*3.5 stars. In October, 2002, in suburban Elm Park, IL, Chuck Buhrman is shot in the back of the head in his own kitchen. The seventeen-year-old neighbor boy, Warren Cave, is convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison. Buhrman's daughter, Lanie, is the one who gives the evidence that convicts him, testifying that she actually saw him pull the trigger.

Now thirteen years later, Poppy Parnell, a radio personality who hosts an expose podcast called 'Reconsidered,' is looking into whether Warren Cave was wrongly convicted.

In New York City, Josie, Lanie's long-estranged twin sister, overhears chatter about the podcast on the train and nearly passes out. She has spent over a decade creating a new life for herself, even changing her name. She has told her live-in boyfriend Caleb a complete fabric of lies about her past. He thinks both of her parents died in a car crash and she has no siblings. In reality, her mother deserted her two daughters shortly after the murder of her husband and joined a weird cult. They were then raised by their Aunt Amelia with her daughter, Ellen. Lanie went a little wild, ran with a tough crowd, and got into drugs. But the action that caused the split with her sister came when she slept with Josie's boyfriend, Adam. Josie packed a bag and left, backpacking through Europe and Africa for a few years, until she met Caleb and finally settled down.

Will Josie have to confess her lies to Caleb if she is identified as one of the Buhrman daughters? Josie is in a near panic, but then Ellen calls to tell her that Erin Buhrman, the twin's mother, has committed suicide. Was the podcast a contributing factor? Josie has to go back to Illinois for the funeral but tells Caleb one more lie--that it is Aunt Amelia who has died.

When will this complicated web of lies fall apart? And will Caleb still love you when he knows the truth? How can she face her sister again? Was Lanie telling the truth so many years ago...or was it yet another one of her lies? "The truth will set you free." Or will it destroy everything?

Told from Josie's first person point of view, we find that she is not always a reliable narrator. And interspersed with her accounts are the transcripts from Poppy Parnell's podcasts and reactions from the public in the form of tweets, emails, phone calls, Reddit posts, which are sometimes pretty wacky.

Although this debut thriller has lots of interesting elements--death, betrayal, lies, estrangement, family dysfunction--I had mixed feelings about it. I think the writer definitely shows talent but I found myself losing patience with the story, thought the pace dragged (especially after I figured out who the killer was) and I didn't always find the characters believable. But I'd be interested to read more from this promising author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Are You Sleeping is a predictable psychological thriller. In spite of this, it’s very readable...so much so that I found that I HAD to keep reading, even though I knew how things were going to play out.

10 years ago, Josie Borden nee Buhrman fled her small Illinois hometown to start a new life. She travels the world, changes her last name, and finally settles down with her boyfriend, Caleb, in Brooklyn. What’s she running from? 13 years ago, Josie’s father was murdered. Lanie, Josie’s twin sister, witnessed the murder and identified the killer. As a result of this tragic event, Josie’s mother joins a cult, Lanie becomes a drug addict, and Josie lives in a world of denial.

Josie’s done her best to keep the past at bay, to the point where she even lied to Caleb about her family background. BUT she can’t hide anymore when the podcast Reconsidered starts investigating her father’s murder.

Reconsidered ( ala Making a Murderer ) is hosted by Poppy Parnell, who is unrelenting in her efforts to cast doubt upon the man who was convicted of killing Josie’s father, Warren Cave. In order to sensationalize the podcast, she tears Josie’s family apart, and quetsions their integrity. Did Warren Cave really kill Josie’s father? Or is Poppy Parnell just trying to profit off of one family’s tragedy.

Told through primarily Josie’s POV, but mixed with the podcast, articles about the murder, interviews, discussion threads on Reddit and Twitter, I really enjoyed the format of this book.

Are You Sleeping is flawed (I'm too lazy to go into detail), but as I said above, I got sucked in.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was Really Into This book, my friends. I finished it a while back & have been thinking of the best way to review it because there are so many things I enjoyed.

