of old-fashioned twists.’ Sarah Bailey

‘I was totally enchanted by the world Downes created … But what I loved most of all was her prose. It is so rich, alive, affecting.’  Lee Kofman

About the Author

Anna Downes grew up in Sheffield, UK. She studied drama at Manchester before winning a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and moving to London to pursue an acting career. Her acting credits include EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City, and Dalziel and Pascoe, as well as a long-running stage production of The Dresser in London’s West End.

In 2009 she left to go travelling with her Australian partner, a trip that included a stint working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate, where the seeds for The Safe Place were sown. Anna now lives on the Central Coast with her husband and two children. The Safe Place is being published simultaneously in the US and the UK, with several other countries to follow.

Content supplied by: Affirm Press

Credit: https://affirmpress.com.au/publishing/the-safe-place/

ISBN: 9781925972658