Frightful Friday: Safe House by Chris Ewan |

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Today’s featured book is Safe House by Chris Ewan:

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (December 11, 2012)
ISBN-10: 125001256
Source: Publisher

Rob Hale awakens in a hospital room after barely surviving a motorcycle accident. Instead of being concerned about his own well-being he asks about Lena, the beautiful blond passenger riding with him. The doctors and police insist he was the only victim found at the scene. Having lost his sister, Laura, to suicide in the last year, his family believes he is projecting memories and feelings about Laura into this fictional individual, Lena. Desperate to discover the truth on his own, he is soon joined by a private investigator, Rebecca Lewis, hired by his family to investigate his sister’s suicide. Rebecca has some secret connection to his sister, and in turn, the mysterious Lena.

Set on Isle of Man, Safe House is an extremely dynamic and well-plotted thriller. The setting, a small island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, plays an integral role in the storyline. With a population of near 80,000, its remote location allows residents to feel isolated, but soon Rebecca and Rob learn that even even the most close-knit locations can be overflowing with secrets.Much like the Tourist Trophy (locally referred to as the “TT”) motorcycle race the island is known for, Ewan takes readers on a full-throttle, intense ride throughout the entirety of this novel.

One of the most redeeming things (and there are many) about this book is the main character, Rob Hale. He’s your average Joe, just trying to get on with his life after the devastating loss of his sister. He doesn’t have a lucrative job (he works in heating and cooling) his passion, like many residents of the island, is motorcycle racing. It all started with a nice motorcycle ride with a beautiful blonde…and then Rob is forced to become embroiled in a truly terrifying series of events.

This is my first taste of Ewan’s writing and I must say it will not be my last. A truly heart-pounding thriller, I cannot wait for more. Highly recommended.

Author Chris Ewan on how he writes: