Sleep by C.L. Taylor

Dec 04, 2018 sue rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-reader-4-these-authors, crime, mystery, net-galley, psychological-thrillers, publishers-who-sent-books, suspense, unputdownable, 2018-top-reads

400 pages read.....just like that! Yep 400 pages whizzed past me without me even recognising how many pages were in this latest book of CL Taylor’s.

I opened the book after studying the cover (like you do) and wondered what relevance and connection, if any, would be within these pages.

Well, you soon find out.

The beginning of the story makes me feel for Anna. She was the driver of the car that killed two people, one injured. I couldn’t help but think and feel for her. To blame yourself is the firs ...more

flag 81 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2019 Rebecca Carter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, fiction, mystery, netgalley, psychological, thriller, thriller-mystery-crime-suspense

I've read two of C.L. Taylor's previous books; The Lie and The Escape. Sleep is the sixth book written by her and is just as (if not more so) absorbing as the two I've previously read.

It's an utterly gripping psychological thriller mystery and "who done it" similar to Murder on the Orient Express, where the cast of characters are all trapped together in one place, with a possible murderer among them. The tension builds along with the pace of the book, and it will make any reader lose "Sleep" du ...more

flag 56 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2018 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have to give this top marks because reading Sleep genuinely meant that I had none over the night I read it. Well perhaps a little bit after I finished it bleary eyed at around 3am.

I'm still very fond of the psychological thriller, despite having read so many, both excellent ones and also some truly terrible ones - but this author never fails to entertain me, whether it's by writing those characters I love to hate, or as in this case with a twisty page turner that doesnt loosen it's grip once y ...more

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2018 Pauline rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

C L Taylor is one of my favourite authors and I was delighted to receive a copy of her latest book Sleep. I cold not put it down and read it over the weekend.
Anna is in a serious road accident with three of her work colleagues. There are fatalities and Anna feels responsible because she was driving. After she is released from hospital she decides that she can't go back to her job and takes a position in a hotel on the small Scottish island of Rum.
Anna was sure that she was being stalked and targ ...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2018 Gary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another high quality psychological thriller by one of my favourite authors C.L. Taylor. I find her writing instantly entertaining and so difficult to put down once you start reading the opening page. This one was no different and shortly after starting reading it I was already re-planning my day in order to finish it, so you are warned.
The lead character, Anna is involved in a road accident and three of her work colleagues are left dead or seriously injured. Anna was driving and feels responsib ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2019 Paula Sealey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-thrillers, netgalley-books

A wonderfully plotted thriller that kept my mind working overtime trying to figure out who the culprit was; this is definitely one to read! With its remote island setting and cast of disparate and damaged characters all adding to the tense plot, I raced through the pages as the suspense increased and the well of suspects decreased, until just that final one remained! I think you'd be hard pressed to guess the ending before it arrives, well, I certainly couldn't, and this all added to my enjoymen ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2018 Becca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Sleep is the 6th psychological thriller CL Taylor has written. It is a stand alone. And it is awesome.

Cally put on Instagram that this was on NetGalley and I got super excited and high tailed it on over there. Only to find it had already gone to wish. Gutted! So I wished. And I was extra happy that I got approved for it the next day! 😊 Wahoo!

Sleep is about Anna, a young woman who is involved in a fatal car accident involving her and three colleagues. Two of her colleagues died in the crash and ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2018 ♛ Garima ♛ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, adult, beautiful-cover, creepy, psychology-thriller, too-depressing

This happens very often that I found something of my liking from netgalley. Yes, it happens but like I said very often.

Story starts with very typical letter -
If you are reading this, I am already dead…..

I have lost count how many times I read thrillers which starts with that so as soon as I started reading, I put myself on high alert so that I would not be overly disappointed. Thank God, it has turned out as good as it could be.

As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that each guest is This happens very often that I found something of my liking from netgalley. Yes, it happens but like I said very often.

Story starts with very typical letter -
If you are reading this, I am already dead…..

I have lost count how many times I read thrillers which starts with that so as soon as I started reading, I put myself on high alert so that I would not be overly disappointed. Thank God, it has turned out as good as it could be.

As the story progresses, it becomes obvious that each guest is lying or they have some secrets of their own. What didn’t set well with me is, every secret is not related to the story. Whose life is without secrets? none’s but does each one’s secret is relevant to the story? No. but I can understand need to spill everyone’s then only you can decide its relevancy, I guess.

As expected, or not expected (depending how you want to say it), it was total surprise to find killer. That is the other problem with reviewing psychological thrillers. There are very few decent thrillers out there that made you want to gush about it but it is difficult to actually do it without spilling beans.

