A July 2020 Indie Next Pick!
One of Travel + Leisure's 20 Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020
One of Ms. Career Girls's Summer Releases for Your TBR List
A Frolic Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2020
One of The Most Anticipated Books of Summer on Getaway House
A Most Anticipated Crime Book of Summer on Crime Reads
One of the Best new Books to Read This Summer from She Knows
A She Reads Summer's Hottest Thrillers
"Downes keeps the sense of foreboding building . . . Emily is a compelling character who arrives in France scatterbrained and immature but find the inner strength to save herself."--The Washington Post
"I absolutely devoured The Safe Place, and lived and breathed every second. The images Anna Downes creates are so vivid and real that I was transported between Soho and France in the flick of an eye. I had no idea where it was going; I just knew I had to hold onto Emily's coattails and go along for the ride. This one is going to fly! If you love a suspense thriller with a punch, I'd highly recommend The Safe Place."--Sandie Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Woman
"[A] mix of romantic escapism and gothic menace. Ruth Ware fans may want to check this one out."--Publishers Weekly
"Downes' debut novel is a slow burn of a story with Emily picking up on snippets of conversations as a breadcrumb trail leads her to an astounding conclusion. A great read for those looking for a side of mystery with their women's fiction."--Booklist
"A riveting review."--SheKnows Best Summer Books of 2020
"The Safe Place is such a rare thing--a claustrophobic, addictive thriller that lets you actually feel for all of the characters involved. Anna Downes has such skill in combining the heart-in-mouth feeling that everything is building to a disaster with genuine emotion. I was right behind her as she chose this big change in her life, and in a strange way, right behind Scott and Nina, too, whose stories were heartbreaking."--Gytha Lodge, bestselling author of She Lies in Wait
"The Safe Place is a brilliantly atmospheric novel that keeps you equally gripped and unsettled from page one. Starkly original and with an alarmingly plausible premise, this is destined to be a bestseller."--J.P. Pomare, bestselling author of Call Me Evie
The Safe Place is compellingly disturbing. Anna Downes is a powerful story writer who will lull you into a false sense of security--and then pounce. An author to be watched.--Jane Corry, bestselling author of My Husband's Wife and I Made a Mistake
"The Safe Place is a dark and wonderful debut that lulls you in with beautiful prose and complex, believable characters, then beats you over the head with a killer plot and a thrilling climax. It's the kind of book you race through as quickly as you can so you can start it again. Everyone will be talking about this book!"--Christian White, internationally bestselling author of The Nowhere Child and The Wife and the Widow
"The tension ratchets up and up in this beautifully paced thriller--an outstanding debut, populated by complex and sympathetic characters. You'll be thinking about them long after you've finished reading. Destined to be a book club favorite."--Chris Hammer, international bestselling author of Scrublands
"I loved The Safe Place . . . it was tense and atmospheric with the seemingly idyllic yet eerie setting. A truly gripping read."--Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend