Safe House

by James Heneghan

Northern Ireland. In 1999, one year after the Good Friday peace accord, sectarian violence still runs rampant in Belfast and the hatred between Protestant and Catholic runs deep. Liam O'Donnell's father is a peacemaker to the Catholic community. When twelve-year-old Liam's parents are brutally murdered in front of him, he is frozen in place. But when he sees the face of one of the attackers, he is forced to run for his life. Escaping, he finds shelter with a neighboring family.

Taken to a police safe house, Liam is betrayed and forced to run again, from the very people who are supposed to be protecting him. Can he escape from his pursuer? Is there anywhere to turn for help?

A thrilling tale of suspense set against a background that is brought brilliantly to life, Safe House is a story told from the heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, War, Ireland, Novels, Fiction, Canada

Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

James Heneghan (born 1930) is a British Canadian author. Heneghan grew up Liverpool, England, and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. He earned Canadian citizenship in 1963.

Series:
* The O'Brien Detective Agency

Awards:
* Arthur Ellis Award: Juvenile
o 1995 – Torn Away – Winner

* Sheila A. Egoff Children's Book Prize
o 1998 – Wish Me Luck – Winner
o 2001 – The Grave – Winner
o 2003 – Flood – Winner

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick read was pleasantly surprising in its balanced look at such a sensitive, divisive issue. Liam is a young Catholic teen living in Northern Ireland who dreams of joining the circus, so he attends classes on the weekends with his friends and has posters of performers lining the walls in his room. But when his parents are brutally murdered in a random retaliation killing, he wakes up to see one of the perpetrators who briefly removed his mask. He is sent to live in a safe house until the killer is caught, but soon realizes his life is still in danger.

Liam is a quick and spirited character drawn with realism during this brief look at this moment of is life. There is a detailed description of the issues in Ireland/NI for those unfamiliar yet it rarely felt daunting or overly didactic. It is also made abundantly clear that there are good and bad Catholics and Protestants.

Good for all young adult reading levels and a good length. Apart from the murders in the beginning, there are very few red flags, with no sex or cussing.

[Stoney_E2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liam's parents have been murdered, and now the murderer is trying to hunt him down. He has to find a way to escape the murderer, and in order to do that, the inspector put him in a safe house. You would like this book if you enjoy learning about the stereotypes the people of Ireland held at the time of 1999 while enjoying the action-packed details written by James Heneghan.

