Into the Fire

No Safe Place is Barbara Ellen Brink's latest release available in paperback or as an ebook.  

Agoraphobiac and bestselling mystery novelist L. E. Stanfield, whose real name is Liya Sharapova, lives alone in her amazing smart home where AI "Nikita" makes Liya's every whim happen. When Liya gazes out the sliding glass doors into her back yard that borders a lake, she yearns for the courage to walk down to the small pier at the edge of her property, knowing it won't happen. She's been paralyzed with fear since the tragic murder of her fiancé and has lived alone within the confines of her stately gated home and property for some time when she receives a call from her new editor named Carson assigned to her after another tragic death of her former editor Mary.  

While actually enjoying her conversation with Carson after the shocking news of her editor's death, a friendship forms between them. Shortly afterward, Carson is approached with an unusual "request" he can't refuse but wishes he could. 

As the story moves along, we learn the history of Liya and her family, who are all gone, and how much she misses them. We can feel the intensity of her fear with each new thing that challenges her. Carson turns out to be a brief respite from her normal/abnormal life, and she's able to respond favorably to his editing and repartee and gets her manuscript to her publisher on time as promised. But then weird glitches start occurring within her home, an injured young dog turns up outside on the patio, and she briefly loses Nikita to a British AI. It's all disturbing, but she tries hard not to add any additional fear to her "safe" domain when she experiences something from her latest novel that shocks her to her core. 

Meanwhile, Carson is struggling to right his wrong, to have the courage to make things right for Liya, and he knows he desperately needs to live out his faith in the process. His prayers for Liya, who's estranged from the Lord, become the impetus to dare to confront the danger head-on. 

Barbara writes a compelling story with some terrific insights into agoraphobia, making Liya very real in the process. The "twist" works well in this context, and Barbara provides a worthy ending to the tale. 

Good story, definitely recommend this one. 

Father, thank you for Barbara and her writing. Please keep giving her those stories you have just for her to tell. Bless her with all she needs to do just that. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.