This is the 3rd book by Markert in the horror genre that I’ve read and his work just gets better. There’s a confidence in this book and this story that’s magnetizing. This book blasts off and drags you with it the entire time. The chapters are so rapid fire it almost leaves you breathless. Fantastic work again from Mr. Markert. He has quickly become a must read on day one author. Please keep them coming and we shall keep reading them.

Father Silence, a criminal who was on death row for his terrorizing acts in the town of Twisted Tree, is finally executed. Upon his arrest the police found 19 bodies and one child, who is now in a criminally insane mental hospital. Father Silence’ reign of terror ended at his arrest by Tess Claiborne’s father. On the night of his execution in Kentucky, things break open and a resurgence of evil that has lain dormant for 20 years is back.
Father Silence has not spoken a word in 20 years, until the night of his execution. “Beware the one that got away.” What happens next is a page turning horrific story that is filled with elements of true crime, satanic worship, multiple personalities, thriller and horror book all wrapped into one. This book was outstanding. I cannot recommend it enough. And yes, there is a cliffhanger at the end that will keep you up at night.

There is always a little thrill when this author brings us a new story! And this one did not disappoint.

Father Silence is about to be put to death for some horrible crimes. The town of Twisted Tree is about to find out that even in death, the crimes don’t stop.

When the police finally found his “House of Horrors,” they uncovered nineteen bodies and one survivor–a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane.


Since his arrest by Det. Claibourne, he hasn’t spoken a word. Until he was in the electric chair and then said, “Beware the one who got away”.


The next morning the detective and his wife are brutally murdered. Leading the charge will be his daughter, also a detective, who is keeping some things quiet too, although to be fair, she doesn’t remember those things yet.


When her daughter is kidnapped, Tess will go to any lengths to get her back.


This story had so many twists and turns and just when I thought I knew, I did not. And that is wonderful! We may have a new horror writer now!




NetGalley/ Crooked Lane Books September 10,2024

This was a great book. It is a mixture of thriller, crime fiction, and horror. The author did a fantastic job!!!! This is the type of book that you get annoyed when people interrupt you when you are trying to read. Looking forward to more from this author. The author did a great job of character development. I was able to feel for each one and what they were feeling on every page.

Bravo!!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this. W O W!

This is true crime mixed with horror and thriller?! I’m not sure how to define it but it was incredible.

This is the first 5-star read I’ve had in a while. I don’t even know how to categorize this book but the best comparison I could make is that reading this book felt like I was watching a movie like “SEVEN.”

It was so fast-paced with so many twists and turns BUT, ZERO PLOT HOLES! Which was shocking. Everything truly came together.

I recently read The Nightmare Man by JH Markert and really enjoyed it, so was excited for this new release. I love a scrappy and flawed woman detective investigating a case that is way too personal to her, so this was set up to be right up my alley.

Let’s start with the good. This book is an absolute page-turner! The pacing is perfection. I couldn’t put it down, had to know how all the pieces fit together. I love Markert’s style of blending cop drama with subtle supernatural elements and giving it all a twisty ending. Think magical realism meets police procedural in the best way. When reading this at night, I was genuinely creeped out by a lot of the imagery, and I am a seasoned horror reader.

The not-so-good:
The plot is really complex, and unfortunately verges into convoluted-territory. There are a ton of moving pieces, even more characters, two eras to keep track of… I struggled at times, having to flip back several pages to remember who somebody was. Now, I don’t mind a complex plot when it resolves and all the loose ends get tied up, which I found was the case with The Nightmare Man. Unfortunately, with Sleep Tight, there are a TON of loose ends at the end. (Things like “how did character A start working with character B? how did character C know [or NOT know] that?)

I can sort of see what Markert was going for, and LOVE the concept, but it really didn’t come together the way that I was hoping it would.

Also, I can’t figure out why this was named “Sleep Tight” – as far as I can tell sleep is not a theme in it. Like, at all. My best guess is that the author is trying to make it fit with prevoius titles, the Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance review copy!

So creepy! I stayed up way too late to finish this! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

this was insane!! it was a mix of mystery and horror. i could not put it down and there was so many twists. the beginning had me hooked wondering who this boy was and then into the detectives story and following. this was my first book by this author and it did not disappoint!

This creepy, disturbing thriller hooked me from the very first page and captivated my attention until the very end. The premise was certainly unique and enjoyable. I definitely did not expect the story to play out like it did. Always a plus when you read like five books a week. There's a lot going on in this book and many characters to keep track of, so I admit to being confused during a few scenes. This didn't sway me to stop reading though. The author did a wonderful job painting vivid pictures in my head with his words. Parts of this book really creeped me out and scared the crap out of me. Those masks! IYKYK! I think this story will be a hit amongst the horror/thriller fans. This was my first read by Markert and I look forward to reading more from him. I would definitely recommend!  

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This is the third book that I’ve read by this author, and I swear they just keep getting better! The infamous Father Silence from the town of Twisted Tree is finally executed for over twenty murders he committed, including those of several children. He got his nickname for never speaking a word once he was arrested and dressing like a priest to gain trust. But just as everyone breathes a sigh of relief at his demise, there is troubling news. The detective who arrested him is found dead. His daughter Tess followed in his footsteps to become a highly respected detective in her own right and she is devastated. But before she can even begin to process the loss of her father, her daughter Julia is kidnapped. Apparently, Father Silence had a legion of followers, and they were more than happy to pick up where he left off.