I really like these type of stories where we are isolated from outside world and trying to figure out whodunit. It is very Agatha Christi theme but again my problem is since there are so many people are being introduced, it is entirely possible to lose track of everyone’s story and trying to remember who’s who? However, Taylor did it so effortlessly; I hardly struggled to remember each character.

Overall, I am very pleased with this novel and I would want to read more from this author, indeed.

Update 1: I don't know whether there is problem with my copy or everyone has received but the format of ebook was horrible. When that happens, I generally turn away from the book because life is too short to read poorly formatted book but I was really pass the point where I could actually turn away. this will definitely will go into netgalley's publishers feedback.

Update 2: There are people whose life is lead by guilt. and sometimes the burden is too heavy to bear, it leads many people to end their lives. If you are someone who takes suicide as trigger, then you might want to stay away. the author has dedicated the book to her friend who has taken her own life. I don't know whether it is good or bad, depending on the people's perception but to me it feels morbidly sad.

In memory of my beautiful friend Heidi Moore.
To die, to sleep - No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to -'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished.

Hamlet, Act III, Scene I, William Shakespeare

Sadly, only opening act of Hamlet, I enjoy in otherwise very dull play but as I said if suicide is trigger, you might want to stay away from this.
...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2018 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

This is a book I would definitely not recommend starting on an evening. Not only won’t you want to go to sleep, you won’t be able to pull yourself away from the book either!

There is no better setting than a secluded island for this genre of story. As lovely as it sounds, the fact that a doctor only visits once every two weeks and if there were ever any emergencies, you are totally cut off. You can’t even drive to the island! Alarm bells were starting to ring before the guests turn up! You really ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2018 Shalini rated it really liked it

I was delighted when Elke Desanghere from Avon Books UK pre-approved me to read this book. I have loved C. L. Taylor's books, and her stories generally twist my head in.

Sleep by C. L. Taylor started when the main character Anna loses sleep due to her guilt after a road traffic accident which kills two of her colleagues and paralyses the third. The same guilt forces her to take a job in a hotel in the isolated island of Rum, Scotland. 7 guests arrive, and one of them wants to kill her.

As promise I was delighted when Elke Desanghere from Avon Books UK pre-approved me to read this book. I have loved C. L. Taylor's books, and her stories generally twist my head in.

Sleep by C. L. Taylor started when the main character Anna loses sleep due to her guilt after a road traffic accident which kills two of her colleagues and paralyses the third. The same guilt forces her to take a job in a hotel in the isolated island of Rum, Scotland. 7 guests arrive, and one of them wants to kill her.

As promised by the blurb, the book did make me lose sleep over the weekend. Every moment that I had free was spent with my nose stuck to kindle. This story had my complete attention as the main arc was the murder mystery, or I would say, an attempt to murder. The prose and Taylor's writing had me reading every sentence, suspecting everyone, and trying to piece down the clues. And believe me, Taylor being a master storyteller, there were hidden red herrings, I just had to keep looking for it.

The book had me playing detective in the best way possible. I liked how the main character, Anna, was developed in the entire book. Her guilt could have led to giving up, but when push came to shove, Anna did find her courage and allowed her survival instincts to guide her to the killer's identity. A raging storm and a flooded river forced all the characters to remain in the hotel, till the killer got the opportunity to strike again. And Anna being clever, left a final note for the cops with all her investigative findings...

The story did come with its niggles, I guessed the killer's identity earlier on in the book, reasons for the kill took my breath away, they were twisted!! As compared to her previous book, Fear, this did not have the same pitch and the tension. The story arc was quite similar to Agatha Christie's And There Were None or more recently to Shari Lapena's The Unwanted Guest.

In spite of my niggles, this book kept me rooted to it. All in all, an enjoyable read during the weekend. And it was worth losing my sleep over!! ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2018 Gary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Another high quality psychological thriller by one of my favourite authors C.L. Taylor. I find her writing instantly entertaining and so difficult to put down once you start reading the opening page. This one was no different and shortly after starting reading it I was already re-planning my day in order to finish it, so you are warned.
The lead character, Anna is involved in a road accident and three of her work colleagues are left dead or seriously injured. Anna was driving and feels responsib ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2019 Adrian Dooley rated it liked it

Hmm. I enjoyed some of this and some of it was a little tedious and bordering on silly. A mixed bag.

Anna is involved in a serious car accident. She survives but there are fatalities, and as the driver she is overcome with guilt.

