Solid Slow Burn Mystery Will Be Jarring For Some. While never a fan of content/ trigger warnings printed in books (I prefer them on the author's website or in reviews like this, either way separate from the book at hand and easily findable with a modicum of research), let me say up front that if you have severe issues with child sexual abuse or child neglect... this may not be the best book for you. Same with violence against women generally, addiction, stripping, etc.

That dispensed with, this was a remarkable tale of generations of women trying to leave a dying small rural town... and failing miserably, only for the cycle to repeat with their own daughters ad nauseum. It is a slow burn missing woman tale where we do get both the current timeline of one of the women being missing and the older timeline of what her life was up to the very moment she became missing. Both parts of the tale carry the same dull, dismal, depressing stylings throughout, even as both sets of women actively rebel against their situations and try their damnedest to be the women that break the cycle.

For anyone who has ever spent time in a run down house or trailer, you know this life quite well. You've probably lived a version of it - hopefully *without* the abuse, though this is admittedly far more common than it should be in such situations. Which makes the story that much more "real"... and yet also that much more depressing, to a point, as many read fiction as a way to *escape* their current "real" world bonds.

The time switches could be a bit jarring - they are labeled, but the label is somewhat easily missed - and the inconclusive ending, with several questions still lingering, could put some off. Personally, I felt this particular ending made the tale that much more "real" and worked for the story told to that point, particularly in the final build up to the reveal. So it is absolutely a "your mileage may vary", and unless you are just 100% opposed to such endings... do yourself a favor and read this book and see what you think of it yourself.

Overall truly a great and all-too-real (sadly) story, and very well told. Very much recommended. With the warnings noted in this review. ( )

Interesting mystery/thriller. Engaging enough to keep my interest and there were a few things towards the end that surprised me. The characters were distinct. I also liked that the past and present timelines were in chunks instead of flip flopping back and forth each chapter. ( )

Disturbing, dark, and haunting mystery thriller.

For over six years since Grace Crow disappeared, her cousins Amelia and Kylee have wondered what happened to her. Living in a small, depressing go nowhere town, Beaumont, Missouri, hasn't made their loss less unbearable and their aunt, Grace's mother, still holds a vigil every year as they wait to find answers. Grace had been desperate to flee Beaumont by leaving home to go to college, but she never made it out of the place. Now Amelia and Kylee plan their escape, but there are still way too many questions. Then, human remains are discovered. Could they finally get some closure?

This was somewhat depressing as a bleak drama and the claustrophobia and desperation of life in Beaumont really created the perfect atmosphere for the plot to unfold. The characters were all quite interesting, some good and some horrid with others walking that fine line between. Some I liked and others I detested (especially Norman). The story is told in a then and now line with shifting points of view between Grace in the past and Amelia and Kylee in the present. I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook (narrated by the excellent Jorjeana Marie) while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. She did an amazing job voicing the characters and that definitely enhanced my appreciation of the book.

I liked this novel but be prepared for triggers such as pedophilia. I enjoyed the writing quality and was really absorbed as the secrets and revelations came to light. The only part I did not care for, and what really affected my overall rating, was the conclusion. It was unexpected, yes, and I just did not like the way it ended. I would have rather seen many other resolutions and I especially do not like ambiguity in a mystery, but I'll leave it here. ( )

Although not a YA genre book, I was drawn to the story because the main characters were teenagers. They tried to solve the disappearance of their cousin and babysitter, who disappeared years-before while they were asleep upstairs in their bedroom. I liked the story's premise; plus, the adequate lists of suspects and the way those suspect characters were woven into the plotline. At times uncomfortable aspects were presented, yet those added to the overall suspense. I highly recommend this skillfully written novel to readers who like amateur sleuths they can root for, along with a few plot twists in the tale. ( )

Laura McHugh has just released her new book - Safe and Sound. I really enjoyed her debut novel, The Weight of Water. (my review) And I really enjoyed Safe and Sound as well.
McHugh again does a brilliant job of building the setting. Beaumont Missouri is a small town that the younger residents can't wait to leave. There's a heaviness to the town, dusty, dirty and worn with nothing to redeem it. Some folks get out - with a sigh of relief. Some stay. And some go missing...

