The Safe Room
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 6
- 4 min read
By: Lisa Unger
Narrator: Vivienne Leheny
ISBN: 978-1662537653
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Publication Date: 07/01/2026
Format: e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars
Private investigator Rae Donovan’s relationship with her father is distant to the point of estrangement. But when she learns he’s dying in hospice, she drops everything to be at his side. By the time she arrives, he’s already too far gone to speak, and a doctor says his death is consistent with poisoning.
As she scours his isolated Adirondack home for clues, she discovers a hidden room filled with surveillance equipment, weapons, and a safe full of cash—maybe her father wasn’t the unassuming retiree she’d imagined. Rae must decide whether knowing the full truth about her family is worth the danger of tracking it down.
My Review
The Safe Room by Lisa Unger is a pulse-pounding short story thriller where an estranged private investigator uncovers dark family secrets. When her father dies, Rae Donovan discovers his unassuming Adirondack cabin hides weapons, cash, and a secret surveillance room. It is a fast 63-page read.
The Hook
Imagine learning your quiet, distant father just died—only to find out his death was caused by poisoning, and he was living a secret double life.
Elevator Pitch
Private investigator Rae Donovan is estranged from her distant, unapproachable father. When she is called to his deathbed in hospice, a doctor rules his passing a potential poisoning. Searching his isolated home, Rae discovers a hidden room filled with weapons and surveillance gear. She must risk her life to uncover the truth about who her father really was.
Setting
~An isolated, rustic cabin in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
~A quiet hospice facility where her father spends his final days.
Vibe
Atmospheric, gripping, and deeply suspenseful. It feels like a high-stakes puzzle box that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
Genre
~Psychological Thriller
~Mystery / Domestic Suspense
Themes
~Secrets within families
~Grief, regret, and forgiveness
~The lengths parents go to protect their children
Standout Characters
~Rae Donovan: A sharp, independent private investigator. She has to balance her professional skills with the emotional shock of losing the dad she never truly understood.
~Rae’s Father: A deeply mysterious, protective, and complex figure who leads a secret life that is slowly revealed to the reader.
Author Writing Standout
As always, Lisa Unger is a master at pacing. In just a few pages, she delivers deep emotional family drama and intense action without wasting a single word.
LISA UNGER DELIVERS A RAPID-FIRE, HIGH-TEST SHORT STORY
"The grandmaster of psychological suspense returns with a bite-sized, breathless thriller that maximizes every single page for pure adrenaline."
Takeaway
We never truly know everything about our families. Sometimes the people who seem the most distant are actually the ones protecting us the most.
Title Significance
"The Safe Room" refers to the secret, reinforced room her father built. It represents his life of secrecy, danger, and his desire to keep his family safe.
Metaphor
The locked room represents the barriers between Rae and her father. Opening it up forces her to unlock her own heart, process her grief, and finally accept his love.
Why You Should Read
If you want a fast, high-quality story that you can read in one sitting, this is it. It offers all the twists of a full-length novel in a quick, action-packed format.
My Thoughts
Need a quick, high-stakes read to break a reading slump? The Safe Room by Lisa Unger is a short story packed with massive twists!
Do we ever really know our families? 😱 The Safe Room proves that sometimes, the ones who distance themselves do it to keep us safe
A huge long-time fan of the author, having read all her work, it is impressive how much depth Lisa Unger packs into a short story. Rae is a highly relatable character. The ending provides a great sense of closure. I loved it!
Lisa Unger proves yet again why she is a master of suspense, using the condensed short-story format to maximize information density and deliver a relentless turn of the screw without a single word of filler.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️ (5/5 Stars)
"A tense, atmospheric, thrilling page-turner that hits the mark. A phenomenal, hard-hitting short story that proves nobody handles bite-sized domestic malice quite like Lisa Unger."
Recs or Read Alikes
~The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (For the family secrets and protective parent dynamic)
~Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris (For the gripping suspense)
~Served Him Right by Lisa Unger (For more of her thrilling, twisty writing)
Audio Standout
Narrator Vivienne Leheny brings Rae’s voice to life brilliantly. She adds great tension and emotional depth to the short story's 2-hour and 10-minute runtime.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date July 1, 2026
My Rating: 5 Stars
July 2026 Must-Read Books
From the Publisher
Rae may be a private investigator, but she’s never figured out why her father was so distant and unapproachable. After his death, when she discovers evidence that he’s been leading a double life, Rae realizes that maybe he kept his distance all this time in order to protect her. Like a grittier version of The Last Thing He Told Me, this short mystery from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger questions whether we ever really know the truth about our own families.
—Kjersti Egerdahl, Editor
About the Author
Lisa Unger is the New York Times bestselling author of The New Couple in 5B, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, Confessions on the 7:45, and many other novels. Her short fiction titles have earned Lisa the ITW Thriller Award and a place in the Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology series. Her nonfiction work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Travel + Leisure, as well as on NPR. WEBSITE
