3.5/5 ⭐️
In the town of Twisted Tree, bad things once happened before Tess and her family fled one night. Father Silence, a serial killer that disguised himself as a priest to lure vulnerable members of society, was captured with 19 bodies found on his property and only one survivor - a boy now locked away in a psych ward.

2 decades later, Father Silence is put to death and the detective that had solved the case, Tess’s father, is found dead the next morning. There’s a new serial killer on the loose - he calls himself The Outcast. And now, he’s taken Tess’s daughter.

Tess, a detective herself, knows Father Silence and The Outcast must be connected - but how? Father Silence’s last words had been “beware the one who got away”, and Tess is on a mission to discover what this means and find her daughter before it’s too late.
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This had all the elements of a great detective thriller! It’s fast-paced, has some good character building, and slowly brings the past and present together to solve the mystery. It was very creepy at times and I did not predict how it would all play out. However, while I love a complex story, I did find it to be a little confusing at times with almost too much going on. Other parts seemed very unrealistic, and made me think “yeah, right” or “how did the police not realize that sooner??”
In all, I did enjoy this read and loved the dark, spooky elements. I’ll be reading more from this author for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. First, I LOVED this book. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read more. We follow Tess and Justin as they try to locate their missing daughter. Years ago, a man was convicted of murder of many children, but he would not speak of his crimes. Thus, the media began calling him Father Silence. Finally, he is put to death but before he dies, he utters his final words, "Be aware the one that got away". In the days following his execution, Tess and Justin's daughter is kidnapped by the "Outcast" who idolized Father Silence and thus is beginning a new wave of murders. So many twists and turns, but everything about this amazing, heart pounding and fast paced. You won't want to put it down.

Twisted Tree, Kentucky was home to a vicious serial killer called Father Silence who killed nineteen and left one survivor, a young boy who is now in a hospital for the criminally insane. After twenty years in prison Father Silence is executed. The next day one of the detectives who arrested him is found dead at the hand of a new killer who calls himself the Outcast.

Tess Claiborne is a police detective in Missoula, Montana and is the daughter of that dead detective. After her father’s murder the Outcast kidnaps her nine year old daughter, Julia. The clues point to Twisted Tree and to the survivor, now a man, so that she can try to capture the Outcast and rescue her daughter as a new serial killer is born.

This book started really strong with lots of action but plenty of character work up too. I thought maybe things became a bit meandering about halfway through, with maybe a few too many Kentucky police officers to keep straight and too much running around, but overall I liked the book and I will look for more stand alone from this author, with whom I was totally unfamiliar until this book. Good show.

Creepy and suspenseful, this story kept my mind spinning! The first part took forever to evolve, but the final quarter moves at lightning speed. I loved how J. H. Markert planned several twists that I didn't see coming, and that the connections made sense in the end (as well as ties to other books from this author).

4.25 stars

Markert just gets better and better with each story. This book has it all. It’s got missing, children, extremely flawed cops, a really, REALLY bad guy…and twists and turns to keep your head spinning.

I loved each of his books, and I love to see him grow through each one as an author. I cannot wait for the next book. Definitely a buy now kind of guy!

Title: Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Pub Date: September 24, 2024

⭐ 5/5

✨ Unexpected Twists
🎭 Masked Cultists
⛓️ Dissociative Personalities
⏱️ Child Abduction
🧠 Trauma-Induced Amnesia

I loved every minute of this book. I've always found serial killers so intriguing, and Markert did an amazing job of rounding out the characters, making them all unique/compelling with interesting backstories.
The fast pace, multiple POV, and dual timelines kept me on the edge of my seat, I literally couldn't put it down and read it in a day! Sleep Tight is a must read for lovers of thriller/suspense novels, and I will be reading the backlist under both J.H. Markert and James Markert.

Thank you so much Crooked Lane Books and @netgalley for letting me read, review and share!🫶

I feel like it took a while for everything to come together but once it did, it was a wild ride. I definitely felt the story was very Stephen King esque. Likeable characters with great dialogue. I enjoyed this.

A missing daughter, a detective mother, and a therapist dad sets up a really engaging storyline. I’m not one for horror books and I wouldn’t categorize this as one even thought the cover gives horror vibes. It’s an incredibly face paced mystery that unravels before your eyes. You can’t see the twists coming nor predict the ending but it’s super satisfying all the same. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I love this book! I think it was a great way to spend my time! It was thrilling. If anyone is looking for a good thriller I definitely recommend!

