The Guilty Sleep

By: Jeremy D. Baker

Narrated by: Charles Constant

"A terrific debut—fast, tough, and hard, shot through with hard-won authenticity and deep humanity . . . Don't miss out." —Lee Child

No one gets hurt is a fine plan. A worthy goal. But when it comes down to the moment, there's always plenty of hurt to go around.

Afghanistan vet Dexter Grant is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he's approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex's life. It means ripping off a vicious queenpin's drug proceeds—but not to worry, they have it all worked out. And if anyone can pull it off, it's Dex's former team lead, Staff Sergeant Saenz.

Tempted by an easy score that could make his own problems disappear and imbued with new purpose, Dex agrees to play his part. But just as in combat, the best-laid plans don't survive first contact with the enemy. When the heist goes off the rails, Dex's wife and daughter become targets for bloody revenge. Dex must face down his spiraling inner darkness and call on all his strength and training to save his girls. In his quest, he'll learn there was much more to this heist than he ever imagined.

©2025 Jeremy D. Baker (P)2025 Tantor Media

Heartfelt and suspenseful.

This was a really great listen. We see through the eyes of a father and husband how the memories of war can damage the human mind. We see the test of friendship and the unconditional love of family. The conflict of trying to figure out the right thing to do as the story unfolds and how to decide who you can ultimately trust kept the suspense going until the very end.

Properly good.

Yeah, this was a good one.

I always like a good story without any superheroes in it. This book is about flawed people trying to do the right thing with the resources given to them. It's compelling and pulls you in. I particularly enjoying the most the protagonist's relationship with his estranged wife, as two people who obviously care deeply about each other trying to navigate the issues surrounding them.

I also really appreciate the sense of place the author gave. The book takes place in Maryland, and being a Maryland native he did the great job of dropping little things in which really gave the flavor of Maryland. Most stories could happen just about anywhere, but this one is firmly rooted here.

Unexpectedly, my favorite character ended up being on of the bad guys. He's just a really nuanced character who I found myself rooting for.

A term I recently learned is "Competence Porn", which is skilled intelligent people working through the presented problems, and it's something I've always enjoyed. Everyone in this book is smart, and no one makes a dumb decision. At the end there are still obviously winners and losers, but you'll never be annoyed at someone choice and you'll never feel a narrative beat was contrived.

Riveting

An extremely witty and well-written story filled with action from start to finish. I hope there will be a sequel!