Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Safari by Jaclyn Goldis Narrator: Connor Brannigan, Kitty Hendrix, Nancy Linari, Saskia Maarleveld, Tim Paige, Shaina Summerville
Published by Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Audio on May 20, 2025
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 320
Length: 12 hours, minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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Odelia Babel, CEO of a sustainable fashion empire, is about to marry for the second time—to a man twenty-five years her junior. Asher Bach is the thirty-something designer of Odelia’s luxury clothing line, the darling of every high-fashion journalist, and madly in love with Odelia.
Eager to celebrate her nuptials with her nearest and dearest, Odelia invites her adult children, her daughter-in-law, her grandchild, and her best friend/assistant to an all-expenses-paid luxury safari at Leopard Sands in South Africa, the Babel family’s favorite vacation spot. In its soil, they have deep roots—and even deeper secrets.
It seems like the perfect trip, but not everyone is thrilled for the happy couple. Amid game drives in the bush and bonfires beneath the desert stars, tensions among the family threaten to boil over. And then, the morning after a big fight with her son Sam—and hours before the wedding—Odelia is found murdered. Sam is immediately the prime suspect, but he claims he has an ironclad alibi—he was with his twin sister, Bailey. Only Bailey is nowhere to be found…
The Safari looked so interesting with its African setting and mystery genre. There weren’t as many animals or much safari activity but the mystery was there like a remote place with bodies dropping.
A wealthy family comes to their retreat lodging in South Africa. Their company has worked with sustainable, eco friendly products particularly clothing. The matriarch is getting married to one of the most successful designers and planned this family wedding at their property. The groom is quite a bit younger than the bride.
So this is primarily a family drama in a remote location with torrential rains and dead bodies turning up. The oldest son, Joshua, works at the company and is the heir apparent. But mother doesn’t want to give up any control yet. The daughter, Bailey, is the chief conservation officer but finds out her mother has used less friendly products to save money, plus she really would like to be a veterinarian. Her twin brother, Sam, who is gay and has done rehab multiple times wants money.
They all had substantial money come to them upon their father’s death. Sam is living above his income with expensive home and car, and minor earning as a photographer. He could have a job at the family business but wants to start his own company. The staff at the resort has been there for many years and also has secrets entwined into the family.
Everyone has their issues, insecurities, desires and secrets; they all have secrets. It’s suspenseful worrying about who might die and who is doing the killing. Sam is angry. Bailey is indecisive. Josh is concerned. Most of the characters are too realistic to be likeable. The pacing is good and there were definitely some twists I didn’t see coming.
Narration:
The use of multiple narrators made it much easier to tell whose point of view we were getting as it changed. There was some dialogue but a lot more thought streams of various people. I enjoyed the performance at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
I just started this book the other day and am enjoying it so far! Thanks for your honest review 🙂
I hope you enjoy it.
So good to see your review as I was considering this one. Excellent review, Anne💜
Thank you . I found 2 typos after posting but they are corrected now. UGH.
Sounds like there’s a lot going on with these characters.
yes and the setting stirs the imagination. I just thought the setting would be more involved in the story somehow.
The setting sounds like it would be interesting. Glad you enjoyed this one!
Thanks Lisa.
This looks good! I do love a mystery in a remote location with terrible weather. I haven’t read this author but I will give this one a try.
yes it’s suspenseful.
African setting and mystery genre? Cool!!!!!
I’m always looking for something a bit different.