"Keep Them Safe" by Sarah Bartrum

 The story of the hunt for a child killer. Partly it is a police procedural, told from the point of view of the lead copper 'Joanie'. Partly it is told from the point of view of a paedophile ('Sid') who is initially a suspect but later seems to be being groomed by the child killer into becoming either an accomplice or to be framed as the fall guy. This is an original (and brave) PoV and some of the best parts of the novel are those which explore Sid's feelings:

• "It was the hair that did it. Flashed gold so bright that it left blue spots before Sid’s eyes. A beacon against the drab cement walls; a distraction from the stench of urine. It shot straight through Sid’s retina and lit up the dark corners of his brain, the parts that were better kept in shadow." (C 1)
• "Sid thought how perfectly formed that tongue was. The colour of a sunset blush neatly curved at the end. Saliva made it glisten as it withdrew behind the lips." (C 5)
• "Sid wasn’t sure which he was aware of first, the buzzing in his pocket or the throbbing of his penis." (C 18)

Sid lives in a flat on his own. He works collecting trolleys at the supermarket. He isn't very clever and he gets frightened. Abused as a child, he knows his feelings for children are wrong but ... There is a level of honesty and reality about this portrait that soars way above the stock whodunnit thriller.

It is also original regarding the copper. Most such books have the protagonist a social misfit or a loner with a past including a fractured relationship. Sid plays the part of the social misfit so Joanie is allowed a wife and a grown-up daughter. The usual job problems (and his wife's redundancy) put this relationship under strain and a substantial proportion of the novel is devoted to exploring the development of the relationships within the family.

In short, this novel is a refreshing take on the whodunnit genre with some genuine originality and three-dimensionality.

Some other great moments:

• "Sid had spent his whole life being avoided by beautiful people." (C 1)
• "They’d end up saying things they didn’t mean or maybe they’d say things they did mean but had never dared voice before?" (C 4)
• "Lying in bed, she let him spoon his body around hers. Joanie was surprised to notice how far his stomach prevented his face from nuzzling into her neck." (C 8) I love this comment on the difficulties of this position!
• "Even now when she had so clearly asked him to bed, he had declined. Why was that? But a part of him knew. A part of him felt that he could no longer make the grade. That no matter what he did, it wouldn’t be enough. He was failing at work, and he certainly wasn’t winning at home. Maybe it was time to accept his lot." (C 10)
• "The wheel was as flat as Mickey’s baseball cap after they’d chucked it in front of that lorry." (C 11)

There is depth and honesty in this novel. A great read. January 2021

You can see a free preview and purchase the book on the Amazon website.

Sarah Bartrum has also written Tracks, which is an even better novel.

This review was written
by the author of Motherdarling