Beach Reads...

Great read with a great view!

Sort of. More like Lake Reads, since that's where I was instead of the beach. Wherever the location, I had the luck to enjoy a pretty great thriller.

S. A. Lelchuk's Save Me From Dangerous Men is the suspenseful story of Nikki Griffin, who is working as a bookstore-owning PI and is haunted by her past. When she's approached by a tech CEO to trail a woman who may be selling company secrets, she uncovers something much darker. Let me get something out of the way. Knowing recent discussions about the portrayal of women in current literature, there will probably be some complaints about Nikki. She’s written somewhat as a male fantasy—she’s knockout gorgeous, rides a motorcycle, knows her way around every and any weapon, can quote any and every literary work (she does own a bookstore, after all). And yes, there’s something to be said for the way Nikki sees women—most of us don’t stand in front of mirrors noticing how toned we are nor do we comment about how beautiful EVERY woman is that we meet. But that didn't take away anything for me; I liked her. Nikki's got strength and agency, and even when we're veering a little into revenge-fantasy territory, you can't help but pump your fist in silent celebration when the bad guy gets his due. And though she spends a little too much time not answering questions (Lelchuk certainly gave Ethan oodles of patience to stick with her at times), and the device used to shun technology to advance the plot is a little frustrating given her age, she’s compelling enough for me to read through her journey. I love that she’s flawed and empathetic and cares deeply about women in trouble. The plot is also engaging. There’s plenty of suspense, mystery, and danger. I also appreciate that the violence is pretty tame. It seems as though modern thrillers (and definitely the horror genre) are in a race to outdo each other in terms of blood and gore. There is blood in Save Me, but it's not overly grotesque. This is definitely on the recommend list. I'm hoping that this is the start of a new series and that we'll see more of Nikki in the future.