This psychological thriller had me hooked right from the first page. It had a great storyline that was strong. The ending blew me away. Lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat

Larkin tells a story you just can’t put down.
I am not one who likes to read about arson but this story made it well worth the read.

It wasn’t until about a 3/4 of the way thru that I figured out who the bad guy was. And even
knowing it still had a great ending.

I loved this book, couldn't put it down and found myself completely captivated by mysteries unraveling. Suspenseful, emotional and amazing. 5 stars!

With thanks to Bookouture and Netagalley for this ARC in exchange my review.

This book is just a twisty psychological thriller which I couldn’t put down as it hooked me. With full-on action from the very beginning, it gripped me to the edge of my seat. Surely the ending was suspenseful as much as expected. It's an absolute page turner, you will not know who to trust, just like Jessie. She is a tough woman and I really felt for her. Definiately it's fast paced, action packed and suspense filled making it a novel not to be missed. Highly recommend.

Not going to lie, this book was stressful. I really liked Jessie even though she was definitely flawed and made some terrible decisions throughout the book. I liked that it made her human and I was rooting for her. I honestly had no idea how or even if she was going to get herself out of the trouble she was in. It’s a fast paced read with a lot going on and I was suspicious of absolutely everyone. There are quite a few terrible characters but working out which one was the bad guy was impossible. The wildfires spreading added an extra level of fear and suspense and I couldn’t put this book down.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Ms Larkin, how is poor Jessie still functioning? As a reader I am broken, I feel like I’ve been dragged in every direction possible yet I still turned those pages!

Jessie, poor poor Jessie. I really felt for her throughout this story, there were times where I felt that surly she couldn’t take much more…. I know my nerves definitely couldn’t!!

The story runs thick and fast so be on your toes. I love the way the author describes the characters and surroundings, the wildfires really played with my mind, I thought I could smell burning everytime this subject was brought about, weird that this is the part that played with my mind especially with everything else happening within the story.

It has a few touchy subjects that I feel readers should be warned about at the start of the book.

An absolutely thrilling book that definitely had me on the edge of my seat, this is definitely a must read book and has me reaching for Ms Larkin’s other books.

Complex thriller with lots of twists and turns. Good characters,well portrayed,the good and the bad,exciting conclusion.

The Safe Place by L.A. Larkin is the story of Jessie Lewis who is ostracized in Eagle Falls for reporting her local hero boyfriend for domestic abuse. Once acts of arson start the people in the town blame her for them. In an effort to get her life back, Jessie turns to Ex-FBI agent Ruth Sullivan. This well-written mystery and thriller will keep you in suspense until the end. Great read!

The safe place by L.A. Larkin.
Jessie Lewis has been trying to rebuild her life ever since she accused her boyfriend of beating her and the whole town of Eagle Falls turned their backs. Hiding herself away in an isolated cabin in the woods, life is lonely, but she is safe. Until the Sheriff knocks at her door asking where she was the night an entire family was killed in their sleep. Jessie is innocent, but will anyone in this small town believe her? Days later, Jessie’s only friend is killed in another house fire, and all fingers point to Jessie once again when she is found unconscious at the scene. Devastated, and with no one to turn to, she tries to remember the face she saw seconds before everything went blank. Combing the ashes for answers, she catches sight of an inscription she hasn’t seen since the accident that killed her father and left her with no one. Jessie’s always had questions about the night her father died. Delving into the past, she finally learns the terrible secret her father was keeping about the town’s most trusted resident. If she’s right, nobody in Eagle Falls is safe. Can she catch this monster before any more innocent lives are taken?
This was a very good read with some good characters. I liked Jessie and Ruth. 4*.

This book was just too much for me. The author tried way too hard to make an action packed thriller, but all I got was an unrealistic action filled predictable story that just dragged on and on. Somehow this story was stretched forever. We find out who is responsible and there are still so many more chapters to finish off the book.