First off, the idea of a podcast looking into a murder is perfectly timed. Everyone I know was crazy about Serial & Jessica & I were totally hooked on S-Town, which has a similar premise. The main character, Josie, hears that a podcast is looking into her father’s murder & re-examining what Really happened & it throws her for a loop. She has spent the last several years running from her family’s complicated history by changing her last name & traveling around the world. Even her live-in boyfriend doesn’t know the truth about her family.

Of course, this is no ordinary murder case. Her twin sister, Lanie, supposedly witnessed the murder & placed their young neighbor as the culprit. He was sent to prison & has always maintained his innocence. After losing their father, their mother ran away and joined a cult and left the twins without parents. Instead of turning towards one another for support, these events placed a wedge between the sisters that is still present years later when they get word their mother has died.

Kathleen does a heck of a job depicting the anxiety & stress that is place on Josie by forcing her to face what she has spent years running from – her family and its sordid history. The novel is ripe with suspense, family secrets, misplaced trust & a longing for closure & understanding. At the heart of the story are the questions of what Really happened that night? What did Lanie actually see? Can Lanie or Josie be trusted? Why did their mother leave them?

This is one of my favorite books of 2017 & y’all know I am Really Into mysteries. Something about this family & these characters are so relatable. I am a 48 Hours love & reading this book from the view of the family changed my perception of how some of these murder stories can be exploited and/or open deep family wounds. Overall, this was an intriguing & satisfying read & I can’t wait to see what Kathleen does next. I am Really Into This!

Special thanks to Kathleen Barber, Gallery Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

When she was a child, Josie's father was murdered, and her twin sister, Lanie, witnessed it. Their lives were completely torn apart, causing Josie to pull away and even change her name. But now a new podcast is revisiting the case, and suggesting that Lanie lied, putting the wrong person in jail.

I could not put this book down! It was so gripping and so suspenseful. Barber did a fantastic job of planting these little clues so the reader felt like Josie and the listeners of the podcasts, trying to put the true story together.

The use of a podcast-theme throughout was also genius. I loved Serial, and that immediately drew me to this book. I loved the use of social media throughout the book's pages, from podcast transcripts to reddit threads to twitter. I also really liked that through Josie and her family, Barber also explored the other side of these podcasts-how they affect the victims and their families, knowing everyone is talking and speculating about the crime that tore them apart.

There really wasn't anything not to like about this book. It completely drew me in, and kept surprising me.

Definitely read this book! You won't be able to put it down.

Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber was a phenomenal read! It drew me in from start to finish. What happens when everything you ran from comes back to haunt you?

Josie Buhrman has been hiding from her past. Her father was murdered and her mother ran away to join a cult. And her sister, her confidant, betrayed her. She has traveled aimlessly for years trying to find her way. She finally settles down in New York and begins to put down roots.

Just when she starts to feel settled, a reporter opens old wounds around the same time her mother commits suicide. Suddenly the past she has been running from, begins to unravel around her and forces her to return home, the one place she never wanted to come back too. Especially when Caleb, her boyfriend, has no idea who she is.

This was a great story! I was enthralled from start to finish. The suspense flowed well and kept me drawn to the story. What really happened? Was the right man convicted? How will the new podcast affect the future she is trying to build? You will be at the edge of your seat from beginning to end!

Hardcover, 336 pages Published August 1st 2017 by Gallery Books
ISBN13: 9781501157660 Rating: 4-1/2*

Josie Buhrman has for the last ten years hidden and trying to escape the dysfunctional and tragic family she grew up in. After her father’s death and her mother’s abandonment to run away and join a cult leaving her and her twin sister Lanie to live with an Aunt, life had never been the same. Lanie, her other half did a one-eighty and spiraled out of control getting int all sorts of trouble, but what truly blew the closeness the twins once had was a betrayal Josie simply could not forgive.

