Jess, wanting to be alone for a while, travels to Australia to caretake a luxury house in the outback. Soon she realised she isn’t alone at all when strangers start to turn up to seek shelter from the bush fires taking over the country. Strange things start to happen and Jess realises that some people aren’t who they claim to be.

This was a very well written, atmospheric thriller. I enjoyed the premise of this novel and like locked room mysteries, however I did find it slightly slow going at first and I never fully connected with the story. I did enjoy finding out the secrets of the characters and trying to work out who was hiding something. Overall I am in two minds about this book, as although it was interesting and well written, I did find it quite far fetched and not easy to connect with at this moment in time. I would definitely still look out for this author’s new books and look forward to seeing what they come out with next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Whilst a lot of events in this book are so out there and unlikely I just had to keep reading and find out how it ended. The book is definitely action packed and you don’t know who, if anybody you can trust. It could have ended many ways, thankfully I was very happy with the ending!

The synopsis intrigued and despite not being familiar with the author I couldn't wait to get started on this one. A gripping read that was easy to get into and kept my attention from beginning to end.

When Jess's friend Rupert tells her about a two month caretaking job looking after a luxury isolated property on the Australian coast, Jess doesn't take much convincing that she should apply. On a break from her job as an analyst with the Metropolitan Police the remoteness and solitude is just what she needs and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The opening chapter is wonderfully descriptive making it easy to visualise the vast wilderness, its landscape, isolation and wildlife brought to life as Jess drives her hire car from Melbourne and arrives at the the wealthy diamond magnates impressive ocean facing property, its electronic gates and fencing closing it off from the surroundings.

The perfect escape, except it wasn't. Less than 24 hours after her arrival her solitude is interrupted when stranger Marty limps into view, his hiking trip abandoned due to an injury and with no cell signal he's in need of a phone and water. He's closely followed by a ranger with two passengers he's picked up from a local beach and later a couple who've broken down nearby. With news bulletins warning of bushfires in the area and roads closed Jess feels obliged to offer them shelter.

A fast moving, entertaining read that gripped from start to finish. If you're willing to put aside one too many coincidences and you like dramatic and fast paced thrillers there's a lot to like about this one. The scene setting was good, as was the sense of unease and the increasing tension. A riveting read with a gripping conclusion.


Publication date: 14 Sep 23. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

I loved her last book so was looking forward to this one. I have to say the main body of the book was somewhat lacking. I think the character development was not enough at the beginning. We needed more insight into the main character. That said this would make an awesome action movie!

By the end I loved the characters and definitely want to read the sequel/series of it gets written.

A tale of corruption, distrust and wild fires, there is certainly a lot to keep you guessing. 3.5 rounded up to 4 but I think the sequel would be better.

I had very much enjoyed the author's thrilling "A stranger on board" exciting and relentless action. I was looking forward to this one and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Unlike the previous book this is based initially in London but moves quickly to Australia. In the south - Victoria - on the coast but remote from the main city Melbourne.
Jess Walker was an analyst for the Metropolitan police. She has suffered a catastrophic breakdown because of an incident in her private life. She falls out with her boss and walks out on her job. A friend suggests she apply for a caretaker's job at a remote large house at Watson's Peak.
The house and extensive grounds belong to a wealthy man who is wanted by the authorities. They are trying to gain access to his estate . However someone to look after the place for a few months appeals to Jess. She is aware that wildfires are not very far away and could possibly reach the house.
Jess has only been in residence a few days when she spots Marty who has sprained his ankle and needs shelter, he has been camping. Marty is secretive - he may be police or possibly not. Then a Park Ranger turns up with a couple of drug addicts. Then to confuse the situation further a married American couple in a camper van appear, their vehicle has broken down.
Suddenly Jess who was looking forward to trying to recover her fragile mental state on her own has six very different house guests! Soon Jess realises she is in danger, someone or something has cut the internet cable so that phones and other forms of communication are lost. What is hidden in the vault in the basement? Together with the fire threat, suddenly her life is very much at risk.
Definitely one of my favourite authors. Very much recommended. I look forwad to more books from this author.

Jess needs a break and she finds just what she needs. A house in the Australian outback. Peace and quiet and amazing views and an unbelievable house.
Then the strangers start turning up and the bush fires are getting closer. Then the phones cut out and finally someone goes missing.
Not exactly a restful solitary break!

Meh. Couldn't really get into this one. Interesting how everyone shows up at the same house during the fires and farfetched how some of this takes place. I did more skimming than anything. Just didn't hold much attention for me.

Jess, a Met police analyst had suffered a dreadful personal and professional incident that needed time to heal. The offer of being a caretaker in a remote Australian luxury home for two months appealed to her. He plan was to take stock of her life and see how she felt afterwards. Whether that meant returning to London or staying in Australia, her original home, she had no idea. Of course, this book wouldn’t have much of a story if Jess sat by a pool for two months. However, the escalation of fear and tension began almost immediately. Encountering mysterious strangers and the threat of wildfire very real her desire for peace was reducing with every passing day. Without giving any spoilers Jess soon had much more to be concerned about than her past and with very real threats coming at her from all sides she didn’t know who to trust in this fast paced thriller. Were all the strangers who they said they were? Would help arrive to save them before the fires got them? Would it be irrelevant if more sinister forces got to them first? What a great book, I absolutely loved it. The wild and desolate area so eloquently described, perfectly illustrating both its beauty and danger. I would like to think a sequel is on the cards.

