
Member Reviews

Written with a true Agatha Christie flair, this book captures her signature style but Jaclyn still manages to make it her own. I was especially drawn to the twisted dynamics between each family member, which added so much depth to the tension and mystery surrounding Odelia’s death. The ending really impressed me, paying homage to Christie’s iconic twist but layered in even more delicious debauchery that made it all the more satisfying.
*Thank you to Jaclyn Goldia, Atria Books and Netgalley for the digital copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

3.5 This was a fun thriller but with pacing all over the place it made it a bit of a difficult read. This book gives rich people behaving badly vibes as a rich family goes on safari and one of the main characters end up dead. Lies and secrets start unfolding as they try to figure out who murdered who and who inherits what. While this was a fun plot the first half was pretty slow and was kind of tough to follow with all the characters in this book. Now the last quarter went into overdrive and this book went a little over the top but it was still a fun read. This is my second book from this author and this authors work may just not be for me. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for and honest review.

I did not like this book. The synopsis made this book seem interesting but it turn out that way for me.

I loved the idea of this book, and the book as a whole for the most part! The writing/story was great, however something felt off about the ending. Not in a bad way, but just maybe didn’t expect it.
I would still suggest to read

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC. I enjoyed this quite a bit and it kept having twists and turns, most of which are believable. I didn’t love that all of the character voices were identical- it was hard to tell whose chapter it was if I stopped partway through and picked it up later. And it also regularly did the thing I HATE where it’s like “oh… could it be? No, that can’t be right…” and things like that. I just find that super annoying. But as someone who loves thrillers and safaris, this was right up my alley.

✨ A wealthy family goes on an African Safari and a series of murders disrupts their life.
Odelia Babel a CEO of a sustainable fashion empire is about to marry for the 2nd time. Not all that unusual except for the fact that he’s 25 years younger than her. He’s the designer of her luxury clothing line.
It seems like the perfect trip. unfortunately, not everyone is happy about their upcoming nuptials. When Odelia is found murdered, most everyone could be looked at as a suspect. The only thing that’s clear is that the murderer is not done yet!
✨My thoughts: I love locked room mysteries! It was a bit slow at first as you’re learning all of the characters but man, once the secrets start spilling out you better buckle the hell up! This family was something else! Yes, the ending was a bit far fetched but hello, this IS fiction people! I enjoyed this ride!
Thank you @netgalley & @jaclyngoldis I can’t wait to read more from you! I definitely recommend!

📚 The Safari 📚
Oh man! This book was a juicy drama fest! It was more entertaining than any real housewives show! 🤣
When a wealthy, dysfunctional family gathers at a luxury African safari, a surprising murder wrecks their plans. This locked room murder mystery had lots of characters with tons of secrets, intrigue, tension, and unreliable narrators. I found the book totally addicting!
The end was completely over-the-top, so I’d skip this one if you like your trillers more realistic, but I truly loved it! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Safari. It is out now!

2.5 stars. The beginning of this was a decent suspense novel, but it was too long and an overblown twist tipped this one into the "jumped the shark" category for me.

An engrossing and immersive trip to an exotic South African safari-compound, — Leopard Sands — second-home to an uber-wealthy family from Florida, that is teeming with things that creep, stalk, and kill (and I don’t mean the wildlife).
Family matriarch Odelia Bach is in her sixties, undoubtedly a narcissist, and an extremely successful one at that. Now widowed, Odelia runs both her family and her high-fashion corporate empire with an iron (impeccably manicured) fist — leaving a caustic imprint on her two sons, Joshua and Sam, her daughter Bailey, and her seasoned and struggling-to-stay-always-prepared serving staff.
As this elitist and largely unlikeable (but certainly compelling) family unwinds their saga, it would be impossible not to be drawn in to their world, drenched with detail and drama as it is, here, in an authentically beautiful rendering of South Africa, in all its splendor, beauty, primal cruelty and corruption. Rich with wildlife, danger, suspense and of course, niggling and intriguing questions, massing like hyenas, this is a terrific read, and one that has plenty of surprises in store.
With a body count that feels like it may keep on growing, (no spoilers here) readers will quickly learn to watch for clues, as there is clearly more than one mystery to solve here. With at least six key potential suspects also serving as individual narrators of their own stories, readers seeking an unreliable storyteller (or a potential next victim) will have their work cut out for them.
A terrific read, highly recommended for lovers of character-based mystery and suspense, and a surefire treat for those of us who would love to encounter, close up, this spectacular African wildlife setting, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, through all the twists, and right up to the neatly-sewn surprise ending, which tidily answered all the questions this reader did not manage to resolve.
A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
** four and a half stars

The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis was a bit of a slow burn at first, but then came charging in midway all the way to the end. I loved the descriptions of when they went out on Safare with their guide. Most of the family had done this before, but it was wonderful to see how the others felt about what they were seeing.and how they were feeling when the saw lions and their kill..
Everyone was there for their Mother's wedding. Her fiancee was half her age, but he seemed to genuinely love her. Unfortunately for her, her twi sons, and one daughter were not keen on him at all. This grand wedding is to take place at Leapord Sands a beautiful.resort owned by Odelia the bride. So she paid for an all expenses paid trip to where she was planning on marrying her fiancee Asher. She wanted her family and her bestfriend/ assistant to get to know Asher better and enjoy the trip at the same time.
Things really start to get exciting when someone is murdered the night before the wedding isvto take place. That's where I will leave you. If I say anymore it will ruin the plot. You'll just haven't pick it up and read it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title. I really enjoyed it and loved the description of the mother elephant and her memorial to her baby who had died.
I give this a 3.75 out of 5.

