3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This was a mind bending and carefully crafted book with a mix of psychological suspense and crime fiction.
I found the psychological aspect really interesting, I'm always drawn to this.

"The average human being spends thirty-three years of their life asleep. But what really happens when we sleep? And, more importantly, why can't we remember what happened when we wake...?"

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive - and hasn't woken up since. Dubbed "Sleeping Beauty" by the tabloids, Anna's condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as "resignation syndrome."

"The Mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven out of hell, a hell out of heaven."

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous "Anna O" case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect-he's got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

"I study people who commit crimes when they sleep." "As sleepwalking behaviours occur without volition sleepwalking can be used as a legal defense."

"Fear starts in the head and infects the body... The mind either fails to recognise enough danger or fails to stop recognising danger."

The chapters were short and sharp and often left you on a cliffhanger. It was a very different writing style that took a bit to get used to, short thought-like sentences, delivered in a more factual than story-like way, but once used to I enjoyed the style. But by the last quarter of the book it kind of annoyed me

"Anxiety, the besetting vice of modern industrial societies, emerges in that crossover between survival mode and the stresses of life in the twenty-first century. We feel hunted."

It dragged out in parts and was a bit repetitive. It could have done without a lot.

I did guess the end, but the twists did fool me for a lot of the way. But in the end I was disappointed that l picked it.
If you like a twisty book, you'll enjoy this, I don't think you could fit more twists in a second half of a book!

Anna O by Matthew Blake was a book I had wanted to read as I had heard good things about it. However it fell short to me. The idea and the story was interesting but I found the way it was told lost my interest and I really had to push through to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Anna O is a well known for being accused of killing her friends and then falling asleep for more than 4 years. The crown now wants to determine whether she is medically fit and if she can be woken from her sleep. This is when sleep specialist and forensic psychologist Benedict Prince is approached to either wake Anna so she can face court or prove that she can not be woken. But all is not as it seems and is Dr Benedict able to solve this case before it is too late.
Okay so I was hoping that I would love this book but although I didn’t hate it I did struggle to get to the end and I struggled at times to follow the story as it seemed to jump in places and I had to go back and read previous pages to make sure I didn’t miss something…I didn’t.
The beginning and the end were the most engaging. The middle was where I struggled to stay engaged. The twists at the end was worth sticking with the story.

,

Anna O is famously known by the world for suspected double murder while sleepwalking. Truth is, no one actually knows if she did it, because she's been asleep for 4 years. Nothing wakes her.
Dr Benedict Prince is given a chance to wake Anna Ogilvy using experimental methods in a last-ditch effort, so she can stand trial for the murders of her two friends.

Told by multi POV's, with past and present timelines, it's a race to figure out if Anna O, did in fact commit double murder knowingly, or was she sleepwalking, with no knowledge of what she has done?
Dr Benedict Prince's carer is on the line. Dr Prince, will do anything to ensure, waking Anna O is a success.


I was fortunate to receive an ARC of Anna O by Harper Collins. Thank you also to Matthew Blake and NetGalley for allowing me access to this book.

Anna O, is confounding, with a deliberately evading storyline.
Fill with surprising twists and turns - Matthew Blakes suspense thriller, leaves you guessing till the very end.
Just when you think you know what's happening, the rug is pulled out from under you, and your left untying all the strings, that lead you back to Anna O.
Was Anna sleepwalking when she killed her two business partners that were planning to double cross her? Or, did she kill them in cold blood?

Anna O
Matthew Blake

Wow. That ending is something. I really loved the concept, “Anna O, Sleeping Beauty, a figure of myth and reality.” The technicalities of the Anna O case pull me right in hook, line and sinker.

“Was she guilty? Did she really get away with murder?”

The subterfuge is the brilliance in Anna O. Blake utilizes short, snappy chapters with cliffhangers and reveals that propel you forward. It was engaging however often filled with details and information that I can see some may find distracting, but ultimately is necessary for the mike drop conclusion. Anna O is the dark horse thriller that will stay with me.

“The mind is it’s own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

This appeals to fans of The Silent Patient.

Anna is found in a deep sleep accused of murdering her two best friends, “I’m sorry. I think I’ve killed them.” Four years pass and Anna still hasn’t woken. Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist is tasked with waking her. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind, the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious. And the legal ramifications that this particular crime pose; can we be held criminally responsible when sleeping? When does sleep take over and consciousness end?

“What made you realise that hope could be as powerful as heroin?”

Anna O by Matthew Blake was a wild ride. Let me start by saying this is a solid 4 star thriller. I have an undergrad degree majoring in forensic psychology and a postgrad in psych so I was nerding out over this book. Yes, administer the Glasgow Coma Scale, oh yeh score it! More! More!
There were a few 🤔 not sure about that moments with the psych info, but overall I loved it. I predicted some but not all of the ending and I still thought it was really well done. The pacing was confusing and sometimes the prose was overly repetitive but I highly recommend this book for fans of The Silent Patient (I liked this one more 😜).

