Sleeping in Eden

Written by Nicole Baart

Narrated by Christina Moore

knew what he wrote . . . One little word that made her feel both cheated and beloved. One word that changed everything. MINE. On a chilly morning in the Northwest Iowa town of Blackhawk, Dr. Lucas Hudson is filling in for the vacationing coroner on a seemingly open-and-shut suicide case. His own life is crumbling around him, but when he unearths the body of a woman buried in the barn floor beneath the hanging corpse, he realizes this terrible discovery could change everything. . . . Years before Lucas ever set foot in Blackhawk, Meg Painter met Dylan Reid. It was the summer before high school and the two quickly became inseparable. Although Meg' s older neighbor, Jess, was the safe choice, she couldn' t let go of Dylan no matter how hard she tried. Caught in a web of jealousy and deceit that spiraled out of control, Meg' s choices in the past ultimately collide with Lucas' s discovery in the present, weaving together a taut story of unspoken secrets and the raw, complex passions of innocence lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490632513

Nicole Baart

Nicole Baart is the author of eleven novels, including Everything We Didn’t Say and The Long Way Back. The cofounder of a nonprofit and mother of five, she lives in Iowa with her family. Learn more at NicoleBaart.com.

Reviews for Sleeping in Eden

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found Sleeping in Eden to be the type of book that really pulls you in from page one. Sometime alternate storylines pull me out of a novel, but I would become so engrossed in either Lucas's or Meg's story that I was almost disappointed to have to switch to the other - but excited, too, because I needed to know what was happening and how everything was going to come together. I would recommend Sleeping in Eden to fans of Heather Gudenkauf and Kristin Hannah as I think Nicole Baart's writing style is similar. I would describe it as a complex look at small town life with plenty of engaging moments.

[mardel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won Sleeping In Eden in a giveaway. I entered on a whim, since my main reading genres are SciFi and Urban Fantasy and this doesn't fit either category. Even so, I do enjoy the occasional "palate cleanser" novel, so when I saw the description of this novel (first in one of those It's Monday posts, and then in the giveaway post) I decided it would be an interesting novel - and even though it was stated that a body is found in a barn - and hours later, another one is found buried in the floor....I wasn't quite prepared for just how intense this novel ended up.There is two stories going on - and it's hard to describe without giving anything away.....A small town doctor is called out to pronounce an apparent suicide dead. This suicide happens to be a rather unlikable character, the owner of a large piece of property and an alcoholic prone to rages....in the midst of checking things out, another body is found under the floorboards of the barn (where the guy hung himself).The young doctor is having some of his own problems. His wife is just on the edge of leaving him, and he's sort of drifting through his life, barely hanging on but not doing a whole lot to convince her to stay. Seems like every time he tries to do something nice for her she reacts with anger. Her character wasn't a very nice - or rather to me, she came across as a raging woman who wasn't going to make things easy for him. She's gone through something to cause her to feel this intense sadness and rage, but she's taking it out on him, and he seems lost. I was completely frustrated with his and her characters - which is a sign of a good writer. Because I wasn't frustrated with stupid writing and lame characters, but I was frustrated with these incredibly well written characters who are so lost in their suffering. So buried in their own emotions that they don't really see what they're doing to the other, and the wife doesn't really seem to care about anything but her own feelings, just keeps herself distant and punishing to her husband, not letting him in, angry because he's lost and doesn't know what to do, other than to try things to help that just angers her.There's this other character - who happens to be the daughter of the alcoholic who had committed suicide. And she's been missing for about eight years.... There is some uncomfortable history between her and the doctor, even while the wife has a great love for this young woman, who is either the body under the floorboards, or ....The other story line has to do with a young woman who falls in love with the new kid in town. As she's growing, her neighbor - her friend's older brother, suddenly decides he's madly in love with her and there's this kind of strange relationship that develops. She's not really that into him, and yet sometimes she is - but it's nothing like the intense feelings she has for this other guy - the new guy in town, who, according to some, isn't quite right for her (i.e. not good enough for her). Now, here is another set of characters that you can't help feeling frustrated with. You want to shake the girl and tell her not to be a fool. You want to grab the new boy and tell him not to waste time.... you want to grab the neighbor boy and tell him.......well. You get the gist of it.Most of the characters were so flawed, so human in some of the saddest ways, and so human in some of the worst ways, and yet even with their obvious flaws, they all had redeeming qualities.By the last section of the book, I was so involved with the two stories, and so irritated by a few of the characters, that I was left feeling a little wrung out by it all. And the ironic thing, is that people really are that foolish, to waste time in relationships that aren't equal, to make the other one suffer because you don't feel good about something that happens, to shut out others because you are so engulfed with anger and grief over an event...Da**, this woman wrote an intense story that can make you either swear to treat your own relationship better or make you want to just get away from everyone because it's just too hard to let people completely in....and that some of these irrational behaviours just hits just a little too close to home. You should read it. It's at once sad, surprising and yet a little hopeful.