When she is released from hospital and back home recouperating she has an unnervering feeling that she is being watched.
She can’t adjust back to normal life and wants to get away from it all. She takes a job in a small hotel on the island it Rum in Scotland to try and ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2019 Donna Maguire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 04-to-add-review-on-amazon, 05-to-add-to-netgalley, 2019-books-read, kindle-read, net-galley-books-read, psychological-thriller-horror, 02-pending-review-posts

Review will be live on my blog and added to Amazon on 4th April 2019 - publication day!

I have read a few books by this author and she writes a fantastic story and an excellent psychological thriller so when I saw that she had a new release out, Sleep (this book), I knew it was definitely one I wanted to read – I prided myself in my self-control for this one as I resisted the temptation to dive right in the day it landed on my Kindle and I actually saved it to read on New Year’s Eve/Day – and I h ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 12, 2018 Lisa-Marie Forge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

C L Taylor is one of my favourite authors ever.

This wasn’t her best book but it was very good. The first big twist came midway. I love a book that’s keeps you guessing!

I received this from netgalley

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2018 Evie Braithwaite rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-5-stars, arc, thrillers, mystery

Anna Willis is drowning in guilt during the aftermath of a tragic road accident involving her work colleagues. The fatal incident leaves her plagued with insomnia, flashbacks keeping her up at night. If she does fall asleep, she soon wakes up screaming. What’s more, she has an unnerving feeling that she is being stalked and targeted. As a means of escape, she leaves her already broken relationship with Alex and starts fresh in the remote Scottish Island of Rum working in its only hotel. However, Anna Willis is drowning in guilt during the aftermath of a tragic road accident involving her work colleagues. The fatal incident leaves her plagued with insomnia, flashbacks keeping her up at night. If she does fall asleep, she soon wakes up screaming. What’s more, she has an unnerving feeling that she is being stalked and targeted. As a means of escape, she leaves her already broken relationship with Alex and starts fresh in the remote Scottish Island of Rum working in its only hotel. However, she may not be as safe as she thinks.

Seven guests book into the hotel, each with their own secrets. One guest, however, is hiding behind a mask of lies with their sights set on Anna. This retreat quickly snowballs into a real-life nightmare.

This psychological thriller is what you call a page-turner. Taylor’s writing was so engrossing that I felt as if I was in the thick of it all. I, too, was trapped on this remote island, claustrophobic as the raging storm cuts us from all civilisation. I was completely invested as the plot thickened. There was an abundance of revelations and little threads which gradually wove together as the tension continued to rise.

The characters all had their own quirks which meant for a diverse group dynamic. Any of them might have had their sights set on Anna. Like our protagonist, I didn’t know who to trust and what their true motivations were. I spent the entirety of the novel playing detective as I puzzled possible clues together. However, I didn’t once guess ‘whodunnit’.

Sleep was full of suspense and the ending did not disappoint. While I was surprised by who Anna’s stalker was, what shocked me most were their twisted motivations. Finally, the darkness of the last chapter left me with chills.

Overall, this is a story about guilt and its immense power to consume us. This was thrilling, gripping, a book worth losing sleep over.

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2019 Trish at Between My Lines rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As someone who struggles to sleep every single night, and as someone who is a big C L Taylor fan, this was a book I couldn’t wait to read.

FIRST LINE OF SLEEP BY C L TAYLOR

“If you are reading this, then I am no longer alive.”

MY THOUGHTS ON SLEEP BY C L TAYLOR

A page turner featuring complex characters, delving deep in to how guilt can affect your life. I thought this a little difficult to get Into at the start, because there are so many characters to get to know.

But my persistence paid off, as th ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 14, 2019 Trish at Between My Lines rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, arc-and-review-books

A page turner featuring complex characters, delving deep in to how guilt can affect your life. I thought this a little difficult to get Into at the start, because there are so many characters to get to know.

But my persistence paid off, as the plot is tense, terrifying and terrific! If you have problems sleeping, this book will fill those restless hours for you. And if you can nod off easily, this book might change that, as you’ll want to keep reading till you unravel everything.

I loved the deso ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2018 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: out-in-2019-and-read

Undoubtedly tense and claustrophobic, as you'd hope for with a murder mystery set in a small hotel on a Scottish island during a storm, but the story itself didn't particularly grab me or feel especially original. Crammed full of red herrings and with a last page that I didn't care for, it all feels a little overworked. Nevertheless, it is gripping and I did stay up late into the night with it. 2.5 stars rounded up to three. Review to follow closer to publication on For Winter Nights.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 01, 2018 Thebooktrail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-set-in-scotland, books-set-on-an-island, books-set-in-a-hotel

I love a good story about a remote hotel on a very very remote island

Just remind me never to go on a writing retreat with Cally Taylor in the future! haha this was spookily good and it started to rain quite heavy as I was reading it which really made me nervous.