This book is centered on one of my favorite tropes in thrillers- rich people behaving badly (but make it exotic). Set in South Africa, the destination descriptions were wonderful- I almost felt like I was in the savannah. The author has done her research, and her appreciation for the country and its animals and people is apparent.
The killer in this one-killers- were a situation in which I saw one coming, but not the other. I also didn't see the relationship between the killers coming, although in hindsight, there were hints. Every person in this book was hiding secrets, and most had reason to want the matriarch dead, so there was no shortage of suspects or red herrings. The last few chapters reminded me of a fireworks show- smaller reveals, leading up an explosive final revelation. I really enjoyed reading this, and cannot wait to see what Goldis writes next.

Jaclyn Goldis delivers a pulse-pounding thriller that unfolds like an episode of White Lotus set on an exclusive South African safari. Layers of family drama, corporate intrigue, and class tension swirl amid fierce wildlife and looming danger—making this an atmospheric and addictive read that’s hard to put down. With richly drawn characters harboring dark secrets and a setting as breathtaking as it is treacherous, The Safari is a page-turner that satisfies both puzzle lovers and adventure seekers. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie meets edge-of-your-seat eco-thriller.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't enjoy reading a book filled with horrible family members, who may or may not have murdered their matriarch. There were so many lies piled on top of lies, that were supposed to be twists, that it was ridiculous. Even still, most of it was easy to figure out.
Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was very predictable to me. I was intrigued in the first half but as it kept going, I could definitely tell where the story was headed and just lost interest. Just wasn't for me, however the audiobook was done really well!

A family is gathered in South Africa for the wedding of the matriarch to a much younger man. Odelia's three children, Joshua, Sam, and Bailey, are not the most thrilled, but there are other complications going on in the family too. When Odelia is found murdered, Sam is the immediate suspect since he was just fighting with his mom the night before. The person who can corroborate his alibi, his twin Bailey, is missing. Tensions rise as they are cut off from police by a storm.
I thought this one was kind of a roller coaster of ups and downs. It started a smidge slow, really became intriguing, but then the whodunnit felt really obvious. There were a few twists I wasn't expecting, but they didn't really change the lackluster reveal. I think part of the problem was that the murder happens relatively late in the book (well over a 100 pages in of a 300 page book). And then the solution starts at like 250, maybe even earlier. This just wasn't enough to really build the suspense or tension I wanted, which is also one of the reasons I think the whodunnit and their motive felt really obvious. This was an ok read, but if you are looking for a great suspense or thriller, this might not hit that craving.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Murder mystery set at a resort in South Africa. The family is gathered to celebrate the wedding of the family’s matriarch, Odelia Babel, to her much younger fiancee, Asher Bach. The family has been coming to the resort for years and it’s the perfect choice for their wedding.
Unfortunately, Odelia is found murdered on the beach. Lots of bad blood and secrets between the family and the workers at the resort.
A good solid murder mystery, with an interesting setting. Multiple POV’s with a possible unreliable narrator add even more angles on the story. All sorts of twists and turns, with a few surprises.

I love Jaclyn Goldis. She is easily one of my favorite authors. And this book is going to keep her as a favorite.
I enjoyed the setting of the book, the way she had the family secrets come out through out the book, and overall- the book.
The only thing for me is that I kind of figured out who did it. BUT she gave it a twist that I didn't pickup and was still surprised about.

Goldis does it again, she gave us a suspense that kept me coming back for more. This family put the fun in dysfunction and had many secrets. The Safari was definitely more interesting in the second half but I really enjoyed it overall. Goldis was able to describe the safari in Africa in a way that I could picture it in my head. I would recommend this to Anyone that is newer to Goldis and look for a nice thrilling beach read.

This book is set on an amazing location on South African safari, whrere the wealthy and dysfuctional Babel family gathers to celebrate the wedding of their matriarch Odelia Babel. When Odelia is found murdered family's long hidden secrets begin to unravel.
The setting is absolutely gorgeous and really dangerous at the same time. Lots of build up and many twists I did not see coming. The book is narrated by several characters narrating in the first person, which was somewhat confusing at first before I got used to it.

Closer to 2.5 stars
<i>The Safari</i> took wealthy people behaving badly to a completely different level. The CEO of a luxury clothing line brings her family to their safari resort for her second marriage. Her adult children are not at all happy with the changes that the wedding to a man considerably younger to her and with the adjustments to the company. The tension is high and everyone, including the staff, is acting strangely. Then the murders happen.
While the investigation begins to determine who the killer is on this remote location, so many things are uncovered. And more people die. The twists in this book are insane. Not one person is who they were originally portrayed and I found myself continuously shaking my head once something new was revealed.
As far as mysteries/thrillers go, this was unhinged. And not really in the fun way you would expect when being a voyeur to a rich family's wedding weekend. It probably could have been separated into multiple stories but was all crammed into one and I still feel a little whiplashed.