The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis is a murder mystery/domestic thriller packed full of secrets, twists, and one hell of a dysfunctional family!

Odelia is a wealthy widow when she falls in love with a man 25 years younger than her. When Odelia wants to celebrate her engagement, she decides to invite her adult children, daughter in law, grandchild, and best friend to a luxury safari in South Africa. What should have been a fun and adventurous trip soon turns tension filled and tempers flare between Odelia and her son Sam. Things take an even darker turn when hours before the wedding, Odelia is found dead. Suspicion falls on to Sam, but he has an alibi in his twin sister Bailey. The only problem, Bailey is missing...

This book is perfect for fans of murder mysteries, unreliable narrators, family dysfunction, and exotic places. The setting is atmospheric and vivid and I loved all the details that Goldis put into her writing. There are a lot of characters, and everyone is a suspect! Sometimes it was hard to keep up with all the drama but the end result is worth it! Tons of drama, secrets, and a sun soaked South African safari... What could go wrong?!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jaclyn Goldis, and Atria/ Emily Bestler Books for this ARC!! Publication date: May 20 2025.

The wealthy Babel family is going on vacation at the family owned, luxury safari resort in South Africa. The head of the family, Odelia Babel, is getting married for the second time to a man twenty five years younger than her. Along for the vacation are her three adult children, granddaughter, and daughter in law, and best friend/employee.

Not everyone is happy to be on this vacation or the upcoming nuptials. Some of the family doesn't agree with the way she runs the company. There are also long standing secrets in Africa, not to mention personal secrets every member holds. When Odelia is murdered the situation becomes more dangerous than the animals outside the gates.

The setting is incredible but I wish it had been incorporated more into the story. I was disappointed that it isn't described better. We get chapters from multiple characters' perspectives. I liked Odelia's chapters the best. Although she isn't likeable her chapters are more interesting and fit the setting better.

The story gets off to a very slow start. We basically get an introduction from multiple characters. After that the story stays flat for quite a while while we get inner thoughts and discussions amongst the characters about religion and personal feelings. It sucked the story dry of any tension. It might be personal taste because I find talk about religion boring.

The story does pick up later but I find it hard to describe The Safari as a thriller. It's more of a family drama. Readers who don't mind a slow burn and love a character driven story will enjoy this more than I did.

Odelia is preparing to marry the much younger Asher in the presence of her family at their South African estate. When she is found murdered, secrets start to unravel.

A wedding, a rich family, a murder and a safari setting…the perfect recipe for an intriguing thriller! I loved this story and was hooked from the start. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and character development. The cliffhangers had me racing through to find out more. It’s evident a lot of research went into the story. I didn’t realize the same author wrote The Chateau but I’m moving it up on my TBR list after this read!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing a free ARC for review via NetGalley.

3.5 Stars, rounded down

The vivid setting and descriptions of the safari, big cats, and wildlife were the strongest parts of this book. I loved how the atmosphere was brought to life. However, the multiple POVs made it feel disjointed, and I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone, which made the story less impactful despite the dramatic plot.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

A locked door mystery set in South Africa at a plush resort. The backdrop of this book is beautiful. The description of the big cats and their interactions were thoughtful. The family dynamics were completely messed up in the best soap opera way.
Now the author wrote every chapter from a different characters POV…..but there are a lot of different ones. Some of them pulled me back out of the story a bit. And the first part of the story feels a bit slow as we get to know the characters. I did figure out most of the twists but I am an avid reader and I rarely don’t see them coming. Bailey was the only family member I had any sort of good feeling about 🤣.
Overall if you love a locked door mystery, soap operas, lush backgrounds and truly terrible people you’ll love this book.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

“The Safari” by Jaclyn Goldis delivers everything it promises—a luxe setting, a toxic family, and a twisty murder mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. The premise alone had me instantly intrigued: a wealthy, dysfunctional clan on a luxury African safari? Sign me up. Happily, the execution lived up to the hype.

Told through multiple POVs, the story gives us a front-row seat to the unraveling of this deeply flawed family, each chapter peeling back more secrets and suspicion. The setting was lush and vivid, with a locked-room thriller vibe that felt both glamorous and menacing. As the layers of betrayal and hidden agendas mounted, I found myself suspecting every character at least once—which is exactly what I want in a whodunit.

