Sleeping with Fear

Sleeping with Fear
4 Stars

SCU agent Riley Crane awakens covered in blood and with no memory of the past three weeks. As she attempts to piece recent events together, Riley learns that the small community of Opal Island, South Carolina, is being plagued by a series of occult-like rituals, the latest of which is a bizarre murder. Riley also discovers that all four men in her life - her boss, Noah Bishop; her army mentor, Gordon Skinner; the handsome local sheriff, Jake Ballard, and the enigmatic DA, Ash Prescott - are keeping secrets that may be deadly. Who can she trust?

For some reason, I keep procrastinating with this series, which is unfortunate as Hooper's writing is well-paced, and her characters are very engaging. Perhaps it is show more simply a case of too many books and so little time.

In any event, this addition to the Bishop/SCU series is gripping from the start. Riley's short-term memory loss sets the stage for the intriguing revelations surrounding the strange events on Opal Island and keeps the reader, and Riley, guessing. Nevertheless, once the clues begin accumulating, it is possible to guess the identity of the culprit and the motive.

The romance is a significant improvement from the previous book. I will refrain from identifying the hero so as not to ruin the big reveal. Suffice it to say that he is incredible, and his interactions with Riley are sexy and sensual. It is fun seeing them discover one another again following her amnesia.

Overall, this installment has reminded me that I really enjoy this series and I will definitely continue sooner rather than later. show less

FBI Agent Riley Crane, a clairvoyant member of Noah Bishop's Special Crimes Unit (SCU) has been asked to look into some possible occult activity on a quiet undercover ex officio basis. When she wakes up in the middle of the day covered in blood, with an intense headache, no recollection of the past three weeks' activity or her ongoing investigation, not to mention a total inability to tap into her normally active psychic senses, she's understandably concerned and completely mystified. The SCU being severely strapped for manpower and tied up in other investigations elsewhere, Noah Bishop has given Crane his trust and a free hand to carefully deal with the ambiguities of her situation, to try to re-crystallize her memories and to press show more the investigation forward. "Sleeping with Fear" skillfully combining romance, elements of the supernatural, and crime in a neat enough package to keep Hooper's fans coming back for more. show less

Reilly Crane wakes up with no memory of the last three weeks, covered in blood and her normally reliable psychic senses are on the fritz. She's not sure who to trust particularly when there's a dead body in the woods and he's decapitated with a missing head.

Who to trust? Are her abilities gone forever? Can she do her job without her abilities?

It's a book that struck some resonances with me, the idea of losing my memory fills me with a large amount of fear. Kay Hooper made me very aware of the character and the situations and I was rooting for them all.

I didn't expect who was to blame until the end.

Riley a member of Bishop's Special FBI Unit has come off a case tracking a serial killer. She is taking a beach vacation to help an old friend who says that something is very wrong on Opal Island.

Another chapter in the Bishop Special Crimes Unit, a paranormal/FBI series that mixes police procedures with paranormal abilities in solving crimes especially murders. At the same time involving the FBI agent in romance. An enjoyable read with the challenge of following the clues to solve a murder.

I, for one, love the Bishop/FBI SCU stories, and thought this book was an excellent addition to the series.

Riley Crane wakes up in bed at her rental cottage in Opal Island, only to realize she's covered in dried blood and has no memories of the last three weeks. Apparently, she was on the island to investigate supposed black magic/occult activities while claiming she was on vacation--but she has no recollection of that fact. She also doesn't remember that she's become romantically involved with Ash Prescott, Hazard County District Attorney.

Bishop and the rest of his agents are spread thinly across the United States working on their own investigations, so Riley is on her own, without a partner or any back-up. As situations turn deadly show more and a body is found tortured and mutilated in a small woods, Riley knows that she must uncover what has been happening to her the last three weeks, and uncover it quickly.

As her mind plays tricks on her, even leading to blackouts where she loses hours of her day (besides the very important memories she's already lost), Riley knows that something evil is happening on Opal Island. It is up to her, and her blind trust in Ash, to figure out what that evil is, and stop it before it ends up killing her.

SLEEPING WITH FEAR is an excellent addition to the SCU series, and I, for one, am glad I picked up a copy of the book. I can't wait to see what Ms. Hooper has in store for Bishop and his team next. show less

I read this book in just under 4 hours and while it was a gripping story, it was over too quickly. The ending was unexpected, and also uncommon for a Kay Hooper book in that you actually got to meet and get to know the badguy before the climax.

The only things I didn't like about it were that I wasn't left with any strong feelings while reading it, and also that I felt too much of it was explanatory and repetitive. On the whole though, this was a good and solid thriller.

Riley Crane, ex—army officer, now assigned to the FBI's Special Crimes Unit, is sent to a small seaside town to informally investigate an occult group. She has lost all of her recent memory, including her relationship with the local DA, but discovers she was tasered. She has to piece together what's happening to her, a heinous crime which appears to be cult-perpetrated, and solve the crime. Not as good as others in this series.