Safe and Sound

Written by Philippa East

Narrated by Josephine Arden

Don’t miss Philippa East’s gripping and suspenseful new novel, A GUILTY SECRET, available to pre-order now!

‘Tense’ Araminta Hall

‘Compelling’ Debbie Howells

‘Engrossing, twisty tale’ Nell Pattison

But after three months go by without Sarah paying her rent, property manager Jenn enters the small London apartment to find a radio is playing, a small dining table set for three, and a decomposing body curled up on the sofa…

How is it possible that almost a year went by before someone found Sarah? Who has been paying her rent? Who was she expecting for dinner the night she died? Jenn is determined to uncover the mystery but has demons of her own to contend with…

A masterfully plotted, intelligent and emotionally riveting psychological thriller for fans of Sally Hepworth and Lisa Jewell.

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Praise for SAFE AND SOUND
“[A]nother solid psychological thriller… Fully developed characters who behave realistically complement the twisty plot. East is a writer to watch.” – Publishers Weekly

“An atmospheric, page-turning portrait of isolation and mental fragility combining heart-rending sensitivity with sock-it-to-'em twists.” – Helen Monks Takhar, author of Precious You

“Taut, tantalizing suspense… Safe and Sound is gripping, spellbinding, and completely addictive.” – Samantha M. Bailey, author of USA Today and #1 national bestseller Woman on the Edge

“Elegantly written with an effective blend of suspense and psychological insight. An extremely gripping read.” – Melanie Golding, author of Little Darlings

“Such an original plot; a heart-breaking exploration of mental illness, loneliness and obsession, with characters who will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page.” – Jackie Kabler, USA Today bestselling author of The Perfect Couple

What readers are saying about SAFE AND SOUND

“Addictive and tense – one of the very best books I’ve read this year.”

“This is the second novel I’ve read by this author, and they seem to get better every time.”

“A remarkable novel… A deep and engrossing thriller that should be on everyone’s 2021 reading list.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Feb 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008465544

Philippa East

Philippa East grew up in Scotland and originally trained as a Clinical Psychologist. Her debut Little White Lies was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Award, and she has since published three further psychological thrillers. Philippa lives in Lincolnshire with her spouse and cat, and alongside her writing continues to work as a psychologist and therapist. A Guilty Secret is her fourth novel.

Reviews for Safe and Sound

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I struggled at first with Safe and Sound by Phillipa East, it seemed to take a lot of reading to establish both the story and the characters. By the end of the book, however, I had been absorbed by this  psychological thriller and was glued to the pages.Housing manager Jennifer Arden discovers a deceased tenant where the body has been lying undiscovered for about 10 months. It appears that she died of natural causes, but Jennifer feels tremendous guilt because she failed to do an annual inspection which would have revealed the corpse much earlier. Jennifer becomes obsessed with why this woman, Sarah, who was known to have a lot of friends and a loving family, was not found for months. As she digs into Sarah’s life, a number of discrepancies are revealed. She eventually meets with an ex-boyfriend and a former coworker who help her uncover Sarah’s secrets. Jennifer is also dealing with her own problems. She suffers from excessive anxieties, and can easily lose touch with reality. We learn that there has been an incident in her own life that has led to her paranoia about her son’s health. I found I had to be patient with the character of Jennifer as I must admit I found her quite annoying at first. She seemed so unstable that I couldn’t totally trust her as a reliable narrator. As the story progressed it was very easy to question Jennifer’s choices and judgments. The author draws her readers along and Safe and Sound becomes an intriguing read about a woman desperately holding on while at the same time trying to uncover the truth.