Now, Josie has finally put down roots in New York with the love of her life, best friend and live in partner Caleb. It’s taken a long time for Josie to develop the kind of close attachment she has with Caleb, but when a phone call from her cousin comes thru begging Josie to come home for her long lost mother’s funeral, her first though was that her carefully constructed life of lies was finally going to have to be explained.

An investigative reporter Poppy Parnell was running a ‘True Crime’ episode of the murder and supposedly false imprisonment of the person who was charged with her fathers murder. The podcast had become a hit and in an effort to keep Caleb from learn the truth she again lied and left for the mid-west in order to attend the funeral of the mother who abandoned her and her sister.

*** This was a really great read with characters i found to be pretty much fleshed out and eventually discovering all the secrets both twins had buried deep from the tragic night of their father’s murder. I’m sure a psychiatrist would delight in reading this tome for great examples of how one buries trauma from their mind.

The story was fast paced and very interesting with a plethora of high emotions, blame, betrayals and mental instability. Bottom line is that this was a very enjoyable read .

Marilyn Rondeau

I find podcasts and true crime fascinating, so I loved the premise of this book. However, the lady in this book who starts the podcast, Poppy Parnell, seems more focused on good ratings than truly helping anyone. She starts the podcast because the mom of the man who was convicted of killing Josie Buhrman’s dad years before doesn’t believe he actually did. Poppy isn’t sure either way, but she starts to dig into the past. I do think the justice system gets it wrong sometimes and it’s great when people can help someone who has been wrongly accused, but Poppy investigates without seeming to care how she is affecting Josie and her family. This was her dad who was murdered. Her mom left the family after it happened, and Josie and her twin, Lanie, haven’t spoken in years. They don’t need someone stirring up trouble and demanding answers they might not be able to give.
Despite finding Poppy mostly annoying, I still enjoyed the podcast parts of the book. There were parts of the transcripts included, so readers could see who Poppy was talking to and what she was learning. It was interesting to get a look at Josie and her family when her father died. Readers also learn more about Josie’s dad and how certain things he’d done might have led to his death, and it could be someone other than the neighbor boy that was convicted.

I wouldn’t say I adored Are You Sleeping, and I did find the answers to be a bit too obvious after awhile, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I’d be curious to see future books that utilize a podcast, and I’d definitely be happy to read something else by this author in the future.

This is a great thriller with a very modern plot. I found it very frightening to realise that podcasts can cause so much reaction and impact in people's lives. Investigative reporter Poppy starts a podcast as she wants to find out the truth regarding a murder which took place 13 years ago. Our storyteller is Josie, daughter of the man who was killed. She has a twin Lanie, who still lives in their hometown. Josie left there 13 years ago just after the murder and changed her name, as there was so much publicity at the time. Due to the podcast it appears that her mother has now committed suicide so Josie has to return home, just as the podcast gains popularity.!

I liked how this author executed this novel. Reliving the past and throwing doubt amongst those listening and those whose past we are reexamining. It’s a past where life was once good but evil crept itself in, entering into more than one place and now to relive it, the pain stabs deep. The truth lies within these individuals and they must encounter some pain for them to be truly free.

A podcast cast doubt on a murder case which had taken place thirteen years ago. The accused is serving his sentence in prison, his mother still shouts his innocence while the victim lays under his tombstone. The viewers begin to wonder if the right person is behind bars after listening to this podcast as Poppy Parnell, investigative reporter sheds light on the case. This is Poppy’s job and as she posts more of her informative podcasts, the attention to this closed case gets hotter. Eager yet hesitant, even those closest to the case tune in to these podcasts to hear what Poppy has uncovered.

