Pros: Good base story with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep my interest.
Cons: Would like more development of secondary characters.
The Bottom Line: If you like mystery-thrillers, give Safer a try. Strong plot and interesting twists make this a great read for a weekend or plane trip.
Imagine, for just a moment, that you and your spouse have picked up and moved cross-country to start a new life. No earth-shattering reason to move - there's a great job opportunity for your significant other, and there are few permanent ties in your own current situation. The two of you pack up your belongings, move into a nice home on a quiet cul-de-sac, and start to settle in.
Get to know the neighbors. Join the neighborhood watch group. Play a few rounds of golf. You know, typical suburbia.
A few months later, your life is turned completely upside down, fueled by a miscarriage, an intruder, and accusations that you have committed a horrific crime against your neighbor's 13-year-old daughter.
Sean Doolittle's mystery-thriller Safer puts Paul Callaway right in the midst of all this trouble. Themes of "innocent man accused" and "vigilante justice gone wrong" prevail in this novel, which moves along at a fast pace.
Paul and Sara Callaway's troubles in Clark Falls start out quickly - the first night in their new home, an intruder breaks in while Paul runs out for a 6-pack, and attacks Sara while she is getting ready for bed. While the attacker is foiled (Paul hits him with a golf club, but the man escapes), the incident offers the opportunity for local TV reporter Maya Lamb to interview Paul.
From this seemingly random act of violence, Paul and Sara's problems begin to escalate, culminating in Paul's arrest a scant 5 months later. He's accused of taking inappropriate photographs of his neighbor's young daughter and emailling them to her. Shunned by the new friends he's made, hounded by reporters, he begins to tell his story to his attorney.
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Paul's current misfortune and nightmare began with events that occurred years ago. As a newcomer to Clark Falls' Sycamore Court neighborhood, it's his word against that of long-standing, respected citizens like Roger Malloy, retired police officer and self-appointed neighborhood protector. Reporter Lamb returns to the scene and becomes central in Paul's attempt to clear himself in the charges filed against him.
I found myself wondering if Paul would be able to get out of this mess. Several twists in the plot were surprises (you know the feeling...you're reading along and all of a sudden - GOTCHA!) that I didn't see coming. I won't share if or how he did, but the ending was satisfying and had good closure.
At 352 pages, Safer isn't a hefty book, but it's got more guts and is tastier than many best sellers I've read recently. Doolittle writes descriptively, and while the pace is fast (I finished Safer in two days), one does need to read carefully to get the finer details.
If I had one complaint, it's that I'd like to see more development of the secondary characters outside of Paul. Since Safer is written in the first person, I can understand that we can only get inside his head, but I didn't feel like I knew some of the characters as well as I would have liked to.
Overall, I enjoyed Safer and will read more of Sean Doolittle's previous work. Safer (Doolittle's first hardbound publication) will surely be a springboard to bigger and better things for him. I look forward to seeing what he produces.
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