Safe House [Kindle Edition]

I bought this book because it was in the 99p deal and didn't really know what to expect, but it is a brilliant book. Lots of action but it's not over the top, more like the kind of stuff you can believe would happen to some poor guy getting caught in the middle of a mess he doesn't know how to handle. Other reviewers have covered the plot so I won't bother but if you're looking for a great thriller you should buy Safe House. And if you know the Isle of Man it'll be an extra good read, always thought there were some dodgy goings on there! I will definately be getting more of Chris Ewan's books after reading this.

Manx author Chris Ewan is best known for his comedy crime series The Good Thief's Guides, which follow Raffles-esque gentleman thief Charlie Howard on his international capers. With glamorous settings, pacy plots and a voice full of dry wit, the Guides are a real joy to read. Safe House is a different beast entirely. It sees Ewan move into much darker territory, returning to his home turf of The Isle of Man, the setting of the world famous TT motor cycle race. And, this book is a thrill-ride to rival it.

Called out to fix a cranky boiler, plumber Rob Hale arrives at a tumbledown cottage, seemingly uninhabitable, isolated in the middle of dense woodland. Things get stranger when he meets the occupants, two taciturn men who look like gangsters, and Lena, a beautiful young woman with a foreign accent and a flirtatious manner. The whole set-up feels wrong to him, but he pushes aside his reservations and gets to work, drawn in by his attraction to Lena. She wants to go out, take a spin on his bike. Rob is a semi-pro rider and the opportunity to spend some time with her, showing off his skills, isn't something he's going to pass up.

Waking up in hospital Rob is told there's been an accident, he's crashed his bike and the doctors blame his injuries when he asks about the girl who was with him. Because he's sure he remembers her gripping his waist, screaming as she was thrown from the bike. He remembers the ambulance arriving and the paramedic assuring him they'd take care of her. He's sure those memories are too vivid to be the result of head trauma, but Lena is gone. Worse than gone, it's like she never existed. The doctors tell him he was alone when he crashed, the police too, who seem very determined for him to forget all about Lena.

Then Rebecca arrives on the scene and finally somebody believes him. A private investigator with shadowy motives and impressive moves, she has been hired by Rob's parents to look into the recent, mysterious death of his sister. While Rob and Rebecca begin to untangle the mystery of Lena's disappearance, running up against the island's police force and unknown agents bent on violence, Lena is fighting her own battle. Spirited away and still held captive, she is trying to think her way out of the bind she's in, watching and scheming, looking for cracks in her captor's plan.

What follows is a sophisticated reboot of the classic everyman thriller, which takes in high-level government conspiracies, rogue agents and international terrorism. Frankly, that kind of subject matter is usually a huge turn-off for me, but Ewan is an intelligent and humane writer who never slips into dick-lit territory. He focuses on the human cost of such politicking and gives us characters we really care about. Rob is decent to the core, driven by a sense of loyalty to a woman he hardly knows, he's also endearingly out of his element, but Rebecca steals the book. Smart, tough and with a nice line in gallows humour she's proof that male crime writers can do great female characters.

Due to the Manx setting it's impossible to read Safe House without thinking of the TT event and Ewan has distilled the spirit of the race into a breakneck thrill-ride of a book, all unpredictable twists and wicked turns. It takes a skilled writer to keep a plot of this complexity on the rails and Ewan's handling is impeccable. Safe House is a bona fide must-read.

Best known for his 'Good Thief's Guide To...' series of comedy/crime novels, Chris Ewan turns his hand to the more serious end of crime fiction with his newest novel, 'Safe House'.

Rob Hale is a plumber on the Isle of Man, called out to repair a boiler in a remote cottage by two mysterious looking men, and a more talkative young woman named Lena. The next day, he takes Lena on a motorcycle ride, which ends in a crash. Waking up in hospital, Rob asks about the woman travelling with him, only to be told she doesn't exist. Rob is discharged from hospital, intent on finding out who the woman was, and how she disappeared. He is aided by Rebecca, a private investigator hired by Rob's parents to look into the suicide of his sister, just weeks previous. However, as they follow the clues and begin to uncover the mystery, Rob starts to wonder who Rebecca is really, and how she knew his sister.

As a huge fan of his earlier work, this change in direction and genre from Chris Ewan immediately piqued my interest. Would a writer more well known for his humorous comedy crime capers, be able to tackle a serious thriller?

Of course he would!

What Ewan accomplishes with his first foray into the world of thriller writing, is nothing short of remarkable. Safe House begins with a great hook...what would you do if you woke up in hospital after an accident, and everyone around you denied the existence of the person you were travelling with?

From there, Safe House travels at high speed throughout. It's a breathless, exciting read, which had me turning the page well into the late nights. That initial hook takes you on a journey into action thriller territory, which is up there with the best writing in the genre.

Ewan also hasn't lost that humorous edge which came with his previous series of books. There are some fantastic dead-pan lines delivered by Rob, but Ewan saves his best work for the character of Rebecca. An incredibly sardonic and tough female character.

You know...tough is the wrong word to use here.

The character of Rebecca is an example of something sadly missing from this genre in some instances. A female character from the pen (or keystroke) of a male writer, which isn't over-thought out. Ewan gives the impression he's created her as he would any other character, giving her aspects of personality which would fit within any other character. In other instances, the opposite can sometimes be true, so this was a refreshing read. I dearly hope this character isn't left behind...

An exciting start, to what promises to be an excellent addition to the genre of thriller reads, Ewan has with Safe House created a fast-paced, excellently written, and superbly plotted novel. With characters which burst off the page from the start, and a new setting in the Isle of Man which I cannot wait to see explored further.