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Safe Keeping
by
At the heart of every crime, there's a family.
My son is a murderer.... So begins this chilling and emotionally charged mystery from highly acclaimed author Barbara Taylor Sissel.
Emily Lebay had always thought of her family as ordinary. Sure, they've endured their share of problems, even a time of great trouble; what family hasn't? But when a woman's body turns up in the d ...more
My son is a murderer.... So begins this chilling and emotionally charged mystery from highly acclaimed author Barbara Taylor Sissel.
Emily Lebay had always thought of her family as ordinary. Sure, they've endured their share of problems, even a time of great trouble; what family hasn't? But when a woman's body turns up in the d ...more
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Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 25th 2014
by Harlequin MIRA
(first published January 1st 2014)
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Do You Ever Really Know Someone??
SAFE KEEPING is by one of my new go to authors, Barbara Taylor Sissel. This is the story of the Lebay family. Tucker and Lissa are brother and sister. Their parents are Roy and Emily. Tucker has been in trouble with the police before. Now it seems he is in trouble again. The police have found a dead woman on the same stretch of the highway where they found one a year before. A year ago, Tucker was questioned as a person of interest in the police departments inves ...more

The characters drew me in from the first few pages. There was quickly a sense of hidden stories and conflict that was weaved amongst the family members. Tucker couldn't possibly be capable of murder and yet everything points to yes, he is. Roy's history makes him an imposing character but when needed, Emily stands her ground to put her family back together. The portrayal of Roy's PTSD was something I haven't seen written so well in other stories. This is a page turner for sure and kept me up pas
...more

I picked up a copy of this book because it falls in the genre that I like. However it did not intrigue me. I got to page 56 and put the book down. I came back to a long while later and started reading it again as I was determined to read the book. Sadly though I only got a few more pages into the book and finally gave up on it. None of the characters or storyline were drawing me in and keeping my interest. Plus, I really did not like the way that they talked. Such a bummer as I thought this book
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Interesting premise, but I never felt any connection to the characters. The characters themselves seemed to be lacking in emotion a bit...or at least, their emotions didn't translate well to the pages (more "telling" than "showing" was the case here, I think).
...more

Right after I finished the book, a question came to mind: what could be worse, death or incarceration? We're talking about either one happening to one's child. Both are unthinkable, unimaginable. Denial from the family is a natural reaction, as the mind cannot grapple with the idea of a kin, one of their own being capable of an evil act like murder.
I had hoped that the killer was someone else; maybe it was the mother in me. Yet, when the truth was exposed, it's true what's said that one can only ...more
I had hoped that the killer was someone else; maybe it was the mother in me. Yet, when the truth was exposed, it's true what's said that one can only ...more

I don't believe I've ever read a book quite like "Safe Keeping." It was extremely emotional and the plot held my interest throughout. I just couldn't believe that Tucker was a murderer (not a spoiler because it's in the synopsis). I still don't believe it.
This family broke my heart. Emily, the mom, was such a tragic figure. She loves and supports her family so much that she's constantly hurting - and Lissa is the same way. She believes in Tucker no matter what. Even when everything is falling a ...more
This family broke my heart. Emily, the mom, was such a tragic figure. She loves and supports her family so much that she's constantly hurting - and Lissa is the same way. She believes in Tucker no matter what. Even when everything is falling a ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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2.5 stars. This book was just OK. I felt like there was just too much going on; Tucker being charged with murder, Roy's PTSD, Emily's many, many issues, and Lissa/Evan's baby situation. This book just tried too hard and didn't deliver. One of my biggest issues is that central to everyone's story was Tucker, and we learned the least about him. Very disappointing.
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When another missing woman is found murdered it once again casts a dark shadow over the Lebay family. How could it not? Jessica was murdered in the same manner and found in same location as Miranda whose body was found only a year earlier. Jessica, like Miranda, had a close association with Tucker Lebay and they had fought on the night she went missing. Miranda’s murder had never been solved and now Tucker once again is considered a “person of interest.” He, of course, proclaims his innocence bu
...more

****** This is a First Reads, Thank You Goodreads *****
I think 2 1/2 stars would be more accurate in my rating to be fair.
The story surrounds a family in Texas; Emily, the matriarch, who has her own pains and regrets in life as she blindly carries and sweeps her family's clean or bakes her way in a false stepford smile; Roy, the patriarch, wounded in war, came back with ptsd, did damage to his family in more ways than one, the night terrors sometimes keep in the day, questions was it all worth ...more

