This book opens with a breathtaking, explosive chase through the streets of London. A terror attack by a lone protagonist intent on leaving a trail of carnage in his wake is fleeing from Michael North. Jude O’Reilly grabs readers right from the off and you can be in no doubt over how high the stakes are. This opening pursuit culminates in a deadly standoff and North finds he has to make a split second decision around his own survival or capturing a killer.

That high impact introduction to Sleep When You’re Dead sets the pace of the whole novel. In this third outing for Michael North there’s a race against time for our hero, the clock is literally ticking down towards a unkown event which threatens the lives of thousands of people. A cult who have been hidden away for years on a remote Scottish island appear to be on the verge of initiating an attack. But the nature of that attack is unknown and M15 want to send North to the Island to infiltrate the cult and stop their plan.

It’s a desperate mission, particularly as the islanders don’t welcome visitors and will naturally be suspicious of anyone suddenly arriving in their midst. But North is well used to being brought in to desperate situations and his interest is further piqued by the discovery an old childhood friend has been on the island making a documentary about its inhabitants. Many years have passed since North last saw Mia, a fellow survivor from their time in children’s homes, and someone he never expected to see again. While the lure of seeing his old friend helps North accept the mission, in reality he has little choice, such is the control Edmond Hone (his “boss”) has over him.

If you’ve read any of the previous Michael North stories then you’ll know there’s a second character who North relies upon. Teenage computer whiz and M15 asset, Fangfang Yu. Fang brings the tech knowhow, the sass and the humour to these stories and she’s lethal with a computer. Plus her Grandmother scares the hell out of North and his pugilistist pal Padrig “Plug” Donne. The trio of North, Plug and Fang have proven to be a formidable trio and each will need to bring their skills if a disaster is to be averted.

But while North is off to Scotland where he will have limited contact with Fang she finds she has her own problems to deal with. While snooping too deeply into a US Government computer system Fang trips an alert and brings the full attention of the American secuirty forces onto herself. It’s a distraction from her work with North and although she is Hone (and the UK’s) asset she is also expendible if the Americans have a vested interest in what happens to Fang. How will the teenage geek keep the elite of American intelligence off her back?

North is a terrific protagonist and you can’t help be drawn into this action packed adventure. O’Reilly hits the perfect balance of action and intrigue and there are moments of pure tension when nothing is going to draw your eyes away from the page. I am a fan of this series and Sleep When You’re Dead just keeps the good stuff coming – get onboard the Michael North Express Train, it is a journey you really should not miss.

Fabulous!! This was a great story which I could not put down. Would recommend this to everyone who loves this genre.

This was really an entertaining read and kept me interested until the end. I will definitely read more by this author in future.

The description for Sleep When You're Dead could have been written with me in mind; an elite assassin, a deadly cult and a multinational setting? Yes please! This is the third book in the Michael North series and despite not having read the previous novels, I didn't think twice about reading it. My only regret is waiting this long to discover this series, I loved everything about it and Jude O'Reilly is definitely going to become a must-read author for me. The balance between bringing new readers up to speed without frustrating returning fans is handled superbly and I soon become completely invested in both the current plot and the ongoing character arcs, which left me desperate for more and determined to read the earlier books.
The tense opening is an immediate attention-grabber; a brutal, shocking act of terrorism in London culminating in a terrifying, dangerous head-to-head would more often be the conclusion to an action thriller but this is just the beginning. One of the most interesting aspects of Michael North's character is the bullet lodged in his brain which could kill him if it moves. It has understandably coloured his outlook on life but he doesn't have a death wish. He wants to live a long life but if that isn't going to happen then he wants the time he has left to matter. Working within the Friends of Cyclops section of MI5 as a government agent gives him purpose but it also means he is disposable. Consequently, his boss, the utterly ruthless Hone, can ask him to do whatever he wishes, regardless of the risk because doing his duty is what gives North meaning. There's a fascinating hospital scene early on which cleverly introduces some of the most important people in his life and makes it clear who actually cares for him. This is a high-octane thriller but there's warmth here too; it never becomes sentimental but there's a sense of family which is really quite moving, particularly given the insights we are given into North's childhood.
It's his upbringing which ultimately leads to him agreeing to defy doctor's orders and to head to the fictional remote Hebridean island, Murdo where a charismatic cult leader is preparing a devastating attack. North is tasked with infiltrating the cult, whose beliefs are completely ridiculous and therefore totally believable. The extreme acts perpetrated by some of its followers make it clear that North is likely to be putting himself in danger but it's only when he heads to Scotland that it really becomes evident what jeopardy he faces – and it's not just the members of Narrow Yett who he needs to be wary of. North obviously has a tactical mind but is also driven by his emotions and a strict moral code which ensures he cannot turn his back when he witnesses aggressive behaviour. His journey to Murdo is certainly eventful and after the exciting opening, it's quickly evident that this is going to be a breathless rollercoaster ride which will test him – and the nerves of the readers – to the very limit.
North is ably supported by brilliant teenage hacker, Fangfang Yu and former cage-fighter, Padraig 'Plug' Donne, and these characters are so beautifully brought to life, I loved them both. Fang, in particular, has an intriguingly chilling storyline of her own, which I wish I could say is thankfully totally fictional but I fear may not be as unlikely as we'd like to believe. The multilayered storyline might be concerned with the deranged actions of one man but it's also a gripping exploration of how organised crime gangs and the merciless, shadowy world of national security both exploit the vulnerable or unwary. It's definitely not a comforting read, especially when naked ambition is thrown into the mix too.
As North reels from one violent encounter to another, my heart rate was scarcely given a chance to recover before the next dramatic confrontation but there's one scene which really is the stuff of nightmares and so well written as it's actually a quieter moment and yet the tension here is almost unbearable. The inevitable climax is excellent; nail-biting, horrifying and emotional, and there are yet still more revelations which means the next book in the series can't come soon enough.
Sleep When You're Dead is a complex, intelligent, compelling action thriller – I highly recommend it.

