Everyone's been talking about this book right now and for good reason. It's gory, suspenseful and creepy. You usually can't go wrong with a serial killer novel.
I almost finished this book in under 24 hours.


The infamous serial killer Father Silence seems to have some fans because even though he was sentenced to death, children are still going missing under similar circumstances. One of those children is the daughter of detective Tess Claibourne. She's particularly close to the case because her dad was one of the detectives who made the arrest. And now with her daughter missing she will do anything to solve this case.


You'll find:
creepy cults
animal head masks
repressed memories
dissociative identities
drug/alcohol addiction

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 9/10
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Happy pub week to this absolute gem of a book. I absolutely devoured this book in less than 24 hours and loved every single second of it.
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Sleep Tight will immediately catch your attention right from page one. Markert is able to weave such a chilling and haunting story in a dual timeline. I absolutely loved the little glimpses into Detective Tess's past and to what happened to Noah. There are a lot of different topics in this story as well and I really truly loved how Markert not only discussed these topics with respect, but he did a phenomenal job once again weaving these different topics together. The characters are great in this one and I really enjoyed seeing how a select few of them grew throughout the book. I connected with almost all of them.
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This entire book gives off unable to put down vibes, I literally didn't put this one down once i started it. I was absolutely glued to my air Pods and my book. It is gripping and thrilling and suspenseful and you can't help but wonder what the hell is going to happen the entire time. It is so fast paced, and action packed with some gore galore and I found it to be *chefs kiss* perfection. Let's not forget this book has epistolary elements with police records and interviews scattered throughout. One of my favorite features in books! Oh, and that ending though, I absolutely loved where he went with it, what went down and everything in-between. Absolutely phenomenal.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading both my eARC and my physical copy from BOTM. The ALC was narrated by Andi Arndt, and I have nothing but the highest praises. I loved every single second of the audiobook, I felt like I was sucked into the story and was living right alongside the characters watching what was happening. It was absolutely brilliant. Highly recommending the audiobook.
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I buddy read this with three of my favorite people: @analyzedbychris @shannonjumpreads and @erikalaceyreads and It was such a blast to be able to discuss things with each other!
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Overall, this book is an absolute must for all of my thriller / horror / mystery / crime fans looking for a spooky read. I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. Don't sleep on this one. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, Dreamscape Media and J. H. Markert for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

What a wild ride that was! I have always love books by JH Markert and this one had all of the tension, mystery, and surprises you would expect if you are a fan. This is what I want from horror. I don’t need a lot of gore or red herrings. I need a slowly unfurling story that doesn’t tease all the way through and then explain it all in the last few pages. I want to have moments when I make realizations right along with the characters. You should never be quite comfortable when it all ends.

Beyond creepy…anyone named Father Silence is sure to be in your nightmares. But when Father Silence is finally sentenced and put to death, the nightmare continues. Is the key to the new killings the lone survivor?

The premise of Sleep Tight was super intriguing: serial killers, kidnapping, cults, repressed memories--all the best things! Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. It was hard to feel connected to the characters, and there were a lot of details that didn't make sense for how smart the leads supposedly were.

However, I did still enjoy the cult aspect as well as Noah and all the connections back to Father Silence. If you're willing to overlook some of the details that don't hold up too well over scrutiny (why is a cop's kid going anywhere with a stranger? Why would a cop write the name of their kid's school on the back of their picture?) or if you've enjoyed Markert's writing in the past, you'll probably also like this one.

This is my first book by this author. I chose this book as I do any other based off the title and the cover photo. Isn’t that cover photo absolutely gorgeous. I thought this novel was extremely slow for the first half, however, if you can stick with it the last 1/3 or so will have you on the edge of your seat. I thought this novel had small amounts of magical realism throughout it., but that didn’t stop it from being very realistic and absolutely terrifying. When a man who murdered many people in a small town and then never spoke a word is finally put to death another series of events is starts. Tess finds herself in the middle of all of this despite not thinking about her home town in years. And it seems that the sole survivor that managed to get away from Father Silence may hold the keys to everything unraveling and the truth being set free.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

This book has left me a bit torn. First off, I went in expecting a spooky horror book. Sure I knew it was a kidnapping but it had a creepy cult, serial killer, that cover? In the end it felt very police procedural. Now, don't get me wrong I love this but my expectations were off. And I feel like there was room for more horror, especially in the old mansion, the old distillery, the old orphanage, the old amusement park... But all of those places just didn't feel fleshed out.

Which takes me to my other issues, there was a LOT going on. A lot of characters, a lot of storylines, a lot of rabbit holes. However once again none of them felt totally fleshed out. There were a lot of loose ends at the end I felt never got answered.

This would be an absolutely brilliant TV series though. To flesh out the storylines, to expand on the spooky settings, and to bring some more horror into it.

Overall though, it was fast-paced and I enjoyed it. Though it did take me a whole week to read it, which is slow for me. So clearly wasn't fully captivating me.

I think it was so close to great it annoys me more. It really has all the bones to be something amazing but it just wasn't quite there in my opinion.

