A parent's worst fear come true, religious cults, broken minds, and vigilantes are just some of the elements that make up Sleep Tight. This fast paced thriller gives a lot for the reader to be entertained by, maybe a bit too much in my opinion. Our main character, Tess, is a detective who followed in the footsteps of her father in his career investing fully in her dream job, and maybe a bit too dedicated. She aspires after novels such as Silence of the Lambs which ends up not reflecting too well when we find out she has dependency issues and is willing to break protocol being so close to the case at hand. There are a LOT of bad guys in this story. Some are obvious and others are reveals later. Some make sense and others felt like a deus ex element.

A serial killer is finally put to death sprouting cult linked kidnappings, one being her daughter Julia, and deaths causing Tess to head on relive the past and finally unbury her blocked memories. Old members and survivors are visited to gain any insight to discovering where Julia and others could have been taken. New links, okay many links are made upon these renewed visits and the plot just starts popping weeds like crazy from there. While this is a fast paced book, and is entertaining, it's very crowded. This could have easily been an installment series of three books. Spend time building the characters and the plot with the father and his old gang being introduced to the antagonist, then maybe one as Tess being on the force and having her issues with blocked memories and her daughter being abducted. We could introduce the clairvoyant in this 2nd book along with Noah and all he has to bring, maybe a small side of Ben, and then let the ending chaos completely consume the 3rd and final book. There are so many amazing ideas in this story, so many characters that can contribute so much depth and intrigue to the plot. All together though, it was a lot.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudio) and Dreamscape Media for the ALC and amazing swag box!

Beware the one who got away…

If you want a book to kick off the spooky season, look no further than “Sleep Tight!” When I tell you I devoured this book, I mean I started listening in the morning and didn’t turn it off til I was done.

Decades ago, “Father Silence” terrorized the town of Twisted Tree…the horror he brought upon the town trickled down in every way imaginable. When he is finally put to death decades later, the original detective who made his arrest is also found brutally murdered the next day. That detective’s daughter, Tess, has been haunted by Father Silence’s terror for nearly her entire life. When her own daughter is kidnapped, past and present collide in a terrifying way.

From the background of “Father Silence” and the horror he brought upon the town years ago, to the present day terror of Tess’ daughter missing, the story had me on the edge of my seat. Tess’ panic was tangible, and her cloudy memories from childhood pulled me deeper into the story. And what I found as the layers were peeled back scared me. Undoubtedly one of my top reads of this year - don’t miss “Sleep Tight”.

”Sleep Tight” releases September 10, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog @(books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

This was such a great psychological thriller. So many twists, I thought one thing then bam it was different. It was a little scary at some points like what’s going to happen next. It for sure left it open for a sequel.

The audio was so good, I loved the change in voices to help feel the shift in characters. I jumped a few times when things were happening, I for sure recommend the audiobook. I also bought the book too so I could listen along with the narration.

If you like a non predictable thriller this is it. Wow.

What a Terrifying listen. I did not know what to expect. And I Devoured this! I did not want to stop listening and wanted to know what was going to happen. There was not sleeping tight after this read!

✨This is a tightly packed culty thriller that edges right up to horror with a touch of paranormal and various ominous settings that kept me peeking over my shoulder.

✨It has dual timelines, multiple points of view and a steady unfolding of twists and turns that kept me glued to the story. Also baddy boys. You’ll have to read it for yourself to understand that last one.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Cult themes
✨Supernatural thrillers
✨Serial killer stories
✨Female detective narratives
✨Police procedurals
✨Spooky season reads

🎧I listened to this one on audio and was thoroughly captivated with the narration by Andi Arndt @offmicandi. She masterfully captured all the various characters and gave an excellent performance of this book.

If you're looking for books to add to your spooky season TBR then Sleep Tight should be at the top of your list. It felt like a throw back to 90's police procedural serial killer books, think Kiss the Girls by James Patterson. It's a multilayered atmospheric cult thriller that has moments that border on horror throughout. There are multiple POV's, a past and present timeline, interspersed police transcripts and interviews, and almost nonstop action. A lot of thrillers seem to depend on a Scooby Doo style explanation at some point in a book, not Sleep Tight, it's a show you not tell you unfolding of twists and turns. All this coupled with the short chapters will have you racing to finish in one sitting. I went into this book blind and I'd highly recommend that approach, I think the less you know the better it will be. I listened to the audio and the narration by Annie Arndt was wonderful. I was so impressed with her ability to nail every POV in a different manner making each characters chapters easy to distinguish. I would love to see this book translated into a film or tv series. My only critique was that I wanted more at the end. This was my first book from J.H. Markert but you can bet I'll be snapping up their backlist as soon as I finish this review. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my ALC.