[Victoria Frias · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book i chose to read was called safe house. it was different for me to read because usually i will choose a book that stands out with a cute name colorful cover but this one is dark with just "safe house" on it. I'm very glad i chose this book it kept me on the top of my feet wile reading it and literally left me sleepless for a night after finishing it. Safe House ... a boy named Liam Fogarty was a 12 year old boy who was one night the victim of his parents death he was asleep peacefully until he hears to men and round after round after round of gun shots fired in his parents room witch was just down the hall. Liam couldn't get out of bed he tried his legs felt like loose noodles that were going to collapse ,if he were to stand up so he lied there trying to get a peek of the two men and he did he described one man with a big mole on his face so from there on that memory was in his head forever and the other man was just tall and had a mask on one last time he tried to get up but he couldn't he threw him self on the floor trying to hide but they herd,they herd the boy so they ran to his room Liam finally had enough strength to get up so he did and they grabbed him the mole was already about to pull the trigger as it was up against his head until the other man stopped him and said he's just a boy after the boy herd than he shrugged the men off him and jumped out his window falling far down but he said he rather have a broken neck then be dead like his "mum and da" he got up sucked up the pain ran and ran he herd a motorcycle and he looked and it was the "mole" he ran and ran he seen an alley he ran threw there bare foot with his ankle all beat up and glass going threw his skin rain drops falling on him and still running for his life he hides behind a car until he hears the motorcycles noise fade away. then gets up and runs more but the way back to his house he sees his neighbors they call him to the house and they help him clean up letting him sleep in the house they call the cops they took hours and never arrived.Liam stayed up all night every noise scared him until he started seeing shadows he gets up goes to the kitchen and looks out the window its no one but suddenly another gun shot the mole had found him he took of running with the motorcycle right behind him he looses him for a wile but could hear him near, he remembers a place to hide out that he used to with his friends it was a little room at a cemetery so he does he runs there as fast as he could and lost the sound of the mole following him. the next day he goes to the police tells them what happend and they send him to a police safe house he told them descriptions and they were out looking for them he felt something fishy but left it until one day they came back he seen the mole with them he hid from them and they came in and it wasn't such a safe house anymore he took of running in a different direction witch he didn't understand he thought the police were going to protect him but no they only betrayed him. Liam ran and ran and ran until he went back to his neighbors the mole wouldn't check there again a few days later Liam thought it was all over until he seen the mole at a gallery the mole wouldn't give up until Liam was dead they spotted each other and Liam started running he new a crowd of people wouldn't stop him from killing Liam they ran down stairs hundreds of them yelling at eachother the mole got mad and mad they were running and running until the mole had a bad fall he was laying on the floor eyes shut a lady ran up to him check his pulse and they called an ambulance they came put him on a stretcher and off to the hospital they went. Liam got there called his neighbor up she went and made sure he was ok the police went up to Liam and the lady and she was pissed explaining how the police and the mole worked together to kill the boy he tried to help out but they didn't trust anyone. they said the mole had died so the police man had told Liam how brave he is and lucky to be alive ms coldly took Liam home and mad him tea he looked at the shattered window and felt relieved no more running from the mole. he layed down and had fell asleep with no worry he woke up and delia Cassidy witch is his neighbor handed Liam a gold ring and he said what is this and she said it was your mothers wedding band he cried and just thought of the good memories and said thank you. She asked if he wanted to go to his house and get his stuff to take over there and he said he was ready they went over there it looked as if he was just there and he sat on his floor and just cried cried and cried he stopped crying and started takin down his stuff and left his house for the last time. I loved the book it left me in tears after i was done that for the rest of his life thats the memory that he's going to have ,for now on I'm going to pick books like this because they opened my eyes about life love the book! :)

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

James Heneghan's "Safe House" is an action packed novel that follows the tribulations of a twelve year old boy named Liam Fogarty. The book jumps right into the action from page one when Liam's family is senselessly murdered solely due to the fact that they are Catholic and living in the dark, gloomy and then religiously divided city of Belfast. While in the act of murdering Liam's sleeping parents, one of the killers (nicknamed "The Mole") becomes aware that they are being watched by a young boy. He proceeds to chase Liam out of the house into the cold rainy night. Luckily, Liam is able to escape and makes his way to the local police station. The police then take a statement from him and send him off to live in witness protection. Unfortunately his cover is blown and he must run. The final third of the book is more or less Liam being chased by "the Mole". In a culmination of events "the Mole" and Liam find themselves in a cliffhanger (quite literally) ending.

Although the book was constantly moving forward and never had any parts where the story seemed to sediment, the writing felt simplistic and the plot seemed unrealistic for this genre of book. Time and time again, an untrained 12 year old is able to somehow escape "the Mole" (who happens to be one of the city's police officers) seemingly off of only luck. Unless Liam somehow happened to acquire a four leaf clover without the reader being told, the action in the book cannot be considered even remotely reasonable.

Overall, I'd barely consider the book satisfactory solely due to the fact that its action is completely unrealistic while its plot and subject matter seem to be trying (at least in my opinion) to hang on to an element truth and what was actually happening at the time. This is a book that is fiction but tries to feel like fact. However, it's integrity is soiled by random and unrealistic actions, carried out mainly by the protagonist. I would recommend it only to people who either enjoy this fast paced, minimal detail type of action, or for people looking to learn abit about the city of Belfast while it was in its very violent and divisive time. I would classify the book as "Pure Action" and nothing more. Enjoy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow...Orca published a pretty darn exciting book about The Troubles in Northern Ireland--how cool is that?

