Unlike Graham's previous Chief Inspector Barnaby novels, A Place of Safety was not adapted for the television series Midsomer Murders.

[1] Ferne Basset vicar's wife Ann Lawrence accuses Carlotta, a young homeless girl her husband has taken in, of stealing her precious heirloom earrings.

After her body doesn't re-surface, witness Charlie Leathers begins blackmailing Ann for money, until he's found garrotted and his pet dog, Candy, left savagely beaten.

A starred review from Publishers Weekly stated: "Graham's eighth novel...masterfully recounts the effects of love--or its absence--on a diverse group of people, including her series detective, Inspector Tom Barnaby...Graham is a master of pacing, and her dialogue is dark and worldly-wise enough to make this much fuller fare than most English-village cozies.

"[2] Kirkus Reviews noted: "The author’s sharp characters and complex but believable plotting are in full play here, to the reader’s delight.