ANNA DOWNES was born and raised in Sheffield, UK, but now lives just north of Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children. She worked as an actress before turning her attention to writing. She was shortlisted for the Sydney Writers Room Short Story Prize (2017) and longlisted for the Margaret River Short Story Competition (2018). The Safe Place was inspired by Anna's experiences working as a live-in housekeeper on a remote French estate in 2009-10.
A July 2020 Indie Next Pick!
A PopSugar Best New Book of July 2020
One of Travel + Leisure's 20 Most Anticipated Books of Summer
2020
One of Ms. Career Girls's Summer Releases for Your TBR List
One of Parade's New Thrillers and Mysteries You Won't Stop Thinking
About This Summer
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
A South Florida Sun-Sentinel Best of the Year Pick "[Downes is]
skilled at ratcheting up the tension and conveying Emily's sense of
thrumming unease . . . an unusual and thrilling narrative."--The
New York Times "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 "Downes imbues The Safe Place with a
strong sense of the gothic, keeping the suspense high and the
tension in the Querencia household palpable. Surrounded by decay,
Emily proves her mettle as her maturation and emotional growth
enhance the solid plot with its myriad surprises and twists. The
Safe Place delivers a deliciously creepy debut."--South Florida
Sun-Sentinel "Secrets are laid bare, and the novel moves toward a
conclusion that melds sorrow with satisfaction, ruin with
redemption. She does so with evocative and insightful prose,
striking characters and a plot that's astute, addictive and
alarming. Downes, who draws on her past for elements of The Safe
Place, shows great promise and creates equally great
expectations."--The Free Lance-Star "The perfect summer mystery
read."--PopSugar "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
"I could just close my eyes and float away reading this book. I
tore through this one and was as blindsided as Emily was when the
truth came out. Downes did a fabulous job of sucking me right into
this perfect little world and left me wanting more. This was my
first book by this author and I'll absolutely be back for
more!"--We Are Bookish "Gripping, satisfying and also promising
first suspense novel. Psychological suspense, really, but in a
setting where we expect a "gothic romance"--isolated house,
mysterious owner, troubled child needing care. . . . But a larger
cast than that, and characters that, even though we are in close
point of view with each in turn, continue to surprise
us."--Shawangunk Journal "It all adds up to an intriguing and
addictive read. A real page turner; I couldn't put the book down
once the secrets began to be unveiled."--The AU Review.com Anna
Downes' debut places her firmly as a new player on the
psychological thriller playing field! I can't wait to see what she
does next. With her strength for characters, structure, and pacing,
I am definitely all in on it!--Novel Lives All the stars! An
incredible debut from a new voice in suspense fiction, this was a
tension-building and atmospheric read.--The Reading Beauty
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