After something traumatic happens, Metropolitan Police analyst Jess decides to take a break from work and recuperate in Australia, where she's from. When a friend informs her of the opportunity to work as caretaker at the lavish home of an absent billionaire, the isolation and luxury of the location sound perfect to Jess. But things don't workout quite as planned...

Within a few days, she finds herself forced to offer shelter to a small group of people who are seeking refuge from the nearby bushfires. Although Jess's gut instincts are immediately activated, making her feel that something is off about the situation, it is not until a couple of days later that the full extent of the problem becomes clear.

As more people show up on her doorstep, and the bushfires move alarmingly close, faultlines begin to emerge within the group. And when one person is found dead, the ugly tensions come to a boil. With no way of escaping from the area, the result is a gripping locked room mystery.

Ward does an excellent job of using the location and the characteristics of the Outback not simply as a backdrop, but to add an atmospheric element that becomes like another character in the story. Jess is a well written MC, and her predicament feels all too relatable.

The story does require a suspension of disbelief on multiple fronts, because it is somewhat far-fetched. But having said that, the storytelling never fails to hold the reader's attention, and the suspense is maintained very effectively. All in all, it's a compelling and enjoyable read. I give it 3.5 stars.

I absolutely loved Cameron Ward's previous book 'A Stranger on Board' and so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this new book. And it certainly did not disappoint.  

The latest book is another wildly entertaining read, set this time in an Australian national park.  

Jess worked as an analyst for the Metropolitan Police but after a horrendous experience in her personal and professional life she is completely burned out and dumps her London life.  In an attempt to recover Jess takes a two month job in Australia as caretaker of a multi-million pound mansion in a national park in Victoria.  However, what was supposed to be a quiet time of reflection and healing soon turns into a complete nightmare when she has some unexpected house guests and historic bush fires creep closer and closer to the property.  

A slow burning build up for most of the first half but when the action does eventually kick in this is a heart pounding, knicker-gripping thriller of immense proportions.

A gripping thriller that you will not want to put down.

When Jess takes on the job of caretaker of a luxury mansion her only concern is the risk of wildfires that have been springing up close by but the house is well equipped. However, when strangers turn up needing help Jess takes them in not anticipating the danger this puts her in…

Full of twists and a race against the fire raging towards the house this is a fantastic read.

I enjoyed Cameron Ward's first book, 'A Stranger on Board' so was delighted to receive an early copy of 'The Safe House' for review. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy - opinions are, as always, entirely my own.

This book follows Jess, a Metropolitan Police employee who - for her own reasons - wants to get away. The ideal solution presents itself (*alarm bells*) when Jess' friend discovers a remote luxury house in the Australian Outback is in need of a house-sitter. It seems to offer the peace and respite that Jess needs - but she hasn't considered the wild fires ravaging the local area or the mysterious visitors that appear. As the fire gets closer, Jess finds herself in danger - but is the real peril inside or outside the house?

As with Ward's previous book, this is a real page-turner. I found myself - along with Jess - trying to work out who to trust and who is not who they say they are. They're a pretty unusual bunch thrown together by the fires, so it was quite tricky!

Ward manages the tension and pace well. The group in the house are in so much danger from the wild fires sweeping through the outback - and that's even before anything happening within the house. As the fire gets closer, Jess' situation becomes even more dire as communication is cut off and escape routes are blocked. I did find myself reading so quickly as things just got worse and worse on the build-up to a pretty spectacular finale.

As a Brit reading this, I found the location interesting - I've not been to Australia but Ward makes it sound both beautiful and also slightly terrifying (spiders, snakes, fire...). I loved that the local wildlife is also featured, although it's so sad that the animals are in the path of the fire too.

I'd recommend this to lovers of pacey and lively thrillers - there's plenty here to keep you reading as you root for Jess in her hostile and ever-changing environment. Pick up a copy, clear the diary and enjoy!

Cameron Ward certainly knows how to build suspense and hold his readers enthralled!
Jess is caretaking a remote house deep in the Australian bush trying to escape her recent past. Her privacy is interrupted by a series of strangers all with excuses to visit the exclusive estate. As a police analyst Jess already has mental health problems, the caretaking job being a means of recuperation, and the way the reader is drip fed details of the cause of her anxiety only serves to heighten the suspense.
When bush fires threaten the lives of of everyone, the full extent of the danger is exposed.
This very well plotted novel includes some cloaked characters which made this a pacy and thrilling read.

I really hope the decision to leave the restaurant where I read the majority of this book, to then finish it in bed, won't give me nightmares, as the descriptions were rather vivid.

I could almost feel the hat emerging from the pages, as the threat of bushfires were being discussed.

And for a house sitting gig in the bush, to try to recuperate from one tragedy, Jess ends up in the most surreal situation with no idea who to trust.