Easily one of my favourite thrillers I’ve read recently, I’m picking Anna O to be one of 2024s most popular mystery books. It’s twisty and will keep you guessing to the very end.

Synopsis: Anna O’s case has fascinated the world for 10 years. After stabbing her two best friends, Anna goes into a deep sleep from which no one can wake her. Enthralled by her story, sleep psychologist Dr Benedict Prince is determined to try.

I sped through this book, it follows dual timelines and the perspectives of several characters, which meant it kept a strong pace throughout. The characters and their motives were well thought out and the unreliable narration gives the entirety of the book an unsettling air.

I enjoyed this one from start to finish and would recommend to fans of The Silent Patient!

4 ⭐️

Anna O
By Matthew Blake

Description:
Thriller

🔪 Sleep related homicide
🔪 Murders
🔪 Multiple Points of View
🔪 Diary Entries

Anna commits murder while sleepwalking, then falls asleep for four years.
It’s up forensic psychologist Dr Prince to wake her up so she can go to trial.

Really enjoyed the story. Slow at the start but then gets fast with plenty of twists to have you guessing.

If you enjoy crime and suspense thrillers, then check this book out.

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Thanks, NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for a digital ARC copy of this book.

#netgalley #annao #matthewblake #harpercollinsaustralia #thriller

Thank you Harper Collins Publisher Australia, Matthew Blake and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This book captured me from the start. Such an addictive plot - a dark story and some great unexpected twists along the way. Blake did a brilliant job at creating suspense, telling the story in multiple POVs to keep me guessing and ending in such a shocking way!

Can't wait to read more from the author!

Wow... what a novel!! Such an original premise and kept me guessing right to the very last page. Just when you think it is worked out, there is another twist. Absolutely recommend!

3.5 stars
I have mixed views on this one. I enjoyed it to start with but I felt it dragged on longer than it needed to. I enjoyed the multiple POV but found the mix between first person and third person a little confusing. There are also diary entries from Anna scattered throughout which I found great. Many twists along the way as Dr Ben Price, a sleep expert, tries to get to the bottom of if Anna murdered her 2 best friends, and if so was she conscius when she did it or asleep and why. I didn't particularly like the final twist in the ending and thought this was rushed and left me feeling a little flat, rather than engaged. Overall it was an enjoyable mystery - but not particularly thrilling.

Anna O by Matthew Blake borrows its title from the pseudonym of a patient who inspired (or at least influenced) Freud's origins of psychoanalysis. Of course the character in this book is referenced thus as she either has resignation syndrome (a withdrawal from life - which IS a real thing), or is faking it to avoid murder charges. Also... her name is Anna (Ogilvy).

This book has been pretty hyped so my expectations were heightened. I received an early copy while at the Theakston Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate last July. I'd expected big things as a result so held off reading it until just before the Australian publication date in early February 2024. And it has to be said my thoughts on it changed many times over the course of its 440-ish pages.

Although Ben is ostensibly our main character, chapters are also narrated by his wife (a cop who was the first on the scene following the murders in 2019) and someone called Lola (aka Suspect #8 who was present at the murders). We learn more about Anna via her diary (held by Lola) and also dip into Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital case files from over twenty years earlier.

The study of sleep (and what we're capable of while sleeping) is Ben's passion so he's the perfect therapist for Anna O. Essentially he believes resignation syndrome patients will wake if there's a reason to do so. He talks about giving them hope, so showers Anna with music, scents, books and pleasant memories from her past. And... #spoileralert she wakes up. Of course that's when Ben is supposed to hand her over for trial.

However things start to go wrong even before Anna wakes. There's a fresh murder and the past, gurgling beneath the surface, rears its ugly head.

At times I found it hard to know if the unfolding plot was far too obvious, or meant to be misleading red herrings. Ben starts working with Anna on the assumption she's innocent, and that any murderous act was committed while sleepwalking - something that's troubled her since childhood. But Anna's diary entries (in the lead-up to the murders) reference her increasing anger towards her two friends and colleagues (the victims); and then there's her interest in Ben and his work... a long time before (coincidentally) becoming his patient. And then there's the unaccounted-for surviving teenage child of a famous child-killer held in Broadmoor.

I enjoyed the opening of this book and then it stalled a little as Ben looks into Anna's past and though there were moments of interest and plot progression, I eventually felt frustrated by its direction. I can't articulate why but I was dissatisfied in a way. Perhaps it was because of Anna's thoughts being revealed through her diary entries.

Although, things then look up again as we move into the present (set a year after Anna wakes). I enjoyed Ben's narration here - knowing Anna has an agenda, but playing along anyway. Although that game of cat and mouse drags on for a while, we're offered two stories and have to decide which to believe. Because both cannot be true. Or can they?

"I can still sense the darkness in this. My head tells me to get up, walk away, get on the next plane out of here and find a new hiding spot. But my heart tells me it would be futile. That we are stuck, the two of us, in this loop. We are compelled by the mystery of each other. I have made my choice. This only ends when one of us is left standing." p 402

And then I was disappointed by the conclusion. Saddened perhaps. But not surprised. I think I would have preferred something open-ended... keeping us hanging. Never sated.

