LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
On the subject of writing short stories, Lee Child shares in his foreword that “the joy was stepping out and trying something different every time. Something new. Period, place, nationality, personality – everything. It was liberating. And fun”, while also modestly noting that he never figured out that “mysterious short-story thing the great writers do”.
Rather, Child states, that the twenty twisting, thrilling stories collected in Safe Enough are “very, very, very short novels. But none the worse for it. They have beginnings and middles and ends. Something surprising happens. Or is revealed”.
The stories certainly are surprising, each of them distinct as they offer incisive insights into the human condition through characters than run the gamut of experience, and sinewy language that demands one’s attention.
Boasting an exclusive new Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird story by Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen alongside unexpected tales of rookie cops, bodyguards, drug dealers and tricksters, Safe Enough showcases the writer’s trademark suspense, sparse style and character craftmanship to full effect. Though Child says he never worked out the “mysterious short-story thing the great writers do”, this anthology suggests otherwise. Though they are almost mini novels, each of the twenty stories collected in Safe Enough is a mighty fine example of the potent power of shorter fiction.
Joanne Owen
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Safe Enough Synopsis
From the world's number one thriller writer, twenty pulse-pounding short stories are collected for the first time in one edition, complete with an introduction from the author plus an exclusive brand new short story featuring Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird from Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen.
I was the guy who always found a way.
I was the guy that couldn't be stopped.
A drug-dealing hit man unburdens his fears to a stranger. An overlooked rookie cop is assigned to the department's file room. A ruthless killer only kills bad guys. A methodical bodyguard quits his job when he's outsmarted. A military mission is planned to perfection. . .
Meticulously plotted and utterly compelling, these are intimate portraits of humanity at its best and worst. Each story is entirely distinct. And with their economical prose and unexpected twists, each could only have been written by the creator of Jack Reacher.
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The stories included in this collection are:
The Bodyguard * The Greatest Trick of All * Ten Keys * Safe Enough * Natural in Every Way * The .50 Solution * Publica Transportation * Me and Mr. Rafferty * Section 7 (a) (Operational) * Addicted to Sweetness * The Bone-Headed League * I Heard a Romantic Story * My First Drug Trial * Wet with Rain * The Truth About What Happened * Pierre, Lucien & Me * New Blank Document * Shorty and the Briefcase * Dying for a Cigarette * The Snake-Eater by the Numbers plus an exclusive brand new short story featuring Jack Reacher and Maggie Bird from Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780857506795 |
Publication date: |
29th August 2024 |
Author: |
Lee Child |
Publisher: |
Bantam Press an imprint of Transworld |
Format: |
Hardback |
Pagination: |
336 pages |
Primary Genre |
Thriller and Suspense
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Other Genres: |
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Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Lee Child Press Reviews
'It's Lee Child. Why would you not read it?' KARIN SLAUGHTER
'I don't know another author so skilled at making me turn the page, at putting me in the thick of it all.' THE TIMES
'Best thriller writer on the planet.' SUSAN HILL
'One of the genre's finest practitioners.' INDEPENDENT
'I always seize the latest Lee Child with pleasure.' PHILIP PULLMAN
Author
About Lee Child
Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Lee is the recipient of many awards including Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Photo Credit: Copyright Sigrid Estrada
The 2013 Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger was awarded to Lee Child.
Members of the CWA vote for the Diamond Dagger award-winner, which celebrates an author with an outstanding body of work in crime fiction.
Peter James, chair of the CWA, said: “I am delighted that the CWA has chosen Lee Child as this year's recipient. Lee is one of the few British crime-thriller authors to have become a global brand name; he is also an extremely charming and open person and a tireless promoter of our genre.”
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