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Safe Enough, by Lee Child
While short stories aren’t usually my first preference, I was pretty confident going into this book that it would be enjoyable. Lee Child has earned a certain credence that any of his titles will be quality reading. Safe Enough is a collection of 20 bite-sized morsels of fiction that Child has written over the last two decades.
We meet a dodgy detective who frames the wrong man, a simple electrician who witnesses a domestic assault, a murder reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes, a hostage at death’s door who tries to keep his captor talking, and a serial killer who only targets the dregs of society. Plus many other intriguing tales, providing snapshots of the complicated and often-times dark side of humanity.
Intriguingly, none of the stories are in the least way connected to Child’s most famous character, Jack Reacher. But at the very end, we do get one bonus short story collaboration between Lee Child and best-selling author Tess Gerritsen featuring their key characters.
The perfect book for brief reading windows, that stays within the thriller genre; bedtime stories for adults.
Reviewed by Abby Soffe
A Thousand Broken Pieces by Tillie Cole
A Thousand Broken Pieces is a heartbreakingly beautiful romance, which continues on from the conclusion of Tillie Cole’s best-selling 2016 novel, A Thousand Boy Kisses. Four years on and we find Savannah Litchfield struggling with the grief of losing her older sister, Poppy, to cancer. Unable to accept the loss and move on, her last resort is an around-the-world trip for teens who, like her, are struggling with significant personal loss.
A Thousand Broken Pieces is a touching story about rediscovering life after the loss of a loved one and finding peace when it seems there might not be any to be found. Cole perfectly intertwines the pain and anger of grief with the ache of healing and recovery, as the characters learn to let go and find themselves and each other. The cultures explored are described beautifully and are eye-opening on the subject of grief and remembrance, and the blossoming relationship between Savannah and one of her travelling companions is sweet and sincere
This book is perfect for teens or older who love a ‘book-tok’ style romance and a story with themes of friendship, healing and moving on.
Reviewed by Jazlyn Jackson
