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Safe Enough
From the world's number one thriller writer, twenty pulse-pounding short stories are collected for the first time in one edition, complete with an introduction from the author.
Here are twenty meticulously plotted, intimate portraits of humanity at its best and worst, featuring assassins, CIA agents, gangsters, and more. A drug-dealing hit man unburdens his fears to a stranger. An overlooked rookie cop is assigned to the department’s file room. A ruthless killer only kills bad guys. A methodical bodyguard quits his job when he’s outsmarted. A military mission is planned to perfection…
Each story is entirely distinct. And with their economical prose and unexpected twists, each could only have been written by the creator of Jack Reacher.
The stories included in this collection
The Bodyguard * The Greatest Trick of All * Ten Keys * Safe Enough * Natural in Every Way * The .50 Solution * Publica Transportation * Me and Mr. Rafferty * Section 7 (a) (Operational) * Addicted to Sweetness * The Bone-Headed League * I Heard a Romantic Story * My First Drug Trial * Wet with Rain * The Truth About What Happened * Pierre, Lucien & Me * New Blank Document * Shorty and the Briefcase * Dying for a Cigarette * The Snake-Eater by the Numbers
Here are twenty meticulously plotted, intimate portraits of humanity at its best and worst, featuring assassins, CIA agents, gangsters, and more. A drug-dealing hit man unburdens his fears to a stranger. An overlooked rookie cop is assigned to the department’s file room. A ruthless killer only kills bad guys. A methodical bodyguard quits his job when he’s outsmarted. A military mission is planned to perfection…
Each story is entirely distinct. And with their economical prose and unexpected twists, each could only have been written by the creator of Jack Reacher.
The stories included in this collection
The Bodyguard * The Greatest Trick of All * Ten Keys * Safe Enough * Natural in Every Way * The .50 Solution * Publica Transportation * Me and Mr. Rafferty * Section 7 (a) (Operational) * Addicted to Sweetness * The Bone-Headed League * I Heard a Romantic Story * My First Drug Trial * Wet with Rain * The Truth About What Happened * Pierre, Lucien & Me * New Blank Document * Shorty and the Briefcase * Dying for a Cigarette * The Snake-Eater by the Numbers
Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2024
4814 people are currently reading
9132 people want to read
About the author
Lee Child
443 books34.4k followersLee Child was born October 29th, 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV's "golden age." During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars' worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
Killing Floor was an immediate success and launched the series which has grown in sales and impact with every new installment. The first Jack Reacher movie, based on the novel One Shot and starring Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike, was released in December 2012.
Lee has three homes—an apartment in Manhattan, a country house in the south of France, and whatever airplane cabin he happens to be in while traveling between the two. In the US he drives a supercharged Jaguar, which was built in Jaguar's Browns Lane plant, thirty yards from the hospital in which he was born.
Lee spends his spare time reading, listening to music, and watching the Yankees, Aston Villa, or Marseilles soccer. He is married with a grown-up daughter. He is tall and slim, despite an appalling diet and a refusal to exercise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 817 reviews
October 10, 2024
I am usually not into a book of short stories but I will make an exception for this one. Most of the stories were very good with some unlikely twists. If you can handle Lee Child without Jack Reacher then this is the book for you.
September 27, 2025
If you were looking for Jack Reacher, you will not find him here in these short crime stories by his original author, Lee Child. What you will find are 20 short stories that explore different characters and themes with unexpected twists and sometimes puzzling, rushed endings.
And, to be honest, having given up on Reacher years ago, because it became a bit too formulaic and hard to suspend disbelief, I was relieved.
Which made this one, a fun read in-between the novels.
And, to be honest, having given up on Reacher years ago, because it became a bit too formulaic and hard to suspend disbelief, I was relieved.
Which made this one, a fun read in-between the novels.
January 5, 2025
This is a book of short stories by Lee child.. no jack Reacher in it!!
I did enjoy it , I like the fact it was a book of short stories.
It made me want to finish a story before I put it down for the night.
Hope you all enjoy reading this like I did.
Not all story’s need to be huge, like these short is sweet. ☺️
I did enjoy it , I like the fact it was a book of short stories.
It made me want to finish a story before I put it down for the night.
Hope you all enjoy reading this like I did.
Not all story’s need to be huge, like these short is sweet. ☺️
October 28, 2024
Anthologies. Some good stories worth checking out if you're a Lee Child's fan.
September 6, 2024
A variety of short stories with nothing to do with Jack Reacher
October 27, 2024
This book is a collection of crime related short stories written by Child over the years.
For me, I have categorized the stories into the following categories, based on my personal preference. Your preferences will most likely have differences from mine, and that’s okay. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and it makes for great discussion amongst friends and fellow readers.
