Sleep No More

Fast paced murder mystery with bizarre twists. Sleep No More becomes progressively stranger as I had no certainty of any character's mental state or innocence. I had to pay attention because I was speculating, guessing and thinking up weird explanations of events.

Great ending.

Unique, need-to-read-this-all-the-way-through mystery.

I like Greg Iles as an author, and I've enjoyed all the books of his that I read previous to this one. He writes a good story and he writes it well. There are always twists and turns and it is just enjoyable entertainment.

However, this one has been my least favorite so far. There are lots of supernatural happenings, and I'm not going to tell whether the book made them real or delusions, but I didn't really care for that storyline. Sex was an integral part of the story, but the sex wasn't even sexy. It was mostly violent and angry.

I'm not giving up on Greg Iles, but I'll read the blurbs a little more carefully before I pick up another of his books.

I liked the book to one extent but was not prepared for the supernatural element. Not saying that I'm opposed to such things because I love reading supernatural books, but I wasn't expecting it coming from Iles. So because it threw me off and didn't seem to 'fit' with what I'd read from him before, this affected my overall enjoyment of the novel.

7/10
Iles is a talented writer who can make the most absurd situations seem plausible. The main mystery here is whether what is happening is supernatural/paranormal or not. I was able to suspend belief through most of the book, but Lily’s rather sudden about-face from passivity into strong and decisive action was almost too much.

Sleep No More is my first exposure to anything written by Greg Iles and, in fairness to him, I want to stress that I experienced the novel in audio book format, not as a printed version. Although the book’s narrator did grow on me over the course of the book's ten CDs, his lack of preparation irritated me a number of times. For instance, the man had no idea that Schlumberger is not pronounced to rhyme with hamburger. Schlumberger is a French oil field service company, one of the largest in the world, and to hear its name mispronounced a dozen or so times in quick succession became a major distraction. In addition, several of the book’s characters are from Louisiana and, in dealing with them, the narrator managed to mispronounce a show more city or two from that state and speak in one of the least authentic Cajun accents I have ever heard.

So remember that I am reviewing an audio book here – not simply a Greg Iles novel – and that one point has been deducted from my rating based on the quality of the audio work.

The storyline of Sleep No More is an intriguing one that kept me guessing for a long time whether I was reading a straight crime novel or a Stephen Kingish horror novel. Its principle character is John Waters, who while attending the University of Mississippi had a passionate (and destructive) affair with a young woman who became Miss Mississippi while they were involved. Sadly, just a few years later, Mallory Candler was raped and murdered in New Orleans. Before her death, however, her bizarre behavior almost cost John Waters his life.

Years later, John Waters is married, has a little girl, and is making a good living as a Mississippi oil wildcatter. His is a risky business, but he has been successful more times than not. All is well in John's world until a beautiful young woman approaches him on the soccer field after one of his daughter’s matches. The woman, Eve Sumner, leaves John with a knowing look and the same whispered word that he and Mallory exchanged when they wanted to sneak away together. He is spooked by the encounter and cannot stop thinking about it.

Before long, and despite his best intentions, John is involved in a torrid affair with Eve Sumner. As she reveals more and more details that could have only been known by him and Mallory, John begins to believe that Mallory’s soul has taken over Eve Sumner’s body. Soon, John will be involved in a battle to save more than his marriage – the lives of his wife and daughter are at stake.

Sleep No More is a better mystery than it is a horror novel. Its best moments come when John is trying to determine exactly what is happening to him, whether or not he can trust his partner and best friend, and his fight to stay out of prison. The horror aspect of the novel is not nearly so satisfying, at least in part because of the lack of closure provided by the book’s final pages.

Greg Iles fans will have to tell me if this one is representative of his work. If so, I will likely pass on the others.

Rated at: 3.0 show less

In many ways this does not seem like a book Greg wrote and was far below typical. Predictable in some ways, he introduced a paranormal element which I felt didn't work. Having read every book he's written save one, this is mediocre at best, and lacks everything I expect from him. Sorry dude, this is a loser.

Greg Iles is an excellent storyteller! Set in Natchez, as other books of his have also been, this is a supernatural thriller...or is it a great hoax thriller? You have to read it to find out! One of the two female protagonists is evil personified, while the other seems weak yet has a core of steel. Which one is is which? You'll have to read it to find out!