I’ve had another opportunity to ARC read a book. This time it was one by Terri Parlato and is called “she thought she was safe”. I’ve read two books by this author prior and thought they were good.

This book will be released at the end of February

Emma is going for a fresh start, recently divorced from a cheating husband with a huge gambling debt and her mother being recently deceased, she craves something new.

She never knew her father because her mother wouldn’t tell her who he was, always changing the subject when she asked. When she died her, she had to go through her things. Her birth certificate not giving any new information since it says the father is unknown. But eventually she does find a name and is shocked to learn the man who is her father is a famous writer, Alex Spencer.

After taking a DNA test that determined he really is her father and emailing for a while and knowing she wants a new start, he invites her to stay at their family house at Cheshire Lake, a very small community of only 4 houses. Three were original Victorian Mansions; one was owned by the Cole’s, the middle one by the Spencer’s and the last one by the Harwood’s. When the Cole’s sold a bit of land around 10 years ago across the lake; a new Mansion was built and owned by Dale and Aubree.

After a few days in the Spencer house, Emma gets invited by Ruth (Harwood) for a dinner party to get to know the people living in this small community; Noah Cole, Dale and Aubree, Ruth and Simon and there’s Jeffrey, a skittish man that is a bit like a maintenance man, waiter and house sitter in one. There’s knocking at Emma’s door at an ungodly hour; Ruth and Noah. Simon has wandered off. His dementia is getting the better of him. When Emma and Noah go out looking, they eventually find him, dead at the side of the road, with a head wound at the back of his head. Ruth is adamant that Simon died of natural causes but the police seem to think otherwise.

With a murder investigation going on, Alex comes to Spencer house to stay. Wanting to know Emma better and spend some time together but with his new book coming out, the press from this murder investigation and the news that he has a long-lost daughter isn’t the best publicity out there. His other daughter Sunny; who is also his PR and socials assistant hates Emma. The anger of Emma being there is radiating of Sunny.

This story is more of the day to day, the murder investigation and finding out what happens. Not knowing who to trust. When Aubree goes missing, everyone seems to think Dale had something to do with it. Noah is a freelance reporter, so you have to watch what you say when he’s around and darling Ruth, the elderly woman that always seems to be baking, not very emotional about it all. Alex trying to control the narrative and Sunny hating her guts.

I’m giving this story a ⭐⭐⭐,5 star rating. I did identify the perpetrator but the twist in the end was a good one.