I really really wanted to like this book but it just didn't appeal to me. I dnf'd around the 25% mark. I tried to give it some time but even after a week break, I found myself not enjoying reading it. I may try to pick it up a bit later (I'll update my review if I do) but right now it is not for me. I feel like the characters and their decisions were annoying. I was not connecting with the story at all and the relationships in the book just fell a bit flat for me.

I've read other people's reviews on here who really enjoyed the book so I would say to give it a try if it sounds interesting to you! It just wasn't the right book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

10/10 from start to finish! Honestly had me on the edge of my seat. Character development 👌🏼 honestly, this book scared me. I was home alone reading it and had to have all the lights on or I thought the men with animal masks were gonna get me😂

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for allowing me to read this advance copy. The Black Phone is one of my favorite stories, so this was right up my alley. Equal parts unsettling and also heart pounding, this books twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat. Get ready for a new formidable villain on the block! So much fun, I loved it!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for an ARC! (I literally squealed in joy!)
J.H. Markert has been one of my favorite horror authors since I read his first release The Nightmare Man, and that adoration continued on with his second release Mister Lullaby. I think it is important to note that this book is it's own entity. I loved his first two because they were set in the same world, and while they could both be read as standalone novels you might run across familiar towns and/or names. Sleep Tight does not continue this trend, but he does promise to return at a later date! It also felt more like a supernatural mystery/thriller than the fantastical horror of his first two. I do think it would have aided my enjoyment while reading if I had a better understanding of those differences before jumping into the novel.

In Sleep Tight we are following our main character Detective Tess Claibourne. She is thrown head first into a case that involves a man that has haunted her since childhood. The tabloids named him Father Silence and he was responsible for the death of at least 19 people. With his execution finally completed, Tess and her father (one of the detectives who helped lock him away) should be able to finally rest easy, but unfortunately the nightmare has just begun.

A copycat killer is on the loose and he has abducted Tess' daughter. Now, Tess is in a race against time and a mad man as she tries to dig into her own childhood in hopes of understanding who this copycat is and if there is something hidden in the depths of her locked away memories that holds the key to unlocking his identity.

Markert's writing is great per usual. His characters are flawed and interesting. I would say the characters are more fleshed out than ever. His villains are more tame in this one, but don't worry. If you are used to a bundle of baddies he still delivers! Overall I really enjoyed Sleep Tight!

My third JH Markert book and again, another amazing read! I love that while none of his books need to be read in order, that there are so many easter eggs that are awesome to pick up IF you read them in published order. The pacing of his book was as always perfect and kept me on my toes the entire time. I think this book is definitely for anyone who also has an affinity for cults and horror combos. There were so many layers to this read that it was truly so fun to peel them back. Definitely one that needs to be bumped to the top of everyone's horror list!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. After reading Mister Lullaby by Markert, I was eager to get my hands on his next book. Sleep Tight did NOT disappoint. While some of the conversations between characters felt a bit repetitive/like they were going in circles at times, and I wish that we had more depth to some of the cast, I really enjoyed the overall plot.

It was wayyyyy creepier than I expected to be . . . animal masks and noises??? Absolutely horrific. That will stick with me for a bit! Any scene that had mask-wearing weirdos was straight from a horror film and was a literal jump scare for me.

I ended up enjoying this one more than Mister Lullaby -- which kind of left too much unresolved for my taste. This one wrapped up very nicely and I can't wait for Markert's next book! :)

Sleep Tight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5/5 stars)

Run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy of this book. This is now the third Markert book I’ve requested an ARC for and man, has this author cemented himself into the automatic read category of my TBR. Though I didn’t connect so much with Mister Lullaby, I absolutely loved The Nightmare Man when it first came out. Sleep Tight brings so many of the same elements that kept me hooked throughout the book - it was creepy (some might even say pretty gruesome), suspenseful, heart-wrenchingly tragic, with a twisty plot that kept my heart pounding until the end.

I haven’t read a book that’s made me jumpy in a while, so it was fun to have that kind of reading experience again. You inevitably loved or hated the characters, which made for an investing read. I appreciated that they all had flaws and felt like real people. I always love the town dynamics that Markert includes in his books - of Crooked Tree, Harrod’s Reach, and now Twisted Tree. Though I’m not entirely sure how and if everything is connected, I’ll be eagerly awaiting another installment to find out.