It's that most engaging of treats, a big, fat, intelligent thriller. It is a first-rate crime novelist's ability to lead his readers up the garden path….

Sleep When You're Dead is the third book in the Michael North series by Jude O'Reilly, although this is the first book I have read, it did not hinder the story.

Michael North is an elite assassin, but with the difference of a conscience, and also one with a bullet in the brain (reminded me of the Bond villain who had the same thing)

North is asked to go to a remote Scottish island, Murdo in The Highlands where he has to gain access to a cult that is threatening the world, sharing the island, and of course to make the story more complex is a shady American organisation which seems to have links to the CIA.

It took me a while to get into the book, there were a lot of characters and I struggled to fit them into the story but then it all fell into place!

We meet North's backup team, teenage genius hacker Fangfang Yu and her granny Po, Plug who is North's best friend, and Hone who is the lead spook!

Lucy was a very poignant character, I would love to see her again but now we won't, I'm glad the story was sympathetic to her.

The book finishes with most ends tied up, but there will be another installment as one of the team seems to have got themselves in trouble......

This is the third Michael North thriller book. Too much? Possibly, this one is very OTT and quite bonkers but since I’m already heavily invested in the series I put all that aside and hung on for the wild ride. I do think it is better to read the earlier books first though to get the best experience of these wonderful characters.

In this very convoluted story Michael seems to have gotten in over his head. Michael is an ex soldier and former government killer for hire. Now he works for the one-eyed man who simply goes by Hone. Hone heads up a secret squirrel group known as Friends of Cyclops and it’s even more shadowy than MI5. Also on the team is Fang Fang Yu a 15 year old genius computer hacker. There are other wonderful characters - Fang Fang’s granny Po. The ugly but loyal giant man known as Plug and in this book they collect more allies. Which is a good thing as Michael faces his toughest challenge yet.

He is sent to the remote Scottish island of Murdo which is home to a cult called the Narrow Yett (the Yett being a kind of gateway). This is a cyber cult in which leader, Enoch, tells his followers that we are all just a computer simulation and, on the appointed day (2 days from now) they will pass through the Yett and enter a new simulation. Of course he means for them to die for that to happen, and the whole thing is to broadcast to the world. Michael is sent to the island to single handedly stop this occurring. Of course nothing is as it seems. There are many other interests on the island that Michael hasn’t been told about including a criminal money laundering operation and a secretive US satellite launching site.

Fang Fang does her usual poking around gathering info that might be useful for Michael but this time she slips up and the CIA are onto her. She has to make a deal with the devil. But things are still not as they seem. How many times can one man cheat death? I should have counted but I didn’t. I’m happy to say there will most likely be at least one more book in this series because things are still not as they seem. The pace was relentless and very, very fast. If you like high octane action books this will be right up your alley. Many thanks to Netgalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Sleep When You’re Dead is the third book in the author’s Michael North series, the follow-up to Killing State and Curse The Day. I haven’t read either of the previous books but I can reassure readers like myself who are new to the series that it won’t affect your enjoyment of Sleep When You’re Dead. The author provides interesting nuggets of information about the back stories of the main characters and the events which have brought them together in order to bring new readers up to date. In view of the latter, start with the first book if you’d like to read the entire series.

