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    Safer: A Novel of Suspense
    Unavailable
    Safer: A Novel of Suspense
    Unavailable
    Safer: A Novel of Suspense
    Audiobook9 hours

    Safer: A Novel of Suspense

    Written by Sean Doolittle

    Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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. He's played golf with the guys. He's even joined the Neighborhood Patrol, grabbing a flashlight and a walkie-talkie to make these neatly tended streets even safer. Then Paul makes one mistake-and now they want him gone. But nothing could have prepared Paul and Sara for the quarrel that has erupted between Paul and a neighbor-the self-appointed leader of the Neighborhood Patrol. Or for the next outrage, as police arrest Paul for a sordid crime he didn't commit.

    Suddenly Paul's 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 child's disappearance ten years before.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateFeb 24, 2009
    ISBN9781423377481
    Unavailable
    Safer: A Novel of Suspense

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    Reviews for Safer

    3.5/5

    51 ratings10 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Everyone wants to live in a town where everyone knows each other, where everyone keeps an eye out for their neighbor, a place where you always belong. But what if this idyllic community slowly turned into a Brave New Neighborhood? What everyone knew you more than you would like, your neighbors kept to close an eye on you, and when they didn't like what they saw, decided that you were no longer welcome?Doolittle takes a handful of modern paranoid fears and combines them into a tight, engaging, and suspenseful tale of abusive power and overly cautious neighbors. When Paul Callaway follows his wife and her new job of assistant dean to a cozy little midwestern town, he already feels a little out of place. He tries his best to fit in with his new neighbors, but quickly finds himself clashing with the local community's version of John Walsh; the father of an abducted and murdered child who now spearheads civic response teams and neighborhood watches.Paul's marriage begins to fray at the edges, and his disagreement with his manipulative neighbor turns into a full blown feud. Then he discovers that there's much more going on behind the scenes than anyone imagined, and before he knows what's happening, he's being arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with his neighbor's teenage daughter.What follows is a journey into the substantive fears of the modern man. Exactly how much of our lives is under surveillance? How many freedoms do we willingly and unknowingly sacrifice in the the name of security? How do you prove your innocence when a minor falsely accuses you of sexual improprieties? Can one man really prevail against the system when the system has it out for him?Everyone just wants to feel safe. But as Paul Callaway soon discovers, sometimes the safer you feel, the more at risk you truly are. Like any good suspense novel, the key is believability. Doolittle keeps everything within the realm of reason, and has no trouble convincing the reader to play along. The personalities are distinct but never overblown, the events that take place are always feasible, and the motivations of the characters are never questionable.As with the best suspense novels, it is scary because you believe it could happen to you.
    • 4/5
      On the evening of December 16th, Paul Callaway and his wife Sara are hosting a faculty party at their home in the Ponca Heights neighborhood of Clark Falls, Iowa. Clark Falls is a quiet college town, and Ponca Heights is widely considered to be one of its nicest, safest neighborhoods. When the Callaways’ doorbell rings at9:25 pm, no one expects to see members of the Clark Falls Police Department waiting on the other side. Maybe there’s been a misunderstanding, they think. Maybe the music is too loud. Maybe they’re just dropping by to say hi.But no, the police have come to arrest Paul Callaway for “suspicion of the sexual exploitation of a minor.” As Safer progresses through the four days following Paul’s arrest, we learn that all of those cliches about the suburbs—that you never know what people do behind closed doors; that things are not always as they appear; that no family is perfect—really are true. As Paul’s friend Charlie puts it, quoting Jane Austen, “Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies,” and everyone has secrets.This is not so much about who did it as it is about how they did it. And why.The thing that makes Safer so frightening is that it seems so possible, so realistic.Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
    • 3/5
      This was one of those rare instances when I did not love the book but did finish it. The story was compelling but it just lacked what it needed to be great.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful book that keeps you turning pages way into the night. The right blend of funny/serious. There were just a couple times I got kinda confused but my questions were answered. Recommend to anyone looking for something different to read and as it's a pretty fast read it would make an excellent book to kill time while traveling.
    • 4/5