<i>ARC provided by Net Galley for an Honest Review</i>
What a wild ride this was. A harrowing journey for heroine Tess to rescue her daughter and finally put the pieces of her past behind her. Unfortunately for Tess she seems to be the key piece to the resurgence of a killer and kidnapper of children. After a well known serial killer called Father Silence is put to death the mystery grows deeper. Tess loses her parents and her daughter is taken leaving her no time to heal, grieve or even deal. As she unravels her past, the present comes knocking and she can't help but question whether Father Silence worked alone. No one is safe if there is still someone else out there. But how could there be a partner the police never knew about? Often teamed with her estranged husband or fellow officers, Tess chases down leads one after the other. There was quite a lot of characters that I did occasionally confuse but the main ones were easy to differentiate. The book remains pretty intense from start to finish not only because a child's life many hang in the balance but so does Tess's sanity. With her life coming apart at the seams Tess's character shines as much as she does flounder (ie. she struggles with addiction) and proves she may be a flawed heroine but one you continue to root for.

This book had be guessing until the very end! I thought I knew, was sure I knew, I didn't know. What a ride this was! I loved it.

A terrifying mystery that keeps you one edge!
I could not stop reading!
The story follows Tess after a hometown murderer is sentence to death by the state for a series of deaths and kidnappings. Tess' father was there the night of arresst and has decided to take it easy and escape the world. However after her parents are found dead and her daughter missing tess must work with her cheating husband to solve who is hurting her family and why.
Filled with violence, mystery and death, this book is perfect for readers of stephan king, agatha christie and vc andrews all wrapped up in one novel

"Sleep Tight" was an incredibly gripping read that left me completely shocked. I devoured the book in one night, eagerly seeking clues about the mysterious kidnapper/killer and unraveling the secrets of the past. The constant suspense kept me on edge throughout. I'm definitely planning to buy a physical copy when it's released. Huge thanks to Crooked Lanes Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book caught my attention the moment I laid eyes on the cover. Reading it did not disappoint! It had me hanging and guessing what would happen next. A strong read and highly recommended!

Oh my goodness, what a fantastic read! I don’t know if I’ll be able to Sleep Tight after reading this one…I was absolutely consumed by this book and finished it in one afternoon. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, eager to keep finding clues as to what was going on, who the kidnapper/killer may be, and what happened all those years ago. I will absolutely be purchasing a physical copy when this comes out!

Many thanks to Crooked Lanes Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love darker books but rarely find ones that really feel like a page turner for me. This time that's exactly what I got. I enjoyed every page of this one.

Sleep Tight was an enjoyable, fast paced horror read. I found the characters to be very engaging, and with the addition of some good old fashioned creepiness, it made this book hard to put down. I didn't find this one to be as compelling as the author's prior work but it was still a good read! There was just a bit too much going on. If he could have narrowed the focus and left out some of the many many plot elements it would have done wonders for the tension. Thanks for letting me take an early look!

I just went back and reread the book description to ensure I wouldn’t fall into spoiler territory with this review.
A killer,Father Silence, terrorized the town of Twisted Tree, many years ago, and is finally being put to death. This should be a relief to everyone who is connected to this tragic time. But somehow, his death has incited a new wave of violence. The new killers name is the Outcast and he gets busy quickly.
Tess moved away from Twisted Tree after Father Silence was captured by her father. She is now a detective like her father, who is now retired. Sadly,her father and mother are both murdered, and Tess’s young daughter Julia is kidnapped. Why is Tess’s family being targeted? Can she figure it out and save her daughter?
The past is definitely connected to what is happening, but how? Father Silence Is dead, there is no doubt about that. As the past and present merge, we find out about Jess’s memory gaps from when she was a teenager. A whole slew of, let’s just say extremely deranged characters emerge, as Jess keeps searching to find her daughter. For most of the story, I wasn’t sure if there were just bad people involved or if this town was indeed controlled by evil.
Everything comes together in a way that I did not see coming! I hated that real life got in the way of my reading! This story had it all, and the cult,The Lost Children of Silence, was creepy beyond words. I loved how the author brought the story together, and the last line made me think/hope that there could be more in a future book.

This is a fantastic novel that's part serial killer thriller, part detective story, and part horror. These elements all weave together to form an unputdownable bone chilling read.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because discovering the various ins and outs of the narrative was something that kept me glued to the pages. Go in blind, I say.

But there are plenty of horrific moments, highlighted by past secrets, seemingly supernatural events, and relationships that twist and change over time.

And speaking of twists... yeah, there are a lot of them in store especially in the final third of the novel. This is a book that keeps you guessing, wondering, and sometimes scratching your head but when it all comes together, it's a jaw dropping affair as those loose ends are brought to life.

I didn't want to stop reading and even though life got in the way (stupid real life lol), I still managed to read it in two days. It's just too good to leave alone for any length of time.

I highly, highly recommend this novel.

A very creepy horror novel from one of my favorite authors. His southern novels under the name James Markert are some of my favorite and I am "today years old" realizing this is the same person. He writes brilliant horror as well as Southern magical realism. Great read.