4.5 stars rounded up!

This book is definitely a lot more on the horror side than I normally listen to but it was absolutely perfect headed into spooky season! I do enjoy books based off serial killers and this one was so well done!

Hats off to Andi Arndt for her incredible narration.

I ate this book up almost completely in a day, listened nonstop, and will definitely add to my list of books to recommend to my thriller/horror loving friends!

HUGE thank you to Dreamscape Media for my free copy and audiobook as well as the swag box that’s coming my way! Super excited to be part of the Dream Street team🌟

Beware of the one that got away…

The sole survivor of a serial killer may hold the key to stopping a new spree triggered by the execution of Father Silence. Tess, a detective haunted by her past, must unravel repressed childhood memories to save her kidnapped daughter from the new killer.

WOW! Brace yourself for this wild, crazy story!

Andi Arndt, a favorite of mine for romance narrations, shines in this thriller. Her portrayal of Tess’s tension-filled battle is gripping. I didn't want to stop listening! Plus, she skillfully voices diverse characters across ages.

Read this for:
💀 Serial killers
💀 Cults
💀 Unpredictable twists
💀 Fast-paced listen
💀 Complex storytelling

Sleep Tight is a dark, haunting mash up of mystery, horror, and thriller. It's your perfect spooky season read!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the free early listening copy of this book. This voluntary review reflects my honest opinion.

Based on the cover art I fully expected to go into a gothic Horror and was surprised to find “Sleep Tight” to be on the side of psychological thriller combined with police procedure and a touch of supernatural / horror / gore.

The plot follows our female lead Tess, whose career takes after her father, a well known and loved police officer. When her parents are brutally murdered, multiple children are kidnapped and the town is terrorized by a fake priest and people in animal masks, Tess has no choice but to dive back into a decades old serial killer case in a race to find her daughter.

I enjoyed the psychological themes in this book, we touch on interesting subjects such as multiple personality disorders and addiction, grief, loss and childhood traumas.

The audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt who I felt did a fantastic job, at points it felt like the book was written specifically for the narrator, her voice and range met the plot perfectly.

This was definitely an interesting crime thriller with cult horror anecdotes. There is a lot to love here with a well thought out intricate plot, lots of twists, loveable side characters and complex main characters.

Thank you to J. H. Market and Dreamscape media for the ALC!

Publish date: September 10th 2024

This was the perfect book to start out Spooky season listening to. The narrator was amazing and you are drawn in from the beginning. I listened during the day or I am sure I would have been screaming at every sound. This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed the fast pace writing style, the past and present time lines and creepiness of people running around in animal masks.

One person survived a serial killer but he is in a psych ward but he alone might hold the clues. Father silence, pretended to be a priest and terrorized the town as so many bodies where found in his house of horrors. Now, he is set to be executed. Noah was such a fascinating character and I liked the mental health rep.

Tess Claibourne is haunted by memories of that night. She has flash backs of the night and now a new killer is on the loose calling himself the Outcast and he has her daughter. My anxiety spiked as Tess had to race to save her daughter.

Wow, this was hands down phenomenal!

With a riveting first page, this book immediately throws you into the deep end. I knew it was going to be good instantly. It was a five star prediction by chapter one.

A cop with an addiction problem, a past filled with repressed memories…

The day after a well known serial killer, Father Silence is put to death, one of the police officers who arrested him all those years ago is found dead. Now a new killer calling himself the Outcast is prowling, scooping up children as he goes.

Tess, the daughter of the now murdered arresting officer has spent her life trying to get away from Father Silence and the cloud that surrounds her memories of that time in her childhood. When the Outcast kidnaps her daughter, she is pulled back into that whole mess, encouraging her addictive tendencies. She will stop at nothing to find her daughter, learning more about the Outcast and Father Silence in the process.

This perfectly pairs crime thriller with cultish horror! There are so many level to this story, and as you peel them back, more horrors bleed out. From start to finish, this book had me locked in!

The narration was perfection, because you simply cannot go wrong with this narrator!