Thirteen years ago, twins Josie and Lanie’s father was murdered in their home. This set off a string of events which shattered their family. Josie left three years later. She’s had no contact with her mother or twin sister and now she reluctantly returns home for her mother’s funeral. Josie has lied to her boyfriend about her past which she feels is justified. She returns to her aunt’s home to await the funeral but the podcasts, her twin sister and her past are things which are creeping up on her and need to be addressed. I feel that Josie feels torn between family, the truth, and her current situation. Staying away from her hometown, she only dealt with life and now coming home, she has to deal with her mother and reliving the murder with the podcasts, she finds herself juggling too many things. Lanie, I disliked her from the beginning and the more I read, the more I hated her. I really enjoyed the story, it was more of a mystery to me than a thriller. I wanted to know what really happened thirteen years ago and I wanted to know how the novel would end. Like I said before, I liked the investigated reporter angle of this novel, I liked that doubt being thrown in as it messed with the minds of the masses, the parties involved in the case and us, the readers. It was a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for giving me a free e-copy of this novel to read. This review is my own opinion.

Are You Sleeping, by Kathleen Barber, was one of my most anticipated psychological thrillers and I had been reading rave reviews about this one all over the place. Now that I finished, I completely understand why. Fast paced and intricate, this one had me on the edge of my seat.

Josie and her boyfriend Caleb are living a blissful life in New York when a podcast, investigating a decade old murder case, begins to shatter everything. Josie, the daughter of the victim, has spent most of her life trying to escape her family’s reputation and move past this tragedy (even going as far to changing her name) but old wounds are torn open rapidly as the podcast’s popularity increases and, soon, Jo finds herself back at home confronting her past. As Josie begins to question everything, she finds herself colliding with her twin sister Lanie, a girl whose sole testimony put a man in jail. Has Josie’s life been built on a lie? And can she move past them?

From the first few pages, I loved loved loved everything about the beginning of this book; it sort of had the same vibe as Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski and Making A Murderer series on Netflix. Barber brilliantly incorporates Twitter feeds, chat pages and podcast transcripts to make the story come alive; I found myself, several times, wanting to Google the characters and try to research the murder for myself before remembering that I was reading fiction.

Barber creates a whole series of characters that were memorable and developed and created such an elaborate world for them; even the smallest detail was given time to develop and I loved all the small touches. From Aunt A to the cult-joining mother, I wanted to know more about all of them. I think there is something to say about an author when the reader cares just as much for the smallest character as they do for their lead protagonists.

The ending was 100% predictable and I had it figured out within the first few chapters; however, I was compelled enough by Barber’s prose and by the characters to continue reading and was still completely entertained throughout.

I felt like this one was the perfect read for summer; it wasn’t too heavy or too dark, just pure addictive fun. I would highly recommend throwing this one into your beach bag.

I'm so glad to be finished with this book. This would make a great sleep aid, as I fell asleep several times while reading it. My attention started to wander before I was halfway done. Not my cup of tea.

Josie Borden hears about a podcast about a murder that took place several years ago for a man named Chuck Buhrman. When she hears that the person who is running the podcast, Poppy Parnell, is looking into the case to see what really happened, Josie wonders if anyone would recognize her after all these years.

Josie has changed her name and went to great lengths not to be recognized as Chuck Buhrman's daughter. She has changed her name, and stayed far away from anything Buhrman related except for her cousin Ellen.

After being worried about getting noticed as Josie Buhrman, Josie goes and cuts all of her hair off and colors it platinum blonde so that she is even more unrecognizable. According to the rest of the world she had disappeared. To her boyfriend Caleb, she is just Josephine Borden. But to the rest of the world she is the daughter of Chuck and Erin Buhrman, one deceased the other joined a cult in order to escape the death of her husband and the family left behind.


After her dad was murdered Josie and her twin sister went to live with her Aunt Amelia, because they had no other family. So when Josie gets a call from Ellen saying that she is gone she thinks it is about her twin sister. But its about her mother, she has committed suicide at the place where she lives with the rest of the cult members. This place is undisclosed to the public and is a mystery even to those who know people that are in LFC.

