diff --git a/lib/cover_me/results.rb b/lib/cover_me/results.rb
index efa0ad1..6d37c8e 100644
--- a/lib/cover_me/results.rb
+++ b/lib/cover_me/results.rb
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@ class << self
       def read_results(path = CoverMe.config.results.store)
         data = {}
         if File.exists?(path)
-          data = eval(File.read(path)) || {}
+          data = File.read(path, {:encoding => 'ASCII-8BIT', :mode => 'r'})
+          begin
+            data = Marshal.load(data)
+          rescue
+            data = {}
+          end
         end
         return data
       end
@@ -31,14 +36,15 @@ def merge_results!(cov_results, path = CoverMe.config.results.store)
           end
         end
 
-        File.open(path, 'w') do |f|
-          f.write(data.inspect)
+        File.open(path, {:encoding => 'ASCII-8BIT', :mode => 'w'}) do |f|
+          data = Marshal.dump(data)
+          f.write(data)
         end
-        
+
         return data
       end
       
     end
     
   end # Results
-end # CoverMe
\ No newline at end of file
+end # CoverMe
diff --git a/spec/cover_me/results_spec.rb b/spec/cover_me/results_spec.rb
index a83f3f9..d2c2e87 100644
--- a/spec/cover_me/results_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/cover_me/results_spec.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     res = {'file1' => [0, nil, 1],
            'file2' => [nil, 1, nil]}
     File.open(CoverMe.config.results.store, 'w') do |f|
-      f.write(res.inspect)
+      f.write(Marshal.dump(res))
     end
   end
   
@@ -31,7 +31,14 @@
       res.should be_kind_of(Hash)
       res.should be_empty
     end
-    
+
+    it "should return empty results if reading the file fails with a Syntax error" do
+      File.stub!(:read).and_return('{garbage}')
+      res = CoverMe::Results.read_results
+      res.should be_kind_of(Hash)
+      res.should be_empty
+    end
+
   end
   
   describe "merge_results!" do
@@ -46,16 +53,16 @@
       res.should be_kind_of(Hash)
       res.should == {'file1' => [0, 1, 2],
                      'file2' => [nil, 1, 0]}
-      File.read(CoverMe.config.results.store).should == res.inspect
+      File.read(CoverMe.config.results.store).should == Marshal.dump(res)
     end
     
     it "should merge the results and create a new file if there isn't one" do
       res = CoverMe::Results.merge_results!(@more_results, @idontexist_path)
       res.should be_kind_of(Hash)
       res.should == @more_results
-      File.read(@idontexist_path).should == res.inspect
+      File.read(@idontexist_path).should == Marshal.dump(res)
     end
-    
+
   end
   
 end