Safe and Sound

A Novel

By: Laura McHugh

Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Six years after their cousin vanished from their home while they were sleeping, two sisters set out to learn the truth behind what happened—even if it puts their own lives in danger—in this haunting thriller from the internationally bestselling author of What’s Done in Darkness.

“Beautifully written, unflinchingly told, and relentlessly suspenseful.”—Heather Gudenkauf, author of The Overnight Guest

In a town no one ever leaves, there are only so many places to hide.

As kids, Amelia and Kylee were found unharmed in their upstairs bedroom the night their teenage cousin Grace, who was babysitting them, vanished from the farmhouse in Beaumont, Missouri, leaving blood all over the kitchen. Scrappy and driven, Grace, the first in their family to go to college instead of getting married and working at the meatpacking plant, had been on the verge of escaping their dead-end town. Her disappearance is a warning to any local girl who dared hope for better.

Now, as their own high school graduation looms, Amelia and Kylee dream about fleeing Beaumont, but the likelihood of that happening seems as low as that of Grace being found. When human remains are discovered in town, the sisters think they finally know who took Grace—but as they dig deeper into her past, they unearth long-buried secrets and a growing list of suspects.

Amelia and Kylee vow to find Grace, dead or alive. But as they draw closer to the truth and slip further into danger, they question how far someone would go to put a woman in her place, or to cover up a crime. The answer is worse than they could have imagined, and in the end, it won’t just be Grace they’re trying to save—they’ll have to fight for their lives.

Critic reviews

“As a long-time fan of Laura McHugh’s work, I was overjoyed to see she has another novel coming our way, set—like the books that precede it—amongst the hardscrabble corners of rural Missouri. . . . McHugh has a precise skill for capturing the low-grade anxieties embedded in many small towns; her stories are taut with that strain, and relish in exploring what happens when the string finally snaps.”—Elle

“Safe and Sound, by Laura McHugh, is a haunting, intricately layered, and lyrical novel about family secrets, unspoken evil, and the search for the truth, no matter the costs. McHugh masterfully evokes the fabric and landscape of small-town life, the need to escape, and the bonds that hold you tight. Beautifully written, unflinchingly told, and relentlessly suspenseful, Safe and Sound belongs at the top of every to-be-read list.”—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest and Everyone Is Watching

“An evocative, riveting, and gorgeously written mystery, Safe and Sound is a finely detailed exploration of complicated familial bonds and the ways in which our upbringing can hold us captive, even when we try our hardest to break free of the things that haunt us. McHugh is never afraid to take her readers to dark places, and this novel will have you turning pages long into the night.”—Amy Engel, author of I Did It For You and The Roanoke Girls

“McHugh seamlessly combines eerie mystery with gritty social realism, grounding the story’s hair-raising jolts in the emotional realities of her three-dimensional characters. Readers won’t be able to put this down.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[McHugh] deftly captures the hardships of a small and insular community with vivid detail. A suspenseful tale of resilience that will resonate with anyone who has ever yearned for a fresh start.”—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for What’s Done in Darkness

“Laura McHugh’s psychological thrillers are characterized by their deeply wrought characters, objectively harrowing situations, and their shared setting in the Midwest and Ozarks.”—Oprah Daily

“McHugh writes here, as in earlier novels, with compassion and a strong moral compass.”—The New York Times Book Review

“What really sets McHugh apart . . . is that her social novels are seasoned with gothic horror. Each of them has kept me reading late into the night and left me chilled by their revelations.”—Los Angeles Times

Story line was nicely explained.

Warning if you are triggered by sexual abuse. Sinister story. Ending was great. Great read!

Touching story that could need non-fiction

Life in a small town through the eyes of a family of women trying to make it as men use and abuse them. Sad and so real-life it hurts.

Fascinating suspense story

So many twists and turns! Couldn’t stop listening. Love this author. Have enjoyed all of her books.

Slooooow pace

If I had to describe SAFE AND SOUND in one word it would be Bleak.

I listened to this slow-paced well-narrated novel on Audible and kept wondering when the story would pick up. It never did.

Amelia, Kylee and Grace were well-rounded characters with depth born in a rundown town where few escape. Grace took care of and protected her younger cousins. Until she disappeared. Now Amelia and Kylee are the age their older cousin was when she disappeared. With plans of leaving town, the surviving cousins want to find out what happened to Grace before they escape.

Told from Grace’s past perspective and her cousins present, the story of poverty and neglect and how that propelled Grace’s disappearance leads to a surprising conclusion.

Every element of SAFE AND SOUND is done well. I like dark books, but the repetitiveness and slow moving plot had me wishing something would happen.

Great story line

Love the narration. Very good story line and character development. Ending seemed stilted and hurried. The long build up nearly to the last chapter and then quick end.