This one was truly haunting and incredibly atmospheric! I really enjoy a good serial killer thriller, and I loved how this one mixed in that classic horror vibe!

Markert did an excellent job steadily building suspense with short, concise chapters. Although the pacing felt uneven at times and a bit slow in the beginning, the story maintains a tense, creepy tone that’s undeniably heart-pounding and spine-tingling throughout.

I primarily listened to the audiobook of this police procedural and found the narration to be fantastic and highly engaging.

This is the perfect read for #SpookySZN and the cover art is on point 👌

The audio version of Sleep Tight was done very well, The narrator was perfect for the story and added just the right level of creepiness and suspense to an already thrilling book.

I have been in such a spooky mood lately because duh, so I started listening to this novel and let me tell ya, I loved it. Anything that starts off with creepy kids and cults sucks me right in. I thought the twists were great and the horror aspects weren’t super outlandish to me so it definitely kept my interest. I feel like I struggle with a lot of horror books because of that and how they get so wrapped around the horror rather than the plot, if that makes sense lol. This author did an amazing job though! I also loved that the story came full circle at the end. Everything was connected in some way regarding the plot and the characters which was great. This book deserves a spot on your spooky season TBR for sure!

Thank you so much Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Read if you like books with:
Horror
Cults
Psychological thrillers

Ugh. Finding constructive criticism for this one is a toughy. It manages to feel both "small town" and "wildly out of touch". You could not pay me to care about any of the characters, and not in a way that was intentional by the author and this compelling. Who in god's name in this day and age goes into an alleged horror novel wanting to read about how it's all a career woman's fault that she can't have more than one kid so her husband cheats on her, and every cop is a salt of the earth superhero, actually. I did in fact dnf this weird propaganda.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I really enjoyed the audiobook for Sleep Tight by J. H. Markert. Without mentioning spoilers, I feel like having the audio enhanced certain aspects of the story.
For me, as much as I was enjoying the book, I feel like it lost its way about 60% through. There was too much going on and after finishing the book it felt like there was too much just thrown in and it would have had a better impact if it had been streamlined a little.
That being said, it is a solid audiobook and I recommend listening to it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 50%

No spoilers, so I’ll keep this vague: The plot was basically a grab-bag of cliched serial killer and cult book tropes all jumbled together into a nonsensical mess.

I’m clearly an outlier on this one because I’ve seen rave reviews all over the place, but it was not for me.

Sleep Tight is a gripping detective thriller that leans into the horror genre with its graphic and chilling story lines. It features multiple POVs, which allows the reader to dive deep into the psychology of each of characters. I thought it was a very unique addition to the story, however it does bog down the pacing, which at times made it feel clunky. It’s easy to get lost in the complex nature of this story, especially as an audiobook. That being said, I LOVE Andi Arndt as the narrator. She always does a great job bringing a story to life.

Overall I enjoyed Sleep Tight and found the story unique, atmospheric and entertaining. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the movie Se7en and fans of Chuck Palahniuk.

I received a gifted audio ARC for SLEEP TIGHT by J.H. Markert from Dreamscape Media!


SLEEP TIGHT begins with the execution of Father Silence. Years ago, this man posed as a priest to kidnap and murder many children. There was only one survivor and the trauma of the experience left him permanently changed and he's locked up today in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Tess is the daughter of one of the detectives who made the arrest and she is now a detective herself. When Father Silence is killed, it feels like closure, but not for long. Tess receives a call from a man called the Outcast who has done a bad thing. He's killed Tess' parents and kidnapped her daughter. Tess must go on the hunt for this man, uncovering her lost memories of the clearly connected crimes of Father Silence so long ago.

This is an author I have been wanting to read, so when BOTM had this on their list of options, I knew I had to add it to my cart. I wound up splitting my time between the physical copy and the audiobook and the story was fantastic in both formats.

While we are primarily following Tess, we also are getting alternate viewpoints and I think the author did well at balancing them out. I am always a bit wary when we have an unreliable narrator for any reason and Tess' drinking and faulty memory had me a little worried, but it really worked out well in this story!

This book kept me hooked from start to finish and I would very much recommend it!

This audio was so good! I didn't want to stop listening! The story was so great! A serial killer, kidnapping, haunted house and cult, everything a good spooky read needs!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
I wasn't sure what to expect going in because I didn't read the synopsis and went strictly off other people's recommendations and the book exceeded every non expectation I had! Do you like Criminal Minds? Because I felt like I was reading an episode and it was so good! The story was so complex, with multiple twists and great psychological suspense. I don't want to give away too many details but you definitely need to add this to your tbr!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
• Police procedural
• Twisty Thrillers
• Multiple POVs
• Criminal Minds
• Complex storyline
• Serial killer manhunt

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
Andi Arndt did an amazing job bringing all of the emotion through in this audiobook. She juggled multiple characters and gave them all their own unique voice. I listened at 1.5x speed and everything was clear and easy to understand. This audiobook was great and I absolutely recommend!

Andi Arndt is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, so when I saw she narrated Sleep Tight, I knew I needed to listen. J.H. Harkert's newest work kept me on my toes hoping that the solution would be around the next corner.

SLEEP TIGHT is a nail biter! The story is fast-paced from start to finish. I was in full detective mode with our main character, Tess. I don't think I would have handled things as well as she had though. I've always been intrigued with DID, or multiple personalities, so this story will be on my mind for quite some time. Overall, I'd say this is a winner and I recommend if you want a story that will keep you up late into the night!

Many thanks to Brilliance Audio for my gifted copies.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) shortly.