The final third of the book really took off with rapid-fire twists and cliffhanger chapters that made it impossible to put down. At times, it did feel like a bit too much was thrown in—plotlines piled high and secrets around every corner—but it was also a total adrenaline rush. Once I suspended disbelief, I just hung on for the ride.

Fans of The White Lotus, Agatha Christie-style reveals, and messy family drama will love this one. It’s rich with scandal, betrayal, and backstabbing—basically everything you want in a sun-soaked thriller. That final twist? Jaw. Dropping.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Newly engaged cougar mom whisks herself and new boy toy fiancé off on an adventure, for a safari with her grown children, who some don’t seem quite approving. Including twins Bailey and Sam. Sam, who confesses to money issues to maintain a jealous worthy privilege life, and Bailey, never feeling like her own woman and still doing what pleases mom, no matter what age she is. Also oldest perfect child Joshua, the golden boy. The bickering amongst the siblings was the best part; brought about feelings of Samantha Downing’s He Started it.

The imagery descriptions were a focus, creating a lush scene in your mind. The characters were muddled at first but I enjoyed getting to know them a little slower, letting the development progress instead of being front loaded. The who done it really starts about the halfway mark, where things very slowly unravel- many of the chapters after that felt like unnecessary cliffhangers. I didn’t necessarily like all the decisions the author was making; certain elements that should have been huge were shrugged in subtlety and many things wrapped up too easily and conveniently. So it left it a little boring in places.

Even though this is described as “good fun” it takes awhile to get there, so very much a slow build and it feels like it’s trying too hard once the back half begins. Overall, I think of this more of a heavy family drama with a little mystery and the thriller aspects feeling more lackluster. If the end of this book had been a meteorite taking the whole family out, I wouldn’t complain. If you are not in the mood to read books about very privileged and rich people feeling sorry for themselves, I would skip this one.

Atria eARC
This was a fun, twisty thriller for those that like an unlikable family. I will say, this one took me a bit to get into because there are a lot of POVs here. You have to give it time to get going to get to know all the characters. But the author layered in some good reveals here. It was easy to suspect all of the characters, so I was kept guessing the entire time. If you are looking for rich people behaving badly this summer, I recommend giving this one a go.

When a dysfunctional family goes on vacation in Africa, the chaos is set in stone once they arrive. And to top it off, a death takes place. But, was it actually a freak accident or a murder.

This book had some promise but it just did not get there for me. Odelia brings her kids and those closest to her to celebrate her upcoming nuptials at her resort in South Africa. Set in a truly exotic setting this book had great atmosphere but I just couldn’t get into the story line. I think part of it was all the characters and the back and forth between them. I did think the book picked up towards the middle but it just wasn’t enough to make this book a hit for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for honest opinion

When you think about a Safari, I’m sure you’re thinking lush landscapes, exotic animals, and a once in a lifetime experience. After all, many of us never get to go on one in real life so reading about it in a book is fun. But what happens when humans and animals are both predators? That’s what you’ll find out when reading this book!

This murder mystery has a unique setting which is something I really appreciated. I can’t remember reading a book set in the South African safari, so this was a delight for me. On top of that, we have a murder mystery which is hard to figure out because it feels like EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER could be the culprit. All the narrators are unreliable, all are hiding big secrets, and each one could easily be the killer. For the most part, I enjoyed this. However, the guessing really did overthrow my overall enjoyment because it was SO MUCH. There’s a lot of drama, a lot of nasty characters, and the toxicity bleads through the pages. While it’s entertaining it does get on your nerves after a while (for me anyway). But overall, I think the book is good and that’s a personal preference. Would I still recommend it? Yes! I think many readers will love this one despite some of the things that annoyed me.


𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙
❥ Murder Mysteries
❥ Exotic Locations
❥ Family Drama
❥ Unreliable Narrators

4 Thrilling Stars!!

This is my first book by Ms. Goldis and I was hooked from the blurb alone. The minute I started this book I knew I wasn’t going to get anything done the rest of the day. Odella is a widow that is marrying a significantly younger man and when they, along with her children and a family friend go to Africa for the wedding and a Safari everything goes awry!

Not everyone in her family is happy for Odella and that becomes clear when she’s found murdered after a particularly nasty argument with her son. Of course this makes him the natural suspect… but not all as it appears.

