"An engrossing anthology of 20 twisty, razor-sharp short stories from the master thriller writer"
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.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
From the world's number one thriller writer, twenty pulse-pounding short stories are collected for the first time in one edition, complete with an introduction from the author plus an exclusive brand new short story featuring Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird from Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen.
I was the guy who always found a way.
I was the guy that couldn't be stopped.
A drug-dealing hit man unburdens his fears to a stranger. An overlooked rookie cop is assigned to the department's file room. A ruthless killer only kills bad guys. A methodical bodyguard quits his job when he's outsmarted. A military mission is planned to perfection. . .
Meticulously plotted and utterly compelling, these are intimate portraits of humanity at its best and worst. Each story is entirely distinct. And with their economical prose and unexpected twists, each could only have been written by the creator of Jack Reacher.
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The stories included in this collection are:
The Bodyguard * The Greatest Trick of All * Ten Keys * Safe Enough * Natural in Every Way * The .50 Solution * Publica Transportation * Me and Mr. Rafferty * Section 7 (a) (Operational) * Addicted to Sweetness * The Bone-Headed League * I Heard a Romantic Story * My First Drug Trial * Wet with Rain * The Truth About What Happened * Pierre, Lucien & Me * New Blank Document * Shorty and the Briefcase * Dying for a Cigarette * The Snake-Eater by the Numbers plus an exclusive brand new short story featuring Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird from Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen
Safe Enough features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Crime and Mystery, General Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Shorter Reads, Thriller and Suspense, Thriller and Suspense, Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Crime and Mystery, Fiction: special features, Shorter Reads
Safe Enough is available in Paperback, Hardback
Safe Enough was written by Lee Child and published by Penguin Books an imprint of Transworld
Safe Enough has 336 pages
£8.99