I couldn't wait to find a fast-paced horror story to kick off the spooky season, and I'm so glad I chose this audiobook. The cover made my decision even easier. This was my first book by J.H. Markert, and after listening to it, I'm now a fan and would love to read more of his work.

The story was very well done. I was hooked from the beginning with its suspenseful and mysterious plot. As a psychology major, I was particularly intrigued by the psychological aspects of the book. I loved how fast-paced the story was, even though the audiobook was almost twelve hours long. It never felt long or tiring, and I felt invested the entire time. I also loved that the main character was female and there was a lot of mental health representation in the story.

Andi Arndt did a fantastic job with the audiobook. Sometimes, with a large cast of characters, it is hard to differentiate between the characters while listening, but Andi did a good job helping to make that distinction. Also, she brings all of the characters to life.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Dreamscape Media for giving me a copy.

I listened to this via audiobook and was really interested from the start. It was a bit slow in the beginning but once the investigation really got going it had a snow ball effect of ramping up the action. I really liked the layers this had to it with the main detective/mother's own memories coming back as she was investigating. The postcard at the end was probably my favorite part and the perfect cherry on top to finish the book.

Sleep Tight is an utterly captivating and dark tale, one that gave me chills several times and had me glued to my ear buds until I reached the finale.

The storyline has so many moving parts to it, and I think it is best to go in to this one somewhat blind. For a quick synopsis- Tess’ father was a detective, and years ago he put the man known as Father Silence behind bars. Now, the day after Father Silence is put to death, Tess’ father is murdered in his home and Tess’ daughter is kidnapped. Is it revenge? A copycat? A new serial killer?

The storyline plays on the worst fears of a mother, as Tess frantically searches for her daughter and is given chilling clues during her search. The investigation takes our cast of characters on a cross country trip to the town where it all began, and this is one town I would not want to visit. Strange occurrences, some truly creepy characters, and buildings that held horrors in the past…it all led to an incredibly eerie atmosphere, where it felt like anything at all could happen.

The audio was incredibly well done by narrator Andi Arndt. She was given a ton to do in this book, with a large cast of characters and POVs and some truly fascinating scenes. I applaud her incredible ability to switch from character to character in this electrifying and captivating story.

Thank you to Dreamscape for the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This one gripped my attention right from the beginning and the plot was well thought out. I enjoyed the listening experience of this audiobook to the utmost. The narration by Andi Arndt was excellent and she made the story come alive and hold my attention for hours. The characterization was well developed to the extent of presenting some of the best character transformations I have come across.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

My first foray into the world of J.H. Markert!

Things I enjoyed about this book:
- I was never bored
- The characters were likable and I was invested in their journey
- Elements of police procedure mixed with scarier horror bits made for an exciting combination of genres

This book hooked me right from the start. There were some complex details woven together through different perspectives and timelines. Unfortunately, the strengths of this book also became the pitfalls as the narrative progressed. I felt the pacing of the book starts off strong but midway through it begins to slow and some moments feel repetitious. It definitely sped back up at the end with plentiful twists and turns (some of which I saw coming, others I did not). This book has a LOT going on. This can be a good thing in terms of keeping things interesting but I also find it hard to do all the elements justice when they are so plentiful.

3.5 - definitely still worth the journey.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

This book was good, it had a lot of characters but pairing the book with the audible made it easy to follow along. I love when books discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) maybe that's the wanna be psychologist in me. Overall this book was entertaining and at times a spooky and disturbing.
Again the audio book was very helpful with keeping this story on track and helping to understand the development of each character.

The mystery here is top notch with a compelling MC and a terrifying villain. In my opinion, a great villain is one who is multi-faceted with some elements that make you pity them and that's exactly what Markert did. Andi Arndt is a great narrator and did a skillful job of keeping the many characters in this story clear and distinct.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Every once in a while, I'll read something that reminds me that there are books in the world that aren't for me. I'm generally an easily pleased reader, but this just didn't work for me. This just did NOT work for me.

There were a lot of reasons why. First, I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. I don't think they had a lot of character development or traits, and that made it really hard for me to root for them or care about them or engage with their trials. Second, there was a LOT going on. Like, too much. For a mystery, having 1000 angles was just overwhelming and made me start to check out of the story. That being said, I still did (mostly) predict the ending, which was weird. It felt like all the 'extra' was fluff and didn't matter at all to the plot, which made the story tough to engage with. I felt my attention drifting quite a bit. The writing was interesting if not particularly well written, and I was invested enough to finish the story, but I just struggled.

The biggest issue I had, though, was with the logical inconsistencies and just complete implausibility in the story. SPOILER: For example, the two parents (Tess and Justin) are 'too involved in the case to investigate' but somehow become the lead investigators, even though Justin a literal professor? The priest in the HIGH-DANGER mental institution is somehow never background checked or verified? They just let NON-INVESTIGATORS take a dangerous patient to a house to try and force him to freak out and release a personality? A woman hears her husband shot on the phone and is just like 'shoot I better call my BEST FRIEND, not the police haha yolo'??? So many of these things kept stacking up to the point where I was LITERALLY rolling my eyes at the end. What in the world?

In any case, the book was really novel and unique, and I think there are a lot of people it would work for. Because of my inherently too logical mind, and because of the lack of character investment, I just couldn't deal. While I finished it (the audiobook narration is very good - that is partially why I stuck it out), I can't say I really enjoyed it, and I am struggling to not think hard about it and rip the plot to shreds with a 'real world take' on what was described.