Author Miles Van Meter is on a book tour to promote his sensational bestseller Sleeping Beauty, a true-crime account of a deeply personal subject: the attack by a serial killer that left his twin sister, Casey, in a coma. Tonight the audience waits to hear Miles discuss recent developments in his sister's case -- unaware that pieces of this complex puzzle of violence, unknown even to the author, are about to be revealed.
Six years earlier, life was much simpler for everyone involved, especially seventeen-year-old Ashley Spencer, a popular high school soccer star. Then one night an intruder entered Ashley's home and murdered her father and her best friend. Traumatized and suffering from a crippling sense of survivor guilt, Ashley is ready to give up on both soccer and life until help comes from an unexpected source -- a scholarship to an elite private school is extended to her by school dean Casey Van Meter. The school quickly becomes a haven for both Ashley and her mother, Terri. As Ashley regains her sense of self through the school's soccer program, Terri joins a writing group for adults led by Joshua Maxfield, a former literary wunderkind who has disappeared from the bestseller lists since his second book was panned by both critics and fans.
Then tragedy strikes again and Ashley has to run for her life, unaware that the key to her survival is in the one book she's afraid to read -- Sleeping Beauty.
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"I really liked the twists and turns. It seems so straight forward from the beginning but then it changes completely. I was quite shocked by the end. This book had a little bit of everything. Mystery, secrets, romance, with a psycho path or two thrown in. Very good book."
— Brittany (4 out of 5 stars)
“Phillip Margolin knows how to pack in the thrills … Sleeping Beauty will keep you guessing until its shocking end.”
— Tess Gerritsen“Sleeping Beauty will keep you awake all night. Phillip Margolin has done it again!”
— Harlan Coben“Phillip Margolin plays delicious tricks on his readers, dashing expectations, twisting the knife deeper, making the suspense really hurt.”
— Perri O’Shaughnessy, author of Presumption of Death“Intricately plotted, tense and suspenseful . With unexpected twists and turns, the story moves to an explosive climax.”
— Toronto Sun“Another sure winner…The twists and turns of the plot keep the suspense ratcheted up to an excruciating level”
— Library Journal (starred review)“Sends chills up the spine.”
— Orlando (FL) Sentinel“Compelling…Thrills and chills in a satisfying way [that] keeps you awake and guessing.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“Clever and diabolical…A must for suspense fans.”
— BookPage“Even the most skeptical reader might be surprised to learn who is responsible for the mayhem.”
— Albany (NY) Times Union“Margolin delivers a nifty sleight of hand…Don’t assume anything in this well-crafted chiller.”
— Fort Myers (FL) News-Press“Skillfully plotted . maintains the suspense…one of [Margolin’s] best.”
— Memphis Commercial Appeal" Lots of murder suspects and many plot twists made this serial killer mystery a quick, enjoyable read. I erroneously pegged one character and didn't see the final evil-doer coming. It's nice to be surprised! "
— Marcy, 2/12/2014" A fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing and wide-awake reading. "
— Christine, 2/8/2014" Again, totally predicable, but I did enjoy the whole author signing aspect of it. It was fun. "
— Angie, 2/6/2014" Great murder mystery with lots of twists! A great job of slowly revealing new information would cause me to question my assumptions. Loved this book. "
— Lilly-Anne, 1/27/2014" The author leads you one way throughout the book and then changes direction at the end "
— Daniel, 1/20/2014" Definitely full of twists and turns as well as some characters who you're supposed to feel sympathy for but can't because they're not very likeable. Had my suspicions as to the killers identity, but was half right. "
— Macjest, 1/18/2014" Margolin has NOT disappointed me yet. Amazing author for this genre. LOVE IT! "
— Darlene, 1/17/2014" Saw the end coming, but enjoyed it still. I always like a Philip Margolin novel. "
— Anne, 1/17/2014" His books are pretty transparent - am able to figure out the "bad guy" fairly early on - but an ok read overall. "
— Brooke, 1/15/2014" This book had a wonderful twist at the end of it! "
— Ingrid, 1/10/2014" Reviewed for PW. I was nice in the review, but the book is unspeakably bad. "
— Tim, 12/19/2013Phillip Margolin has written over twenty novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long-time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases.
Suzanne Houston is an audiobook narrator whose reading of Phillip Margolin’s Sleeping Beauty was praised by AudioFile magazine as “riveting…worth every listening moment.”