Michael North is definitely an all-action hero. ‘Trouble is what he was made for.’ In the course of the book, he survives death by drowning, falls from high places and various other forms of potentially lethal violence, including a close encounter of the poisonous kind. He possesses razor-sharp instincts which is just as well because he finds himself in plenty of perilous situations in the course of the book. In fact, ‘plenty’ is quite possibly an understatement. The reader is frequently reminded of just what North is up against and how little time there is for him to achieve the mission he has been given which really ratchets up the tension.

Although a trained assassin, I liked that North is not a one-dimensional character. He had a difficult start in life, experiencing violence and cruelty as a child, and is no stranger to personal loss. As a result, what has become his ‘family’ – teenage computer whiz, FangFang Yu, Padraig ‘Plug’ Donne, a six-foot-seven ex-cage-fighter turned East End undertaker, and Granny Po – mean a lot to him. ‘Now he had things to live for. People to live for.’ He’s a chronic insomniac, ruefully observing, ‘Sleep was overrated. He figured you could sleep when you were dead’ and at least it cut down on the nightmares. You might expect the fact he has a bullet lodged in his brain which could end his life at any minute might make him a cold-hearted killer but in fact it’s the exact opposite. It makes him want to use whatever time he has left to do good in the world, namely getting rid of bad guys.

North’s boss, Hone, is the exact opposite. He’s a sinister, detached figure – a ‘creature of the shadows’ in the words of one character – who has secured North and FangFang’s services by a combination of threats and manipulation but seems entirely without any sense of responsibility towards them. To him, they are disposable assets, useful partly because of the deniability of their actions. A character you’ll love to hate!

One memorable character is Lucy, a vulnerable woman whose situation is depicted with insight and compassion by the author – never has a Post-It note been so poignant – but whose experiences provide some of the most chilling and unsettling scenes in the book.

The various strands of the plot, which include political and financial corruption, religious fanaticism, a doomsday cult, sex trafficking, drug smuggling and the activities of shadowy government organisations, are skilfully woven together stopping just short of ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ territory. It’s an explosive cocktail of mind-bending conspiracy theories that question the line between reality and artificiality and give a glimpse into a terrifying potential future.

Sleep When You’re Dead is a fast-moving, imaginative and skilfully plotted action thriller whose pace doesn’t let up until the final page. The book’s conclusion, with a key character in jeopardy, sets up the story neatly for a further instalment.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is my first Jude O'Reilly book and i have zero regrets. Sleep when you're dead is book 3 in the Michael North series. The book tells the story of Michael North an elite assassin and spy who is sent to infiltrate a doomsday cult on the Isle of Skye.. On his mission he goes with teen hacker FangFang whom he loves and trusts so much and a bullet lodged in his brain. This book is perfect for fans of David Baldacci as it is fast paced, plot driven and character driven. I recommend it to fans of thrillers that involve spy's and cults.

Thanks to Jude and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before the publication date. This is the third book in the Michael North series but the first which I have read. I don’t think that I am the target audience.

It is a supercharged, all action tale from start to finish with the superhuman hero North engaging one enemy after the other in circumstances that no mere mortal would survive.

Jude has created a raft of motley characters including Hone, the one-eyed boss of an MI5 department, Plug the undertaker who is a former cage fighter with a face full of second prizes and the malodorous CIA agent, Roxie.

This book will be published on the 13th of October. I received it from @headofzeus via @netgalley .

We follow Michael North who works as an agent for MI5 and who gets an undercover job on a remote Scottish island to infiltrate in a cult. He only has 36 hours to stop what the cult has planned to do. He has some help but after some shocking discoveries they are being threatened from the government side as well.

I couldn't really get into this book. It was said to be a high-speed rollercoaster action thriller but it lacked the actual thriller part. There was a decent amount of action in it, but the story wasn't moving that quickly enough and, to be honest, not actually that believable. I know it's fiction, but still. It should be plausible, or at least somewhat. The characters were decent but not more than that.

Just 2,5/5⭐

This book is written in an absolutely neckbreaking pace.

I haven’t read the other books in the series but I am going to.

Michael North is written so well that I can truly believe he would work for security forces.

The hero of this book, Mike North has a bullet lodged in his brain from a previous dangerous encounter.
This one starts with him racing through the streets of London, in pursuit of a madman with huge knives strapped to his hands, scything down people as he goes - in the opposite direction to hundreds of screaming, panic stricken people. He makes an incredible jump onto an opening bridge, hauling himself up by his fingertips.
This whole opening scenario stretched my credulity too far, as there were so many things wrong about it. I’m sorry to say that this was not a book for me, requiring a suspension of disbelief that I’m just not capable of, even taking into account artistic licence.
I’m sure that many people will enjoy it, just not this reader. A DNF.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Michael North is the man you call when there's nothing left to lose. He executes every mission with determination, skill and a certain amount of flair. There's just one problem: the bullet lodged in his brain. If it moves, he will die and so will the mission.
Now North's been sent to infiltrate a doomsday cult on a remote island off the coast of Scotland to stop the terrorist attack its leader is planning on the mainland. Together with teen hacker FangFang, North must face down the forces of evil on behalf of his country.
Book 3 a Michael north thriller
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Aria & Aries
I just reviewed Sleep When You're Dead by Jude O'Reilly. #SleepWhenYoureDead #NetGalley