I absolutely loved this book! It was so good I just had to keep reading it, I finished it in just a few days. I have to say, the story really did tug at my heart strings, how one simple act so long ago could have such a huge impact on a family and change them in so many ways. Obviously, when the Dad got back from the war and did what he did to his son( I won't reveal to much because I don't want to give it away), that entire event scarred the son, Tucker, in a way that no one could have imagined
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Emotionally moving
"Safe Keeping" by Barbara Taylor Sissel
What happens when you think your son may have murdered two women, yet at the same time you are almost convinced he could not have done it. Are you making justifications that he is always pestered by the cops, he has lied in the past, but not always, yes he has struggled at everything he has tried to do and just appears to have little or no ability to really succeed. Is this a result of how he was born? How he was raised? A traumatic event ...more
"Safe Keeping" by Barbara Taylor Sissel
What happens when you think your son may have murdered two women, yet at the same time you are almost convinced he could not have done it. Are you making justifications that he is always pestered by the cops, he has lied in the past, but not always, yes he has struggled at everything he has tried to do and just appears to have little or no ability to really succeed. Is this a result of how he was born? How he was raised? A traumatic event ...more

If Barbara Taylor Sissel ever stops writing my world will collapse. In the span of just a few months I've gobbled up five of her books (will be finishing the fifth one tonight or tomorrow!)!!!!
I am not one to write a synopsis of a book when I give a review because I hate when story lines are given away. In fact I rarely read the synopsis on the book itself! So I'm not going to tell you anything about what I read in this book.
I am going to tell you, that as a reader, I am not easily impressed wi ...more
I am not one to write a synopsis of a book when I give a review because I hate when story lines are given away. In fact I rarely read the synopsis on the book itself! So I'm not going to tell you anything about what I read in this book.
I am going to tell you, that as a reader, I am not easily impressed wi ...more

An interesting plot - what would you do if one of your family members was accused of not one but two murders - or even more? 34 year old Tucker is that person who has been accused. His mother and his sister and her husband stand behind him 100 percent. The only thing his father says, a Vietnam veteran who lost a leg in the war and struggles with PTSD - doesn't care what happens to Tucker, except that he "get the hell out of the house".
This is something I have wondered about; what if a beloved, ...more
This is something I have wondered about; what if a beloved, ...more

I couldn't get into this book because I didn't like any of the characters. Everything felt very wooden and two dimensional.
...more

Didn't pull on the heart strings like a Jodi Picoult.
...more

For a more in depth review, please visit my blog, Chorley Chronicals!
I have really come to love the writing of Barbara Taylor Sissel, and must say that Evidence of Life was one of my favorite books that I've read, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out, I did everything I could to find out how I could get my hands on a copy of Safe Keeping. I knew that Barbara Taylor Sissel was in with one of my Goodreads groups, Sisterhood of the Traveling Books, so I checked there, and sure enough, s ...more
I have really come to love the writing of Barbara Taylor Sissel, and must say that Evidence of Life was one of my favorite books that I've read, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out, I did everything I could to find out how I could get my hands on a copy of Safe Keeping. I knew that Barbara Taylor Sissel was in with one of my Goodreads groups, Sisterhood of the Traveling Books, so I checked there, and sure enough, s ...more

Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel
Published by Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
ISBN-10: 0778316165
ISBN-12: 978-0778316169
Number of Pages: 320
Review Copy from: Author/Harlequin
Edition: TPB
My Rating: 5
Synopsis (via GR):
My son is a murderer.... So begins this chilling and emotionally charged mystery from highly acclaimed author Barbara Taylor Sissel.
Emily Lebay had always thought of her family as ordinary. Sure, they've endured their share of problems, even a time of great trouble ...more

Safe Keeping is the first book that I have read by Barbara Taylor Sissel. It is very well-written, an excellent second novel published under the Harlequin Mira imprint. This emotion-charged novel should be read with tissues handy! Your heart will be warmed, stretched and torn a bit as you read this expression of the incredible depth of love between parents and their children, brothers and sisters. I highly recommend this to a parent or brother or sister of one who has had a history of emotional
...more

I have to admit I was surprised to find out this was a Harlequin book. I remember them as being rather simple: girl meets boy, their personalities clash or there's some other obstacle that prevents them getting together, they overcome it, and live happily ever after. This book was nothing like that.
There are enough reviews on the storyline itself, so I'm going to focus on how I felt reading it. Emily frustrated me, made me want to shake her, and make her wake up to the reality of what this whole ...more
There are enough reviews on the storyline itself, so I'm going to focus on how I felt reading it. Emily frustrated me, made me want to shake her, and make her wake up to the reality of what this whole ...more
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Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue oriented, upmarket women’s fiction that is threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime affects the family. Next to writing books she loves to edit them, and with more than fifteen years in the profession, both as a bestselling author and as a developmental editor, she's got experience. Contact her via her website if you'
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