Jessie Lewis is an outcast from her home town of Eagle Falls in Washington State. When she reported her boyfriend Marcus to the Sherriff after two years of escalating domestic abuse, he refused to believe that the town’s popular fire chief could have been violent towards her. After everyone in the town sided with Marcus, she was forced to withdraw her complaint and move to a small cabin in the woods where she felt safe and could hide from all the disdain hurled at her by the town. But now someone is setting houses on fire and killing people Jessie knows and the Sherriff once again has her squarely in his sights.

I mostly read this book in a state of high anxiety for Jessie. She was already so damaged and downtrodden, following her time with Marcus and the treatment she received after she reported him, and now she was getting further and further into dangerous situations. Apart from the house fires that someone is trying to frame her for, there are raging wildfires not far from her and her little wooden cabin is far from safe.

With her parents dead and no friends in town, she has only one person she can turn to for help. Ex-FBI agent, Ruth has recently moved to town and while Jessie likes Ruth, she’s not yet sure if she can trust her, besides Ruth’s husband Victor appears to dislike having Jessie around. The sense of fear is visceral and those who have recently lived through recent severe bushfire seasons will recognise how real the smoke, the heat and the ever-present anxiety feel. This is a fast paced, intense thriller that had me holding my breath more than once!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This book will keep you on the edge of you seat! We follow Jessie, who used to be a volunteer firefighter. Jessie lives in a small town, she is shunned by the community after she accused her exboyfriend, Marcus, of domestic abuse. Marcus is a fire investigator, firefighter and loved by the community, he and the sheriff intimidated Jessie to take back her allegations. Since then, no one wants to interact with Jessie, until Ruth, es FBI, is new to the town and takes interest in her.

The community is faced with a large wildfire nearing their town as well as a serial arsonist wrecking havoc on their community and killing families. We watch as Jessie tries to investigate and Ruth tries to understand the community. So many twists and turns throughout the entire read.

Told from the perspectives of Jessie (town outcast struggling to make ends meet) and Ruth (new to town, former FBI agent), The Safe Place takes place in a town on the edge of a wildfire. While preparing for the worst, the unimaginable happens - someone is deliberately setting fire to houses with families trapped inside.

Talk about INTENSE! This book kept me on my toes the entire time - its basically a soap opera come to life! Fast paced and full of twists and turns, this book will keep you guessing until the end when justice prevails. I really enjoyed the dual perspectives from the two main characters and LOVED that Jessie's side kick was her golden retriever, Bartie.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of this book. Why have I never read this author before this? The beginning was a little rough, I was not getting into the writing at all. Then the characters really started to intrigue me and I loved how Jessie and Ruth met and got to know each other. The other characters were well-drawn too, although many of them were easy to dislike. The story was breakneck fast and there were so many stories it's surprising that they all came together at the end. I can't wait to go look for other books by L.A. Larkin!

This book gave me serious anxiety! Living in Australia, bushfires are an all too common occurrence for us and we grow up knowing that summer means fires. In 2020, before the pandemic hit we had som of our worst one sitting in NSW in years and it was scary. So reading this book made me think of those times and ai was scared of these characters. Only in this case there was more to it than just fires... somebody is using them as a cover for murder. And Jessie is being set up for them. It feels like the whole town is against her, after she stood up for herself against on of their favourite sons.

From the very first pages right until the last, The Safe Place will have you hooked. It is non stop action and I finished it in a day. An absolute page turner, you will not know who to trust, just like our main character Jessie. She is a tough woman and I really felt for her.

Thanks to the author LA Larkin and Bookouture for my advanced copy to read.

It will feel like no safe place exists as you’re reading this book! No one can be trusted when danger is lurking everywhere!

Wildfires, arson, and murders oh my! Jessie is being framed for crimes she didn’t commit. How will she prove her innocence when it feels like the whole town is against her? Whoever is framing her is relentless and out for blood. It’s an intense journey of survival. Will she make it out alive and prove her innocence once and for all?

Get ready for non-stop action! You will be holding your breath and also gasping out loud!
There were so many times that I was so scared to read ahead which is always so exhilarating!

If you like crime thrillers, you’ve got to read this! You can thank me later! 😘

TW: Domestic violence, animal abuse (very brief, but wanted to mention), murder

Thank you so much to Bookouture, NetGalley, and L.A. Larkin for the advanced readers copy!

Bookouture, NetGalley And Larkin thank you ever so much for this eARC!

Larkin does it again with a fast paced thriller. That will have your heart racing with every page you turn!
I loved Widows Island by Larkin so I knew The Safe Place was going to be great!
L.A. has a way about her writing that completely sucks you in!
Here I felt for poor Jessie I couldn't imagine that feeling of hopelessness.
So she turns to Ruth who is new to the town and an ex FBI agent!
These two together I loved it!
Absolutely addictive. A thrilling, heart pounding, wild ride!
The plot is tight, the characters on point, and the ending totally surprising.
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book.
If you are a fan of nail-biting thrillers, this one is for you.

I will post closer to pub date!

All I can say is this author has gained a forever reader with me!
Because they are damn good at what they do! and that's making me glued to my kindle and forgetting about life! The story grips you from the start and keeps you hanging on till the end.
This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment. Well done L A Larkin!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and L.A. Larkin for allowing me to read this Arc.
It is absolutely brilliant. There was no waiting for the storyline to take off. From the first page I was propelled to the edge of my seat. From arson, murders and wild fires it was so fast paced and utterly breath taking. I was up all night because I just wanted to keep turning the pages.
Best of all was that totally unexpected twist at the end. Totally Wow!!

Great book! I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of this book! It was a real thriller!! I was yelling at my kindle! Lol this book had it all! It had suspense, action, intrigue, and a bunch of who done it! Cuz there was a few of them! Lol this book was definitely a nail biter! I loved it!! I highly recommend reading this one! Its so worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! And a big thank you to L.A. Larkin for your amazing words! This was a great thrill!

This is absolutely an amazing thriller. I was on the edge of my seat to the entire page waiting to find out what’s going to happen. I would highly recommend this book.