The best stories include:
“The Greatest Trick of All” – Being an assassin that plays both sides can be double rewarding. And dangerous…
“Ten Keys” - This is what happens when you take a chance and pocket both the mob’s money and their drugs…
The good stories include:
“The Bodyguard” – The world of bodyguard is split between the real and the phony. This is a story of a real one…
“The .50 Solution” – An assassin meets a client wanting a strange request. Not only is the intended victim an animal, but the client has to watch it happen…
“Public Transportation” – A unofficial conversation between a cop and a journalist reveals a deadly story…
“Me and Mr. Rafferty” – A killer reflects on the clues he left his adversary, a copy who’s hunting him down…
“The Snake-Eater by the Numbers” – A police officer shares a story about his training officer, Sergeant Ken Cameron, an officer who is driven by the numbers. But sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story…
The okay stories include:
“Safe Enough” – City boy, Wolfe, goes to work in the country and meets a lady under less than normal circumstances…
“Addicted to Sweetness” – A very rich man man called Socrates addresses a man in shackles who supposedly robbed him and is about to die for it…
“The Bone-Headed League” – An Anglophile, sent to London by the FBI, gets himself caught up in a mystery right out of Sir Arhtur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes…
“I Heard a Romantic Story” – Ann assassin hears a romantic story while he is waiting to kill his target…
“My First Drug Trial” - Before heading to court on charges of possession of a major quantity of drugs, a participant tries to hold back from getting stoned on arrival…
“Wet with Rain” – John and Harry head to Dublin to buy a house which hides something serious. Very serious. Then a guy from Special Branch shows up and disrupts their work…
“New Blank Document” – A freelance writer is hired to find and interview an unknown brother of a successful American jazz pianist somewhere down in Florida. The underlying question is why has the pianist never mentioned having a brother before?
“Shorty and the Briefcase” – Special agent Shorty Malone uses his recovery time in the hospital after being shot in the leg to try and help solve a narcotics case for a fellow agent…
“Dying for a Cigarette” – A screenwriter shares with his wife about his lunch with about his screenplay pitch with a movie executive; one in which he goes out on a limb to demand that his vision is not compromised…
The lesser stories include:
“Normal in Every Way” – Walter Kleb was a misfit rookie cop – shy, awkward, and strange. However, he was able to make connections that others couldn’t…
“Section 7 (a) (Operational)” – A team comes together to plan a deadly operation that will take place in Iran, led of a mysterious leader who is assessing their skills and roles…
“The Truth About What Happened” – FBI special agent Jackson comes out of the official deposition to be called into the “off the record” deposition for internal purposes only, to discuss his role in the Manhattan project…
“Pierre, Lucien & Me” – A narrator tells a personal story of his actions taken following a first heart attack that involve forgeries of Renoir paintings…
Thoughts and Reflections – I am a fan of Lee Child’s “Reacher” series. A big fan. However, for me, this collection of criminal short stories was less than stellar in several regards. Although there were a few gems and some interesting ones, most of them were okay or less than okay, which was a less than satisfying reading experience.
There were several primary influences that contributed to my unexpected and disappointing reading experience.
The first one was that a lot of these stories were similar to each other. They involved paid assassins or killers. Most of which had the same situations and same outcomes. It was just too much of the same thing.
Another thing that affected my reading experience is that most of the stories had a big twist at the end. That is not a bad thing in itself. However, after reading the first three or four of them, my mind immediately shifted to figuring out what the twist would be. Surprisingly, I was able to guess the ending several times, which was nice, but also took away from enjoying the story itself. It would have been better if I had read these stories at separate times that were more spread out rather than back-to-back as a collection. I think that my experience would have been better with more time between them because of the comparable twists, as well as the similarity of the stories to each other.
Additionally, the first several stories held my interest, but then I found my interest waning over most of the remaining stories. They became less and less interesting, and for several of them, the endings did not save them. Some were vague and fleshed out enough, unclear in purpose, or I just struggled in keeping my interest.
Overall, I am as just surprised by my review as you are in reading it. I am big Lee Child fan and love his direct and to the point writing style, but for the reasons shared above, most of them just didn’t work for me. I hope that you enjoyed them more than I did, and we’ll leave it at that. Enough said.
For me, I have categorized the stories into the following categories, based on my personal preference. Your preferences will most likely have differences from mine, and that’s okay. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and it makes for great discussion amongst friends and fellow readers.
