No Safe House
by Jan Garnett

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Kathleen (Kot) Cafferty is an optimist, a dedicated professional, and rather fond of control until she is suddenly swept into the RCMP’s Witness Protection Program, with only her dog, Medley, for company. When the safe house becomes anything but, Kot realizes that she has to disappear on her own terms to somewhere that not even the police can find her. Kot and Medley paddle into the Salish Sea at night to hide, until the need for supplies forces her to head for one of the larger islands on the horizon. On Atticus Island Kot finds work, friends, and a measure of security, but she still looks forward to returning to her “real life.” Things get even more interesting when a global celebrity with lifelong roots on Atticus takes a keen interest in her. When Kot discovers an young girl living secretly in the island’s decommissioned lighthouse, she is torn between the law and the need to protect the fragile safety that each of them has found. Meanwhile, detectives achieve a breakthrough in their investigations into deadly drug smuggling through the Port of Vancouver, uncovering unexpected links to events on Atticus Island. After a stranger appears on the island who is openly hunting for Kot, her survival rests on the resourcefulness of her friends and, ultimately, on the not-so-rare altruism of another species. No Safe House was short-listed for the Crime Writers of Canada’s 2023 Best Unpublished Manuscript Award. Reviewer’s comments included: “. . . an ambitious and lyrical novel that takes its time to draw together disparate threads and characters into a transcendent whole,” and . . . “exquisite description, superb dialogue, and a complex and topical plotline.”

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No Safe House was an award-winner in the 2023 Crime Writers of Canada competition in the Best Unpublished category. Reviewer's comments included: “An ambitious, lyrical novel that takes its time to draw together disparate threads and characters into a transcendent whole;” "...exquisite description, superb dialogue and a complex plot line;” and "...flawed, richly drawn, and ironically humorous characters, worthy of our affection." Comments from Beta readers, such as "a completely absorbing, keeping me hooked until far too late at night" and "I need to continue knowing these characters and settings."

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Raised in Ancaster, Ontario, Jan Garnett earned a Master’s degree from McGill. After other careers, she cherished a formative leadership role with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. She lives on a Southern Gulf Island and No Safe House is her first novel. Jan loves soaking in nature, alone or with her partner and dogs, her close family and friends, the occasional single malt, and messing around in all manner of boats. When possible, she politely avoids parsnips.

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Contributors

Author

Jan Garnett