From Dirt to The Cleanup, Sean Doolittle has dazzled critics and defied expectations, garnering bolder critical raves w...
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Jan 29, 2009
J.C.
rated it: 
Is Your Neighborhood Safer?
While not particularly groundbreaking, SAFER is a wonderful thriller. The method of storytelling by the author, Sean Doolittle, is especially engaging because he paces the book incredibly well. The reader is introduced to the main character, Paul, who is being arrested on the first page. The story then alternates between Paul explaining his story to his attorney and others involved, introducing a possible paranoia of his neighbors with no substantial eviden More...
While not particularly groundbreaking, SAFER is a wonderful thriller. The method of storytelling by the author, Sean Doolittle, is especially engaging because he paces the book incredibly well. The reader is introduced to the main character, Paul, who is being arrested on the first page. The story then alternates between Paul explaining his story to his attorney and others involved, introducing a possible paranoia of his neighbors with no substantial eviden More...
Jan 15, 2009
S.
rated it: 
Everyone wants to live in a town where everyone knows each other, where everyone keeps an eye out for their neighbor, a place where you always belong. But what if this idyllic community slowly turned into a Brave New Neighborhood? What everyone knew you more than you would like, your neighbors kept to close an eye on you, and when they didn't like what they saw, decided that you were no longer welcome?
Doolittle takes a handful of modern paranoid fears and combines them into a tight, en More...
Doolittle takes a handful of modern paranoid fears and combines them into a tight, en More...
Mar 25, 2010
Dennis D.
rated it:
Author Sean Doolittle sets his hook with the very first sentence: "my wife, Sara, and I are hosting a faculty party at our home when the Clark Falls Police Department arrives to take me into custody." In very quick fashion, we learn the following: Paul Callaway has no idea that he’s about to be arrested, even after he greets the police on his front stoop. He's a college English professor. He and his wife only recently moved to this small Midwestern town. He's being charged with the
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Mar 09, 2011
Brian
rated it:
When I picked this up, I thought it would be very similar to Caught by Harlan Coben. Though there were some similarities, I feel like this was a much stronger book.
In both books, an otherwise good upstanding citizen is accused of sexual crimes against a child. In both books, the accused vehemently denies said allegations. That's where the parallels end.
Unlike the tough, me-against-the-world, Jason-Bourne-lite characters that populate the Coben novels, Paul Callaway is More...
In both books, an otherwise good upstanding citizen is accused of sexual crimes against a child. In both books, the accused vehemently denies said allegations. That's where the parallels end.
Unlike the tough, me-against-the-world, Jason-Bourne-lite characters that populate the Coben novels, Paul Callaway is More...
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May 16, 2009
Sunny
rated it: 
I expected more from this book from the reviews I read. However, it was very well written. The twist at the end was decent. We knew who the culprit was the whole time, so the suspense for me was really naught. However, I would give Sean Doolittle a 4 stars for writing...he's good at creating interesting characters and dialogue. He's not up to Harlen Coben in the plot department yet.
I am picky about mysteries - won't read one with a continuing detective - find it boring - like when the More...
I am picky about mysteries - won't read one with a continuing detective - find it boring - like when the More...
Mar 25, 2009
Diane
rated it: 
This book is an entertaining crime fiction novel about a couple, Paul and Sara Callaway, who move to a little midwestern town from the Northeast. They reside on a seemingly quiet cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood where everyone knows everybody else. One of the other major characters is Roger Mallory, a retired cop, who seems to know just about everything about all his neighbors. Very creepy!
Within a short period of time, Paul and Sara find out about the neighborhood's secret More...
Within a short period of time, Paul and Sara find out about the neighborhood's secret More...
Jul 19, 2011
Josh
rated it:
Roger isn't your typical neighbourhood watch rep. In fact, this former cop and hero of the community is down right scary in Sean Doolittle's most mainstream novel yet 'Safer' - a story about a 30-some odd married couple moving to a small town community whose first introduction to the neighbourhood consists of an attempted burglary, rape and evidence tampering. Before long this once cosy street is turned on its head and a shady past brings light to present day wrong doings. Paul, a protagonist of
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May 30, 2010
Maddy
rated it:
RATING: 4.0
In today’s world, the headlines are full of stories about from predators on the loose, rampant crime and an overwhelming message that the world is not really a safe place. People are afraid to let their children play outside by themselves. Most of us are willing to go to extra lengths to protect our loved ones. It’s actually comforting to live in a place where there is an active neighborhood crime patrol and where people are alert to what is going on around them. But what More...
In today’s world, the headlines are full of stories about from predators on the loose, rampant crime and an overwhelming message that the world is not really a safe place. People are afraid to let their children play outside by themselves. Most of us are willing to go to extra lengths to protect our loved ones. It’s actually comforting to live in a place where there is an active neighborhood crime patrol and where people are alert to what is going on around them. But what More...
May 09, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
This book jumps back and forth over several months. It opens with the main character being arrested and goes on to explain how he's been set up (or so he says) by a neighbor of his, Roger, who is (of course) the most beloved man in town.
It's a very suspenseful book and I had a hard time putting it down. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but I may have just been exhausted from not ever wanting to put it down to do things like, say, sleep. :)
I'll see how I feel about it af More...
It's a very suspenseful book and I had a hard time putting it down. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but I may have just been exhausted from not ever wanting to put it down to do things like, say, sleep. :)
I'll see how I feel about it af More...
Dec 27, 2010
Daphne
rated it:
Sean Doolittle, where have you been all my life? I can't believe I've never read a book by this suspense/thriller author. I am in awe. Suspense plot utterly believable all the way through, no unlikely twists or cartoonish turns. I'd say 3 of 4 suspenses, including by the stars in the field, start out absorbing, then fall apart or get silly by the end, often halfway in. This was solid, page by page to the last. Remarkable work. I'm snatching up all his earlier books for sure.
