"How good's the big twist? You won't see it coming."—Entertainment Weekly
"Terrific…an unpredictable and unsettling familial drama that has drawn comparisons to the novels of Gillian Flynn and fellow Dubliner Tana French."—Kirkus Reviews
When a couple's lost child resurfaces they are forced to embark on a journey into their shared past—one rife with dark secrets and lies
Tangiers. Harry is preparing his wife's birthday dinner while she is still at work and their son, Dillon, is upstairs asleep in bed. Harry suddenly remembers that he's left Robin's gift at the café in town. It's only a five minute walk away and Dillon's so tricky to put down for the night, so Harry decides to run out on his own and fetch the present.
Disaster strikes. An earthquake hits, buildings crumble, people scream and run. Harry fights his way through the crowd to his house, only to find it razed to the ground. Dillon is presumed dead, though his body is never found.
Five years later, Harry and Robin have settled into a new kind of life after relocating to their native Dublin. Their grief will always be with them, but lately it feels as if they're ready for a new beginning. Harry's career as an artist is taking off and Robin has just realized that she's pregnant.
But when Harry gets a glimpse of Dillon on the crowded streets of Dublin, the past comes rushing back at both of them. Has Dillon been alive all these years? Or was what Harry saw just a figment of his guilt-ridden imagination? With razor-sharp writing, Karen Perry's The Innocent Sleep delivers a fast-paced, ingeniously plotted thriller brimming with deception, doubt, and betrayal.
Download and start listening now!
"Deliciously taut...the haunting, sometimes vague flashbacks to Tangiers create a sense of alluring, exotic danger. Readers drawn to the intense emotion and zero-sum conflict of Andre Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog (1999) will love this one, as will those captivated by the missing-person intrigues in Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know (2007) and Lisa Scottoline's Look Again (2009)."
— Booklist, Starred Review
“The narrative is full of surprises…a furious page-turner…from explosive start right through to outrageous end.
— Minneapolis Star TribuneHow good's the big twist? You won't see it coming.
— Entertainment WeeklyMany psychological thrillers have been undeservedly compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, but this one really does have strong similarities…But Perry and Gillece's voice is their own, blended nicely, offering insights into a marriage affected by grief.
— Shelf AwarenessThat powerful thing, a beautifully written mystery driven by its exploration of the characters' innermost hearts-- of the inexorable ripples that loss sends out, and the terrible damage people can do to those they love most. Both as a crime novel and as an emotional journey, it's gripping stuff.
— Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Harbor and Faithful PlaceA truly remarkable novel. The Innocent Sleep is a pitch-perfect balance of driving plot and honest, complex human emotion. Written in a captivating, lyrical style and brilliantly structured, the story grips your heart from the first pages and simply never lets go.
— Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Stone MonkeyThe Innocent Sleep kicks off with a gut punch of every parents' worst fear and never lets up. Part thriller, part introspective emotional novel, the book dives into what it feels like to survive the unthinkable, and then-- what if-- you could get it all back…Highly original and highly entertaining.
— Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked City and Devil's GardenGripping from its dramatic opening chapter, this tense, unpredictable novel blends a thriller with an intimate family story to produce a most compulsive read.
— John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PajamasTerrific...an unpredictable and unsettling familial drama that has drawn comparisons to the novels of Gillian Flynn and fellow Dubliner Tana French.
— Kirkus Reviews[The Innocent Sleep], with a premise that taps into the fears of every parent, is an entertaining thriller that fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn will enjoy.
— Library JournalSmart…Deceit, infidelity, and surprising twists make this a satisfying debut.
— Publishers WeeklyImpossible to put down. This pulse pounding thriller is bristling with suspense--a fantastic debut.
— John Hart, author of Iron House and The Last ChildAccomplished...A dark mystery about unimaginable loss and irrevocable choices...Perry delivers an intriguingly emotional and unconventional debut.
— Kirkus Reviews“How good’s the big twist? You won’t see it coming.”
— Entertainment Weekly“That powerful thing, a beautifully written mystery driven by its exploration of the characters’ innermost hearts—of the inexorable ripples that loss sends out and the terrible damage people can do to those they love most. Both as a crime novel and as an emotional journey, it’s gripping stuff.”
— Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Harbor and Faithful Place“A truly remarkable novel. The Innocent Sleep is a pitch-perfect balance of driving plot and honest, complex human emotion. Written in a captivating, lyrical style and brilliantly structured, the story grips your heart from the first pages and simply never lets go.”
— Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Stone Monkey“The Innocent Sleep kicks off with a gut punch of every parents’ worst fear and never lets up. Part thriller, part introspective emotional novel, the book dives into what it feels like to survive the unthinkable, and then—what if—you could get it all back…Highly original and highly entertaining.”
— Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked City and Devil’s Garden“Deliciously taut…the haunting, sometimes vague flashbacks to Tangiers create a sense of alluring, exotic danger. Readers drawn to the intense emotion and zero-sum conflict of Andre Dubus III’s House of Sand and Fog (1999) will love this one.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Smart…Deceit, infidelity, and surprising twists make this a satisfying debut.”
— Publishers Weekly“[The Innocent Sleep], with a premise that taps into the fears of every parent, is an entertaining thriller that fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn will enjoy.”
— Library Journal“Terrific…an unpredictable and unsettling familial drama that has drawn comparisons to the novels of Gillian Flynn and fellow Dubliner Tana French.”
— Kirkus ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Karen Perry, author of four Sunday Times of London bestsellers, is the pen name of Dublin-based authors Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. Paul Perry is the author of a number of critically acclaimed books. A winner of The Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award, he teachers creative writing at UCD. Karen Gillece is the author of four critically acclaimed novels. In 2009 she won the European Union Prize for Literature (Ireland).
Nicola Barber, is an Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator whose voice can be heard in television and radio commercials and popular video games such as World of Warcraft. She is also an Audie finalist in the prestigious category of solo female narrationfor her work on Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen and Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. She has performed on the stage in New York City and at a number of top regional theaters in the United States. Her film and television roles include The Nanny Diaries with Scarlett Johansson, and Law & Order’s 2009 season premiere. Originally from England, she currently resides in New York, a multicultural background that enables her to bring a broad range of accents and characterizations to her role as a full-time voice-over actor.
Aaron Abano has narrated such audiobooks as the AudioFile Earphones Award winner The Starling Project by Jeffrey Deaver, as well as Russell Wiley Is Out to Lunch by Richard Hine, among others.
Nicola Barber, a British voice actress with over a decade of experience, has won four Earphone Awards for narration from AudioFile Magazine and has recorded national radio spots for Verizon Wireless, Virgin Airlines, and Hilton Hotels, as well as national TV commercials. She specializes in commercials, corporate videos, audiobooks, phone systems, and training videos. She has narrated over a dozen books for authors such as Barbara Taylor Bradford and Maureen Johnson.