3.5/5.00

Police detective Tess, experiences every parent's nightmare when her daughter is abducted. Tess and her husband race against the clock to rescue her daughter and their quest takes them back to Tess' childhood town and the murders of children decades before.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought this book started out fantastically. There was the creepiness factor, the atmosphere, the mystery. This was quite a brutal story that didn't shy away from the morbid details. However, once the plot began to pick up, it felt like this became an episode of Criminal Minds. Now, I absolutely loved that show, but the plot points became rather cliche and predictable. The ending went off the rails and felt disconnected from the rest of the book. That being said, I did overall enjoy the book.

Honestly one of the hardest books to rate right now because my mind is all over the place. I think I'm landing on 3.5? But the ending really brings this together and raised it from a 3.

Pacing: this one has its ups and downs for sure. Some moments are one thing after another, and then it dies down and I could feel myself drifting. There were quite a few times where I didn't really care about picking it up again... but I was too invested in the child abduction to give up.

My thoughts:
- The story starts off really strong with a solid mystery of the case of Father Silence, we have the eerie tale of his arrest and subsequent execution, which catapults the story even more.
- The way that Tess is so central to this story, it's obvious that her trauma-induced amnesia is going to play a significant role, but it really takes the entire book to get everything out there...
- This book, in ebook form, felt like it went on forever. So while it started off strong, the pacing going back and forth made this feel incredible long and drawn out. But I also don't know how it could have been any shorter and still maintained the level of depth necessary for the twists.
- This book has the spooky vibes for sure, especially when the animal masks come into play. And this is also when the story gets even more twisted than before.
- When it says psychological horror/thriller, they mean it. This book goes DEEP into the psyche and the long term effects of abuse or trauma. Although the horror descriptor is more for tone and psychological shock value rather than gore or scariness.
- As far as the twists go, I think they were really good, despite me being able to see them coming very early on. But that's just because I love solving a mystery before the characters do.
- My biggest complaint is that I feel like I have questions after the book is over. And not questions of like what comes next, but almost like plot holes that don't quite add up to the conclusion. A lot of these questions are spoilers for the twists/resolution so I can't go into detail, but at one point two characters know things about what each other are doing when they shouldn't... and based on the explanation given for the entire narrative, this shouldn't be possible? Maybe I'm just dense but this throws a wrench in the way this book is founded on the reality of psychology. (Sorry that went deep?)

J. H. Markert has a talent for writing horribly creepy books that will stick with you when you’re done and this book was not an exception. I did think this one was pretty slow for the first half or so, but I’m glad I stuck with it because the last third had me on the edge of my seat. I liked that there was a small element of the mystical in this one, but it was also horrifyingly realistic. When a man who murdered many people in a small town and then never spoke a word is finally put to death another series of events is starts. Tess finds herself in the middle of all of this despite not thinking about her home town in years. And it seems that the boy who got away from Father Silence may hold the keys to everything.

This was a much anticipated read from one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of The Nightmare Man and Mister Lullaby, so I knew the author's newest book will make the top of my tbr this Fall. In this novel, Detective Tess Claibourne must face her past to solve what looks like a work of a serial killer while dealing with her own family falling apart.

The great thing about this latest novel is that it's more of a thriller than a horror read, compared to the previous books, which is my personal preference. If you want to dip your toes in supernatural and occult horror, this book gives you that experience minus the gore. I'm a huge fan of detective novels and serial killer investigations, so this book was right up my alley.

This was such a propulsive read and a real page-turner. The characters were intriguing and well-painted. There was so much madness surrounding the main characters, but the author did a great job with multiple timelines bringing all the stories together in the end. I honestly felt sorry for some of the antagonists in the book. Such a twisted tale!

This is a perfect spooky supernatural thriller for the season!Enjoy a good mix of detective serial killer investigation and psychological thriller with the elements of horror fiction.

Sleep Tight, the newest book by J.H. Markert, will most definitely make sure you do not sleep tight. This is the 4th book of his I’ve experienced and he is quickly becoming a favorite. He seems to have an innate ability to truly nail that creepy vibe that will leave you feeling unsettled. And while their styles are very different, Markert likes to use short chapters, often with a bit of a twist at the end making you want to keep reading, much like James Patterson. As for what the story is about, I’d suggest going in known as little as possible and because well honestly I am not even sure how to go about describing this one without giving away too much of the story, but I’ll try. This is a wild mix of a detective story, tracking of a serial killer, and a healthy dose of horror.

Two decades ago Tess Claibourne’s father helped capture a twisted serial killer who dressed as a priest. Once captured he never spoke, thus the press dubbed him ‘Father Silence’, until the night of his execution. You’d think the nightmare would be over, but it’s not. A new threat as arrived: the Outcast. And he is inserting himself into Tess’s life in a major way. (I won’t say how, though if you’ve read the book blurb you already know some of it.) This is a tight, intense, and wonderfully twisted tale. As in any story, especially horror, the involvement of children can really tighten the tension/stakes, and that is most definitely the case here. I’d venture to say this is a book that most people are going to have an incredibly hard time putting down. I know I did. Memorable characters and an intense and excellent storyline kept reading this one all night. I feel this is Markert’s best book to date, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. I’d like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Sleep Tight.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RTN7OUBHBUL74/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I absolutely loved this book! This is a must read if you love thriller or horror. I loved the fast pace of it sometimes when reading a crime thriller book it drags but this one did not. From beginning to end this kept my attention and on the edge of my seat!