This is a fast moving book and as Odell’s murder is investigated, everyone, and I mean everyone, becomes a suspect and there are things happening that made me not so sure of who killed her because I kept flip flopping on who did it. There’s so much disfunction in this family and really they’re just downright whacky!!

I’m not going to give too much away, but my jaw dropped at the end and I’m still kind of wondering how I didn’t see it! If you’re looking for a twisty turvy book that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end, pick this one up!

Okay, normally I am a big fan of rich people behaving badly. I am not sure at all why that didn't work for me this time. Maybe because I struggled to find any redeeming qualities in any of them? They all had secrets and were doing things they knew were dishonest. So instead of cackling and wringing my hands as the suspense played out, my joy was subdued in response to the greed and waste. Also there felt like there were some obvious foreshadowing for the upcoming twists. But, this felt a bit more a me issue than a story issue as I have been a fan of this author's previous books.

When I read the synopsis for Safari, Jaclyn Goldis’s newest novel, I thought it had an almost Agatha Christie vibe, and in some ways I was right. This dysfunctional domestic thriller has an excellent location, some memorial characters, and a twisting storyline. I always enjoy stories where you can’t completely trust the narrators, and that is definitely the case here. This is the first time I’d read one of Goldis’s books and have to say I enjoyed trying to figure this one out. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to an arc of Safari.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-safari-jaclyn-goldis/1146384383?ean=9781668066959&bvnotificationId=db9b1afa-35a0-11f0-bc05-0afff1086673&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/346785614

Jaclyn Goldis' "The Safari" is a murder mystery that is full of twists and turns, enough of them that might detract people from actually enjoying the end of the novel. Following affluent characters, it can be a bit difficult to feel empathy for this group of people, especially once you start understanding motivations, but it's always interesting to read from a perspective that is far different from your own. Goldis transports you to South Africa with detailed writing, which many may not enjoy, but I thought really brought the story together to paint pictures of the events unfolding. It's an entertaining novel, but one that was a bit too twisty for my liking.

The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis is a murder mystery like no other I have ever read.
The safari trip was where a wedding was going to take place, but it never happened when the bride was found dead on the day of the wedding.
The family was filthy rich and for me there was no reason to like any of them. The family was filled with members who had some serious problems, and a lot of secrets kept from each other.
The twists and turns of figuring out who was the guilty person kept me glued to the pages. I found the book hard yet easy to read. I like murder mysteries to keep me guessing and this one did just that.

Thank you NetGalley, Jaclyn Goldis and Atria Books for the copy of The Safari. This is my personal review.

This book was WILD!!!!!!! It was packed with family drama, secrets and greed, each and every single member of this family is hiding something, and then we have the secondary characters who are sooo mysterious. I couldnt put this book down, the drama was too good. I cant leave out the amount fo secrets that literally projectile vommited into this book, sorry for the graphics but it was intense, and it kept on going and going. This book needs to be picked up by everyone as soon as it launches.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis #fortyfifthbookof2025
#arc #thesafari #feudingfamily #lockedroommystery

CW: death, murder, wild animal attacks, violence, animal poachers, rape (off the page), kidnapping

From NetGalley: 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.

My thoughts: This is a locked room mystery with a very rich, very dysfunctional family at its center. Very few decent people among them and the infighting is sky high. The story is a little slow to start, spending time getting to know the characters via multiple perspectives, but when it takes off it really zooms. This was solid and I enjoyed it. The reveals were unexpected and earned. I really enjoyed this one once the story ramped up. This would be a fun vacation read.

Thank you to @Atriabooks Emily Bestler Books and @netgalley for the advance copy. (Pub date 5/20/25)

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an early digital copy of The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis. It was described as an unputdownable thriller. It had plenty of twists and incredible revelations, perhaps too many. The plot was complicated and far-fetched, but it all made sense at the end. The characters were flawed and largely unlikable, and their flaws only intensified as the story progressed. The story was told from multiple perspectives, and many of them were revealed to be unreliable narrators. They carried anger, jealousy, self-doubt, suspicion, and lack of trust. I struggled with the complex story.

I was drawn to the gorgeous cover art. I hoped to be transported and immersed in the safaris and game parks, with the thrill of seeing animals in the plains and bushland. I had been lucky to be on rough, lowest-cost safaris, but rarely felt the atmosphere of the African wilderness on the pages. I thought I saw more animals than on the luxury safaris described, and without the stress exhibited by the characters. The descriptions of post-Apartheid South Africa were negative. The Blacks still held the lowest jobs at the resort, crime was rampant, and police, politicians, and law enforcement were depicted as corrupt.

