Safe Enough

LoveReading Says

On the subject of writing short stories, Lee Child shares in his foreword that “the joy was stepping out and trying something different every time. Something new. Period, place, nationality, personality – everything. It was liberating. And fun”, while also modestly noting that he never figured out that “mysterious short-story thing the great writers do”.

Rather, Child states, that the twenty twisting, thrilling stories collected in Safe Enough are “very, very, very short novels. But none the worse for it. They have beginnings and middles and ends. Something surprising happens. Or is revealed”.

The stories certainly are surprising, each of them distinct as they offer incisive insights into the human condition through characters than run the gamut of experience, and sinewy language that demands one’s attention.

Boasting an exclusive new Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird story by Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen alongside unexpected tales of rookie cops, bodyguards, drug dealers and tricksters, Safe Enough showcases the writer’s trademark suspense, sparse style and character craftmanship to full effect. Though Child says he never worked out the “mysterious short-story thing the great writers do”, this anthology suggests otherwise. Though they are almost mini novels, each of the twenty stories collected in Safe Enough is a mighty fine example of the potent power of shorter fiction.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About Safe Enough

For the past twenty years, Lee Child has been one of the bestselling authors in the world, thanks to the popularity of his iconic and instantly recognizable hero Jack Reacher. But even at the height of Reacher's fame, Child's short story writing was not confined to the series; throughout the course of his career, he published tales about a range of characters on both sides of the law, including assassins, a body guard, CIA and FBI agents, gangsters, and more.

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