Safe Enough

Child, Lee. Safe Enough. New York: Mysterious Press. 2024. Print.

First Sentences:

 

Like everything else, the world of bodyguarding is split between the real and the phony. Phony bodyguards are just glorified drivers, big men in suits chosen for their size and shape and appearance, not paid very much, not very useful when push comes to shove, Real bodyguards are technicians, thinkers, trained men with experience....I am a real bodyguard. Or at least, I was. 

Description:

If ever an author epitomized my First Sentence Reader philosophy, it is Lee Child, creater of the twenty-nine books in the Jack Reacher series. His writings, from the first sentence on, pull readers inexorably onward from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page right up to the end. His ear for dialogue and inner thoughts are smooth and realistic, lending a believable persona to each of the people who populate his books. While some readers may not be fans of violence, Child handles these tricky encounters with straightforward descriptions that, while they never dwell on the overly-graphic, are descriptive enough to paint a picture that plants readers right smack dab in the middle of the mind and emotions of the protagonista.

His newest book, Safe Enough, is a collection of his published short stories, and not a one is about Jack Reacher. But no matter. Each story is riveting right from the start and up to the end. You simply cannot put them down until they are finished. Child finishes each tale with an unexpected (for me) twist, giving these tales the air of a Saki-Hitchcock-Spillane collaboration.

His stories were told by characters such as:

• A bodyguard who himself needs a protector;
• An assassin who likes to double-dip his protection fees by offering his target the opportunity to knock off the person who wants them killed;
• An investigator working on a crime on Baker Street near Sherlock Holmes fictional lodgings;
• A courier carrying a briefcase possibly full of money, but unable to be arrested in case he is innovent;
• A Black jazz piano player with a mysterious past;

I simply ate them up, every one of them, in two short sittings. Great characters, enticing stories, smooth writing, and unexpected twists and turns. Who could want more in a book perfect for passing short periods of time in the world of crime and mystery? Highly recommended.

 

 [If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 

  

Child, Lee. The Killing Floor.   

Introduction to the Jack Reacher character: loner, ex-Military Police, 6' 6' of muscle, wandering the country with just a toothbrush and a desire to find the truth. Each one in the series is tremendous although contains some violence: brilliant read s for character, dialogue, and story.

Happy reading.

Fred

 

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