Josie goes home to Aunt A's at the request of Ellen for the funeral and proceedings. Josie will have to come up with a good story to tell Caleb because she never told him about her family and all of the drama that goes along with her family.

As Josie goes back home she not only discovers things about her self but she reunites with her twin sister, and things start progressing there and just keep building.

This is definitely one of the best thrillers that have come out this year! It was a suspenseful and thrilling read!! I would definitely say that this book in particular wasn't something that many people have incorporated. True Crime podcasts families involved, and those family members who aren't involved but are still affected.

Many people love the true crime podcasts that have come out in the last few years and what a better way to love them even more than in a book synopsis. This book just knocked that out of the park. It gave a small hint as to what it is like behind the scenes for not only the families involved with the crime itself, but also for the interviewer.

Some would say that Poppy Parnell was beyond pushy and stuck her nose in places that it didn't belong. And social media played a huge part in her investigative ways, and material. Poppy Parnell was doing everything she felt as if she had to in order to get to the bottom of the truth even if she technically handled evidence that should have been sent to the police. But she was doing a favor to a small point to Josie's family.

But she also inserted herself where she didn't belong on many occasions. When she was told no she should have taken no for an answer, but being the ever driven reporter that she is she kept pushing.

This book was such an insight to so many things regarding real crime podcasts, but I would have like to have seen more from Melanie and her side of the story. I think if she would have had even a small part of her side of the story it could have shed more light on the situation and what else happened between her and Chuck.

With all of this said this book was definitely well worth the read!! This was a 4.75 STAR read for me and I really enjoyed it!!!

Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future. - Fulton Oursler

Josie has no wish to live in the past or even remember it. Her father was murdered when she and her twin sister, Lanie, were young teenagers. Their mother ran off and abandoned the girls after that, joining a California cult. And her sister, who had always been her best friend, betrayed her in the worst way possible.

So Josie left Elm Park, Illinois ten years ago to travel the world and tried to never look back. She and her long-time boyfriend now live in New York City and she loves her job at a bookstore.

But events conspire to bring her past to the forefront again - a past she has never told her boyfriend about.

I enjoyed this murder mystery/thriller. I had most of the twists figured out before the end but it was an exciting word journey nonetheless. There was great character development, especially of Josie. And I liked the small town setting which was there for most of the story.

I received this book from Gallery Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Kathleen Barber's ARE YOU SLEEPING blends together two formats together: the true crime podcast and a psychological thriller. Readers who are fans of true crime podcasts may want to give this book a try. I felt this novel was missing something, either unique plot and/or riveting characters.

I can't imagine going through what Lanie and Jo went through as teenagers. At fifteen, their father was murdered in their own home. Lanie discovered his bother and allegedly saw the intruder gun down her father. She says it was their next door neighbor, a troubled teen named Warren Cave, who hung with the wrong crowd and who didn't have an alibi. Investigative reporter Poppy Parnell is on the case and has captured the attention of the nation in her podcast Reconsidered.

Everyone is poking holes in Lanie's story, leaving Jo more than shaken. Jo ran away from home ten years prior ago, only a few years after her father's murder. Her twin sister spiraled out of control into drugs and debauchery and her mother ran abandoned them, succumbing to her own mental fragility, to join a cult.

Don't let my rating of this book scare you off or lead you to dismiss it. This book wasn't bad but it just didn't have anything particularly special about it. The plot was relatively standard and kept me interested but again it was missing something to set it apart from the pack.

The characterization was perhaps the biggest problem. In thrillers (actually, all genre fiction), especially those narrative in the first-person, the protagonist needs to be compelling and hold the reader's attention. Jo was rather bland and a one-note Sally. The most interesting thing about her was her lies.

There was a lack of nuance, subtlety and growth, especially with Jo's boyfriend. His character didn't feel like a real person to me. Adam was the perfect guy; he had no flaws whatsoever and was the most understanding person on the planet. Also, everything the reader ever needed to know about the main characters was revealed in the first few chapters. There was little growth or development, aside from Jo learning to be truthful.

