Safe Haven

Pastry chef Dena Russell, the protagonist of this overstuffed domestic thriller from MacDonald (The Girl in the Woods), has reason to regret moving in with stable owner Brian Riley, a former schoolmate, by whom she’s become pregnant despite precautions, in her hometown of Monroe, Pa. As the months pass, Brian becomes increasingly possessive and violent. When he discovers her packing up to leave him, the full magnitude of his fury is unleashed, and the incident ends with Dena cowering in the locked bathroom and calling the police. Since the police chief is a good friend of Brian’s ailing father, and the officer who responds to her call was on the high school football team with Brian, no charges are brought against him. Rumors start to surface about the death of Brian’s former live-in girlfriend. Was it really an accident? Then things really heat up for the now heavily pregnant Dena, and it’s not just Brian she has to worry about. Kidnapping, torture, and murder also figure into this busy tale’s relentless, made-for-TV-movie plot. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)