Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert
Forthcoming Sept 10, 2024

The town of Twisted Tree, Kentucky has a notorious reputation of the history of a serial killer nicknamed Father Silence wreaking havoc twenty years ago. When the day finally arrives to execute the criminal, detective Tess Claibourne is relieved knowing the man her father and his partner apprehended will finally be out of their lives for good.

But when Tess and her estranged psychologist husband Justin find out that their only daughter Julia has been kidnapped, so begins a frightening ordeal, a game of cat and mouse between Julia and the new, evolving killer who may or may not be a protégé of Father Silence.

Things escalate further when Julia’s parents and the other lead detective from the case twenty years ago are brutally murdered. Chasing down clues leads them to the only survivor of Father Silence, who himself has serious mental health issues and is in prison for killing his own father. But he may have answers that Tess and Justin need to bring their daughter home alive.

Being a big fan of serial killer storylines, this book’s premise really appealed to me. And for the first third of the book I felt like it was a fast-paced almost-procedural with a lot of moving parts. There in lies the issue I had, I felt like there may have been a little too many irons in the fire.

While I loved Tess’s flawed character—a pill popping probable alcoholic with a cheating husband and some repressed memories she’s struggling with—I think perhaps having all of the various plot lines and tropes added within the book just may have watered it down too much for me. When I can’t keep track of characters and themes then that’s a sign for me that things are taking a turn in the wrong direction.
I liked the story well enough, but sometimes less is more. I would definitely buy this author again though, as he knows how to write horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book by J. H. Markert. I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was intrigued from the beginning with the prologue, and couldn't wait to delve deeper. What I didn't prepare for was the inability to put it down! I couldn't wait to see where the story would go next.

It was a fast paced thriller with a few good twists to keep you on your toes. One moment you were focussed on the serial killer, next it was a kidnapper and a cult.

I really enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the book, especially Tess. I think what made the book better for me was the jumps back in time and how they connected to current events.

This book is a must read for thriller readers!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars.
Once again Markert has woven a complicated nightmare and “Sleep Tight” just might be my favorite so far. This book has everything: a cult, murder, big plot twists, missing memories, and more.
It’s a commitment to read because there are a *lot* of components, you wouldn’t want to go into it unfocused, but you won’t regret it!

Looking for a book that will keep you hooked from start to finish? Try 'Sleep Tight' by JH Marker, I can confidently say that this has been one of the most engaging reads I've come across in a while. I'm now a fan of this author and look forward to exploring more of his works, especially if they are as well-crafted as this one.
I will say that if you are affected by childhood trauma and abuse, this might not be a book for you.
A silence of the lambs crossed with American horror story feel to this one.
If your a fan of a good horror/ thriller and the stuff nightmares are made from I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley and The publisher Crooked lanes for the ARC. I will definitely keep this one as one that I need to share with everyone

I really enjoyed this book., as I have all this authors work! The characters were well developed and the story was great, suspenseful, interesting through the book, I never felt it dragged or was slow in parts. I would absolutely recommend this book to friends. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was looking forward to reading this one but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I was expecting something else instead of just a crime/detective story. I dnf’d at about 22%, I took a month break and tried picking it back up but just couldn’t

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Sleep Tight is Dark, creepy and unsettling.
Without question J. H. Markert’s best yet.
Reminiscent of old school Stephen King.
This has everything you want from in a Horror novel.
I thought The nightmare man was great, but Sleep Tight is his best yet!

A very entertaining plot involving serial killer, serial killer cults, childhood trauma, messed up childhood and pasts coming back to haunt the living now.

The plot moves rapidly from the get-go and doesn't bother to pause. Its a wild ride where the main characters are looking for their missing daughter and the mother - the detective is also reeling from murder of her own parents, cheating husband and complex relationship with her past. In these stories the past doesn't stay there but come back ten fold, haunt and unearth all the garbage that's rotting underneath. Tess, the missing girl's mother, battles her own demons, remembers the past that her traumatic childhood self buried and uncovers the mystery around kids gone missing for years and the weird cults that exist around the executed serial killer.

<spoiler>there is always this person that the killer knew who was also messed up and was far more evil and thus they hide in plain sight and, of course, that's the red herring. i can understand the necessity of such plot armor but thankfully, in this story, it works out in its favor.
Also there seem to be a lot of interviews and avenues that no one bothered to check till the latest kidnapping. when Tess insists that there were many true crime books and documentaries written about the case, almost everyone seemed to have missed few things - like interviewing about the serial killer's childhood behavior with the orphanage sisters' in depth.
</spoiler>

For the great buildup, the villain arc was quite damp. It was okay, the explanations were fine, but perhaps I was looking for something far more sinister. Tess, isn't always likeable and is an incredibly flawed character. It however rounds up the characters are grounded and not mere caricatures, given the very fast pace of the story.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This was just ok for me. I just didn't feel compelled to pick it up and therefore it took me a while to finish. I was expecting more horror so was disappointed that it was more of a thriller. I did enjoy some aspects of the book and the beginning really hooked me in. Overall it was enjoyable in parts and I did want to know how it ended but unfortunately it just lacked something for me.

I have absolutely loved Markert's last two releases and Sleep Tight was no different. This was equally creepy and suspenseful with fantastic character development and I could not get enough. This book is packed to the brim with tension and I found myself enthralled with the elements of true crime and possible satanic worship. Thank you so much to James for my signed ARC and to Crooked Lane Books for my Netgalley copy! Highly recommend picking this one up when it publishes in September.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I didn’t expect so many murders right off the bat! I was definitely invested in finding out what happened and feel like the pacing was generally pretty good.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of with many different points of view, which contributed to the plot becoming a little convoluted. I had a difficult time remembering who certain characters were and how aspects of the plot fit together.

