West Berlin, 1979. Helen Abell oversees the CIA’s network of safe houses, rare havens for field agents and case officers amidst the dangerous milieu of a city in the grips of the Cold War. Helen’s world is upended when she overhears a meeting between two people unfamiliar to her speaking a coded language that hints at shadowy realities. Before the day is out, she witnesses a second unauthorized … unauthorized encounter, one that will place her in the sight lines of the most ruthless and dangerous man at the agency.
What she has witnessed will have repercussions that reach across decades and continents into the present day, when, in a farm town in Maryland, a young man is arrested for the double murder of his parents, and his sister takes it upon herself to find out why he did it.
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Wonderful. Fesperman raises the bar sky-high with this one. Smart, sophisticated, suspenseful, and intensely human. One of the great espionage novels of our time.
*Safe Houses* has been my favorite read of 2018, so far. Dan Fesperman penned a story that kept me glued to the pages! I really couldn’t put this one down.
As the blurb says, the story is about Helen in 1979. She stumbles upon a couple of secrets that change the course of her life forever. In 2014, Anna comes back to her childhood home when tragedy strikes her family. She starts to unravel clues to her mother’s past, but can she figure it out before it is too late.
Fesperman creates characters that I couldn’t help but love. Each of them were flawed but trying to the best they can in life. Even if I didn’t agree with what they did, I could still understand why they did it. No one is perfect and I like my characters to imperfect also.
The story just flowed as it switched between 1979 and 2014. I did not have a hard time following the story. He wrote beautifully descriptive scenes whether it was Berlin or the old farm house. He was able to transport his readers back in time. Plus the ending was unexpected.
If you like spy novels or suspense, check this one out. You won’t be disappointed!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book.
I LOVE old school spy books, and this latest Fesperman offered that plus a fun back-and-forth blending a contemporary tale in with the old. It’s a format that I’ve seen more and more lately, and it doesn’t always work. Fortunately, Fesperman is a strong enough writer/plotter to figure out how to keep the pacing and drama in balance with the multiple narrators/narrative streams – and he does so in a way that teases with just enough detail to keep you guessing, even when some of what you are guessing at in the contemporary timeline has already been alluded to if not indirectly covered in the historical… It’s a great tale, populated by characters for whom lying is an art form, and the dance between the lines of what everyone says and what they mean is a tango sure to keep you not only engaged but immersed!
My review copy was provided by the Penguin First to Read program.
Thanks to the first to read program for a digital arc of this book.
This book falls between a 3.5 and 4 for me but I liked the ending so I went with the higher star rating.
It took me a little while to get into this book and I think that was primarily because I didn’t have an understanding as to what exactly was going on and who the characters were. Once I got further into the book, I found myself enjoying it and was curious as to how it would end.
I liked that the book was told in two separate stories. The first thread was told from Helen’s perspective in 1979 while she was a CIA agent in Berlin. After accidentally taping a mysterious conversation at one of her safe houses, Helen has no idea that what she has on record could put her life in danger. Then, to make matters worse, she discovers a male agent raping a female agent. When she decides to seek justice, she sets a ball in motion that has repercussions far beyond what she could have ever imagined. The second story is told in 2014 in Maryland by Helen’s daughter, Anna. She has come home to settle her parents affairs after they were brutally murdered by her brother. Anna knows that this behavior seems unlikely of her brother, so she decides to hire an investigator to discover what may have happened. When she finds a letter discussing payment her mother is due from the CIA, Anna knows she can’t rest until she learns about her mother’s past. With the help of the investigator, Anna begins a quest that may unknowingly put her life in danger.
I really liked Helen’s story the best. It was interesting to consider how difficult it must have been for a woman in her position in the 1970’s. I thought her character was well written and she plays a great, strong female lead. While I enjoyed the story told by Anna, I felt as if it were a little more contrived. There were a few too many coincidences and things they stumbled upon too easily in my opinion. (I also did not enjoy the bit that occurred with Scooter at all!).
Without a doubt, my favorite character was Baucom. He is Helen’s significantly older lover and mysterious coworker. He was intriguing and I wish his character would have played a larger role or could have been more detailed. He seemed essential to the story but remained in the background a little too much for me. In addition, I appreciated the additional section the author added at the end of the book in relation to the historical background of the book and information concerning The Pond. It peaked my interest and I would be interested in learning more about it!
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. (less)
Fabulous book. Couldn’t put it down.
A terrific book about work and love, mothers and daughters, loyalty and betrayal, combining the gripping immediacy of a present-day murder mystery with the high-stakes sexy intrigue of a Cold War espionage thriller.
Looking for a gripping and brilliant espionage novel? Look no further, this is 100% it! Dan Fespermans’ Safehouses’ is intensely intriguing and geniusly flips not only between narrators, but also, time periods, and places. The use of the narration in this manner makes ‘Safe Houses’ a super fast, very clever, meaty, and immensely thrilling read.The realistic prose as well as the high tension atmosphere, makes you feel as though you are there, within the pages, with the characters! From the very start, this novel is utterly gripping, and the mounting anticipation builds at every turn of the page. This writer is so skilled that there are no filler pages in this one! As one of the narrators, Helen tries desperately to unravel generations passed, ending up on a journey that is Enthralling, exciting, and puts her very life in danger. In a sense, mirroring the exact position of the 1979 Berlin narrator, which happens to be Helen’s mother. From start to finish ‘Safe Houses’ is full of twisting, turning, dramatic, heart pounding action and has a historical edge that is insightful, and delightful, and also quite honestly, positively exciting and witty. A must Read for anyone who loves the heart racing excitement of a twisty espionage thriller!
Thank You Penguin First To Read, for my borrowed copy, in exchange for my personal un-biased honest review!