The best stories include:
“The Greatest Trick of All” – Being an assassin that plays both sides can be double rewarding. And dangerous…
“Ten Keys” - This is what happens when you take a chance and pocket both the mob’s money and their drugs…
The good stories include:
“The Bodyguard” – The world of bodyguard is split between the real and the phony. This is a story of a real one…
“The .50 Solution” – An assassin meets a client wanting a strange request. Not only is the intended victim an animal, but the client has to watch it happen…
“Public Transportation” – A unofficial conversation between a cop and a journalist reveals a deadly story…
“Me and Mr. Rafferty” – A killer reflects on the clues he left his adversary, a copy who’s hunting him down…
“The Snake-Eater by the Numbers” – A police officer shares a story about his training officer, Sergeant Ken Cameron, an officer who is driven by the numbers. But sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story…
The okay stories include:
“Safe Enough” – City boy, Wolfe, goes to work in the country and meets a lady under less than normal circumstances…
“Addicted to Sweetness” – A very rich man man called Socrates addresses a man in shackles who supposedly robbed him and is about to die for it…
“The Bone-Headed League” – An Anglophile, sent to London by the FBI, gets himself caught up in a mystery right out of Sir Arhtur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes…
“I Heard a Romantic Story” – Ann assassin hears a romantic story while he is waiting to kill his target…
“My First Drug Trial” - Before heading to court on charges of possession of a major quantity of drugs, a participant tries to hold back from getting stoned on arrival…
“Wet with Rain” – John and Harry head to Dublin to buy a house which hides something serious. Very serious. Then a guy from Special Branch shows up and disrupts their work…
“New Blank Document” – A freelance writer is hired to find and interview an unknown brother of a successful American jazz pianist somewhere down in Florida. The underlying question is why has the pianist never mentioned having a brother before?
“Shorty and the Briefcase” – Special agent Shorty Malone uses his recovery time in the hospital after being shot in the leg to try and help solve a narcotics case for a fellow agent…
“Dying for a Cigarette” – A screenwriter shares with his wife about his lunch with about his screenplay pitch with a movie executive; one in which he goes out on a limb to demand that his vision is not compromised…
The lesser stories include:
“Normal in Every Way” – Walter Kleb was a misfit rookie cop – shy, awkward, and strange. However, he was able to make connections that others couldn’t…
“Section 7 (a) (Operational)” – A team comes together to plan a deadly operation that will take place in Iran, led of a mysterious leader who is assessing their skills and roles…
“The Truth About What Happened” – FBI special agent Jackson comes out of the official deposition to be called into the “off the record” deposition for internal purposes only, to discuss his role in the Manhattan project…
“Pierre, Lucien & Me” – A narrator tells a personal story of his actions taken following a first heart attack that involve forgeries of Renoir paintings…
Thoughts and Reflections – I am a fan of Lee Child’s “Reacher” series. A big fan. However, for me, this collection of criminal short stories was less than stellar in several regards. Although there were a few gems and some interesting ones, most of them were okay or less than okay, which was a less than satisfying reading experience.
There were several primary influences that contributed to my unexpected and disappointing reading experience.
The first one was that a lot of these stories were similar to each other. They involved paid assassins or killers. Most of which had the same situations and same outcomes. It was just too much of the same thing.
Another thing that affected my reading experience is that most of the stories had a big twist at the end. That is not a bad thing in itself. However, after reading the first three or four of them, my mind immediately shifted to figuring out what the twist would be. Surprisingly, I was able to guess the ending several times, which was nice, but also took away from enjoying the story itself. It would have been better if I had read these stories at separate times that were more spread out rather than back-to-back as a collection. I think that my experience would have been better with more time between them because of the comparable twists, as well as the similarity of the stories to each other.
Additionally, the first several stories held my interest, but then I found my interest waning over most of the remaining stories. They became less and less interesting, and for several of them, the endings did not save them. Some were vague and fleshed out enough, unclear in purpose, or I just struggled in keeping my interest.
Overall, I am as just surprised by my review as you are in reading it. I am big Lee Child fan and love his direct and to the point writing style, but for the reasons shared above, most of them just didn’t work for me. I hope that you enjoyed them more than I did, and we’ll leave it at that. Enough said.
August 4, 2024
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Lee Child, and Penzler Publisher’s for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
I have always liked the writing of Lee Child, especially his Jack Reacher stories. They are filled with action suspense, and even a little humour. With this collection of twenty short stories, Child takes the reader away from the nomadic brute and turns the focus on a number of individual situations. Child offers up these short pieces, hoping to pique the interest of the reader at least a little. With a variety of themes, time periods, and perspectives, Lee Child shows how he has the passion for storytelling and the gift of doing so effectively.
To say the collection of short pieces have no common theme would not be a stretch, but they share a passion for grit and determination. Child spins stories about FBI agents, failed bodyguards, and even the odd drug dealer of two, each making their way in the world and trying to give life a sense of purpose. The stories vary in length and delivery, but each has a great deal of merit. They offer the reader an insight in the everyday man, as well as those who have a mission to accomplish. Justice comes in many forms (as we see in Reacher stories), and Lee Child makes sure that there some something for everyone in this collection, which does not let up until the final story is put to bed. Investigating or perpetrating crime returns throughout the collection and keeps the reader guessing which side they choose to support. A gripping collection of stories, from all time periods, racial perspectives, and ideologies. A classic collection that is sure to leave the reader wanting more.
