The Safekeeper

The Safekeeper is one of the weirdest stories I’ve read, and I mean weird in a good sense. Fifteen-year-old Macy Steward helps her parents run the Greenmont Grith Retreat Center where humans volunteer to give up their bodies for three days to aliens from galaxies far away. Her job is also to keep their secrets safe as these off-worlder parasites take over human bodies to relax and experience the pleasures of living on Earth. 

Macy also assists the strange Retreat Guide Claud Hopper as he ensures that the off-worlders have a good time. Guarding the estate is a talking crow, Clio, who is more than she seems. 

Macy attends Las Aves High School, but it’s not the center of her existence. When new student Nick wiggles into her life knowing more than he should about Greenmont, he shows Macy her role at the retreat is far beyond anything the girl imagined. Nick also has a secret that will definitely make you scratch your head. Also at the school is the very dapper Vice Principal Svarma, the Orbit Council’s Human resource contact who reminds Macy of a vampire. Then there’s Mr. Rubino, the bus driver who is way beyond what anyone can possibly imagine. 

The Safekeeper, a 190-page paranormal science-fiction mystery is written beautifully and set in the scenic redwood forest of Northern California. Written in Macy’s POV, the author uses humor, mystery, and fantasy as she develops a believable world where inter-worldly travel is possible. Macy is the protagonist with the big heart and brilliant mind. 

If you’re in search of a different kind of book during the pandemic, The Safekeeper is it; winner of the Indies Today 2020 Best Paranormal Award.  

About the Author

Esther Archer Lakhani lives in Northern California near the redwoods of the Pacific Coast. A writer, musician, and avid nature enthusiast, Esther spends her time either working on her next book, teaching music at the local community college, or hiking in the forest with her husband and two sons. The Safekeeper is her debut novel.
To connect online, visit her website at estherarcherlakhani.com.

Pop’s Rating:

Michael Thal is the author of The Abduction of Joshua Bloom, a story about alien abduction.