Sleep Tight

By: Anne Frasier

Narrated by: Hollis McCarthy

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

An FBI profiler recovering from a gunshot wound finds herself pitted against a serial killer whose violent history has ties to her own tragic past.

FBI agent Mary Cantrell has been called to Minneapolis to hunt down a killer. It's shaking her to the core, and reviving dreadful memories. Years ago, her best friend was murdered. Now the man convicted of the crime, Gavin Hitchcock, is free, and Mary's own sister Gillian, a local cop, has befriended him. As each clue leads them closer to Hitchcock, Mary and Gillian set themselves up as the perfect target - and the perfect trap. Unless Mary's own past is blinding her to an unimaginable truth...and plunging her into a waking nightmare.

©2002, 2013 Theresa Weir (P)2016 Theresa Weir

Creepy.

When Mary is called back to her home town of Minneapolis, she knows it's not just the serial killer case she has to work on, but also her rocky relationship with her sister! Add to the fact that Gillian, her sister, is also a cop and is assigned the case with her. Mary knows that she will have to let bygones be bygones and bury the past. That's fine till she hears that her best friends killer is still living in the town. The whole reason she left to become an FBI profiler was because her best friend was murdered by Gavin Hitchcock, who Gillian stood beside and believes to be innocent, even though the evidence was overwhelming. Mary say it as a betrayal, hence the tension between both. Now though, with bodies fitting her dead best friend piling up, Mary has her sights on Gavin, but is he truly capable of the heinous way the girls are found?

This was quite long yet I ended up listening to it over 2 days (despite certain issues with the narration, which I'll get to in a bit). I found the character development to be amazing and loved both Mary and Gillian. Every family has their spats and I'm glad to see the girl working out their issues properly. Also the killer was super creepy and being inside hi head was even worse. This author sure knows how to write a disturbingly warped villain!

The plot was relatively fast paced and kept my attention the whole time. I thought that there were certain parts that were kind of disjointed and unnecessary, and the whole sub plot with Marys best friends bit was rushed and seemed to be added as an after thought. Saying that though, I still thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely try something else by this author.

Now, onto the narration! Hollis McCarthy took a while to grab me. She had such an annoying sing song tone at the start, that totally isn't suitable for such a serious book, that it nearly made me not finish! Also the background noises were so distracting at times. If this had a proper production edit then maybe the tone wouldn't have annoyed me as much. Also, her voices were very similar and it became hard to distinguish who was taking at any given time.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

Good Book @ $7.34

Sleep tight was an good listen. Quite a few twists and turns in the plot along with
a surprising revelation at the end. I had already figured out the final twist but reading it
brought it full circle. A few parts are a bit graphic, the kind that make you go, ewwwwww..
Loved the characters and I hope there is another book or two
that include many of the main players. I would like to see what could develop
among them. I am already looking for another book written by Anne Frasier,
hoping it will be as good as this one.

Hollis McCarthy was the wrong choice of narrator for this book. I have listened to other books delivered by Hollis McCarthy and she usually narrates romance, which she is good at. The delivery of this book was just OK.

Awful narration!

I think I was warned about the narrator by other reviews, so listened to a preview. Thinking it wasn't so bad, i gave it a chance. I won't ever listen to another book read by her.

Good...But a Little Unfinished.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this story. When sisters Mary and Gillian were teenagers, Mary's best friend and Gillian's hated enemy, Fiona, was murdered. Both women went into law enforcement as a result and Gillian's best friend, Gavin, went to prison. Years later, Gavin is out of prison and Mary is a successful FBI profiler. Gillian is local law enforcement. Add a new series of kidnappings and killings and you have a a very good premise for a taut, suspenseful thriller. And parts of this book were very good...I enjoyed getting to know Mary, Gavin, and Gillian, and even Anthony. But other parts felt like a teen romance...and the actual reason the guy is kidnapping and killing women just didn't seem that plausible.

I found myself listening for hours, wanting to know what happened in the end. Did Gavin do it? Would Mary solve both cases - the old and the new? The new case was written and solved nicely, even with a few holes. The writing was good. I cared about these characters. But then Anne didn't finish the job. The old mystery felt summed up almost as an afterthought. I was disappointed. I cared about Gavin and wanted to know how things ended for him.

The narration was decent even though Hollis McCarthy has a way of reading that is slightly sarcastic to me. I got used to it, in the end, and enjoyed the story. Just wish it was wrapped up a little more neatly.

I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Blast in exchange for an honest review.

Clever Ideas, but Disappointing Execution

After completing "Sleep Tight" by Ann Frasier, it is clear the author had a good idea for a story, with some clever twists. She had in mind some interesting juxtapositions and ways of playing with various themes as well (I'm trying to remain a bit cryptic, as I do not want to spoil too much).

Unfortunately, these ideas are largely dumped on the reader in the final quarter of the book. The preceding 3/4 of the book is a needlessly long introduction to the characters, their backstories, and the flogging of a family drama. It is not until the final 1/4 of the book where the reader actually experiences significant amounts of the mystery / thriller many will have come for. It is also at this point when the themes start to be more clearly connected.

I believe it would have caused the novel to be much more engaging, memorable, and not to mention more in line with my expectations of a mystery / thriller type novel, had Frasier elected to better blend the two parts of the book more evenly. It does not help that, besides being the most interesting part of the book, the last 1/4 felt the most well written as well.

Additionally, the book is limited by an uneven amount of characterization. Some characters are incredibly interesting and well-rounded, showing Frasier's talent. Likewise, some scenes and character interactions feel very realistic and deep, with a lot of chemistry. At the same time though, there are many characters that are as flat as a sheet of paper, and scenes where the interactions seem ridiculous.