Tess immediately returns to her hometown of Twisted Tree. Joined by her partner, Danny, and her forensic psychologist husband, Justin, they delve back into the original case files to determine if there’s anything they can learn from back then to help them now. There was one child who escaped, but soon after, he committed his own heinous crimes and is now locked up in an asylum. With nothing to lose, they decide to see if they can get any useful information out of him. But beware of that old saying to be careful what you wish for. They have no idea what’s to come from their involvement. There’s no limit to the depth of evil darkness that resides in the most haunted souls. Get ready for one disturbingly gruesome yet masterfully spun tale. This is a story that will linger in your mind long after you finish, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Being a fan of Markerts previous works, I was more than a little excited to read this book, plus I also expected a lot from it. And I was not disappointed. The story is a twisty nightmare of lost children, missing memories and a trail of dead bodies that plague Detective Tess Claibourne, her husband and her partner and friend. The writing was brilliant, as I love the way his characters react to certain situations, it feels realistic in their anger, panic or fright. This is a great book to read if you want some intense, deeply thrilling horror that makes you wander what you would do if you were int hat position. A must-read!

3.5/5 ⭐️
In the town of Twisted Tree, bad things once happened before Tess and her family fled one night. Father Silence, a serial killer that disguised himself as a priest to lure vulnerable members of society, was captured with 19 bodies found on his property and only one survivor - a boy now locked away in a psych ward.

2 decades later, Father Silence is put to death and the detective that had solved the case, Tess’s father, is found dead the next morning. There’s a new serial killer on the loose - he calls himself The Outcast. And now, he’s taken Tess’s daughter.

Tess, a detective herself, knows Father Silence and The Outcast must be connected - but how? Father Silence’s last words had been “beware the one who got away”, and Tess is on a mission to discover what this means and find her daughter before it’s too late.
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This had all the elements of a great detective thriller! It’s fast-paced, has some good character building, and slowly brings the past and present together to solve the mystery. It was very creepy at times and I did not predict how it would all play out. However, while I love a complex story, I did find it to be a little confusing at times with almost too much going on. Other parts seemed very unrealistic, and made me think “yeah, right” or “how did the police not realize that sooner??”
In all, I did enjoy this read and loved the dark, spooky elements. I’ll be reading more from this author for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. First, I LOVED this book. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more. We follow Tess and Justin as they try to locate their missing daughter. Years ago, a man was convicted of murder of many children, but he would not speak of his crimes. Thus, the media began calling him Father Silence. Finally, he is put to death but before he dies, he utters his final words, "Be aware the one that got away". In the days following his execution, Tess and Justin's daughter is kidnapped by the "Outcast" who idolized Father Silence and thus is beginning a new wave of murders. So many twists and turns, but everything about this amazing, heart pounding and fast paced. You won't want to put it down.

Twisted Tree, Kentucky was home to a vicious serial killer called Father Silence who killed nineteen and left one survivor, a young boy who is now in a hospital for the criminally insane. After twenty years in prison Father Silence is executed. The next day one of the detectives who arrested him is found dead at the hand of a new killer who calls himself the Outcast.

Tess Claiborne is a police detective in Missoula, Montana and is the daughter of that dead detective. After her father’s murder the Outcast kidnaps her nine year old daughter, Julia. The clues point to Twisted Tree and to the survivor, now a man, so that she can try to capture the Outcast and rescue her daughter as a new serial killer is born.

This book started really strong with lots of action but plenty of character work up too. I thought maybe things became a bit meandering about halfway through, with maybe a few too many Kentucky police officers to keep straight and too much running around, but overall I liked the book and I will look for more stand alone from this author, with whom I was totally unfamiliar until this book. Good show.

Creepy and suspenseful, this story kept my mind spinning! The first part took forever to evolve, but the final quarter moves at lightning speed. I loved how J. H. Markert planned several twists that I didn't see coming, and that the connections made sense in the end (as well as ties to other books from this author).

4.25 stars

Markert just gets better and better with each story. This book has it all. It’s got missing, children, extremely flawed cops, a really, REALLY bad guy…and twists and turns to keep your head spinning.

I loved each of his books, and I love to see him grow through each one as an author. I cannot wait for the next book. Definitely a buy now kind of guy!

Title: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Pub Date: September 24, 2024

⭐ 5/5

✨ Unexpected Twists
🎭 Masked Cultists
⛓️ Dissociative Personalities
⏱️ Child Abduction
🧠 Trauma-Induced Amnesia

I loved every minute of this book. I've always found serial killers so intriguing, and Markert did an amazing job of rounding out the characters, making them all unique/compelling with interesting backstories.
The fast pace, multiple POV, and dual timelines kept me on the edge of my seat, I literally couldn't put it down and read it in a day! Sleep Tight is a must read for lovers of thriller/suspense novels, and I will be reading the backlist under both J.H. Markert and James Markert.

Thank you so much Crooked Lane Books and @netgalley for letting me read, review and share!🫶

I feel like it took a while for everything to come together but once it did, it was a wild ride. I definitely felt the story was very Stephen King esque. Likeable characters with great dialogue. I enjoyed this.

A missing daughter, a detective mother, and a therapist dad sets up a really engaging storyline. I’m not one for horror books and I wouldn’t categorize this as one even thought the cover gives horror vibes. It’s an incredibly face paced mystery that unravels before your eyes. You can’t see the twists coming nor predict the ending but it’s super satisfying all the same. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I love this book! I think it was a great way to spend my time! It was thrilling. If anyone is looking for a good thriller I definitely recommend!