I also personally am not a fan of an amnesiac narrator who doesn’t remember anything and then parts come to light at key moments in the investigation. Feels a little too convenient and unbelievable. I also felt like the two characters who are somehow able to hear each other’s thoughts was far-fetched. Or maybe this wasn’t explained well enough for me? But that felt like the biggest stretch/plot hole.

I also couldn’t figure out the significance of the title “Sleep Tight” other than possible twisted creepy lullaby vibes?

This was a fairly quick read and the mystery was compelling, but seemed to lack a cohesiveness to make this a really strong story. There are a lot of moving pieces that were interesting, but I think this book could have benefited from the “less is more” mentality.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book. It kept me engaged and I could not put it down. Finished it on sitting. I enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading more from this author.

I was over the moon when I was approved to read this book. It's been a year since a book my Markert, and I had forgotten how much is writing style screws with my brain. Sleep Tight has so many moving parts, traumas, and characters that at any given moment any little plot whole could throw the whole story out the window. It never happend, the pacing kept my attention from wavering as we jumped from POV to POV. I couldn't help as wrote note after note on my Kindle as more of the plot was unfolding. And the ending with Oskar, loved it! J.H. Markert is one of my favorite authors right now. But, I'm gonna need to read something happy after Sleep Tight. Holy Crap.

Thank you for approving me of this arc! “Sleep Tight” by J.H. Markert is a crime/mystery following a decade old case that comes back to haunt our main character. I was incredibly excited when I was approved for this arc because the plot was just perfect, but as I kept reading, I became more disappointed with how the story unfolded. I thought that the multiple POVs made it harder for me to follow along the case and the amount of characters didn’t help. What really ruined the story for me was the ending. The relationship between Tess and Benjamin and their past was added in way too late in the book, so when Benjamin dies, I felt nothing. I wasn’t shocked or sad, I just felt nothing. Then we hear that our main villain (“wolf mask”) dies like she wasn’t the one behind decades worth of crime. It was just disappointing over all.

In this fast-paced, read-in-one-sitting novel, Markert weaves a tale with intricate moving parts. The narrative is dark, gloomy, reminiscent of the movie Identity, and infused with elements akin to HBO’s True Detective. As the action unfolds, the story introduces compelling complexities that leave readers pondering the true identity of the antagonist.

I absolutely LOVED Sleep Tight!

I love how the author gives you enough back story to get by then dives into the good stuff. I appreciated the brief looks into the other povs and reports. It was enough to give you the information you were looking for while not overwhelming or bouncing around too much.

The twists and turns kept me on my toes! Highly recommend this book to everyone!

I loved this book! It was so well written and tied together so perfectly! I couldn't put it down! My only issue with the book was the reference to "satanic music". What exactly is that?

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Tess Claibourne has spent her whole life haunted by her past. A past that was filled with the horrors of notorious serial killer Father Silence. But all that is finally being put to rest with the murderous fake priest being put to death. However, Tess recieves a truly horrific call the next morning, leading to the discovery of her parent’s brutalized lifeless bodies. A new serial killer calling himself the Outcast is taking credit for Tess’ tragedy. As the stakes get higher and leads grow slim Tess heads back to her hometown of Twisted Tree. Where she must face and untangle her web of lost memories to put a stop to this new horror.

Let me start by saying this was my first J. H. Markert book and I will immediately be remedying that as this book completely blew me away! As someone who is a huge fan of shows like True Detective and Law and Order this book gave me all of those vibes. I simply could not put it down! Sleep Tight was a perfect example of when a crime thriller meets cult horror that’s filled with a detective story about hunting down a killer. The story unfolds through multiple POVs as the reader unravels this twisted tale, racing against time trying to solve these crimes. The characters that Markert wrote were real, raw and authentic. They all have flaws, secrets, fears, pain, and real anger that they experience. While these characters were not perfect people who in fact have made their own mistakes I still found myself rooting for them to stop the Outcast. With each page that I turned I could feel the building pressure and when those final twists were revealed I was truly shocked. I could not stop reading as I devoured each word that brought all the connections together. Overall this was a wild ride that I wish I could read for the first time again because it was just that good. If you are a fan of true crime then you most definitely have got to read this book!

Sleep Tight comes out September 10th, 2024.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, does Markert know how to keep a reader hooked. This is a chilling tale that will keep you up all night, desperate to finish reading. Bodies are piling up, kids are missing, and the town is in a panic. Finally putting Father Silence to death was supposed to be the end of this nightmare, not the start of another. But the arresting officer is dead, his granddaughter is missing, and the only lead detectives have is the apparent connection to a dead man. Markert takes readers on a wild ride full of twists and turns, never knowing what to expect around the corner.

This novel was absolutely a banger! I loved the character development of this story! This book goes between past and present and trying to piece together the characters before and after.

Seventeen years ago, Jeff Pritchard from Twisted Tree, Kentucky, disguised himself as a priest. He would then murder the outcasts of society including homeless, neglected, and people with addiction. He is caught and his execution day comes. He has not said a word, and therefore is deemed Father Silence.

The next morning, Missoula police detective Tess Claiborne takes a call from someone claiming to be "The Outsider" and they have just murdered the lead detective from the "Father Silence" case.

I felt this book stood up to the greats Joe Hill, Alex North, Catriona Ward, and even Stephen King.