      Doolittle is one of the authors that slowly worked his way onto my read list where excellent writing has moved him up to my "must read" list. SAFER reinforces his position on that list. The book was very well written and involves several fears that can result in today's society.Sara Callaway accepts a Dean position at a university near a small Midwestern town; as a result, she and Paul, her husband, find and move in to a house on a quiet cul-de-sac. Unfortunately it's not that quiet and they end up being broken into on the very first night. The neighbors step up and pull Paul into being part of their Neighborhood Watch; the unofficial leader of the group, retired Policed Office Roger Mallory, even gets them a great deal on a security system. Paul becomes suspicious, tensions build and before he realizes it Paul is battling with his neighbors and arrested. Things don't get any easier when he hires an attorney with his own problems. The story continues building into a very suspenseful finale.There are a few themes that Doolittle expertly wraps into the story and which many of us can easily relate: being accused of something you didn't do, the dynamics of interacting with your neighbors and when does trying to help go too far. These ideas are the source of what causes Paul so much trouble. Each idea simple and common enough that it becomes very easy to imagine being stuck in a similar situation. It's what makes the book so accessible and so gripping. I highly recommend the book.
    • 4/5
      A young couple move from Boston to western Iowa where they experience a break-in on the first night in their new home. As a result, an emergency meeting of the local neighborhood watch is called, and they are encouraged to accept the free installation of a top-of-the-line home security system. A series of odd occurances over the next several months culminates in the arrest of the husband for sexual misconduct involving the 13-year old girl next door. What?!?A very nifty suspense/thriller, told largely in flash-back. I loved it up until the very end when all was revealed. Only then did I realize that the key event - the one everything else was built upon - didn't really make much sense. But I decided that I didn't care - it was a fun read and I chose not to let that one detail spoil it for me.
    • 5/5
      Terrific mystery! I was just fascinated with the detail and all of the convolutions involved in setting this story up, and around and around it went! Just great! Paul is just plain appealing in his perseverance to get this figured out and put his life back together again! Great audio.
    • 3/5
      Sean Doolittle writes in a very readable manner. The story moved very quickly, with well defined characters and a believable plot. Scary to think that a neighbor could reign over an entire cu-de-sac. And that someone is watching that closely.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy Sean Doolittle's writing. He's got a clear sense of character, pacing and narrative structure and his latest book Safer is a trill ride read that moves along without skipping a beat, until the end.What I found most engaging about Safer was how imperfect Doolittle paints his main character. All too often authors place main characters above reproach, but in Safer Doolittle sees his main character as fallible, imperfect and completely and utterly human.This stripped down view of character makes the finale of the book all that much more difficult to swallow. Without giving anything away the book comes to a crashing close with a melodramatic solution that is as implausible as it is unsatisfying.I can't really fault such an enjoyable read for one mis-step, but I'd expect better from Doolittle who clearly is a very talented writer. If you're looking for a good escapist thriller in the vein of Lakeview Terrace, give Safe a read.
    • 5/5
      Everyone wants to live in a town where everyone knows each other, where everyone keeps an eye out for their neighbor, a place where you always belong. But what if this idyllic community slowly turned into a Brave New Neighborhood? What everyone knew you more than you would like, your neighbors kept to close an eye on you, and when they didn't like what they saw, decided that you were no longer welcome?Doolittle takes a handful of modern paranoid fears and combines them into a tight, engaging, and suspenseful tale of abusive power and overly cautious neighbors. When Paul Callaway follows his wife and her new job of assistant dean to a cozy little midwestern town, he already feels a little out of place. He tries his best to fit in with his new neighbors, but quickly finds himself clashing with the local community's version of John Walsh; the father of an abducted and murdered child who now spearheads civic response teams and neighborhood watches.Paul's marriage begins to fray at the edges, and his disagreement with his manipulative neighbor turns into a full blown feud. Then he discovers that there's much more going on behind the scenes than anyone imagined, and before he knows what's happening, he's being arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with his neighbor's teenage daughter.What follows is a journey into the substantive fears of the modern man. Exactly how much of our lives is under surveillance? How many freedoms do we willingly and unknowingly sacrifice in the the name of security? How do you prove your innocence when a minor falsely accuses you of sexual improprieties? Can one man really prevail against the system when the system has it out for him?Everyone just wants to feel safe. But as Paul Callaway soon discovers, sometimes the safer you feel, the more at risk you truly are. Like any good suspense novel, the key is believability. Doolittle keeps everything within the realm of reason, and has no trouble convincing the reader to play along. The personalities are distinct but never overblown, the events that take place are always feasible, and the motivations of the characters are never questionable.As with the best suspense novels, it is scary because you believe it could happen to you.