A smart, emotional debut with a great lead and a refreshingly honest look at OCD issues and mental health. While I wished for a slightly deeper ending twist, the writing, pacing, and procedural depth make this a promising start to a new series. It’s great to see more thrillers tackling these themes with care. 3.75 stars!

Detective Field is called to a scene where a man who has several stab wounds. The man was successfully taken to hospital but later died from his wounds. The man had a ripped page from a document that had details of a medial trial which involved OCD patients several years ago. The man who was named David now a lecturer oversaw the trial. When a woman is also discovered dead, they discover that she was one of the patients on that trial and the others Lily and Calum that don’t live that far away was also on that trial. Can Detective Field find the murderer before it’s too late and another body turns up.
No safe place is the debut novel by Hannah Brennan and the first in the Detective Liz field series and I can say this is a compelling read. This has a good storyline and great characters especially detective Field.
The storyline was also a learning experience for me when I read about the different types of OCD as I wasn’t aware of them. I only thought there was one type.
I can’t wait to see how this author develops and the next book in this series. 4 stars from me.

A good debut! I don’t generally love procedurals and especially dislike the usual endless blathering about the exceptional character of the police protagonist. But the author was excellent at depicting the realities of OCD, as a person affected by it herself, the characterization of the protagonist was in-keeping with the themes of the novel, and I liked the somewhat left-field ending. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)/5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Book UK for letting me read an ARC.

Interesting police procedural with a deep insight into the struggles faced by those who have OCD. Loved the main police character, a middle aged lady with her own struggles. The vying between the two young sergeants seems so real too. Hard to believe this is a debut novel as it’s very accomplished.

A perfect psychological thriller, it was gripping but with so many twists and turns to the plot, I was hooked

As a debut novel, this was brilliant.

It was a very typical detective mystery, with multiple POV's, but they were very easy to follow with a 'one more chapter' kind of vibe.

The character development was done very well - just enough to know what we needed but not too much that youre bored of them.

I am very excited to read the next installment!

I love a police procedural novel and this one was executed really well. I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. The pacing and tension in the plot were good and the twists kept me guessing.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgally for an arc of 'No Safe Place'. This is an impressive, fast paced, gritty debut novel. Centering around 2 murders Detective Field races to find the killer. Linking them to a study of 'OCD' in teenagers from 15 years ago the unexpected twists and turns make for a roller coaster of a police procedural. Peppered with well written characters and extremely well researched it's a worthy five star read. I will look out for more from Hannah Brennan in the future.

What a great debut and introduction to a new mystery series!

Focused mostly on Detective Field as she races to find a killer who’s already struck twice, I loved getting multiple other points of views of those linked to the victims and possibly the crime.

A main plot point surrounding the characters is a trial completed years ago for OCD and many of them that we get to know live with it. It was interesting to glimpse into the characters’ world and also have the disorder not define their full character. (The author herself has OCD and I appreciated her resolve to show the truths and nuances of an often misunderstood disorder.)

The mystery itself kept me guessing and I loved trying to solve it alongside Det. Field. I’m eager to see what the next book has in store for her.

Excellent debut novel. Thoroughly enjoyed all the secrets and twists in this tale. Hope we will see more of Field and her team in future books.

This police procedural had a strong concept and some intriguing moments, but overall it didn’t quite deliver for me. The story follows DCI Liz Field as she investigates a series of violent attacks connected to a past psychological study on OCD. The setup is promising, but the pacing often felt off. Some sections moved too slowly while others rushed important developments.

The central twist lacked clarity and impact, and the motive behind the crimes felt thin and unconvincing. I also struggled to connect with Field. Her character felt inconsistent, and her personality shifted in ways that made her difficult to fully understand or relate to.

There are some thoughtful themes around trauma and mental health, but they got a bit lost in a plot that never quite hit its stride. An interesting debut with potential, but it didn’t fully land for me.

4.25 stars. It’s clear while reading, that the author has either done her research or got lived experience of OCD - from the author notes at the back, it seems to be the latter. So this is dealt with sensitively in terms of the characters and their lives.