This is Blake's debut and although not gasp-out-loud twisty, it's clever. A mix of brilliance and disappointments. And though there were a few threads left untethered it's certainly a book I'll remember (a rarity as there are many that blur into one another), so I'm looking forward to what he writes next.

Clever and intriguing. I highly recommend Anna O.
Matthew Blake has served up a well-written, psychological thriller that kept me guessing til the last twist!
If this is the authors debut novel, I am excited to see what comes next!!

Anna Ogilvy has spent the the past four years asleep, following a brutal double murder she is accused of committing. But did she?

Forensic sleep psychologist Ben Prince has been tasked by the Ministry of Justice to coax Anna out of her sleep and prepare her to face court for her crimes. But as he delves further and further into the case and the possible reasons for her lengthy slumber, he unearths murky plots that go back 20 years and raises more questions than answers and puts a target on his own back.

This was a mindblowing ride with twists, trails, red herrings and misdirection throughout the book. It was a thriller, a whodunnit, a rollercoaster story within a story with an ending I didn't see coming.

It's a compelling tale from the outset, with an introduction that lures you in, and an ending that leaves you stunned.
I'm not going to say much more that that as I don't want to risk spoilers, but this is a fantastic story of deception, redemption, tabloid media, armchair detectives, psychology and so, so much more.

Read it.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

Unfortunately this book didn’t give me the wow factor. At times I enjoyed it and for some parts I got bored.
The plot was good though but the middle part of the book was long winded. I felt lost alot of the time throughout the book.

“We spend an average of thirty-three years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we are sleeping?” If somebody kills while sleepwalking, are they guilty of murder? This is the premise for psychological thriller/suspense novel Anna O. Anna Ogilvy has suffered from a rare psychosomatic disorder known as “resignation syndrome” since the night she fatally stabbed two people. Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. He is tasked with waking Anna up so she can stand trial, which he commits to despite his reservations about whether Anna is truly culpable, despite his own messy, complicated life, despite the potential for danger to him and those he loves.
Anna O is a psychological/medical suspense/thriller told in multiple points of view and formats with an intriguing premise. This is a book that will polarise readers – some lauding its medical details and plot twists and some at the opposite end of the scale finding it perhaps a little heavy on detail, sluggish in parts and not entirely satisfying in the conclusion. I’m in the middle for a combination of those reasons at 3.5-4.0 stars.

Anna O by Matthew Blake is an absolutely outstanding and compelling read. This has the WOW factor and the ending had twists and turns that were totally unexpected! What an incredible thriller that has the reader spellbound.

Anna O hasn’t opened her eyes in four years after being found near the bodies of her friends and with evidence that points to her as a double murderer. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the worldwide press it appears she suffers from “resignation syndrome”, a condition which is a speciality of Dr Bernard Prince, a forensic psychologist whose focus is sleep-related homicides.

Dr Prince has been assigned the task of waking Anna O, the Sleeping Beauty. While his task is fantastic opportunity for his career it is fraught with dangers for both him and his sleeping patient.

A thriller that does indeed thrill!!! What a wonderful debut novel by Matthew Blake. I look forward to reading more of his work as he seems very capable of orchestrating an incredible storyline with complex characters.

Highly recommended read.



This review is based on a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Publishers Australia via
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#AnnaO #NetGalley

Anna Ogilvy is suspected of committing a double murder while sleepwalking and because of a very rare sleep related syndrome, has not awoken for the next four years. Two doctors, Dr. Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist and sleep specialist and Dr Virginia Bloom meet with a representative from the Ministry of Justice to discuss Ben’s potential cure for resignation syndrome, and trialling it on Anna so she can be tried for murder. Ben discovers that Anna was working on a secret government experiment called MEDEA, and that her trial for murder might also be a way to silence her and cover up the act of another. So it became more of a how and why of a femme fatale, rather than whodunnit novel. The effect on the murders on Anna was just as important explored as were the murders. Why do people kill? Why was this murder to captivating?
It was interesting to read about sleep, and see that the idea of sleep as a healing quality, and a way to save someone was interwoven into the story, as was the connection to the ancient Greek myth around Medea. In ancient Greek folklore, Medea is the conjurer of sleep: she is not revered for her talents and her knowledge, and she also fought for justice and redemption from murder. And just like Anna, proving her innocence becomes the quest to conquer. The bigger questions to ask are whether Anna was sleeping, was everyone else asleep, and is this just a literary version of Inception?

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish this book as it didn’t send through to my kindle or phone properly.
The premise of the story sounds fascinating and I’m excited for it to be released!

This was an interesting story seen from the eyes of a psychiatrist. The story follows the case of Anna, a young woman from a respected family, who falls into a deep sleep for years after committing the murder of two of her close friends. The story starts off really well and is an interesting read.