The story contains murder, dark secrets, lies, rape, kidnapping, confused identity, blackmail, threats, betrayals, a dysfunctional family, extreme wealth, luxury, suspicion, and extravagant lifestyles.

The book begins with descriptions of the various family members, their attire, and which ones adhere to the strict rules of their father's religion. The beginning is slow, allowing us to get to know the personalities, but the wilderness atmosphere is rarely established. Hints abound that everyone has hidden secrets. Odelia Babel is the ultra-wealthy CEO of a sustainable fashion company that she inherited. Her first husband wanted it to lessen the environmental impact. Local weavers made the cloth. Odelia now used synthetic material, and the clothing was made by overseas labourers who were poorly paid. It became all about high-end fashion with Asher Bosh designing their brand-name clothing. Odelia is in her 60s, while Asher is twenty-five years younger. The couple appear to be madly in love and are planning an extravagant wedding at the Leopard Sands resort in South Africa, owned by Odelia's family. The staff at the resort are eager to cater to everyone's needs, whims, and preferences.

Odelia has invited family members and a friend, all expenses paid, to attend her marriage to Asher. In attendance at Leopard Sands are Odelia's three adult children. They are twins, Sam and Bailey, and their older brother Joshua. Joshua arrived with his wife, Davina, and their baby. Also in attendance was Gwen, Odelia's best friend and assistant. Gwen used tarot card readings to manipulate people.

Davina was the firm's plus-sized model, and Odelia was angry that her daughter-in-law was purposely losing weight and annoyed that she exposed herself while nursing the baby. Everyone witnessed Odelia in a loud argument with Sam, the only one who refused to work for the company. He was deeply in debt, and she refused to give him any more money. Sam is gay and had been forced to attend conversion therapy, and often acts out in anger. Their mother favours Joshua, and he would succeed her as CEO, but they argued about the direction she was taking the fashion brand. Bailey is calm and quiet, serving as the family peacekeeper, trying to ease disputes among the toxic family members. She is thrilled to view the wildlife and is a strong advocate for animal welfare.

After spending the night with Asher, Odelia was found dead outside. She had been murdered just hours before her marriage. There was an outpouring of grief by the family and by Asher, but also the hurling of suspicions and blame at one another. Each one had a motive to want Odelia dead. A storm is raging, and the muddy roads prevent police from arriving.

Sam was the main suspect due to their loud argument, but he insists that his twin, Bailey, can provide him with an alibi. But where is Bailey? She has vanished. Later, Bailey returns with Marcus, the game warden in charge of safaris. They are both bruised and have scrapes and cuts. They tell an outlandish story that is hardly believed. Now, Gwen is missing. Bailey intends to go out in the storm and darkness to look for her. These impulsive actions are new for Bailey, and she has memory gaps, and wonders if she is being drugged. There's a lot of stress, and Violett, the manager of Leopard Sands resort, likes to give Joshua and Davina a break by looking after their baby. She has problems of her own, and once approached Odelia for help. The group learns that Odelia had been receiving threatening messages before her death from an unknown person.

Gwen was also murdered. Can two vastly different brothers, Joshua and Sam, ever be reconciled? There is so much going on that the story seems convoluted and over-the-top. Massive twists near the end prevent readers from figuring out the solution to the mystery. There is violence and another killing when we learn what has been happening, who plotted the murders, and the motive.
Recommended for readers who enjoy a complicated character-driven mystery. Publication is set for May 20, 2025.

When Odelia travels to a posh resort with her grown children, she’s on cloud 9, about to marry her much younger fiance. But her children each take issue with the match, as well as their mother’s recent actions running the family business. When she turns up dead, the story plunges back in time to a few days before where each guest and even a staff member narrate the story and each has a reason to want Odelia dead.

Family secrets are revealed, shocks are in store, and with a full cast of audio narrators, this story is perfect for reading or listening by the pool.

Why Kirsten loves it
After a string of bad thrillers, I finally found a great one! With so many twists in the book, I found it impossible to guess them all! I read this during a mid-spring heatwave and realized the South African safari resort setting made for perfect hot weather bingeing. #gifted by Simon and Schuster