In a nutshell, Sleep Tight is a lot to work through. It's an interesting story, but it's also hard to track. I couldn't even attempt to guess how many character names we learned over the course of this story. It was one of those situations where I got to the end and would hear a name and be like, 'who's this'?

I will not even attempt to get into the actual plot with you...

I really enjoyed the initial set-up, hearing the story of Father Silence, and meeting our MC, Tess. There were also a lot of the bits towards the end were I felt fully invested, but the middle part got muddled and my attention definitely wavered because of that.

I guess I would say I felt similar with this author's earlier two works that I've read: The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby. Markert has exciting, ambitious concepts, but I'm not sure their execution always ends up working out for me. To be fair though, I enjoyed this more than I didn't.
I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Gritty Crime Thrillers that swerve into Horror territory. This one succeeds in capturing that gritty, dangerous feel and I did feel like it progressed at a fast clip throughout.

Some of the aspects of this definitely worked better for me than others, but overall, I think it's a good book. I would also recommend the audiobook, as that was well narrated by the always fabulous Andi Arndt.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing me with copies to read and review. J.H. Markert continues to intrigue me with his creative concepts and dark atmosphere. Though this wasn't my favorite of his, I still felt it had a lot of strengths. I will def be picking up whatever he releases next!

**Review: Falls Short of King’s Legacy**

Sleep Tight by JH Markert tries to channel the eerie atmosphere and small-town horror that Stephen King is known for, but it ultimately misses the mark. While the premise had potential, the execution feels disjointed, with underdeveloped characters and predictable scares that lack real tension.

Markert’s attempt to weave psychological horror into a supernatural narrative falls flat, and the story never fully delivers on its promises. For those hoping to find the next King, Markert is definitely *not* the heir apparent. Unfortunately, this one’s a miss. **Two stars.**

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book! I will have to check out more by this author. I did take off one star because it was a little hard to follow at times. 4 stars!

Another great title for an author that's quickly becoming my go-to horror pick. This one is a little more of a crime thriller than the last two that I've read, but still with many creepy edge-of-your-seat moments. Unfortunately real life got in the way of finishing it in one day, but always the story was in the back of my mind, creeping into my dreams, just waiting until I could finish reading. I loved it and can't wait until the next!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The cover on this one fooled me. I thought this was going to be more of a horror novel but it actually was a crime thriller about a serial killer. It was a good read, but chapters were a big long and drawn out.

Detective Tess Claibourne's daughter Julia is kidnapped, and she is desperate to find her. Tess' father was a detective that captured one of the biggest serial killers out there, The kidnapping seems to be related as it happened shortly after the serial killer was executed. It is all about finding Julia, and unraveling all of the relation to the executed serial killer. What you find out, will come as a surprise!

I was wildly impressed with this book… and here’s why. I’ve read plenty of horror books over the course of my almost 40 years now on this planet. My grandparents, who raised me, always had Stephen King novels laying around the house and exposed me to plenty of horror movies before I probably should have been. So I’m no stranger to old and new styles of horror writing.

But what was so different about this book was that it hit all the right terror elements. Even so much as having me checking over my shoulder or watching my kids a little closer when we were in public.

Plot and Setting
The synopsis will give you more detail, but this is a story about a family (Tess and Justin) who are suffering in their marriage and their daughter goes missing. The daughters kidnapping is related to something from Tess’s past and she must unbury her hidden memories to understand how she’s connected to the abduction of multiple children and the memory of a serial killer from her hometown.

Terrifying Antagonists
This story was not for the faint of heart as it depicts plenty of horrific situations of child abductions, psychologically distressed individuals, murder and other elements. The way the timelines are laid with a back and forth perspective slowly reveals the terrifying elements that played out in the past for the main character Tess, but also from different vantage points of the present including the antagonist. Good horror books provided a look into the mind of the antagonist and really help you see into their way of rationalizing their behaviors. It’s not an easy thing to look at, but Markert really dives into these characters and helps you see things from their own eyes.

Relatability to the Antagonists
While the antagonist was scary in his own right, abducting children and killing people that got in his way, Markert impressed me with his ability to make the character also seem human and relatable in a way that made me feel neutral to him by the end. But there are many main characters as part of the “antagonist circle” as I’m starting to call it, and each one has their own relatability and terrifying elements.

Psychology of Trauma
The main elements in this story revolve around trauma and how the mind approaches dealing with traumatic events. From the defense mechanisms of the mind where memories are sublimated and repressed, to the development of multiple personalities to the physical affects of trauma like the loss of eye sight.

These were the pieces of this book that really had me invested in all the antagonists a little more than the protagonist. Having studied Psychology as part of my own college education, I was absolutely fascinated by the way Markert weaved these traumatized characters together into a web of vicious feeding.