Thanks Netgally for the ARC!

⭐️3.5/4 stars
This book was something else. It covers sooo many heavy topics like multiple personality disorder, serial killers, and child abduction and I feel like the author did such a good job with it! Especially the character with multiple personalities. You could really feel each one jumping off the page and seeming “real”. There were a lot of creepy elements in this book that really gave it the good scare factor it promises. If anything, I wish it had been a little more fast paced. There were certain parts that seemed unnecessary and that dragged a bit. But I’d definitely still recommend this book if you like horror and mysteries! Read this one when it comes out on 9/10/2024.

Firstly I would like to thank J. H. Markert , Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the upcoming book ' Sleep Tight ' to read and review.

Due for publication in September 2024 , the story follows the dark past of a small rural town called Twisted Trees. The location which is home to the building dubbed as the ' House of Horrors ' Where nineteen bodies were discovered and one survivor–a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Tess Claibourne grew up in the midst of this small town horror as her father was the detective who captured the infamous serial killer known as Father Silence. Now nearly two decades later Tess is following in his footsteps and is now a detective herself.
Looking after her young daughter and working through the emotional scars left from her husband's infidelity she is also stressed as the media is abuzz with news that the murderer has finally been executed for his crimes . Relief for herself and her family is only short lived as the following day a new serial killer has come forward into the limelight . Her parent's are dead and her daughter has been kidnapped and Tess must dig deep to acquire the strength to find her daughter before time runs out.

I was initially drawn to this book by the cover and was intrigued by the synopsis. The book was dark and gritty and kept me at the edge of my seat and reading into the early hours of the morning fascinated by all the twists and turns.
Although categorised as a horror , I would personally say it is more of a crime/ psychological thriller . The concept is very unique and thought provoking and the author certainly knows how to develop characters so well that I was invested in every single one of them.
There were so many complicated and complex individuals that each had a compelling back story and these stories from the past and present are intertwined to carry the reader on such a crazy journey.

I must admit that sometimes I felt that that there were so many characters that the story lost part of its momentum as I had to reread some scenes that became a little confusing . The story is so multi layered and sophisticated, but that is also a part of its charm. Although the swapping of timelines and perspective can be a little boggling it is certainly not off-putting.
If you are looking for a book that is full of cults , serial killers , and exploration of the human psyche and the disorders that can affect it this is the one for you . Although this is the first J. H. Markert book I have read , I have already started looking at his previous titles.
Fantastic and Gritty Read

#SleepTight #NetGalley

_Sleep Tight_ by J.H. Markert is an engrossing thriller with elements of horror, multiple points of views, and plot twists that keep the reader engaged in the story. It mainly follows detective Tess Clairbourne after the execution of serial killer Father Silence, which sparks murders and the kidnapping of Tess’s daughter. Tess, her husband Justin, and partner Danny must follow clues that lead them to Tess’s childhood home in order to find her daughter and stop the terror.

Brilliant. First time I’ve read this author and won’t be the last. A great autumn read……readers will love this one.

I did go into this fresh off of reading Mister Lullaby and I had hoped that Sleep Tight would continue it, or at least allude to the happenings of Mister Lullaby. Despite that not being the case, as Sleep Tight seems to be a standalone novel, it still did a great job of drawing me into the story where horror is strong. While this book starts out with the death of one Father Silence, that only marks the beginning and there are many others that are willing to follow the legacy this fake priest/killer leaves behind, the Children of the Lost, the victims of his twisted rites, those who brought him down, and the one that got away, The Outcast. Between the Children of the Lost with their dark plans, and the Outcast stealing the unwanted children to bring them to his Playhouse, horror abounds. Plus several dead bodies. and frantic parents (Tess and Justin) working to find out Tess's hidden memories in time to save their daughter, it was hard to put down. And yes, there is a bit of the supernatural element with Nick and the hidden mastermind. Not too much, just right . It also ends well and I had fun reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

The amount of twists and turns in this book will keep you guessing until the very end. I absolutely loved how both the supernatural and psychology are intertwined within the plot. Each integral character is well developed and the reader also is able to find out more about their past that has led them to where they are now.