Sleep Tight pulled me in from the beginning and never let go. There were a good bit of characters in this one, but it never got confusing and they all were written well. I really felt for our main character, her life was completely unraveling but she held it all together and did what she had to for her daughter. If you enjoy serial killers, creepy cults and psychological thrillers, make sure to add this to your TBR. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for my eARC and Dreamscape Media for my advanced audio book. Sleep Tight is available today!

✨Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media and Crooked Lane Books for my gifted audio, digital, and physical copies of this book!✨

This was a highly HIGHLY anticipated release for me. And I really enjoyed it for the most part.

I don’t know why, but going into this book I had anticipated something supernatural/paranormal. I don’t know why I expected that, but it was a bit of a letdown that it was not what I had expected going in. This was a classic game of cat and mouse, and there were many twists and turns around every corner that all came full circle in the end.

I had a lot of theories, and pretty much none of them were correct. 😅 But that’s something I can appreciate in a thriller, the fact that I can be kept guessing. The author did a great job leading the reader/listener to theories without adding senseless red herrings to the plot which I also really appreciated.

This plot is very complex. There are a lot of characters, and a lot of moving parts. I don’t want to use the word convoluted because I didn’t find that to be the case, but it was a lot of action and a lot to keep straight to understand the story. This book read like a thriller movie to me.

This book had a great story, but I was expecting to be SCARED. But I didn’t really find this one to be all that scary. Thrilling, definitely. And I guess it still can be classified as horror but it definitely rides the line between “thrilling” and “scary”.

Andi Arndt is a good narrator and I thought she did well here.

Overall, I liked this one. If you love a detective/serial killer cat and mouse story, you’ll like it.

"Are we born evil or made that way?"

"MOTHER LOVES YOU SLEEP TIGHT"

I still haven't caught my breath from reading and listening to the frenetic non stop anxiety driven Sleep Tight, by compulsory author for every horror thriller fan, J.H. Market.

From the first page to the last it is a race against evil. The scariest part is the evil isn't supernatural. It's the worst of humanity. We start with the electric chair death of the serial killer known as Father Silence. He posed as a priest to lure his young victims and since he's been on death row he hasn't spoken a word. But the night of his execution leaves a trail of death.

Detective Tess Claiborne wakes up thinking the worst is over. The serial killer her father, also a detective, captured is dead. Her family can be at peace. Then she gets the phone call. He calls himself "Outcast." He's sorry. Her parents can see the darkness now. Oh, and one more thing, he has taken her daughter Julia from her elementary school.

Is he a copy cat killer? Or is something even more sinister emerging from the darkness. As Tess, her estranged husband Justin and her faithful detective partner Danny, use every lead to find Julia, Tess is having memories, of when her father was hunting this killer. Does she hold the key to finding Julia.

Just BRAVO to voice actress Andi Arndt. Her ability to express panic, fear, anger, regret, rage and overwhelming anxiety is a testimony to her award-worthy acting skills.

This writer never disappoints and Sleep Tight is his best thoroughly frightening frantic horror thriller to date. Sleep, I don't think so. Once you start this one sleep will be elusive, tight or otherwise.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've enjoyed J.H. Markert's previous works, but Sleep Tight is by far my favorite. This freakishly spine-tingling thriller with a touch of things unexplainable should for sure be added to the spooky season TBR of all thriller lovers. I've seen Sleep Tight classified as horror, and, while there are some dark and gritty scenes, it's not overly gory. I loved the characters, particularly Tess, but Father Silence and the Outkast are also intriguing, and, with this one, J.H. Markert cements his must-read status.

Man, I need to get a dead bolt for my door after reading this.

I love the horror and psychological thriller aspect of this. Copy cat killers fascinate me, as it inherently goes against the narcissistic need of serial killers. So, when I got the chance to read this book that examines not just a copy cat killer and how it terrifies people, but also the trauma of living after a serial killer terrorizes your town, I jumped on it. This book left me feeling really creeped out and scared, I had to lock my doors three times before I went to bed.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book!

Sleep Tight, unfortunately did not beat out The Nightmare Man as my favorite book by J.H. Markert, but it definitely holds its own when compared. This was a well-written horror full of serial killers, a sinister cult, kidnapping, anxiety inducing chapters, and a huge jolt from the very beginning. Absolutely loved the "before" chapters as they help with clearing up and alluding to a lot that went on in the book and each chapter packed a punch, sometimes more than necessary. The character and their personal relationship's development was well put together and kept me glued to the novel from the first page to the very last. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot even begin to express how eager I am to read whatever J.H. Markert comes up with next.

Thank you to netgalley and crooked lane books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!