My favorite character of all was Noah. His story was deep and heartbreaking from a traumatizing home life as a child, to the development of multiple personalities to protect himself from that trauma, and the eventual assistance he tries to provide to the protagonists as they are looking for their kidnapped daughter.

Overall Feeling
I’d read this book again and again to see what hints and pieces I missed earlier on in the book. All of the characters were well written and provided key milestones to move the story forward. As I’ve already said, I was most impressed with the psychological elements of this story and how well Markert laid them out and represented them in a way that made me understand the actions of a damaged mind. By the end of the book, I kind of felt like, “Yea… I can understand his logic there.”

I really enjoyed this one! There were times when it had me on the edge of my seat (literally! I almost fell off the couch a couple times haha) and I could not put it down. There were a few parts that were a bit slow but luckily they were few and far between. Overall a great read! I recommend.

This felt like a genre mash-up, because sometimes it felt like a mystery and sometimes it felt like horror. It's a good combination, though, and it was an interesting story. When a serial killer is executed after being in custody for decades, the killings start again. Who is behind this? What is motivating the cult? What really happened in the past? This was interesting, and I appreciated how the tension built later in the story. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Holy cow. That was a ride! I usually don't go for anything with a slight police procedural to it so I was worried when I started reading this book. Within the first quarter of the book I was reassured that it was not your normal police Thriller.

I had my thoughts and feelings about how this is going to end, I was partially right but in the end it was shocking but made total sense. This will be the book that I recommend to anyone looking for a ghost, murder mystery, Thriller, serial killer book.

There were obviously a few parts where you have to live in suspended belief, like what serial killer is going to leave a person with their phone. Untied as they put them in the back of the trunk. But in the end it was totally worth it and I enjoyed this immensely.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review

Sleep Tight
By: J.H. Markert
Availability: On sale now

Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book!

Brief Synopsis:

Notorious serial killer, Father Silence, has just been put to death. The following morning, the cop who put him away is found brutally murdered. The cop’s daughter, Tess Claibourne, wants answers, but before she can find them, her daughter is taken by the same man who claims to have killed her parents. He calls himself the Outcast but he shares several similarities to Father Silence. How the Outcast is connected to Father Silence is unclear, but as the story progresses, what does become clear is that Tess herself may be more connected to this case than she realizes.

My Thoughts:

Sleep Tight is a thriller with serial killer, cult, and possibly supernatural elements. The story is told through multiple POVs and is a mix of present narrative and past interviews. I really liked this structure and felt like the interviews added depth to the story and were an integral part of weaving the mystery of what was going on. The story is heavily plot driven. While I did like the characters, none of them were particularly deep. The villain was the most complex character and possibly the most interesting. I found the ending satisfying, and I did not see the twist/reveal coming. I really enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and tense from the very beginning. If you’re a fan of shows like True Detective, definitely give this book a try!

✅ Recommend!

Sleep Tight is such a perfectly disturbing, dark, and twisted horror thriller that is the ideal reading add for spooky season stacks this year.

I picked this one up when I knew I wanted something a little haunting and did it ever deliver. A serial killer who is put to death, only to have a copycat killer immediately start killing people who were associated with the original case. One victim who got away originally, but who has been locked up in an insane asylum since. A detective whose ties to the case are far too close for comfort. A satanic cult who worship the original killer haunting the town the original crimes took place. Literally all of it together is just a really diabolical, twisting and perfectly executed plot that has you devouring each page until well past your bedtime.

No spoilers, but to say that this is truly the perfect autumn/spooky season pick. Atmospheric and filled with characters who are more twisted and deranged than you could possibly guess, mixed with nonstop action chasing a killer before it's too late. Exactly the right combination to guarantee reading satisfaction this fall.

Highly recommend this one for thriller and horror lovers alike.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy!

Oh, I definitely "Slept Tight". Sleep Tight written by J.H. Markert wasn't horrible by any means, but it also wasn't the greatest book I've ever read either, it just wasn't for ME. I know many people will still enjoy this book and that makes me so happy, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. First and foremost, I am NOT being hateful towards this author at all, so please don't come onto my review with hateful comments, please be respectful, these are just my opinions and my opinions alone. With Halloween around the corner, I was looking for a spooky read, but in my honest opinion, Sleep Tight wasn't spooky enough for me. I was looking for a book that would make me jump out of my seat, but this book left me with more unanswered questions than anything. Sleep Tight definitely had some scary moments, but not enough to make me scared and love it. There were definitely some cliffhanger chapters where I just wanted to keep reading, but other times some chapters were filled with useless information that I really didn't care for. I don't want to be rude by any means, but in my opinion, this book could have used a few more editing stages. I don't want my review to deter anyone away from this book by any means, so please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book, you might have better luck than I did, this is just how I felt.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND CROOKED LANE BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

First, I would like to give a BIG thank you to my stunning gals Heather, Courtney, and Divinity for buddy reading this book with me and holding my hand throughout this book. I had the best time reading with you ladies. I love each and every single one of you for going on this journey together.

"Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness."

Sleep Tight takes place in the small town of Twisted Tree, Kentucky. We have a very unique selection of characters there were involved in this book, let's meet them. Tess Claiborne and Justin Claiborne were married, but now they are divorced because Justin decided to have an affair with another woman, Together Tess and Justin have a nine year old daughter, Julia, whose in the fourth grade. Tess is a detective for the Missoula, Montana police department, and Justin is a psychologist. In Sleep Tight we follow the story of a killing spree and the one and only lone survivor telling his own story. Jeff Pritchard was a former parochial school janitor, Jeff disguised himself as a priest to his victims, Jeff kills what he considers the outcasts of society, after his killing spree Jeff has gone completely silent, and completely refusing to talk which has earned him the name Father Silence. Father Silence's victims are all males that are troubled, neglected, addicted, and homeless, also known as society's so called castaways, all of the victims are adult males. After Jeff is arrested and on trial, juries have sentenced and condemned Jeff to death by electrocution. What do people get out of killing others? It just makes me sick to my stomach knowing that there's people in today's world that kill others for no reason.

After Father Silence dies, there's a new person out there who is now taking credit for Father Silence's victims, known as The Outcast. Tess's father Leland Patterson and his partner Burt Lobell are the two officers who arrested Father Silence. The Outcast later kills Tess's parents, but for what? Possibly revenge for arresting Father Silence? Read this book to find out. One day, when Julia is at school, The Outcast shows up to Julia's school wearing sunglasses and calming to be Julia's uncle and then kidnapping her, I'm sorry, but isn't Julia's mom, Tess a detective? Shouldn't Julia know stranger danger? Richard Moore is an eight year old orphan taken from a residential children's home in Boise, Idaho, Richard has a history of running away, so no one is really too concerned when Richard goes missing. The Outcast left behind a polaroid of Julia and Richard together in a stolen car for Tess to find. There's other characters in this book, but I won't say anymore because you need to meet them yourselves. At times when the pace picked up, it felt like it was going to get better, but it just went downhill immediately after something good happened and then there was just an information dump chapters which really annoyed me because there was just too much pointless dialogue, which wasn't needed, in my opinion.

How many horror tropes can you throw into a novel before it starts to feel like a parody?

Luckily, Sleep Tight doesn’t quite reach those ignoble heights, but the issue is that it comes too close for my appreciation.

I quite enjoy Markert’s writing and storytelling style, but the deeper we got into this book the more it seemed like he couldn’t help but throw in another horror trope. The cast of characters was already pretty large, the plot was already pretty sprawling, and there were no issues with pacing. In my mind, introducing more tropes was just for shock value in a book that already had plenty of shock value already and the characters started to get lost in the mire.

I am going to say that if you’re a sensitive reader in any way, you’re really going to want to check the CWs for this book before you read it. I’m not a sensitive reader, but I know there is a massive amount of triggering material in here for those who are.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publishers and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or lower will not be posted to my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Crime Thriller/Cult Horror/Kidnapping/Murder Thriller/Occult Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Serial Killer

J H Markert knocks it out of the park yet again with another creepy, spooky book! I read Mister Lullaby last year and absolutely loved it so I couldn’t wait for Markert’s new book this year. This book was the perfect spooky book that I was wanting to read for fall. I was instantly hooked from the start and did not want to put it down. With the short chapters and twisty storyline this book had me in its clutches until the end. I had no idea what was going to happen whatsoever throughout the book and so enjoyed the wild, creepy rollercoaster ride that it was. I loved the multiple POVs and the interviews that were sprinkled throughout the story to piece everything together.

Overall, I absolutely loved this horror book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a spooky fall read!

💤Book Review💤
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Summary- Father Silence once terrorized the rural town of Twisted Tree, disguising himself as a priest to prey on the most vulnerable members of society. 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.

Nearly two decades later, Father Silence is finally put to death, but by the next morning, the detective who made the original arrest is found dead. A new serial killer is taking credit for the murder and calling himself the Outcast.

The detective’s daughter, Tess Claibourne, is a detective herself, haunted by childhood trauma and horrified by the death of her father and the resurgence of Father Silence’s legacy.