Exiled from a small town for reporting her boyfriend for abuse only to later be exiled again for reporting someone for trying to burn down her house . Honestly was hard to read and follow most of the time and wasn’t that captivating. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Reading this book makes you think about who you can and can't trust. I thought some characters got what they deserved. The story line was good and the ending was good too.

This was a thrilling read that I just couldn't put down. Suspenseful and intriguing, I was completely enthralled. A five star read.

I once read that to keep readers interested, authors should keep piling insurmountable difficulties onto their lead character. This was certainly the case with The Safe Place, and it certainly worked! I couldn't stop reading to see what happened to the main character, Jessie. When we first meet Jessie, she is living in a lonely cabin in the woods with only her dog, Bartie, as company. Jessie made an accusation of domestic violence against her former lover, a very popular fire marshall in the town, and as a result she has been ostracized. The small town sheriff seems to have it in for her, and does everything in his power to make her life difficult.

Jessie also lost her career as a firefighter when she left her boyfriend, so now she gets by doing gardening odd jobs. Her only friends, and client, is killed in a house fire and suspicion falls on Jessie. Meanwhile we have another new arrival in town, former FBI agent Ruth Sullivan. She and her family moved to the town recently because it was her husband, Victor's, home town, but it is hard going to be accepted. She meets Jessie and gains sympathy for this girl who seems to be hated by the whole town.

Fires keep being set around town, and it seems certain Jessie will be arrested as the arsonist. I don't want to go through all the plot storylines, but I can assure you, they keep you very interested in reading until the end! There are plenty of red herrings to misdirect suspicion along the way, and I didn't guess the outcome until the very end.

I really enjoyed reading The Safe Place, and I enjoyed watching Jessie's growth as a character throughout the book. Thank you to NetGalley, LA Larkin, and Bookoutre for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

A year after finally gathering the courage to report her boyfriend and boss, hero fire captain Marcus Harstead, for domestic violence, Jessie Lewis is a pariah in her home town of Eagle Falls. Branded an unstable, vindictive liar by her charismatic ex and his supporters, including Sheriff John Cuffy, when first a local family with whom Jessie had a public spat is killed in an arson attack on their home, and then Jessie is linked to the scene of a second fatal fire, she is quickly labeled the prime suspect. With only a retired FBI agent willing to believe her innocent, Jessie realises she has no choice but to expose the arsonist before her life turns to ashes.

The Safe Place by L.A. Larkin is a fast-paced, action packed thriller that involves domestic violence, PTSD, conspiracy, arson and murder. The author has crafted an intriguing and dramatic plot as Jessie, victimised, threatened and hunted, repeatedly finds herself in incredibly tense confrontations in a desperate effort to clear her name. Jessie is certain she knows who is framing her for the arson, and why, but her ex is not the only person in Eagle Falls with secrets they’d kill to keep, and there are some gripping twists as Larkin reveals hidden motives.

However I found Jessie to be a frustrating character. She’s a bit of a mess, understandably so given her past and current situation. I wasn’t unsympathetic, and I was always rooting for her survival, but I really struggled with the way in which she consistently made the worst possible choice in almost every situation.

Nevertheless The Safe Place is a page-turner, a tense and exciting story that had had me enthralled.

This is the second book I've read from this author and I loved it.

This is a small town crime thriller.

It's fast paced and full of action and suspense from the start.

Twists and turns and lots of whodunits all throughout the read which will keep you gripped until the end.

Highly recommended.

The safe place is another great thriller by a favourite author now for me.
This story has the same great pace, interesting characters and so many twists that I couldn’t stop reading until I turned the last page of this book.
We get two perspectives, one from Jessie and one from Ruth, with multiple time lines as some parts of Jessie’s past are catching up with her in here. It was interesting to see how the author has interwoven them and how we get to today’s events. What I really enjoyed was the domestic abuse and how misconceptions are still high on people’s lives.
The description says it all in here and I can’t wait to read more by the author in the future.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Safe Place' by L.A Larkin.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for L.A Larkin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 9th November 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'Widow's Island' which I highly recommend.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot. will not be able to put it down!.' I am a huge fan of all of these authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of L.A Larkin and if this is half as good as 'Widow's Island' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 68 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is set in Washington, USA 🇺🇸.