It was a decent mystery, I was happy I did guess a few things (always nice to get some guesses right!) though I haven’t yet totally warmed to the main detective characters - I understand Field needed to have the thread of worrying about her son and the friction there for the plot tension, but it did make it hard to like her… and there isn’t much fleshing out of her two main subordinates (other than Riley being insensitive and forcing Field to yell and put him on desk duty).

Overall, a good book and I would definitely read any follow up if it becomes a series. Ideally a little more about the personalities, lives and feelings of the main detective team would be helpful to really make it a great series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

🩸 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐧 - 𝐍𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

📍Publication Date: 31.07.25 📍

🔪 Detective Liz Field. Book 1 of 1. 🔪

🩸Police Procedural Thriller
🩸Authentic OCD storyline
🩸High Tension
🩸Great Characterisation
🩸Addictive
🩸 Twisty

This is a fantastic debut book of a police procedural crime thriller with strong mental health discussions regarding OCD running parallel.

A man is callously stabbed in London catapulting DCI Liz Field and her team into a fast paced strenuous investigation. When a further victim is brutally attacked links are found connecting the two crimes and it because apparent that the killer is not finished yet.

This was all set around my home town in South London which added an extra layer of connection.

A tense investigation, and beautiful and real mother and son relationship, strong friendships, murder and mental health. I loved this book and did not guess the twist which is always great. I am fully invested in DCI Field’s journey now and cannot wait for book 2.

It said that this book was perfect for fans of Nadine Matheson and Sam Holland. They weren’t wrong!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC to review!

4 stars – Twisty and tense, with just enough heart

No Safe Place by Hannah Brennan pulls you in quick with its eerie atmosphere and doesn’t let go. It’s got that perfect mix of psychological suspense and small-town secrets, where everyone seems like they’re hiding something—and most of them are.

The pacing kept me turning pages, and I liked how the tension simmered under everything. The main character felt real and layered, and even when I didn’t agree with her choices, I understood them. There were a few moments that felt a little drawn out or familiar if you read a lot of thrillers, but overall, Brennan does a great job keeping the stakes high and the reveals satisfying.

It’s not overly gory or full of cheap shocks—just a solid, well-written thriller with depth and atmosphere. Perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister or Lisa Jewell.

Would definitely read whatever she writes next!

No Safe Place is a strong debut and a solid police procedural with some good twists. I liked DCI Liz Field. She’s experienced and smart but clearly dealing with her own past and the pressure around her.

I especially loved the OCD aspect in the storyline. It was handled with care and added a unique layer to the mystery. The characters felt real, and their struggles were shown in a respectful way.

The detectives missed a few clues, which dragged things out a bit, but the ending pulled everything together with a satisfying twist. I’d definitely read more if Liz comes back in another book.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an e-ARC via NetGalley! That has not influenced this review and all opinions are my own.

This book was great at demonstrating how differently OCD can present in different people, and I am so glad this book is raising awareness!! It’s so important for people to know that OCD doesn’t just fit into one singular box, and it can influence everything a person does.
The characters within this book are so unique and human and I found it quite easy to relate to them. It was slow at times but there were some plot twists that I wasn’t expecting!! The plot was easy to follow and it’s a book you can put down and pick up at any point and still know what’s going on.

Rating: 4/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Touching on real diagnosis that shows what OCD really is was so powerful. Really good read, didnt hook and grab my attention the whole way through.

What an excellent debut novel from the author, a powerful and compelling thriller which hooked me in from the start. It is a mystery about a group of young people who were in therapy together. I learned so much about OCD, it was very well researched and I really liked the characterisation, especially Field the lead detective. It kept me guessing until the end, which is good but there were a few inconsistencies which rounded my rating to 4*. I would definitely recommend the read and I hope there is more to come from the author and DCI Field. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This a great debut! 👏🏻👏🏻
Fast paced and a quick read, No Safe Place will keep you invested.

This police procedural is clever and entertaining while it goes into mental health, specifically the many differences of OCD.

I really enjoyed learning more about detective Field and I can’t wait to read more.

Thank you so much Avon Books UK and the author Hannah Brennan for this eARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Highly recommend.

A great read!

Complex storyline taking you into the world of OCD and giving you a real understanding of what life can be like for people suffering from it.

Throwing quite a few red herrings into the mix, it all made sense when you realise 'who did it's.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.