Title: While You Were Sleeping
Author: Kathryn Croft
Publisher: Bookouture
[Synopsis]
You wake up to find the man beside you is dead.
He is not your husband. This is not your bed.
What do you do?
Tara Logan lives a quiet life with her husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer.
But her peace is shattered when she wakes in her neighbour Lee’s bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them.
And worse – he has been stabbed to death.
Convinced she didn’t kill Lee, Tara stays silent, fearing the truth will rip her family apart.
But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara soon realises that someone in her life knows what really happened to Lee. She must get to the truth before they do.
Tara made a mistake … but will one night cost her everything?
[My Review]
While You Were Sleeping is the third book I’ve read by Kathryn Croft, and it’s just as much of a twisty page-turner as the other two. The story focuses on Tara, a mother of two who wakes up in bed next to her neighbour, Lee, and has no recollection of the night before. Things take a very big turn for the worse when she realises that Lee has been brutally murdered right next to her – but by who? Could Tara herself have done it? She’s sure she hasn’t – but what will the police think?
The characters in this novel are all really well crafted, though most of them are pretty unlikable… and you really don’t know if you can trust them! Tara herself seems a convincing character and is likeable enough (though was a bit silly in her decisions sometimes!) but I hated her daughter! You never know when she’s lying or when to feel sorry for her – and this is the same with Tara’s husband Noel, who seems nice enough but you can’t be sure he’s everything he makes out to be. In fact, most of Tara’s family have their own secrets and problems, all of which adds to the mystery and unsettling feeling of the story!
The plot moves along at a really good pace, and there’s enough dialogue between characters which stops the story being too much about the action. It really builds the relationships between characters, and we see the doubt and confusion start to creep in for Tara, so we really feel sorry for her – or should we? You don’t know exactly who to trust! Some parts of the story are a little unbelievable, and I questioned many of the character’s actions – various parts of the plot did feel a little far-fetched. Ultimately, though, this is an entertaining, gripping read and I so enjoyed racing through it!
While You Were Sleeping really keeps you guessing until the end and I’d recommend it for anyone who enjoys an addictive psychological thriller!
Great review. I loved this book despite the unbelievable sections and the odd romance. I hope to read more books by the author though.Which one would you recommend?
Thanks – I agree completely though, some bits ie. the romance were really strange, but I also really enjoyed it. I have liked quite a few of her books (they all have slightly unbelievable bits but I can overlook that as they’re fun to read) – I also really enjoyed The Girl With No Past so I think that’s worth a read too 🙂
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