Sara and Paul Callaway had hoped the move to "fly-over country" from Boston would be a positive step in their lives. They were going to achieve personal and professional success, as well as have the opportunity to enjoy a special sense of neighborliness within their cul-de-sac.
Instead, from the first night of the move on, the situation starts spinning out of control. On the night of their Christmas party, Paul is arrested for one of the most frightening crimes of which a teacher can be accused -- the suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor. As horrifying as the accusation is, it represents only the tip of the iceberg of the intrigues within cozy and safe Sycamore Court.
Narrated in a semi-linear fashion through a series of flashbacks, SAFER is more richly textured than the average mystery tale. Doolittle expertly draws the reader in to the hopelessness felt by an "everyman" when confronted by conspiracy and accusations.
From Dirt to The Cleanup, Sean
Doolittle has dazzled critics and defied expectations,
garnering bolder critical raves with each new
novel. βStylishly writtenβ hailed the New York Times
Book Reviewβ¦ βSuperbβ declared the Wall Street
Journalβ¦βHeart-stopping, gut-clenching, eye-openingβ
raved the Chicago Tribune. Now Doolittle fulfills
all that promiseβand moreβin his latest novel, a
powerhouse of suspense that will catch you off guard at
every turn.β¦Because in Safer, a young couple
moves into an idyllic little cul-de- sacβand ignites a
harrowing journey into darkness as a shocking accusation
is made, a family is shattered, and the mystery of a long-
ago crime begins to unravel.For Paul
Callaway and his wife, Sara, moving from the East Coast to
a quiet midwestern town was a major adjustment. But right
from the start, Paul has tried to fit in. Heβs played golf
with the guys. Heβs even joined the Neighborhood Patrol,
grabbing a flashlight and a walkie-talkie to make these
neatly tended streets even safer. Then Paul makes one
mistakeβand now they want him gone. But nothing could have
prepared Paul and Sara for the quarrel that has erupted
between Paul and a neighborβthe self-appointed leader of
the Neighborhood Patrol. Or for the next outrage, as
police arrest Paul for a sordid crime he didnβt commit.
Suddenly Paulβs life, university career, and marriage are
at risk, as he finds himself locked in a desperate fight
with an angry man, a dark conspiracy, and a secret that
began with a childβs disappearance ten years before.
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