Alison Willetts is unlucky to be alive. She has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear and feel: she is aware of everything going on around her, but she is completely unable to move or communicate. It's called Locked-In Syndrome. In leaving Alison Willetts alive, the police believe the killer's made his first mistake.
Then DI Tom Thorne discovers the horrifying truth: it isn't Alison who is the mistake, it's the three other women already dead. "An appropriate margin of error" is how their killer dismisses them, and Thorne knows they are unlikely to be his last. For the killer is smart, and he's getting his kicks out of toying with Thorne as much as he is in pursuing his sick fantasy . . .
'Sleepyhead' is sensational: a sinister, sophisticated thriller which imposes a twisted new take on the contemporary British crime novel. Impeccably plotted, remarkably assured, it is nothing less than the most exciting crime debut of the year.