Two of the best characters, Gillian and Gavin, are kept to the back, while two of the least interesting characters, Mary and Anthony, get much more time in the spotlight. The latter pair feel flat (especially Anthony), and while they develop in the novel, we never really see their souls born open as much as with the former pair.

However, what dragged down this audiobook experience the most for me was the narration. I can't help but wonder if I might not have given the story 4 stars, had it not been for Hollis McCarthy's subpar narration. She has absolutely no ability to do a male voice (all of them sound the same, like a 12 year old fat kid in a cartoon), and even fails to really differentiate the female characters. She gives them slight variations, but it is not enough, and often I caught inconsistencies in how she handled a certain character's voice across the book. When there was back and forth dialogue going on I often could not figure out who was speaking, and sometimes even whether it was a male or female character.

McCarthy also infects the entire performance with a kind of sing-song cadence that one might expect in a children's book. It was distracting and made it hard to take the book seriously.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

Very Good

Really enjoyed the story line and the twist in the plot that made it more interesting. There could have been some follow-up on some of the characters. Almost begs for a couple more Chapters OR a follow-up novel. Some of the characters could continue with an additional story. Recommend this book.

Great story, terrible narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes with a warning of how the reader is not up to par.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Narrator had awkward pauses, and loud breathes.

Intriguing mixture of mystery and drama

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It truly needed a different narrator. The story seemed to go on forever and stalled in the middle.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Ms. McCarthy is wonderfully articulate and has a nice voice, but it does not fit this genre. Ms. McCarthy's delivery is sing-songy and would be nice in a children's story. The cadence of short short long was a little distracting. I kept picturing William Shatner, who has a distinct cadence as well. The characters were a little too close to one another when there were multiple females in the same scene. Some male voices were odd, but overall she did a decent job. It would have flowed nicer if the extra breathes at the beginning of sentences were omitted.

Do you think Sleep Tight needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The author lead you to believe there is a developing story with Mary and Anthony. Plus another mystery to resolve.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review.

An edge on your seat listen WOW great outstanding

Any additional comments?

Wow just WOW from the author writing style of detail scenes to the emotional narration this is one book that will keep you on the edge leave you hanging there guessing to the outcome. This was an audio I had major trouble putting down I needed to know who the killer was. As with most it is never who you might think but lord you would never have thought…it never cross my mind of who the killer was many years ago of a young innocent 16 year old. The author gives you two stories inside one about the killer from long ago and the 2nd of the serial killer. Could they both be the same, could they be tied in together and did the right man go to jail so many years ago?

Mary hasn’t been home in many years she has been trying to outrun her youth and all the bad memories it brings. When she gets shot protecting her partner the FBI sends her home for some R and R. Knowing she can’t set still they bait her with helping on case where a serial killer is killing blonde hair woman. She doesn’t want to go home to face her past but she has no choice she has been ordered they need a profiler and she is the one. On her return to her home town she is faced with her sister who has been helping the killer of her dead friend. How could her sister not see he is the killer and might be the killer of the new women. She and her sister has been at odds since the trial now with Gavin free and new girls are coming up dead her sister is defending him. At this rate the sister will never see eye to eye and always be at odds. With each girl that comes up missing Mary and her sister are pulled deeper into the case will all eyes turning to Gavin. Could Gillian have been wrong if so what will it do to her when she has spent so many years helping, believing and caring for a killer?

Hollis did a wonderful job of narration from her power emotion she puts into the read to her tones and different characters. I do feel she needs more work on her male voices some are very close to others. Her female voices so fit each women character from her tones you have a vivid picture of what each character looks like. You get the feel of how they carry their selves down to how they walk. Her tones are right on the mark from excited to sorrow. You have no trouble feeling each characters emotion if she cries so does the narrator. If she is sad you can hear it in her voice. You have no trouble knowing what each one is feeling. I heard no background noise and no breaks. The audio was even with no parts being high or lower just a smooth rich listen. Hollis voice is clear and powerful making this a wonderful listen that I totally enjoyed. For me the narrator made this story more so than if I had read just the book.

The author has put a lot of time and thought to the plot giving you a heart beating exciting read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will go from I am sure he didn’t do it to OH YEAH he did. The author will keep you guessing on many parts in this story. This is a wonderful suspenseful read with a lot of twists, turns, thrilling and at times it’s chilling. There were times I had my mouth open and other times I was just so shocked I didn’t know what to do. I had a few funny looks at the noise I was making why shopping. She author throws in a little romance and a touching read of a family trying to find their way back to each other. There was not anything that I did not like in this book. I loved the authors writing style the way she kept my busy and entertained. This book with touch you in so many ways bring you into the mind of a killer who cares nothing for the people he takes. If one doesn’t suit oh well you return them for a refund kill one take another….

I really had trouble putting this audio down. I listened on my 10 minute breaks you think not much can happen in 10 minutes. You might be surprised. I usually read during my lunch but in this case I listened. Things that didn’t take me long to do I found took longer I just did not want to put it down. The author gives you entertainment at its finest. This is the first I have read or listen to by this author and narrator it sure will not be the last. The author has no trouble holding your attention leaving you waiting more.

Suspenseful, Well-Written Serial Killer Book

What did you love best about Sleep Tight?

Anne Frasier spins a suspenseful tale that is artfully told. The ending is carefully crafted but unexpected.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. The crimes are gruesome and there are several likely suspects. It is impossible to tell who the serial killer is until later. Jillian is taken by the serial killer. Can her sister find her and the killer before it is too late?

What does Hollis McCarthy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings a clear and authoritative voice. She plays each of the characters beautifully and she plays very believable FBI agents and cops. She lends credibility to the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How to Make the Perfect Girl.

Any additional comments?

Great book. I received it free in exchange for an honest review.