And I have to say I had no real idea who could be trusted either, but I was gripped and was totally hooked by this book.

This is the second book I've read by the author and I suspect I will be reading many more to come as they have both been fantastic.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I enjoyed reading this book as it was well written, had a tight plot with well described characters. Jess needs to get away from England and her police job so takes a job as a custodian of a luxury house in the middle of nowhere in Australia. All seems perfect until bush fires threaten the area and random people seek sanctuary in the Villa. The tension mounts and there is obviously someone who has ulterior motives for being in the area. The drama within the Villa is matched by the encroaching fire and had me up late into the night.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, Penguin Publishers for the Arc!
As soon as I saw that the setting for the book took place in Australia, I knew I was going to love it. The depictions of the heat, fire, wildlife and location really made you feel like you were a part of the story. It was a locked room mystery, in and outside of the house.

The basic premise of the book is a good foundation for a thriller, with the lead character returning to Australia to look after a property deep in the Australian bush. As ever in thrillers such as ‘Safe House’ the central player has a complex back story, which plays into the developing tension as bush fires threaten the house and its occupants, who now include an assortment of individuals, each posing some threat or challenge to the main player. The author manages to turn the ratchet steadily so that tension builds relentlessly, with assorted threats from the fire and the people who have gathered uninvited at the property. The story is well told, although some readers may find the back story of the female lead character a little too intrusive, whilst the romantic interest between our protagonist and one of the uninvited ‘guests’ may be seen as more at home in a different genre. However, these are minor criticisms; if you can suspend disbelief and tolerate a few implausible coincidences - all features of the thriller genre - then it’s a good read. Recommended.

A very riveting tense story of Jess who gets offered a caretaker job looking after a house in Australia she jumps at the chance. Bushfires start and suddenly strangers start to appear asking for refuge in the concrete house and she ends up with 6 strangers..
When the phones stop working and all exits are blocked she starts to panic and then strange things start to happen which makes Jess wonder who the people are in the house and who can she trust especially when she finds a dead body,
This is a fast paced full throttle murder mystery and you are pulled in trying to guess who the other people are and what were they doing near the house.
Would highly recommend thanks to NetGalley & Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for a ARC for a honest review.

This had me in a dilemma. On the one hand I had to keep reading to the end. On the other the plot and outcomes are so ridiculously unbelievable and unrealistic that it was rather cringe. A fair bit of eye rolling and “really?” Was going on.

So, you set off to your home country of Australia from London where you work as a Police Analyst for the London Met. A trauma has driven you to seek solitude by caretaking a missing Billionaires mansion, isolated in the Aussie bush, miles from anyone. At the same time you are aware severe ravaging bushfires are in the region. First clue that great decisions are not being made.

Unbelievably a set of motley people all show up to this isolated house really quickly from a lost Bushwalker to two hippie drug addicts. Really? Hmm….what a coincidence. What baffled me is she lets them all in, let’s them all stay rather than send them off into the bushfire danger. I mean, you just wouldn’t right? Let them burn I say, these are really dodgy people.

So much is over the top and as you read on you realise the plot gets increasingly complex and what is supposed to be reveals sort of come across as laughable, far too unrealistic. Yet, I kept reading. See my confusion?

As the danger of the bushfires get closer these people are stuck together, each with their own agenda, but what? I have to say some of the characters are posed as very different from the start as compared with the end. So that part was interesting. But, you know those action movies where you are watching so much over the top stuff? This is that on pages. Cue the eye rolls. Wait until you hear what’s in her walk in wardrobe?

As the pace picks up towards the end and identities and purposes are revealed it’s fast stuff. I found the main character to be somewhat stupid, considering she is a very analytical person and super cautious in life the choices she makes are not in line with her character. The total opposite. Yet, I kept reading, so struggling to rate this one. If you are happy with a book that’s not really in line with reality or the way it would be possibly you’ll enjoy this. Some discoveries she has early in the book makes things so obvious, yet this clever, intelligent analytical woman can’t put two and two together. She would, in reality. Bizarrely a minimal amount of food left for her solely in the house for her feeds the five thousand. It’s things like that I got frustrated with.

I lived in Australia myself for 30 years and the descriptions of the danger and ravenous advances of Aussie bushfires is really well done. Lots of information on various animals, some cute and some lethal. This Aussie theme is key to the books locale and the characters too (many are totally stereotyped however).

BUT when it’s revealed the connections some folks have it was waaaay too ridiculous, Really? Come on.

It does have its racy moments and some good character interactions. My biggest issue with it are a couple of things in the plot, both in it and not included that simply would never happen. Nope. But I can’t say as it would spoil things for you. A mixed bag this one so I’ve settled on 3 stars.

I really enjoyed The Safe House ,set in Australia at the start of the wild fires ,which I find incredibly scary .The descriptions were fantastic I almost felt I was there. Jess is housesitting a house owned by a Billionaire who has disappeared and is hoping for peace and quiet until seven strangers turn up looking for shelter from the fires and from then on there is no peace for Jess just danger as there is a killer amongst them. A fast paced exciting read .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.