The island of Rum is very real and I remember it from a nice summer's day outing. Not any more! the images of it here will more than stay with me.

Anna in the story is running from trouble and a mysterious stalker but ends up finding that ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2018 Margaret Madden rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, pub-2019

Review to follow...

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2018 Wendy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Yet another electrifying read from this author. It rattled my nerves and tore my own 'sleep' to tatters – the thought of setting it aside to finish it the next day was just NOT going to happen!

Many reasons kept me reading straight through ‘til the early hours: narration that captures the growing unease of strangers, who are unexpectedly thrown together in a ‘wish you weren’t here’ kind of way, is just one. As the friction of their personalities rub together it slowly exposes their secrets until ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2018 Becca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Anna Willis is involved in a fatal car accident involving her work colleagues. She escapes with minor injuries, but the psychological impact is lasting and her inability to sleep well affects her hugely. Ending her already failing relationship with Alex, and receiving a couple of strange sleep-related notes, she decides to start fresh and move to the Isle of Rum. Getting a job at the Bay View Hotel she hopes to get away from her past and finally get some sleep, but is one of the guests, with all ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2018 Katherine Sunderland rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

As always, C L Taylor can be relied on for a gripping, chilling, psychological page turner. This new book excels itself with a multilayered plot and characters with depth so that the chills become more haunting and sinister. Not only does Taylor deliver a first class contemporary thriller, she effortlessly captures echoes of Christie and King with the use of a 'closed room' mystery and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the people trapped on the island. This guarantees a whole week of sleepless ni ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2018 D.J. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Utterly absorbing (I nearly missed my train station because I was so immersed in this story) and edge-of-your-seat action. I had no idea who 'did it' until very near the end of the book and I am tempted to go back and read it again to see if I can pick up anything I missed the first time round. You wont be able to relax until you've finished the story...and maybe not even then.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2018 Giedre rated it liked it · review of another edition

I loved C. L. Taylor earlier books and was over the moon to receive pre-release copy from publisher. Unfortunately, this book (alongside Taylor's other newer releases) just lacks something. Book feels too long and gloomy and lacking in suspense. I kind of felt trapped in that hotel and couldn't wait for the book to finish so I could escape. I am sorry but this book is so so for me...

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2018 gem rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Sleep is a brilliant thriller which held my attention from the outset through to the very last sentence!

When Anna survives a car crash in which two of her co-workers are killed, and one is left with life changing injuries, she is wracked with guilt at having been driving. She blames herself and this guilt and grief torments her, & she becomes plagued with night terrors and insomnia.
Deciding upon a fresh start working in a hotel in a sparsely populated and remote island off the coast of Scotl ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 09, 2018 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books, net-galley

‘If you’re reading this then I am no longer alive.’

‘Someone has been stalking me for the last three months and, if I am dead, it wasn’t an accident.’

Anna Willis was driving three members of her work team home after a team-building retreat when their car is hit by a truck. Two of Anna’s colleagues are killed, the third is badly injured. Anna herself has minor physical injuries but the psychological impact is enormous. Anna is haunted by guilt, by memories of that night, memories which are worse a ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2018 Becca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Anna Willis is involved in a fatal car accident involving her work colleagues. She escapes with minor injuries, but the psychological impact is lasting and her inability to sleep well affects her hugely. Ending her already failing relationship with Alex, and receiving a couple of strange sleep-related notes, she decides to start fresh and move to the Isle of Rum. Getting a job at the Bay View Hotel she hopes to get away from her past and finally get some sleep, but is one of the guests, with all ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2019 Mary Lou rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-thrillers

Suffering from stress in the wake of a serious car accident, marketing manager Anna turns her back on her London job and her boyfriend and takes on a role of Girl Friday in a hotel on the remote island of Rum in The Hebrides.
But relief is short-lived. Anna and a handful of guests are cut-off in the hotel by a storm, and it soon becomes clear that someone is out to get vengeance for the injuries they believe Anna caused.
There are times when it seems you have had a run of books which you haven’t e ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2019 Kat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Well this book just ticked all the boxes for me it was just a brilliant read from start to finish. It felt very like a modern take on the classic style of Agatha Christie, a real “who done it” with a whole lot more besides and I absolutely loved it. Set mainly on the remote Scottish island of Rum amidst harsh weather and beautiful scenery Anna tries to escape her past but has it followed her there !! This book has suspense, menace and a damn good plot line I just couldn’t put it down and found m ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review