This book is written in third perspective and the main protagonist is Jessie Lewis and Ruth Sullivan. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

'The Safe Place' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book L.A Larkin discusses/includes Domestic abuse and miscarriage.

Wow!!! What a fast paced heart racer!!!

This book is extremely well written with extremely vivid descriptions that leaves you feeling the heat and leaves you with sweat dripping down your face. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.

The storyline is action packed and very fast paced. Although I enjoyed 'Widow's Island' also by LA Larkin I must say I preferred this one and the improvement in LA Larkin's writing technique is evident throughout. The storyline is filled with tension, family, loneliness, fear, stress, fire, suspense, murder and everything that will keep your heart pounding. I am please that this book highlights domestic abuse and danger of fires. Both of these are sadly regular occasions and the devastation that both events leaves have tragic consequences. I was absolutely blown away when the arsonist was revealed so a HUGE congratulations to LA Larkin as it is getting harder and harder to shock me but you managed to blow my mind. I like the fact that everything was wrapped up at the end as I hate loose endings. I would seriously love to see this turned into a series, it definitely has the potential to be a huge success. It is a massive success even as a standalone but I would love to see what happens next. This would also make a great movie!!!

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

There was a wide range of strong, realistic and unique characters. I loved how many strong female leads there are, being female myself I always seem to connect more to female leads and in this book there are 3 huge personalities who all kick @%%!!! Jessie and Ruth both came from bad backgrounds but wouldn't lay down and go anywhere without a fight. Sharnice Manning also had a huge larger than life personality with a brilliant attitude!! I would love to meet all these ladies again!!! Marcus Harstad and Sheriff Cuffy are chauvinistic pigs and absolute @#$€¿©[€$!!! There was also another 2 like that but u won't say more as I don't want to ruin anything for future readers. My heart went out to Bill who I genuinely thought was misunderstood and did right in the end although too little too late.

An absolutely fantastic read LA Larkin!!! Congratulations on a huge success and here's to your next one 🥂

Overall a heart racing, fast paced, non stop action packed psychological thriller that will keep you up late turning the pages


Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Noir Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural and Psychological Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot.


394 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This story drew me in with its creepy beginning and kept me riveted until the very last page. An action packed, atmospheric story of small towns, small minds and revenge. A complex tale of serial murders and arson is set in an area where wildfires contribute to the mystery. I loved the way the author incorporated the setting into the plot. I also really enjoyed the cinematic writing and all the small details that brought the story to life, such as the handkerchief stuck onto the windowpane with honey. The strong female leads, Jessie and Ruth, were wonderful. I love watching characters grow and evolve over the course of the book, as in this case. The climatic ending took my breath away, and then, during the final chapter the author provides one more bonus surprise for the reader to unwrap. A great read! Don’t miss it!

Jessie Lewis is ostracised by the community of her home town of Eagle Falls in Washington State when she accuses her boyfriend, Marcus, the fire chief and a local hero, of domestic violence. The town turns on Jessie once more when the Troyer family, headed by Paul all die in a fire at their home in the woods. Former FBI agent Ruth Sullivan is a recent arrival with her family in her husband Victor’s hometown. Sheriff John Cuffy and Marcus are looking to blame Jessie for the Troyers deaths.

L.A. Larkin has treated the reader to a fast-paced action-packed, haunting thriller. Amidst a whirl of panic and chaos, there is the escalating threat of forest fires. The main characters are believable, although many are decidedly unpleasant. Rife with suspense I was wholly engrossed right until the unexpected conclusion. Well worth a read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.