Name: Sleepyhead
ISBN: 9780061032219

Mark Billingham

A deliberately induced stroke leaves Alison Willetts unable to move or communicate. Police feel her attacker erred in trying to kill her. But Detective Tom Thorne discovers that Alison is the psychopath's masterpiece; the three women he killed before her were mistakes.

Sleepyhead

Christina Baltimore 

The thing that made me want to read this book is the print on the cover. “He doesn’t want you DEAD. He doesn’t want you ALIVE. He wants you SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN...” it was a good attention grabber. Unfortunately, everything else was a week muddled mess. It was boring. 

Thorne was a mostly unlikable character. All I got from him was that he was an arrogant, selfish know-it-all that drowned his self-pity in alcohol. He had no real respect or feelings for others. It was always about how things affected him. 

Allison was a bit more understandable, but it just seemed like a wasted opportunity. The time with Allison could have been so much more interesting. I know that all she can do is think but it would have been so much better to read about the self-realization of lock-in syndrome. Instead she wakes up and doesn’t question anything. I know she can’t move or speak but her brain worked. The passages where we read her thoughts were boring and lacked real personality. It was a missed opportunity. 

The killer was far too easy to pick out. He was introduced in a way that made it obvious that he was the bad guy. I did not question it one second and I have no doubt that even a half-wit would be able to spot it. 

It was obvious who Rachel’s boyfriends was, if you could call him that.

It was obvious how the ring got there. 

Nobody thought twice about David although he could have made the story better. The same with Jeremy. 

This is not suspense, mystery, thriller it is just an introduction to mediocre characters, obvious plot and an obvious killer. Then, if you want to know how this author imagined things happening, read the filler. 

I try to always finish books but in this case, I wish I hadn’t wasted my time.

Sleepyhead

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