Child is able to pull the reader in with his strong writing style and easy to follow narrative flow. The stories gain momentum when they are able, and leave the reader on the edge of their seat throughout. No story is like the others and few even parallel any of the past writing I have done with Child at the helm. Characters are well-developed and keep me wondering about them, as if I might see one or two appear in a Reacher book one day. While not my favourite of his writing, Lee Child has done well and kept me wanting to return to see how things developed for some of these protagonists, while others I am happy to leave in the trash heap.
Kudos, Mr. Child, for a unique collection to appeal to your fan base.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
I have always liked the writing of Lee Child, especially his Jack Reacher stories. They are filled with action suspense, and even a little humour. With this collection of twenty short stories, Child takes the reader away from the nomadic brute and turns the focus on a number of individual situations. Child offers up these short pieces, hoping to pique the interest of the reader at least a little. With a variety of themes, time periods, and perspectives, Lee Child shows how he has the passion for storytelling and the gift of doing so effectively.
To say the collection of short pieces have no common theme would not be a stretch, but they share a passion for grit and determination. Child spins stories about FBI agents, failed bodyguards, and even the odd drug dealer of two, each making their way in the world and trying to give life a sense of purpose. The stories vary in length and delivery, but each has a great deal of merit. They offer the reader an insight in the everyday man, as well as those who have a mission to accomplish. Justice comes in many forms (as we see in Reacher stories), and Lee Child makes sure that there some something for everyone in this collection, which does not let up until the final story is put to bed. Investigating or perpetrating crime returns throughout the collection and keeps the reader guessing which side they choose to support. A gripping collection of stories, from all time periods, racial perspectives, and ideologies. A classic collection that is sure to leave the reader wanting more.
Child is able to pull the reader in with his strong writing style and easy to follow narrative flow. The stories gain momentum when they are able, and leave the reader on the edge of their seat throughout. No story is like the others and few even parallel any of the past writing I have done with Child at the helm. Characters are well-developed and keep me wondering about them, as if I might see one or two appear in a Reacher book one day. While not my favourite of his writing, Lee Child has done well and kept me wanting to return to see how things developed for some of these protagonists, while others I am happy to leave in the trash heap.
Kudos, Mr. Child, for a unique collection to appeal to your fan base.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
May 10, 2025
Well, the title of the book says quite a bit. Safe Enough is a collection of short crime stories by Lee Child, the author of Jack Reacher. I love the character Jack Reacher. In fact, the main reason I read Stephen King's Under the Dome was because King had a nod to Lee Child written into it. That little nod may have been one of the few things I actually enjoyed about that book.
But this review isn't about Jack Reacher, Stephen King, or Under the Dome. It's about Safe Enough. Time to get the train back on track!
These stories are all very short (but not so sweet - because, well, they're crime stories after all!). They're short enough to easily read a few in one sitting. I enjoyed the author's introduction. He admits right up front that he isn't a short story author. There really is a certain skill to be able to fit an entire story into just a few short pages. I appreciate this! Not every story was great, in my opinion. There were a few standouts though. My two favorites were the title story, "Safe Enough" and "Addicted to Sweetness." An honorable runner up is "My First Drug Trial." I saw the twist coming almost from the beginning in that one, but it was still cleverly written.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Lee Child's writing or anyone cutting their teeth on crime fiction. I enjoyed the collection, however I didn't love it. I'm bouncing between three and four stars. But because Child admitted up front that he doesn't fancy himself a short story writer, I'm rounding up to four stars for modesty.
But this review isn't about Jack Reacher, Stephen King, or Under the Dome. It's about Safe Enough. Time to get the train back on track!
These stories are all very short (but not so sweet - because, well, they're crime stories after all!). They're short enough to easily read a few in one sitting. I enjoyed the author's introduction. He admits right up front that he isn't a short story author. There really is a certain skill to be able to fit an entire story into just a few short pages. I appreciate this! Not every story was great, in my opinion. There were a few standouts though. My two favorites were the title story, "Safe Enough" and "Addicted to Sweetness." An honorable runner up is "My First Drug Trial." I saw the twist coming almost from the beginning in that one, but it was still cleverly written.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Lee Child's writing or anyone cutting their teeth on crime fiction. I enjoyed the collection, however I didn't love it. I'm bouncing between three and four stars. But because Child admitted up front that he doesn't fancy himself a short story writer, I'm rounding up to four stars for modesty.
