Safer

When Paul Callaway and his wife, Sara move from Boston to the small suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood in Iowa, they have no idea what's in store for them. This seemingly friendly neighborhood with it's Safer Places Organization that turns out to be the neighborhood watch from hell, isn't at all what they bargained for. Roger Mallory, a former police officer may have seemed like a nice friendly neighbor, but Paul and Sara begin to have suspicions as soon as the story starts to unfold. This books grabs you right from the first pages with Paul being arrested at a cocktail party in his own home, to flash backs telling what led up to this night. It's an exciting read with lots of plot twists and turns and not a dull moment. It's one of those books that kept me up til 3:00 in the morning because I just couldn't put it down until I found out what happened. Even if you don't usually like crime/suspense novels, this one is different because Sean Doolittle does such a great job writing and the characters are so believable. I plan to read his other books, Dirt and The Cleanup based on reading this one. Two thumbs up!

With Safer, Sean Doolittle has written a complex, strange, and engaging thriller that is a cut above the type found in the book section at your supermarket. The characters are well developed, the plot is very unique, and the writing is both engaging and thought-provoking. This is definitely the more artistic, thoughtful thriller. Safer is the story of a "sexual misconduct" suit that gets out of hand, steadily building in intensity until it culminates in (at least) one death and a neighborhood in shambles. Written in the first-person present tense, this novel Paul Callaway's story of his attempt to clear his name from allegations of enagement in child pornography with a neighbor's child. Callaway knows he is innocent, but must clear his name and find out the identity of the framer, and the reasons for the frame. Little does he (or we) know that what he uncovers is much bigger than anyone supposes. I found this book very interesting and often struggled to put it down. The characters (particularly Paul Callaway) are very well drawn and you will definitely be taken for an emotional ride (Doolittle is quite good at creating characters and situatiosn sure to get under your skin). Anyone looking for "not the average thriller" will doubtless find this book to their liking. I look forward to reading it again.

Not sure if this is the same guy who wrote horror novels in the late '80's or early '90's but... SAFER is a nearly perfect crime novel. Has all the necessary traits: Great plot with twists galore... characters that are real, believable and act consistent throughout the novel... a climax that is a bit out of left-field but otherwise satisfying... and just great dialogue. A realy brilliant and complete novel...highly recommended. Now I am off to order all of his other books.

College English Professor Paul Callaway and his wife Sara are fairly knew to their Clark Falls, Iowa neighborhood and they're having a party with the neighbors over when the cops arrive and arrest Paul for sexual misconduct with a minor. Paul protests his innocence and he is, but he knows what it's about. Right after they moved to town, thirteen-year-old going on thirty Brittany Seward starts cataloging Paul's many books and Paul has an affair with her mother. Paul's next door neighbor, ex-cop and well loved, supposedly wonderful guy Roger Mallory sticks his nose in Paul's business and somehow the wrong kind of photos of underaged Brittany get sent to Paul. Roger wants Paul crucified and he's got a brother still on the force who will help. Paul's lawyer shows up in court drunk and it looks like Paul is in trouble deep. Okay, what kind of idiot spends so much time alone with an underaged girl, especially since he's been warned off. And then he sleeps with the child's mother. Not too bright. Then he finds out that the ex-cop next door engineered a break in of his house, that that ex-cop has been spying on him, has photos of him, has his credit statement (from going through Paul's trash). The ex-cop tells him to move, Paul tells him to stuff it. Is it any surprise Paul is in that deep trouble? For an east coast college guy Paul makes a lotta mistakes, still I found it easy to overlook those mistakes, because anybody could make them, well maybe not all of them, but, you know, it's fiction. I liked this book a lot and I highly recommend it, but I would have liked Paul to be a little brighter.

I usually avoid plots where the protagonist is framed or caught in a web not of his/her making. Perhaps because the truth is known from the beginning and the reader must persevere through the unraveling of the story and the sinister plot that is afoot. Perhaps it is because this concept may be the most frightening possibilty each of us might one day face. That being said, "Safer" is one great read. After recently discovering Sean Doolittle with "The Cleanup", I was ready to plunge into this new novel. It immediately captured my interest to the point that I sometimes didn't want to put it down until I finshed it. It is stylish, well-written, tightly plotted, and flows easily although it will soon have you gripped in suspense. Paul and Sara Callaway move to a quiet cul-de-sac in a midwestern small town and begin new jobs. At first life is good and idyllic as they meet and develop relationships with their new neighbors and prominently, Roger Mallory..a retired police officer and sort of self-appointed caretaker of the local community, including the Neighborhood Watch. Almost before he knows it, Paul is in a horrible neighborhood battle with Roger that will have far reaching consequences. As Paul ultimately finds himself accused of a heinous crime and begins to feel the walls closing in around him, he finds his options to escape the sticky web that has ensnared him to be few and dependent perhaps on a questionable attorney and his own will to fight back. It is this fight to prove his innocence against overwhelming odds that keeps the reader gripped in suspense. In the course of the narrative, Paul proves himself not to be the brightest bulb in the box by making several stupid decisions and mistakes, especially one which alienates the support of his wife. His desperate attempt to prove his innocence begins uncovering a decade old crime and a deadly dark conspiracy to hide it. Quickly the reader is left to decide who can Paul trust? Why is he faced with obstruction everywhere he turns? Why are so many not who or what they seem? "Safer" is a gripping read for many reasons, not the least of which is the helplessness and frustration experienced by Paul Callaway with which most readers can identify. It is also a morality tale regarding the intrusion of modern electronic and spying devices and the planned and unplanned consequences they have on the lives that they touch upon. In a way, it is also a commentary on the social structures and neighborhood interactions that develop in small developments in almost any city. I strongly recommend not only "Safer" but also any work by Sean Doolittle.