When Tess’s daughter is kidnapped by the Outcast, Tess is forced to face her worst fears and long-buried memories. With no leads to follow, she travels back to Twisted Tree to visit the boy who survived and see what secrets might be buried in the tangled web of his broken mind.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- this one had potential but it also had some problems. Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this one, it released last week. I thought I was going to love this one, but it had quite a bit of problems. The ending was a bit out all over the place, the characters weren’t super likable, and there was just a bit too much going on in this book. I really disliked the bit about the killer having a facial deformity and stutter. It’s 2024 it’s really not cool to make that the underlying reason a person becomes a killer. It just didn’t sit right with me but the overall premise of this was good. 🥴
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QOTD- what are you currently reading ? I’m working on The Night We Lost Him.
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Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert delivers a chilling, edge-of-your-seat thriller that expertly weaves mystery and suspense into a tightly-knit plot. From the very first page, you're thrust into a dark and eerie atmosphere that keeps you questioning every character's motive and the reality of the world they inhabit.Character development is strong, with protagonists that feel real and complex, their fears and motivations adding depth to the unfolding mystery. However, some side characters might have benefited from more fleshing out, as they occasionally feel like plot devices rather than fully realized people.Thematically, Sleep Tight explores fear, paranoia, and trust, all set against a backdrop that feels as threatening as the dangers the characters face. The novel’s atmosphere is immersive, and the tension keeps building until the very end, making it a hard book to put down.On the downside, certain plot elements might feel familiar to avid readers of the thriller genre, and a few of the twists can seem a bit predictable if you’ve read a lot of similar books. Still, the execution is strong enough that these moments don’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment.Overall, Sleep Tight is a solid read for fans of psychological thrillers. It combines suspenseful writing, a haunting atmosphere, and characters that pull you into their world, making for an engaging, if not entirely groundbreaking, thriller.

Sleep Tight is a terrifying thriller with police procedural elements. When the infamous Father Silence is executed, everyone connected with the original case breathes a sigh of relief. Until, that is, all hell starts breaking loose.

After loving Mister Lullaby by Markert I was very excited to receive an ARC of this title. While I felt that Sleep Tight moved at a way slower pace, it was still an interesting story and I enjoyed the cult elements quite a bit. I think anyone expecting a true horror story may be let down, but fans of psychological thrillers, police procedurals, and the supernatural will love this one!

**Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this thrilling title and to NetGalley for the eARC!**

Sleep Tight is a dark detective procedural that veers into “horror” territory with its disturbing content and flawed characters. It’s for fans of The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart and the TV show Luther starring Idris Elba.

The novel itself is dark and dreary and starts off strong, with high stakes and a shocking twist. The story is delivered to us from numerous perspectives, and there’s also snippets from the past meant to fill in the blanks about the mysterious Father Silence, a serial killer who was active twenty years ago and is just now facing his death sentence.

The protagonist of the story is Tess, a police detective who’s married to her job, which might be why her literal marriage is on the rocks. Her father was the detective who took down the infamous Father Silence when she was only thirteen. She’s wanted to fill her father’s shoes ever since. She’s a flawed character, and I wanted to like her, but there was something about her that fell a little flat. That said, the book relies more on plot and style, so my not feeling for the main character didn’t greatly impact my enjoyment of the story itself. However, if I had related to her more, the rest of the story’s twists may have packed a harder punch.

Sleep Tight is very atmospheric and twisted and not for the faint of heart. The narrative never gets too detailed with the gore or psychologically disturbing content, but there are quite a few triggers that are touched on, so proceed with caution.

I was addicted to this audio - I cleaned for hours to keep it going.
I loved the women's issues weaved into the story- that's what made it a five star read for me. Subtle ways women talk about autonomy away from men.
Loved these characters, family history and drama.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Unfortunately, I am here to report that this one did not work for me, a fact that is extra upsetting considering how much I have loved J.H. Markert's other novels. Sleep Tight is a book that straddles that horror/thriller line following a serial killer whose crimes haven been deeply entwined with detective Tess Claibourne's personal life. I won't spend too much time on the plot for fear of spoilers, but Tess' daughter is kidnapped by a killer known as the Outcast. The stakes increase exponentially as we follow Tess in her plight to save her daughter.

There are a few aspects of this novel that did work for me, and I'll unpack them here. There is no doubt that this is a relatively fast-paced novel with the threats of danger looming incredibly large over these characters. It makes for a great deal of suspense in the beginning of the novel and keeps growing. On paper, everything about this novel feels like it was written for me, but here's where things fell apart for me.

Markert implements many plot devices, sub plots, and POV jumps to write this story. However, these things ultimately came across as too busy, and I felt slightly lost in the shuffle. This also probably stems from my struggle to connect with many of these characters. In some ways, their general characterizations seem perfect for this kind of story, but in the end, they just felt like surface level depictions of much deeper issues to explore other ideas.

I have seen a lot of love for this book so I know I am in the minority here. Maybe it was right book, wrong time. This is a title I would consider revisiting in the future to see if these thoughts of mine hold up, especially given how big of a fan I am of Markert.