Jul 19, 2011
Jerry
rated it:
This book definitely held my interest from start to finish - the kind of book where the deeper I'm into the book the more time I want to spend reading it and the next thing you know I'm up 'til 2:00AM because I need to know what happens next and then I need to finish the book but then maybe wish I'd made it last a little longer because I'm gonna miss the characters and the book I'm starting next might not be nearly this good.
Mar 01, 2010
Lorileinart
rated it:
I enjoyed this book in the same way a person might have enjoyed their first Nelson DeMille or Scott Turow...just a good, solid read. Doolittle has a sexy sense of humor that I like in a man (this was the leading contributor to the high rating).
Safer would be a great read for the beach, the airplane, or an afternoon spent on the chaise, watching the snow fall.
Life-altering? No way.
Delicious pleasure? Yup.
Safer would be a great read for the beach, the airplane, or an afternoon spent on the chaise, watching the snow fall.
Life-altering? No way.
Delicious pleasure? Yup.
Apr 20, 2011
Khim
rated it:
Dit is het eerste boek wat ik in het nieuwe jaar heb gelezen en het is een heel goed begin van een nieuw boekenjaar! Paul en Sara verhuizen naar een klein stadje. Ze worden al direct opgevangen door de buren en ook Roger de overbuurman leren ze kennen. Deze stelt voor om zich aan te sluiten bij de buurtwacht. Is de buurtwacht wel zo veilig? Als Paul en Sara een feestje geven wordt Paul gearresteerd. Hij wordt beschuldigd van kinderporno en het misbruik van een meisje. Door heel het boek voel je
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Jun 16, 2011
Liberty
rated it:
Wow! Wow! Wow! This was a fantastic book! While the concept is not unique, Doolittle does a superb job of telling this story of neighbors gone wild!
The book reminded me of the movie Lakeview Terrace but in my opinion was so so so much better! The action begins on the first few pages and continues at a fast pace clear up until the end of the book. Doolittle ties up every loose end leaving nothing to wonder about. When I finished the book I shut and and said Wow! That was intense!
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The book reminded me of the movie Lakeview Terrace but in my opinion was so so so much better! The action begins on the first few pages and continues at a fast pace clear up until the end of the book. Doolittle ties up every loose end leaving nothing to wonder about. When I finished the book I shut and and said Wow! That was intense!
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Jun 01, 2010
John
rated it: 
Paul Callaway and his wife Sara have moved to a town in Iowa where Sara has taken a job at a regional university. Police show up and arrest Paul for sexual exploitation of a minor. Paul is not guilty, but it takes 334 pages to explain why he is suspected of the crime.
Jan 16, 2010
Carleen
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 18, 2009
Nette
rated it:
Run-of-the-mill thriller. The first, oh, 90% of the book had kind of a cool, menacing, paranoid tone, but the ending was just plain goofy, way more bloody and dramatic than it needed to be. Maybe he was writing it with the movie rights in mind.
May 21, 2009
Laren
rated it:
A teacher is accused of indecency with a neighbor who is a minor. A lot of evidence points towards his guilt, but he knows he did nothing wrong so how can this be happening? Of course it doesn't help that he has other secrets of his own. Could someone in the neighborhood be framing him? I thought this book was quite engrossing and the reader will root for the protagonist, flaws and all.
Jun 27, 2009
Great story. Could not put it down. Every homeowner's nightmare is to have a psycho neighbor and Doolittle has put together a great story. He has a great writing style too. Short and compact sentences, he is easy to read.
May 12, 2009
Afsleight
rated it:
Read a review in the Post and decided to give it a try. Perfect quick summer read. Read it over 3 nights and kept me entertained. It's along the lines of a Baldacci or Patterson novel, it's mystery but not a legal thriller.
Mar 12, 2009
Mike
rated it:
This book grips you from the beginning and keeps up the intensity until the tense ending. A couple moves in to a nice midwestern neighborhood and discovers treachery lurking there. Overall a fast and interesting read.
Apr 16, 2009
Su
rated it:
a read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story is of a neighborhood protection group that provides less than what they advertise. It was suspenseful and riveting, but at the same time just a bit overdone.
Aug 01, 2011
I really enjoyed this one. It is a thriller that avoids most of the cop cliches that many thrillers fall into. A guy falsely accused of molesting 14-year old girl seemed a little too plausible for comfort.
Mar 21, 2009
Heather
rated it:
Great book - lots of twists in the plot that make it a page turner. I've never read Sean Doolittle before, but am really enjoying this book.
Jul 04, 2010
Rick
rated it:
Amusing yarn of a suburban life gone very bad. Using the anti-hero formula, this mystery is not without its charm. OK, not completely stupid.
Aug 31, 2009
This is a page turner--perfect example of what a mystery should be. Doolittle has a distinctive voice. If you love a mystery, you'll love this one.
Jun 12, 2009
Kristine
rated it:
Can you say paranoia?? Even though I really enjoyed this book, I have to admit to developing a little bit of the "P" word as I read it!
Apr 18, 2009
Lynn
rated it:
This should be 3.75. Very serviceable thriller in the Harlan Coben mode. Suspenseful and sometimes funny - a great combo.
Oct 03, 2009
Maryellen
rated it:
Safer is the first Doolittle novel I've read. An interesting thriller, it will remind you of those by Harlan Coben.
Apr 13, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it:
This would be a good novel to bring on vacation. Da Vinci Code-esque with all of the chapter-ending cliffhangers, and the plot is not as tight as it could be. However, it was a quick, entertaining read.