Barber mixes together excerpts from the Reconsidered podcast with Jo's chapters, allowing the reader to experience the podcast at the same time Jo is. I think that was a really effective way to marry these two different formats and make them seamless and easy to digest for the reader.

* Thanks to Gallery for providing me with an early copy for an honest review.

Josie Buhrman's father, Chuck, was shot in the head in their family home when Josie and her twin sister, Lanie, were teens. Their seventeen-year-old next-door neighbor, Warren Cave, was convicted of the crime, based mainly on Lanie's testimony that she saw Warren commit the crime. Now, twelve years later, Chuck's case is being featured on a new podcast, called RECONSIDERED (think SERIAL), featuring crime reporter Poppy Parnell. Poppy has unearthed the case at the behest of Warren's mother, Melanie, who claims he's innocent. Suddenly, everyone in America is talking about the Buhrman family. For Josie--who has changed her last name and fled her home state of Illinois--this is particularly disturbing, since she's never told her boyfriend, Caleb, about her family. Josie and Lanie are estranged, their mother lives in a cult in California, and she only has sporadic contact with her family through her Aunt A and cousin Ellen. However, when Ellen calls with the news that Jo's mom has passed away, she realizes she needs to return to Illinois and face her demons. And the fact that perhaps Warren isn't her father's killer.

This was a compelling first novel that definitely kept me reading. It offers an interesting commentary on our society's focus on these sorts of "lurid" family crimes and the media formats in which we rapidly digest them. However, as the novel points out, society gets sucked into true crime shows without realizing the impact the focus may have on those associated with said crime. For Josie, Lanie, and the entire Burhman family, RECONSIDERED roars through their life like a freight train. The novel features excerpts from the podcast itself, which is an incredibly effective format--interspersing the chapters with the podcast excerpts, reddit threads, and Twitter feed is powerful and really builds suspense. Further, Josie tells the story in the present, but often remembers back to the past, only adding to the tension.

For a while, thanks to the format and storyline, I thought this would be a 4-star for sure. I did not enjoy, however, how the book relies on one of my least favorite devices (well-known to those who read my reviews frequently): a relationship or plot built on shaky lies. So much of Josie and Caleb's relationship is just so, and it drove me crazy; it just seemed ridiculous that she wouldn't tell him the truth, and I was so frustrated. So, there's that. The plot also felt vaguely familiar at times--maybe I'm just reading too many thrillers anymore. But the whole blame the kid with a satanic background for a crime, sisters fighting too much over silly things--that all felt a bit done. Also, Lanie and Josie's fighting and drama was a tad much for me at times.

In the end, this one wasn't a shocker, but it was certainly compelling. It kept me reading the entire time: it's captivating and disturbing. I loved the format of the book, and I'm impressed that this is Barber's first--I look forward to her next novel. 3.5 stars.

Are true crime podcasts just fun entertainment? After all these aren’t fictional characters, these are real people who have suffered real tragedies. Is it fair to families who have lost a loved one to murder and have had closure from the arrest and conviction of the murderer to have these cases re-examined in the public eye? Are You Sleeping examines exactly this situation. The family of the murder victim has moved on after the conviction of the murderer, although not without a lot of traumatic issues arising from the crime. They have been able to rebuild new lives for themselves until a new trending podcast about the murder dredges up the past and blows apart their lives once again. What really struck me as tragic is how the twin sisters who were the daughters of the victim kept pleading with the creator of the podcast, Poppy Parnell, to leave them alone and to let the case rest. Of course it is too popular and lucrative and she keeps at them like a dog with a bone. She’s downright rude and aggressive in trying to get interviews or at least sound bites from the family that she can use to promote her podcast. It’s pretty sickening to think that our fun Sunday afternoon listen might be the result of harassment of the victims. It makes me wonder if true crime should be entertainment at all.

