Dead Sleep

By: Greg Iles

Narrated by: Susie Breck

Jordan Glass, a photojournalist on a well-earned vacation, wanders into a Hong Kong art museum and is puzzled to find fellow patrons eying her with curiosity.

Minutes later, she stumbles upon a gallery containing a one-artist exhibition called "The Sleeping Women", a mysterious series of paintings that has caused a sensation in the world of modern art. Collectors have come to believe that the canvases depict female nudes not in sleep but in death, and they command millions at auction. When Jordan approaches the last work in the series, she freezes. The face in the painting seems to be her own.

This unsettling event hurls her back into a nightmare she has fought desperately to put behind her - for, in fact, the face in the painting belongs not to Jordan but to her twin sister, murdered one year ago.

At the urging of the FBI, Jordan becomes both hunter and hunted in a duel with the anonymous artist, a gifted murderer who knows the secret history of Jordan's family, and truths that even she has never had the courage to face.

©2007 Greg Iles (P)2007 Brilliance Audio

good story but

The fake southern accent of the narrator got on my nerves. The story was good though

My 1st Greg Iles book - can't wait to read more!

If you could sum up Dead Sleep in three words, what would they be?

Strong female character

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the voice of the reader, first of all. She had a Southern drawl that softened some of her more assertive words. I liked the main character a lot. That said, I wanted to scream at her multiple times for taking idiotic chances. This story really drew me in. I cared - enough to want to yell.

Which character – as performed by Susie Breck – was your favorite?

Jordan, the main character, of course. A photojournalist following in the footsteps of her missing father and the total opposite of her homemaker twin Jane, who was kidnapped and is presumed dead. Although Jordan has risked her own life in warzones across the planet, she can't cope with her sister's disappearance. She simply can't go on with her job and is ostensibly working on a book of photographs as far as possible removed from war.
In Hong Kong she visits an art museum and comes upon a room with nude pictures of women who appear to be sleeping - or dead. One is her sister. All the others viewing the pictures are men and they all notice she has the face in the picture. She takes a couple photos, bolts from the museum, and hops a plane, calling the FBI (her sister is one of a string of women who disappeared in New Orleans and are presumed victims of a serial killer) enroute to NY. The paintings are the first real lead in the case. But she skips an agreed-upon meeting with the FBI and instead uses her press contacts to track down the agent for the painter and goes to interview him. He may well BE the killer. A nerve-wracking interview. When she finally joins with the FBI she demands full participation in the investigation - not being shut out as she was last time. They agree because an FBI shrink wants to use her as a surprise to spring on suspects. (Same face as woman you killed kind of surprise.) I must say the FBI shrink has the delicacy of a tractor and a deplorable batting average too.
A young female agent is assigned to bodyguard Jordan but she isn't always on duty and I worried everywhere that Jordan went. At one point, she's out of sorts and demands to just walk around(!)
She proves better at interviewing suspects than the FBI (!) and promises to keep it confidential when one suspect admits what he and another suspect were arguing about. I couldn't believe she didn't have the general knowledge to associate the information with the state of the women in the pictures but she didn't. She keeps it to herself and bad things happen.
The last fourth of the book I spent a lot of time saying, Don't do that! But she did it all anyway. However, the very end had a twist I did NOT foresee and that I liked a lot.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

She'll do anything to catch whoever took her sister.

Any additional comments?

Jordan is a very well written female character. I'm impressed with the author's ability to breathe life into a female character to this extent. He must be a man who really listens to women when they talk!

Greg iles does it again.

every story he writes seems to build another layer into a universe created by him, and each getting more and more complex, weaving into a wonderful interwoven mesh. I will go out of my way to enjoy everything he produces.

Dead Sleep

I like the author very much and have read a few of his books. The story was great was disappointed by the audio.

4. 7 Credit Worthy ! Detailed and drawn out

Great Listen. Looking forward to listening to his other books.

Greg Iles is a great writer

Great Iles writes great thrillers. This book, 'Dead Sleep', reminded me of one of my favorite Iles' books, 'Mortal Fear'. This is a good, taught thriller that has you see into the eyes of really evil characters. I don't know why it took me so many years to get to this story but I'm glad I finally did.

One issue that bugs me on Iles' books on audible are the narrators. Many authors find one narrator that becomes their voice but the publishers of Iles' books never have done that. Maybe there's a reason that I don't understand. In my opinion Greg Iles is one of the top American authors of this generation. But based on his audible ratings you would never guess that, many being rated below 4.0 even. In reading reviews of his books I read complaints about the narration. The narrators have been OK but not great, not bringing the books to life like you might hope. This book was different. Narrator, Susie Breck, might have been the best fit for an Iles' book in the long line of his books. She was perfect for this novel. Enjoy

Might Be My Favorite

Greg loved this book! So many twists and turns.

entertaining, creative idea

This is an unusual, entertaining murder mystery. The narrator was good, and the heroine was not your usual "babe" but a thoughtful, "real" woman just entering middle age, with the accumulated experience and wisdom of some twenty-plus years spent as a photographic journalist. Well worth a listen.

Great story

It is a truly interesting story that has some dark corners to it. The narrator was ok.

Wow great book

Wonderful story, held you until the end. Highly recommend this book. Great reader as well. Will read more Greg Iles books!