Thriller
Date Published: 09-10-2026
When I was fifteen years old, I made a mistake. I trusted the warm smile
of a stranger called Peter Harlow, and accepted a ride home in his car.
It would be the last moment of my life I’d ever feel safe again.
The trauma of what happened that night will never leave me—and it was
only the beginning. For the last nineteen years, I’ve been trapped in a
nightmare of blocked numbers, violated restraining orders, and the compulsion
to scan every face in every crowd, waiting for the day when his will be among
them.
But I've also spent the time preparing. My home has become a fortress, with
reinforced doors, perimeter cameras, and a safe room in the cellar. I've even
taught my seven-year-old daughter how to call for help. When I finally have to
face Peter Harlow again, I’ll be ready.
Or so I thought.
Because on the night of a furious snowstorm, a terrified stranger arrives at
my gate. Emily is barefoot, bruised, and desperate for help—claiming her
husband just tried to kill her.
To let her in from the storm would mean breaking every rule I've made to
protect myself and my daughter—but could I live with myself if I
didn’t?
But what follows is everything I've lived in fear of for all these years.
First, the lights go out. Then, the internet dies. Next, the phone line goes
dead—and finally, I find myself trapped inside my own safe room,
watching through a camera feed as the man who stole my life for two decades
walks the halls of my home, playing happy families with my little girl.
I built this fortress to keep him out. Now, it’s the only thing keeping
me from protecting my child.
The Safe Room is a heart-stopping psychological thriller by bestselling author
Sarah A. Denzil, the "mistress of twists." Essential reading for fans of Alice
Feeney, Freida McFadden, and Caroline Kepnes.
