One Safe Place

Robena
Grant
Genre: 
Contemporary

Independent, self-possessed American Naomi Paverman arrives in the small English village of Oldcastle looking for answers to the mystery surrounding her heritage. Her arrival in mid-winter and the questions she asks quickly stir up a hornets’ nest of local reaction.  Early on she is nearly run over by the prickly yet handsome resident of the district’s manor house, Oliver York.  Oliver has his own reasons for being wary of the American, but his innate curiosity and an annoying attraction lead him to team up with Naomi. Together they delve into old mysteries stretching back two generations, while at the same time dancing around revealing their own secrets. What they uncover threatens to upset the quiet lives of the villagers, and the blossoming relationship between Naomi and Oliver.

“One Safe Place” is a thoughtful mystery, filled with mild intrigues that fit well into the quiet countryside of Oldcastle.  Ms. Grant paints a vivid portrait of the people and places of the Cider District of Herefordshire.  Each of the characters has his or her own story that plays a part in the overriding mystery of Naomi’s birth.  The author teases out the nuances of character that leave the reader feeling these could be real, relatable people.  The lives they’ve lived and the mistakes they’ve made along the way could belong to just such people. Even the villains of the story grab the reader’s empathy. An enjoyable read from the very first page!

Marc Jacobs