I loved Orca when I was a high school librarian because of all the books they published for reluctant readers. They are also a Canadian company, so I liked how many of the books were set there and were good for rural folks.

This quick novel is nonstop action--Liam's parents are murdered in the first chapter, and now he is being hunted because he saw one of the killers take off his mask. After a trip to the police force, Liam is taken to a Catholic safe house where he is basically kept prisoner. However, the killer finds him there, too, thanks to someone being willing to be paid off.

I love how the author describes the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and how the town is divided and at war. There isn't much description since this is for reluctant readers, but it's still a good explanation of what is was like to be a twelve-year-old boy living in a war zone.

This is a 4 star book because of how well it's written for reluctant readers, not necessarily 4 stars for adults and regular teens. It would be a great book to use in a world history classroom for reading circles of different reading levels.

[Gina Marie ~books are my drug of choice~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense and educational suspense!

This book is relatively short so is a quick read but still manages to give you the details. I didn't realize things were still so hostile in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. It is written from the viewpoint of a twelve year old boy. What happens could be in almost any city in the world with 2 or more groups fighting, killing and retaliating by killing. The book provides some history of Northern Ireland and the lives of Catholics as they might have been related to a child today. This might be too scary for a younger child (it opens with the boy jumping out a window to escape from 2 men who caught him after breaking in and shooting his parents) but age 12 to adult should find this a very good suspense story. Though the language is typical of a 12 yr old you will find you need to think. Education in Europe is much broader than what most 12 yr olds in the USA would have, for example, he makes a comparison between a wall in his town and the Berlin Wall. To really understand what he is saying you need to know what the Berlin Wall was and how big of a deal it was when it fell.

[Kath Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Northern Ireland, 1999, one year after the Good Friday Peace Accord.

After witnessing the brutal murder of his parents in his own home while they slept, twelve year old Liam escapes. This story covers Liam's attempt to stay safe while being pursued by one of the men he is able to identify. Flashbacks to the things he learned from his father while growing up help shape this brief history of Liam's life. I especially appreciated the "Irish sayings" his father shared with him.

“Always be a man,” says his da. “A man sticks to his principles; he does what is right.”…p.105

“When you do good, you feel good; when you do bad you feel bad. That’s all the religion your father ever needed. I learned that from a famous Irishman named Abraham Lincoln…” p. 113

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” p.114. Liam’s father first says it is an old Irish saying, but later says “Mahatma Gandhi said it.”….”Mahatma Gandhi was Irish-- everyone knows that. His real name before he ended up in India was Mickey Gannon, from County Clare.”p.114

[Ariel Caldwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up because it's set in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1999, and explores the Troubles from a young teen boy's perspective. His parents are senselessly murdered (it was random, could've been anyone Catholic) and he can't trust the police (they're mostly Protestant). He ends up in a safe house (hence the title) but the Catholics who run it sell him out and he goes on the run again. The story illustrates how religion (a.k.a. divisive element, whether it's race or gender or...) cannot be the only marker of whether someone is a good, trustworthy person or not.

The book's exciting and suspenseful, with interesting twists and turns, but not as descriptive as I would have liked. This would make a good book for young teen boys who might resist longer, thicker books, and reminded me of The Secret Prophecy by Herbie Brennan.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very simplistically written novel, but that’s OK because its intended audience is reluctant readers. It would be ideal for teenage boys, in particular, who need a little encouragement to read fiction. The action starts on the first page and keeps the reader engaged right to the end. It would also be interesting for a teen or older child who wanted to learn the basics about the “Troubles” in Ireland: a bit of the history, and what it’s like for kids to grow up in a war zone.

[Chris Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure my Grade 9 Applied students will live this book, but for me, things seemed anti-climatic. The resolution of this book is pretty random and I felt too easy. However, some good history about Ireland's troubles, but not enough to make me a fan.

[Alexander Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book by this author. Exciting and great for reluctant readers.