Highly recommend this suspenseful, fast-paced thriller with shocking twists. Just mind blowing! This is the second book I’ve read by this author and cannot wait to dive into another.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to J.H. Markert, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publishes September 10, 2024


This was my first by this author and I can't wait to read more. Sleep Tight publishes September 10, 2024 and is the perfect read to set off the spooky season.

"Words hurt, especially where there are bruises"

First, there are a LOT of characters to keep up with in this book. They are all necessary for the overall storyline, but it takes a bit to keep them all straight. At one point I started jotting down a few notes just to stay up to speed. With that being said, this book hooked me from chapter one!

The day after a well known serial killer, Father Silence is put to death, one of the police officers who arrested him all those years ago is found dead. Now a new killer calling himself the Outcast is prowling, scooping up children as he goes. Tess, the daughter, of the now murdered arresting officer, has spent her life trying to get away from Father Silence. Between her addiction problem and a past filled with repressed memories of her childhood, it's no surprise that when the Outcast kidnaps her daughter, she is pulled back into the trauma that plagued her childhood, further encouraging her addictive behavior. As any mother would do, Tess will stop at nothing to get her daughter back, but at what cost and what will she learn about the Outcast and Father Silence in the process?

The backstory and current events are seamlessly woven together and it helps you sort everything out in your mind, once piece at a time. This is not a slow burn by any means. It hooked me from the beginning, but then picked up the pace even more, so that I was unable to put it down, reading late into the night, needing to know how it ends. I was definitely not "sleeping tight" through the tension and development of this story. The "before" chapters help to set the scene and build tension, but also made me question everything I thought I knew. I don't know that I consider it true horror, but with elements of abduction, nightmares, boogeymen, mental health, addiction, grief, cults, serial kills, and murders, I would say it is a mix of mystery, horror, and psychological thriller. I think the author does an outstanding job capitalizing on our fears, even in adulthood. And the twists....oh my....so many I never saw coming. At one point, I felt like my heart was racing and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Highly recommend!!!! I just may be sleeping tonight with one eye open!

Never a dull moment! Sleep Tight fast paced and full of twists to keep you guessing.
From reading the synopsis I thought Father Silence was a bit of a cringey name and had reservations the book would be as well, but it does make sense and is less strange with the context of the book, so don't let that stop you! I appreciated the the main character was flawed and actually felt human. I was also a big fan of the creepy house vibes and the cult definitely upped the horror factor. I would say it's more thriller than horror, so if you're looking to try a horror story but don't want something too crazy this one would be perfect for you! Some things happened a little too quickly for me, but the story was engrossing enough that I didn't mind it too much.

I was genuinely invested and couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

First of all thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this arc!!

I really loved this book. I will say it is listed under horror and thriller but it’s definitely more thriller. I wouldn’t consider it horror. I was hooked from the very start of this book! I seriously couldn’t stop reading it. It was so intense with a lot of good twists. It was so suspenseful and kept me up late because I just needed to read one more chapter!! I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

“The mind, I believe has untapped potential when it comes to trauma, and what it can do to avoid it, to escape it.

There's simply one word for this one - mind-blowing.

Tess and Justin are estranged coz of an affair he had. Tess is a detective like her father is. There was a quite famous serial killer who her father had caught and the horrors of that particular case has haunted him since then. And he is going to receive his punishment now. He has said nothing at all since his arrest but says something cryptic at his execution. And then people start ending up murdered and Tess' daughter is kidnapped. What did the serial killer say? What this has anything to do with Tess???


There are so many questions and so many twists that the book kept me on the edge for most of the time. It is quite fast and there are just so many things that keep on happening in this book. You will be hooked to the book for sure. And the reveals are good too.

Only issue I had with the book was there were just too many characters, whenever a character popped up I had to think hard who that is. If course all characters were needed to build up the story and yet lot of times I was confused as who was who.

Apart from this one thing, I definitely enjoyed the book a lot. It is brilliantly written like there are not many likeable quotes but I would not expect underlining anything in mystery thriller and yet here I did like this one— And words hurt, especially where there are already bruises.

Thank you Netgalley and crooked lane books for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Star rating : 4.5 stars

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book ahead of release. I enjoyed the story and will recommend it.

I was kept on the edge of my seat for this entire book. I read it in one sitting. Completely unable to put this down!! The plot was so well thought out, the DID so delicately and intricately handled, the aspects of thriller and horror absolutely fascinating. I can’t recommend this enough!