Sisters Amelia and Kylee's older cousin Grace, is one of the missing. The girls are determined once again to try and find out what happened to her. Someone has to know something. And yes, omeone does indeed know something...

McHugh's prose are dark and gritty. There are moments where the sun shines through, letting hope in. And times where the 'wrong' comes to visit.

The plotting was excellent - with a finale that I couldn't predict. The ending was apt and right - I wish I knew what happened after the last page. An excellent read for me. ( )

Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh is a very highly recommended mystery following two sisters trying to find out the truth behind their older cousin's disappearance from their home in Beaumont, Missouri.

Amelia(Mimi) and Kylee were found safe upstairs in their bedroom when their teenage cousin Grace, who was babysitting them, disappeared. The sisters are now getting ready to leave the dead-end small town of Beaumont after high school graduation, just as Grace always told them to do. When the remains of a young woman are found on a piece of property outside of town, the sisters immediately wonder if it is Grace. There was so much blood found in the kitchen that night... As the girls begin to look into the identity of the body found they must continue to survive in a town that is cruel to young women and hope.

The narrative is told in the present day through chapters from the point-of-view of Amelia and Kylee while alternating chapters have the events from the past unfolding through Grace's point-of-view. This was a very effective plot device which serves to keep tensions high in both time periods. Readers know Grace disappears and is presumed dead due to the amount of blood at the scene. Seeing Grace grow up and her absolute devotion to her younger cousins establishes the close bond between the cousins. They were really as close as sisters.

Grace, Amelia, and Kylee are all believable, fully realized characters and you will want the best for them even while Grace is experiencing horrors of abuse by an uncle. There are so many layers of secrets lurking in both their families and with their friends. Additionally, the setting is a major character. Beaumont is a hard-scrabble, dead-end town where the best job is at the meat packing plant and it seems everyone is just barely scraping by.
The writing is absolutely wonderful, both descriptive and emotional. I marked several quotes, including one from an elderly former teacher, Mrs. Mummer: "When you're dying, Amelia, you remember your regrets. They crop up like stones in the river when the water gets low. Try to have as few as possible." For such a dark and desperate story there was one discussion that had me laughing, as it will others who know the Missouri/Kansas rivalry. (Condensing the discussion: What do you think it'll it be like? Living someplace else? / Probably something like when Dorothy lands in Oz. / Great. Maybe we'll get hearts and brains and courage. / That's only if you're from Kansas. We're from Missouri. We'll be lucky to get a can of Bud Light and a bootstrap.)

The final denouement was shocking and surprising, but also felt a bit incomplete. 4.5 Thanks to Random House for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/04/safe-and-sound.html ( )

This was another excellent mystery/thriller/family drama from Laura McHugh. I loved the dual timelines of Grace in the past and Kylee & Amelia in the present, trying to figure out what happened to her. Some of Grace's chapters were very hard to read - the abuse she suffered was so awful. I would have liked an epilogue to give some closure to the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC. ( )

Make no mistake, Laura McHugh understands dysfunctional family dynamics, and spinning tales that move back and forth in time, better than any current author. Beginning with her Thriller Award-winning debut, THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD, and now with SAFE AND SOUND, she has solidified that status. This story revolves around sisters Amelia and Kylee and their cousin Grace and the no-future town of Beaumont, Missouri. Six years earlier, Grace went missing, presumably abducted and likely murdered. The sisters, who want nothing more that to leave the dead-end town, first set out to uncover what happened to Grace, and find her, dead or alive. As the story shifts between Grace before the abduction and the sisters after, dark family secrets boil to the surface. Who took Grace? An itinerant stranger, or someone close to home? How far would the killer go to cover the crime? As the sisters peel back the layers, they find themselves in a dangerous spiral, unsure who to trust, and who to fear. This one you will put down until the final page.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series ( )