February 11, 2025
This would be 5 stars except for two stories which are too awful. One starts on page 75 and is Public Transportation. Avoid it and the next one is right after Public Transportation and is titled Me and Mr. Rafferty which is gross. Other than these 2 I liked the stories. Lee Child has an amazing imagination! I did not read a single story about Jack Reacher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2024
I saw this book on NetGalley and went a little out of my comfort zone to read it. It’s the first time I’ve read anything by this author, as the whole Jack Reacher thing never interested me…but I’ve never read an anthology that was in any category but horror, so I wanted to give this a try! Below, my thoughts on each story:
The Bodyguard: A bodyguard takes on more than he was expecting…this was very action-based, which isn’t typically my thing. 3/5
The Greatest Trick Of All: This story about a shady hitman (there’s a tautology for you) was more my style; my only wish is that it had been longer. 4/5
Ten Keys: This one was a bit confusing, even after I read it twice. 2.5/5
Safe Enough: A man from the Bronx moves to the suburbs, meets a delicate lady, then things get crazy. 3/5
Normal In Every Way: I liked this quick story about criminal investigations; I also wish this one had been longer, though! 4/5
The .50 Solution: A horse racer has an odd request, that is fulfilled perfectly. 4/5
Public Transportation: This is an interesting conversation between a police officer and a journalist… 3/5
Me & Mr. Rafferty: I liked this story of a “Dexter” type killer and a cop who can’t catch him. The ending was perfect! 4/5
Section 7 (A) (Operational): An operation in Iran is in the works…but we don’t get to find out how it ends? 2/5
Addicted To Sweetness: This was a decent story of a worker stealing from his employer, but the ending made no sense to me. 3/5
The Bone-Headed League: This is an odd story about criminal investigators and Sherlock Holmes, which I’ve never been able to get into. 2/5
I Heard A Romantic Story: An assassination attempt goes awry when plans change. The last line was great, that one had me laughing! 3.5/5
My First Drug Trial: This was good, until it ended just as it was about to get great. Also, the protagonist should know not to use yellow lighters. 4/5
Wet With Rain: A house is purchased for all the wrong reasons… 3/5
The Truth About What Happened: This story about The Manhattan Project started with promise then ended up a dud. 2.5/5
Pierre, Lucian & Me: This story of artwork is definitely my favorite so far. 4/5
New Blank Document: This one was a bit sad, and needed a little more story, in my opinion. 3/5
Shorty And The Briefcase: Another crime story that just fell flat for me. 2.5/5
Dying for a Cigarette: This story of a smoking filmmaker was decent… 3/5
The Snake Eater By The Numbers: This story of a new police officer having to make a decision was okay. 3.5/5
So, it seems pretty obvious that this book just wasn’t for me. The writing didn’t capture me, the stories weren’t my cup of tea, and overall I did not care for this book and its stories. HOWEVER! I did enjoy some of the stories, and If you like crime and action books, maybe with a bit of historical fiction thrown in, you may absolutely love this collection; I think this comes down to how you like your thrillers. 2.5 stars, rounded up because I knew going in that I might not like this one.
(Thank you to Mysterious Press, Lee Child and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on September 3, 2024.)
The Bodyguard: A bodyguard takes on more than he was expecting…this was very action-based, which isn’t typically my thing. 3/5
The Greatest Trick Of All: This story about a shady hitman (there’s a tautology for you) was more my style; my only wish is that it had been longer. 4/5
Ten Keys: This one was a bit confusing, even after I read it twice. 2.5/5
Safe Enough: A man from the Bronx moves to the suburbs, meets a delicate lady, then things get crazy. 3/5
Normal In Every Way: I liked this quick story about criminal investigations; I also wish this one had been longer, though! 4/5
The .50 Solution: A horse racer has an odd request, that is fulfilled perfectly. 4/5
Public Transportation: This is an interesting conversation between a police officer and a journalist… 3/5
Me & Mr. Rafferty: I liked this story of a “Dexter” type killer and a cop who can’t catch him. The ending was perfect! 4/5
Section 7 (A) (Operational): An operation in Iran is in the works…but we don’t get to find out how it ends? 2/5
Addicted To Sweetness: This was a decent story of a worker stealing from his employer, but the ending made no sense to me. 3/5
The Bone-Headed League: This is an odd story about criminal investigators and Sherlock Holmes, which I’ve never been able to get into. 2/5
I Heard A Romantic Story: An assassination attempt goes awry when plans change. The last line was great, that one had me laughing! 3.5/5
My First Drug Trial: This was good, until it ended just as it was about to get great. Also, the protagonist should know not to use yellow lighters. 4/5
Wet With Rain: A house is purchased for all the wrong reasons… 3/5
The Truth About What Happened: This story about The Manhattan Project started with promise then ended up a dud. 2.5/5
Pierre, Lucian & Me: This story of artwork is definitely my favorite so far. 4/5
New Blank Document: This one was a bit sad, and needed a little more story, in my opinion. 3/5
Shorty And The Briefcase: Another crime story that just fell flat for me. 2.5/5
Dying for a Cigarette: This story of a smoking filmmaker was decent… 3/5
The Snake Eater By The Numbers: This story of a new police officer having to make a decision was okay. 3.5/5
So, it seems pretty obvious that this book just wasn’t for me. The writing didn’t capture me, the stories weren’t my cup of tea, and overall I did not care for this book and its stories. HOWEVER! I did enjoy some of the stories, and If you like crime and action books, maybe with a bit of historical fiction thrown in, you may absolutely love this collection; I think this comes down to how you like your thrillers. 2.5 stars, rounded up because I knew going in that I might not like this one.
