Official Review: The Safe House by Jeffrey Mechling

Twylla · Post by **Twylla** » 10 Mar 2020, 11:36

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Safe House" by Jeffrey Mechling.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Safe House by Jeffrey Mechling. Tim Hall manages Defensive Safe House #22 in Lovettsville, Virginia. Tim is a CIA Case Officer and also a Special Deputy United States Marshal. The Safe House is used to hide suspects who are willing to testify in exchange for Witness Protection, which means getting new names and new identities. Mary Ann Wilson, Tim Hall’s girlfriend, has permission to live at the Safe House with Tim, only because she is an FBI agent, and she has a security clearance. Katie McNamara, United States Deputy Marshall, manages security for the Safe House.

The FBI approached Mary Ann about taking an undercover assignment to investigate a stolen Soviet submarine off the coast of Florida. The CIA sent Agent Tim Hall to gather intelligence about the submarine, even though they refuse to admit that it exists. Tim recruited Katie to join the CIA and be his partner in the mission.

Two badly burned bodies were found on the Immokalee Indian Reservation. Is one of them Mary Ann? The FBI notified Mary Ann’s ex-husband and children that she has been killed. Manipulated by the people they should have been able to trust, Tim, Mary Ann, and Katie get caught up in a web of lies and deceit.

One of the things I didn’t like about the book was that both of the main characters, Tim and Mary Ann, had serious personality flaws. Tim is an ex-addict, the unintentional result of an undercover assignment as a drug dealer. The day after Mary Ann left for her new assignment in Florida, Tim had sex with another woman at the Safe House. Mary Ann walked away from her family, abandoning her husband and two children to pursue a career in the FBI. Tim and Mary Ann have spent most of their adult lives working undercover in situations where their lives literally depend on being good liars. How can you trust or believe anyone? Agent Hall called it “a crisis of confidence in our leadership.”

I liked the nonstop action. The plot would twist one way and then take an unexpected turn. Agent Tim Hall was always a step ahead of the bad guys.

Safe House is the second in a series of two books by Jeffrey Mechling, and it stands alone. There is a reference to “The Adults”, a term used in the first book of the series. The meaning of the term is explained. This book is well written. The dialogue was very natural and easy to follow. I found a few typos but not enough to affect the rating of the book. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the thrilling fast pace of the story, but I didn’t like the main characters. It was hard to empathize with them. Anyone who likes a good espionage story would enjoy this book. Because of the violent and sexual content, it is recommended for a mature audience.

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The Safe House
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praise+anyi · Post by **praise+anyi** » 21 Mar 2020, 02:35

Well apart from the numerous flaws you mentioned in the characters, I think the author did a good job with the dialogue. All the same, the story sounds interesting. I'll consider adding the book to my library.

Dannyphery · Post by **Dannyphery** » 21 Mar 2020, 03:46

Action...
Plots filled with twists and unexpected turn with a mixture of violence and romance are the best.
Sounds pretty interesting.
Nice review

Tavaiel26 · Post by **Tavaiel26** » 21 Mar 2020, 05:54

Thanks for the review, is great to have some options for some fast action and plot twists when the mood strikes.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 21 Mar 2020, 10:38

This seems an intriguing spy thriller, and I don't mind flawed characters if they're consistent, even better if there's some backstory behind their flaws. Thank you for your informative review!