All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna.Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.
Sleep by C L Taylor was published in hardback by Avon Books on 4 April 2019. My thanks to the publisher who sent my proof copy for review and invited me to take part on this Blog Tour.
It feels as though I've been reading CL Taylor's books for a very long time, it's actually only five years though; since she released her first book The Accident, in 2014.
It's now a yearly event; the anticipation of looking forward to her next book and knowing that you are in for a damn good read. Sleep doesn't disappoint; it's a pretty meaty book at almost 400 pages in the hardback, but it returns the reader to this authors trademark twisty, dark writing with a bang.
I do love a good prologue, and who could fail to be hooked by a prologue letter? Especially when it begins with 'if you are reading this, I am dead' ..... OK, so it's been done before, but nevertheless, it's a fabulous hook.
Lead character Anna is a complex individual. The story begins as she's driving home from a work event, with three male colleagues in her car. In a matter of seconds, two of the men are dead and one crippled for life. Whilst the accident was clearly not Anna's fault, and the lorry driver who hit them is prosecuted; Anna'a life begins to crumble as soon as she wakes in the hospital.
She's convinced that she's being followed and finds various terrifying messages, telling her to 'sleep'. The strain of dealing with this impacts heavily on an already fractured relationship with her boyfriend, and before long Anna has decided that she needs to leave everything behind and make a new start.
She really couldn't get much further away! She takes a job in the only hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, working for the owner, David.
When a group of guests on a walking party arrive, and then a storm, Anna quickly begins to realise that maybe she hasn't left her past behind her at all. Those 'sleep' messages were not confined to home and it's clear that she's been followed.
Littered with red herrings and twists galore, this is a great take on the locked-house mystery style of story with a cast of characters headed by the enigmatic and sometimes a little odd, Anna.
The author excels in creating a claustrophobic and chilling atmosphere within the house, although I would have loved a little more of a Scottish feel to the environment.
Sleep is gripping and although it's a large book, it's a quick read as it's difficult to stop yourself from racing through it, greedily turning the pages to see if you've guessed correctly. I invariably hadn't!
Chilling and deliciously creepy. Recommended by me!
C.L. Taylor is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six gripping psychological thrillers. They are not a series and can be read in any order:
2014 - THE ACCIDENT
2015 - THE LIE
2016 - THE MISSING
2017 - THE ESCAPE
2018 - THE FEAR
2019 - SLEEP
She has also written a Young Adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, which was published by HarperCollins HQ and is currently writing her second, which will be published in June 2020.
C.L. Taylor's books have sold in excess of a million copies, been number one on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play and have been translated into over 25 languages and optioned for TV. THE ESCAPE won the Dead Good Books 'Hidden Depths' award for the Most Unreliable Narrator. THE FEAR was shortlisted in the Hearst Big Book Awards in the 'Pageturner' category.
Cally Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning before leaving to write full time in 2014. She lives in Bristol with her partner and young son.
Sign up to join the CL Taylor Book Club for access to news, updates and information that isn't available on the web, as well as exclusive newsletter-only competitions and giveaways and the books that CL Taylor thinks will be the next big thing. You will also receive THE LODGER for free when you sign up:
http://www.callytaylor.co.uk/cltaylorbookclub.html
www.cltaylorauthor.com
www.twitter.com/callytaylor
www.Instagram.com/cltaylorauthor
www.facebook.com/callytaylorauthor
She really couldn't get much further away! She takes a job in the only hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, working for the owner, David.
When a group of guests on a walking party arrive, and then a storm, Anna quickly begins to realise that maybe she hasn't left her past behind her at all. Those 'sleep' messages were not confined to home and it's clear that she's been followed.
Littered with red herrings and twists galore, this is a great take on the locked-house mystery style of story with a cast of characters headed by the enigmatic and sometimes a little odd, Anna.
The author excels in creating a claustrophobic and chilling atmosphere within the house, although I would have loved a little more of a Scottish feel to the environment.
Sleep is gripping and although it's a large book, it's a quick read as it's difficult to stop yourself from racing through it, greedily turning the pages to see if you've guessed correctly. I invariably hadn't!
C.L. Taylor is the Sunday Times bestselling author of six gripping psychological thrillers. They are not a series and can be read in any order:
2014 - THE ACCIDENT
2015 - THE LIE
2016 - THE MISSING
2018 - THE FEAR
2019 - SLEEP
She has also written a Young Adult thriller, THE TREATMENT, which was published by HarperCollins HQ and is currently writing her second, which will be published in June 2020.
C.L. Taylor's books have sold in excess of a million copies, been number one on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play and have been translated into over 25 languages and optioned for TV. THE ESCAPE won the Dead Good Books 'Hidden Depths' award for the Most Unreliable Narrator. THE FEAR was shortlisted in the Hearst Big Book Awards in the 'Pageturner' category.
Cally Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning before leaving to write full time in 2014. She lives in Bristol with her partner and young son.
Sign up to join the CL Taylor Book Club for access to news, updates and information that isn't available on the web, as well as exclusive newsletter-only competitions and giveaways and the books that CL Taylor thinks will be the next big thing. You will also receive THE LODGER for free when you sign up:
http://www.callytaylor.co.uk/cltaylorbookclub.html
www.cltaylorauthor.com
www.twitter.com/callytaylor
www.Instagram.com/cltaylorauthor
www.facebook.com/callytaylorauthor
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