(Thank you to Mysterious Press, Lee Child and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on September 3, 2024.)
October 31, 2024
The short stories in this book ranged from adequate to excellent. Most were just average and a few were very good and a couple were extremely amusing. My personal favorite was Me and Mr. Rafferty. Several I had guessed how they were going to come out but not this one. Safe Enough and Public Transportation were amusing too.
Disclaimer: I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway but that in no way influenced my review.
Disclaimer: I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway but that in no way influenced my review.
February 12, 2025
Did not see that coming.
A few months ago I donated Jack Reacher & company to Amvets. On my TBR
shelf -one of too many TBR shelves - I got tired of seeing the eight or nine
unread/ pre-purchased Lee Childs collecting dust. I was not likely to get back
into the formulaic beat 'em-ups that said 'Jack Reacher just got off the bus and he's
gonna clean up another small town. By himself. After bedding down the local
beauty. After explaining the physics of each beat-down.'
And now that Lee Child has teemed up with his brother ?
Aw, crap ! This'll never end. Not until our forests are gone to pulp, everyone.
So I saw SAFE ENOUGH - And Other Stories on a library crash cart. I hesitated.
Skinny little thing. Short stories. FDA approved- contains no nuts, milk products or Jack Reacher. Just Lee Child - no brother......Oh, hell. Why not.
20 really original stories. "Rapid fire crime stories" ( it says so right on the spine.)
Clever. Fun. Contemporary. 16 out of 20 written 1st person narration -style to
suck you into the plot. Remember t.v.'s Alfred Hitchcock Presents with the twisty
endings ? Yessir, like that. Five stars, Mr. Child !
Never saw that coming...........
SPECIAL NOTE:
Two stories stood out from the collection as really exceptional
- as in , "And now, the award goes to......."
>My First Drug Trial for original treatment of the disease known as addiction.
>New Blank Document for its absolutely soul-crushing treatment of the disease known as racism.
A few months ago I donated Jack Reacher & company to Amvets. On my TBR
shelf -one of too many TBR shelves - I got tired of seeing the eight or nine
unread/ pre-purchased Lee Childs collecting dust. I was not likely to get back
into the formulaic beat 'em-ups that said 'Jack Reacher just got off the bus and he's
gonna clean up another small town. By himself. After bedding down the local
beauty. After explaining the physics of each beat-down.'
And now that Lee Child has teemed up with his brother ?
Aw, crap ! This'll never end. Not until our forests are gone to pulp, everyone.
So I saw SAFE ENOUGH - And Other Stories on a library crash cart. I hesitated.
Skinny little thing. Short stories. FDA approved- contains no nuts, milk products or Jack Reacher. Just Lee Child - no brother......Oh, hell. Why not.
20 really original stories. "Rapid fire crime stories" ( it says so right on the spine.)
Clever. Fun. Contemporary. 16 out of 20 written 1st person narration -style to
suck you into the plot. Remember t.v.'s Alfred Hitchcock Presents with the twisty
endings ? Yessir, like that. Five stars, Mr. Child !
Never saw that coming...........
SPECIAL NOTE:
Two stories stood out from the collection as really exceptional
- as in , "And now, the award goes to......."
>My First Drug Trial for original treatment of the disease known as addiction.
>New Blank Document for its absolutely soul-crushing treatment of the disease known as racism.
April 20, 2025
Very different to Lee Childs usual short stories. Clever and concise. I enjoyed his prologue covering his early career, teaching himself to read, the short story form, and his experience in the film industry. A very dedicated man.
September 9, 2024
Safe Enough by Lee Childs and narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Is not only a short story collection from the author but the beginning of the book talks about his starting days and how he came to write short stories which I found very interesting. I was so surprised to learn he wrote Jack reacher back in 1998 as I didn’t read it until 2006 and thought it was new. The book starts with the Bodyguard and it seems every story is better than the last. From Hitman to those who defend the weaker among us those who get their due and those who get away with it, all the stories are interesting and so worth reading. The narrator was great I thought he did accents quite well and although his character distinction isn’t the best he set a great tone for every story. If you love mysteries and thrillers then you definitely love the short story collection. #NetGalley, #HighbridgeAudio, #LeeChild’s, #EdoardoBallerini, #SafeEnough,
September 5, 2024
The idea of short stories is great. Some I enjoyed more than others but subpar. I think I was expecting more or set high expectations and they were not met in my opinion.