Obviously this book raised a lot of questions for me and made me think pretty seriously about the line between entertainment and ghoulish voyeurism. The story itself is very engaging and I was completely consumed by it. While the characters waited for a new podcast to be released I waited on the edge of my seat for it too. This was a real page turner that kept me up too late for several nights. Even when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about this story. I think it will colour my perceptions of true crime from now on and I will have a lot more compassion for the actual people involved. The characters in this story were not always likeable, quite the opposite really, but they were human and felt like real people going through real issues.

The suspense was intense and I really didn’t want to stop until I reached the end. The conclusion wasn’t shocking but it felt realistic and probable. Readers expecting a big, unexpected twist at the end may be disappointed but I felt the ending fit well with the narrative and made sense for the characters. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be recommending it to my friends!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I'm a huge fan of Serial and My Favorite Murder podcasts so when I read that this book contains a murder podcast, I was ecstatic. The story is about Josie, who tried to escape her past because 13 years ago her father was murdered and her mother ran off to join a cult. It was a very fun, fast paced read. The only problem for me is the ending was predictable. However, I did love it and recommend to fans of this genre.

4.25-4.5 STARS

13 years after her father’s murder, Josie Buhrman must face the past head-on, when an investigative reporter uses a serial podcast to raise questions and doubt over the guilt of his convicted murderer.

Directly on the heels of the podcast airing, Josie’s absentee mother commits suicide, forcing Josie to return to her hometown and the estranged sister she happily left behind. But as new information comes to light, even Josie must admit that all is not exactly as it seems. The truth just might lie in her troubled sister’s sketchy memory, or in a clue hidden amongst her mother’s final possessions.

With an intriguing and captivating premise, “Are You Sleeping” is a psychological thriller that had me enthralled from start to finish. But while the twisty storyline made for a suspenseful journey, in the end, it held not real surprises. Still, I found it to be an enjoyable read, and one that I would highly recommend.

“My name is Poppy Parnell and this is Reconsidered: The Chuck Buhrman Murder.”

I am one of those 70+ million people caught up in the investigative journalism podcast series ‘Serial” and was thrilled to discover this book which has a similar feel. Although fiction, the author’s inspiration comes from “Serial”.

This is a wonderfully innovative story about truth, justice and betrayal that I found hard to put down. It centers on a family who lost their beloved patriarch, Chuck Buhrman to murder 13 years ago and is told mostly through the POV of Josie, one of Chuck’s twin daughters who were teens at the time. You know when there are twins involved, there will be twisties. There were indeed plenty to be found.

First her father is taken away, shortly thereafter Josie’s mother abandons 16-year old Josie and twin Lanie to join a cult and then Lanie betrays her and is shut out of Josie’s life for the next 13 years. Despite the family dysfunction and isolation, Josie seems to have put it all behind her and now living a good life with partner Caleb, a lovely character, a knight in shining armor. Little does he know that Josie has been lying to him for years.

Then Josie hears about the new wildly popular ‘Reconsidered’ podcast and her father’s murder case is reopened and thrust back into the spotlight. Investigative reporter and blogger Poppy Parnell is a determined investigative reporting pit bull who delves into Chuck’s murder, a murder in which a young man was convicted based on scant evidence and an eyewitness account by one of Chuck’s twin daughters.

Author Kathleen Barber knocks it out of the ballpark. Excellent storytelling with a revolutionary format and contemporary feel. She thought of everything to hold my interest, transcripts of Poppy’s podcasts, eyewitness and detective testimony, reddit fan postings. I felt like an armchair investigator.

*Will add to additional outlets once published.

This novel grabbed me straight away. The way the story ties in with a podcast is believable and current, and also horrifying. The major themes of family, the lies we tell people we love and forgiveness are underlined by our world of instant and inaccurate information. I have to say that I did not like many of the characters but they were realistic and well-rounded. The novel is well-paced, gripping and surprising in all the right places. I hope I will read more from this author in the future.