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Title: Safer

Author: Sean Doolittle

Narrator: Patrick G. Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-24-09

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Suspense

Publisher's Summary:

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 10 years before.

Members Reviews:

Safer: A Great Ride that Occassionally Goes off Track

After reading a review of Safer on the Amazon blog, I downloaded the first chapter on my Kindle and got right to it (for those of you who don't know, the Kindle allows you to get the first chapter of any of its books for free, so you can get a taste before buying.)

I can't imagine anyone reading those gripping opening pages without buying the whole book. Author Doolittle quickly establishes a likable, funny protagonist named Paul who is immediately plunged into a nightmarish scenario which threatens to destroy his life.

How a nice guy like this gets into such a horrible situation is half the story - how he gets out is the other half. Sprinkled throughout are Doolittle's wise and warm ruminations on academia, suburban life and surviving marriage. Some of these are genuinely moving and smart, and they give considerable depth to what might otherwise have been a more formulaic thriller.

Throughout Safer, Doolittle does a great job of raising the stakes and making Paul's situation more and more dire. Many times, you'll find yourself wondering "how's he gonna get through this?," and the suspense may keep you reading long past your bedtime.

So, why not a five star review? It turns out the what got Paul into this mess is a series of coincidences and conspiracies so complicated that they strain credibility. By the final face off between Paul and The Forces of Evil, I had lost track of exactly what role each of the bad guys played in his downfall.

Moreover, in saving himself, Paul takes risks and displays an investigative ingenuity that contradict his status as a relatable everyman. Is this guy a cerebral, somewhat timid teacher or a suburban James Bond? It gets a little hard to believe. If you're the kind of reader who can forgive a little inconsistency of character in service of a great ride, you'll love Safer. If you more of a purist, you may find yourself frustrated with Paul's increasingly daring and dangerous behavior.

Those small criticisms notwithstanding, Safer is an efficient and exciting page-turner that is better written than most of its contemporaries. Doolittle's powerful and literate prose offer many pleasures beyond the storytelling. It gets a little overblown at times, but too much ambition is always preferable to the mundanity of much of this genre. Bravo to Doolittle. I look forward to what comes next.

Scott Sherman, author,First You Fall: A Kevin Connor Mystery

A Fizzle

An Ex-cop with a Fresh Spin

Paul's neighbor Roger who lives across the street takes the liberty of spying and keeping tabs (yes, files) on the neighbors but little does he know someone knows something about him. Roger has the dirt on those around him and manipulates it to the max, making stuff up to fit his needs. He's an ex-cop whom the community has come to trust making it all the more sinister.