October 31, 2024
This is a collection of short stories written by the creator of Jack Reacher. Written over the previous 20 years, many have previously appeared in earlier compilations, some of which I’ve read.
This was an enjoyable enough read, written in the author’s familiar terse economic style. However, there were a few examples where the denouement became evident well before the end. The best by far, for me was a recent short story, co-written with Tess Gerritsen featuring Reacher and her latest protagonist Maggie Bird.
This was an enjoyable enough read, written in the author’s familiar terse economic style. However, there were a few examples where the denouement became evident well before the end. The best by far, for me was a recent short story, co-written with Tess Gerritsen featuring Reacher and her latest protagonist Maggie Bird.
October 1, 2024
not one of his best
I feel Lee Child was cleaning out an old file cabinet, came across these old stories and figured what the heck, let’s make a book. Not my favorite. I will wait for the next Jack Reacher.
I feel Lee Child was cleaning out an old file cabinet, came across these old stories and figured what the heck, let’s make a book. Not my favorite. I will wait for the next Jack Reacher.
December 17, 2024
Crime stories by the author of the Reacher series
A series of crime short stories by Lee Child , but nothing with Reacher. Worth checking out if you enjoy Child's writing.
A series of crime short stories by Lee Child , but nothing with Reacher. Worth checking out if you enjoy Child's writing.
October 14, 2024
I really wanted this to be good... but it turned out so disappointing.
I picked up this book because:
- I watched Reacher.
- I felt guilty for never having read a Lee Child book.
- I enjoy short stories.
- Short stories often give insight into an author's writing style and can be a good way to decide whether to read one of their full-length novels.
This book drained me... I don't even know why I bothered finishing it.
Aside from one or two stories, the rest were awful.
Will I pick up another Lee Child book now?
I'm skeptical—unless it's recommended by a friend whose opinion I trust the most ...
I picked up this book because:
- I watched Reacher.
- I felt guilty for never having read a Lee Child book.
- I enjoy short stories.
- Short stories often give insight into an author's writing style and can be a good way to decide whether to read one of their full-length novels.
This book drained me... I don't even know why I bothered finishing it.
Aside from one or two stories, the rest were awful.
Will I pick up another Lee Child book now?
I'm skeptical—unless it's recommended by a friend whose opinion I trust the most ...
January 25, 2025
Sometimes one might want to stick to what they do best. This was the case, IMO, of these short stories written by the creator of the Jack Reacher series.
Jack Reacher stories have always been a go to read for me when I want to read a story that has a great storyline and keeps my interest. However, Mr. Child decided to indulge himself and write this book of short stories. Most were very predictable, and I found myself bored by them. Although this was a small book it felt like it took forever to read it, and I kept checking to see how many more stories there were.
This was disappointing since as I said, I love the Jack Reacher series.
Jack Reacher stories have always been a go to read for me when I want to read a story that has a great storyline and keeps my interest. However, Mr. Child decided to indulge himself and write this book of short stories. Most were very predictable, and I found myself bored by them. Although this was a small book it felt like it took forever to read it, and I kept checking to see how many more stories there were.
This was disappointing since as I said, I love the Jack Reacher series.
December 3, 2025
A collection of twenty short stories that showcase the best and worst of humanity, with some unexpected twists.
This has been an enjoyable read, easy to dive into a short story or two at a time, in between other reads.
This has been an enjoyable read, easy to dive into a short story or two at a time, in between other reads.
September 19, 2024
I get the whole purpose of the book was short stories, but still terrible.
September 12, 2024
Short stories
September 4, 2024
Confession time: I've always detested reading short stories. Oh sure, there are exceptions - compilations such as 2014's FaceOff," penned by many of my favorite mystery/thriller authors and MatchUp," ditto (the latter edited, not insignificantly, by this author, who also co-wrote a short story with another favorite author, Kathy Reichs, for that book). But on the whole, if there are fewer than 300 words I don't even bother.
The author, too, used to be something of a stranger to short stories (not that he avoided them - he was just too busy writing other things). It was the 1997 success of his still-popular Jack Reacher series, he says in the introduction to this book, that introduced him to short story writing - at the time, a novel concept for an (ahem) novelist. Asked to write a short story, his first, he came up with one for an anthology - then another, then another and another and so on. The collection here, he explains, is his "editor's pick" of the litter.