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

Michael North #3
4-5 stars
If you like your thrillers fast then this series is a perch yourself on the edge of your seat but make sure your firmly strapped in kind. This time the dream team of former covert assassin and MI5 agent North, Fangfang Yu a teen computer genius and Norths best friend Padraig ‘Pug’ Donne find themselves up to their necks in all kinds of bad and distinctly ugly. After a shocking incident in London, North‘s boss Edmund Hone sends him to the farthest reaches of the Outer Hebrides to the island of Murdo to infiltrate a cult the leader of which has all kinds of deadly intent. However, of course it’s not that simple as there’s also a shadowy American corporation, let’s add in the CIA, and oh what about some organised crime?! What North encounters is jaw dropping in its depth as national and international security is at stake and Murdo proves to be a very lively place with all kinds of evil skulduggery afoot. It’s a dizzying plot array but somehow, very cleverly, Judith O’Reilly pulls it off!

Well, you can’t fault the exhilarating excitement and sheer entertainment value of a Michael North political thriller. There are thrills and spills every minute, with traps, snares, hard men, violence and some absolutely epic scenes, think Hollywood and then some! Some scenes definitely require the infamous disbelief suspenders but they are creative and dramatic without a shadow of a doubt. Michael North must’ve been a cat in a previous life, in a kill me once, kill me twice kind of a way to say nothing of the bullet lodged in his brain from his army days. Oh, did I forget to mention that?! He sure finds trouble or does it find him? However, you can’t help but relish it all and I really like North, he has an honour code and is exceptionally brave. He is ably supported by Fangfang and Pug who are both terrific characters and extremely likeable. Hone not so much, well he’s a spook after all and you can’t trust them as far as you can throw them!!

The plot goes at warp speed so you need to keep up, there are welcome infusions of humour to lighten moods (thank you) and it escalates to what you think is the end which is definitely OTT but it’s also very good. One scene (in the sea) literally makes me hoot with laughter it’s so good!

This series is a really enjoyable one, there are always elements of believability lurking at the heart of the plot and several things here I’m quite prepared to believe WILL happen one day, quite possibly sooner than we may think.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

My thoughts about Judith O’Reilly’s Sleep When You’re Dead displays that unique pulp mix of motion and emotion that is both compelling and revealing. The stakes have never been higher. This is a nifty, edge-of-your seat thriller with an intricate plot and jaw dropping twists. The concept of the book has been rolled out extremely well, and comes across as totally feasible and practical; that is its main power. Judith O’Reilly’s writing is thoughtful, focused and never goes off-track. In fact, with Sleep When You’re Dead Judith take’s the Michael North series to a whole new level. The story of Judith O’Reilly’s Sleep When You’re Dead begins with Michael North is the man you call when there’s nothing left to lose. He executes every mission with determination, skill and a certain amount of flair. There’s just one problem: the bullet lodged in his brain. If it moves, he will die – and so will the mission. Now North’s been sent to infiltrate a doomsday cult on a remote island off the coast of Scotland to stop the terrorist attack its leader is planning on the mainland. Together with teen hacker FangFang, North must face down the forces of evil on behalf of his country. On the whole, Judith O’Reilly’s Sleep When You’re Dead is a high-octane thriller that works big time. This one has style and substance, both, besides dazzling action, stunning international locales and stylish execution. This is, without doubt, Judith O’Reilly’s best book till date. Sure shot Blockbuster. I would like to say a big thank you to Author Judith O’Reilly, and Publishers Head Of Zeus, Aries Fiction for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this brilliant book on NetGalley I’ve enjoyed reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥

Michael North is an assassin and spy. He has a bullet in his brain that can’t be removed but if it moves it could be fatal. He is sent undercover to a cult because they are planning an event that could kill a lot of people. His job is to stop them. I had trouble getting into this book but eventually it caught my interest. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Jude O'Reilly is quite good at creating a spy narrative that is compelling and mind bending.
Michael North is an elite assassin and spy.
He is sent to go undercover with a cult on the Isle of Sky - and stop a planned terrorist activity on the mainland. Of note is the fact that North has a bullet lodged in his brain - never a good thing!
North has a young ally who is a computer hacker and it is up to both of them to pull off this crucial mission.