That brings us to now, when I requested and happily received a pre-release copy of this collection in exchange for a review (an honest one, honest)! And despite my misgivings about short stories, I found I can be swayed; in fact, given the entries here, it was pretty darned easy. Each one seemed to be more enjoyable than the one before it - well, at least till I got to the next to the last one, which I liked least of all (still good, though). They're all exceptionally well crafted and clever as well as exceptionally brief - I read the entire book in not much over a couple of hours, in fact. I know that because I read almost nonstop - that's how much I enjoyed what to me used to be unenjoyable.
Alas, what I can't do is provide details on the stories themselves; their brevity means nothing noteworthy can be extracted without giving away too much (in review language, that means no spoilers allowed). So I'll be brief as well; I loved this book and I think you will, too.
The author, too, used to be something of a stranger to short stories (not that he avoided them - he was just too busy writing other things). It was the 1997 success of his still-popular Jack Reacher series, he says in the introduction to this book, that introduced him to short story writing - at the time, a novel concept for an (ahem) novelist. Asked to write a short story, his first, he came up with one for an anthology - then another, then another and another and so on. The collection here, he explains, is his "editor's pick" of the litter.
That brings us to now, when I requested and happily received a pre-release copy of this collection in exchange for a review (an honest one, honest)! And despite my misgivings about short stories, I found I can be swayed; in fact, given the entries here, it was pretty darned easy. Each one seemed to be more enjoyable than the one before it - well, at least till I got to the next to the last one, which I liked least of all (still good, though). They're all exceptionally well crafted and clever as well as exceptionally brief - I read the entire book in not much over a couple of hours, in fact. I know that because I read almost nonstop - that's how much I enjoyed what to me used to be unenjoyable.
Alas, what I can't do is provide details on the stories themselves; their brevity means nothing noteworthy can be extracted without giving away too much (in review language, that means no spoilers allowed). So I'll be brief as well; I loved this book and I think you will, too.
November 20, 2024
This collection of (very) short stories piqued my interest, because the 29 Jack Reacher books are all legitimate novels of about 350-400 pages each, and I like most of them. Well, this whole book is 237 sparsely-lined pages containing 20 short stories, and let’s just be kind here and say that Mr. Child hasn’t quite mastered the art of writing shorter fiction. In fairness, I just finished You Like It Darker, Stephen King’s newest collection of stories with lengthier, meatier novellas, and I know what I’m getting from him. The only reason I went up to 2 stars with Lee Child’s hot mess is because there are some crafty twists that are revealed in, literally, the last sentences of several short, short stories. But overall…these stories stink.
August 18, 2024
Safe Enough by Lee Child is an assortment of short stories. While some of them captured my attention, others read like book summaries, without fleshing out characters, settings, etc and I didn’t get to visualize the story as much as I would’ve preferred to. “Ten Keys” with Octavian had a nice spin to it. Very fast dialogue that made up for the first story which I believe didn’t have a single set of double quotes. I also liked “Shorty and the Briefcase” and oddly found the beginning to have a comical element, even though Shorty got shot lol.
I received this book through Net Galley and was not required to give a positive review.
I received this book through Net Galley and was not required to give a positive review.
September 8, 2024
If you are a fan of Lee Child, you know how it goes. New book comes out, set aside what you are currently reading and dive in and read straight through. Now this collection of short stories are not Jack Reacher tales but an entertaining bit of mind candy. As usual for a short story collection, some are great, some are meh and some just fall flat.
So, while it pains me to give an author I've enjoyed so much over the years a solid average three stars, that is what these tales seem to average out to. Still, a fun read, great to grab a short tale in between other activities and worth the effort.
So, while it pains me to give an author I've enjoyed so much over the years a solid average three stars, that is what these tales seem to average out to. Still, a fun read, great to grab a short tale in between other activities and worth the effort.
January 4, 2025
Safe Enough is a collection of short stories by the creator of Jack Reacher, but the twist is that only one of them features Reacher, the last one - a collaboration with Tess Gerritsen where he crosses into the world of her Spy Coast series - and that one is by far the best. The rest are a mixed bag of crime and thriller offerings taken from various anthologies, from different points in his career. Many feature assassins or hit men, many feature the same basic twist over and over, and most are quite forgettable. Recommended only for dedicated Child fans.
October 26, 2024
An eclectic collection of short stories all written by
Lee Child.
Some of the stories were better than others.
Good for a change of pace from reading novels.
Lee Child.
Some of the stories were better than others.
Good for a change of pace from reading novels.
October 2, 2024
Bleh. These stories are indeed short. Most are only 5-7 pages but they feel like 500 pages. I enjoyed one of the stories, tolerated most and skipped the rest. This is not the storytelling I’ve come to know and love from Lee Child. I’d give this one a pass.
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