[kathleen5heady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sleepy rural town in northwest Iowa may sound like an unlikely setting for a murder mystery, but unlikely settings often are the best. When Dr. Lucas Hudson, filling in for the local coroner, is called to the scene of the apparent suicide of a local farmer, he has no idea the circumstances will lead to more complications for his troubled marriage. And as Lucas delves deeper into the murder that is discovered alongside the suicide, he finds himself in conflict with his friend and police chief of the small town of Blackhawk, Alex Kennedy. As he searches to sort out his complicated feelings about his social worker wife and a troubled young woman who disappeared eight years previously, Lucas goes his own way, to the extent of withholding evidence, a tiny gold ring, that he found at the crime scene.At the same time, a teenage love story from a decade before reveals the dark side to a time of supposed innocence. Meg Painter was caught between her friendships for Dylan Reid, a renegade and outsider in the town, and Jess Langbroek, neighbor and childhood friend. Meg's emotional confusion can only lead to hurt on all sides, until eventually her choices come to light as Lucas follows the clues to identify the murder victim found in the barn.A haunting story, Sleeping in Eden is a book that illustrates the complexities of human emotions and the pain we all carry into our relationships. Nicole Baart tells the two stories of relationships that have gone off the rails in a sensitive and intricate style, missing nothing. And the questions of guilt and innocence are not answered, but simply questioned, leaving the reader pondering.

[julie10reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two seemingly unrelated lives converge in this well-crafted literary mystery. In the sleepy town of Blackhawk, Iowa, a woman's remains are discovered in a dilapidated barn. Acting coroner Lucas Hudson is convinced they belong to Angela Sparks, a teenage runaway who, eight years earlier, had been close to his wife. Hoping to bring his fragile wife closure-and fix his crumbling marriage-Lucas determines to discover the identity of the macabre remains. Summary BPLA mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Although, to be truthful, I never consciously try to figure out whodunit. If the identity pops into my head, well and good, but that is usually an indicator of a not very mysterious mystery!As the summary says, Sleeping in Eden, is a literary mystery. Good content, something I need in a book. Characters who draw you in and drive the plot, elegant prose, this novel has it all--except for a minor difficulty with tempo. It dragged, for me anyway. A tighter timeline would have been more in sync with the theme that we tend to sleepwalk through life rather than cultivating an alert response to the fact that this is the time of our lives.7 out 10. One point off for a dilatory narrative. Recommended to readers of mystery and literary fiction, and to anyone who enjoys a good read.

[suepk-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I started reading this book I could not understand what the link between Lucas and Meg was. I had decided upon so many different outcomes that when I read the part of the book where it becomes obvious I could not be anymore shocked.In hindsight, it is pretty obvious what the link is between the two characters though.

The story alternates between the life of Lucas Hudson and Meg Painter. It is quite clear from the outset that Lucas is living in modern times, but it took me a while to realise what time period Meg was from and I was quite shocked that it wasn’t as far back as I had initially thought.

Lucas, a doctor, is called out to act as coroner/medical examiner when local alcoholic and recluse, Jim Sparks, is found hanged in his barn. Whilst in the barn with the police Lucas discovers another body, the remains of what appears to be a young woman. Lucas is so shocked by this discovery that he is not thinking clearly. He sits down on a crate at the other end of the barn and discovers a suicide note and a ring. He hands over the suicide note, but, believing that the remains belong to Angela, Jim’s daughter who went missing eight years earlier, he decides to keep the ring to give to his wife Jenna. Lucas and Jenna are going through a difficult patch, in part due to the strain on their relationship that Angela had placed upon them. Jenna is a social worker and it was not long after Lucas and Jenna arrived in Black Hawk that they befriended Angela and tried their utmost to help her.

Meg is a typical tomboy and becomes friendly with the new boy in town, Dylan. She becomes known as one of the cool kids because of her reputation for being daring – she is an adrenaline junkie. After a year or so it dawns on Meg that she has romantic feelings for Dylan, but they are just friends and don’t really hang out at school. After Dylan’s involvement in a school play and his obvious interest with one of the girl’s in the play, Meg withdraws from him. It is at this time when her neighbour, Jess, starts to show an interest in her and invites her to become part of his band. After the first night they kiss and become an item, but Meg still has feelings for Dylan.

Lucas and Jenna re relieved when Angela Sparks turns up alive, but the mystery deepens, because if it wasn’t Angela buried underneath the barn, then who was it?

The story deals with the difficult relationship between Lucas and Angela – who, unbeknown to Jenna had made a pass at Lucas before she disappeared. It also deals with Meg’s life, up until a crucial moment. It is at this crucial moment that the two different stories merge and everything starts to make sense, tying all the loose ends up.

A good read and I would definitely recommend it.

**** 4 stars.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There was just something I found so addictive about this novel. It is a solidly written story, exploring two different story lines and even though one of the connections is readily apparent quite soon in the book, the who did it and how, was not. Young love, mature love, marriage and the expectations within a marriage, secrets and one's character are all explored and prodded in this novel. At one time when I though the book had slowed down, I happened to look down and saw I was more than half way finished with the book, I was amazed that I had already read so much and so quickly. Solid characters, well written, some suspense and a tightly woven plot, are what one can expect from this novel. Well done. ARC from NetGalley.

[rivergen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

[Spoiler alert – this review reveals some plot details that you may not want to know about before you read the book] This book starts off with two separate and distinct plot lines, both of which are engaging and interesting, and quite well-written. One is about an adolescent girl growing up and dealing with the issues facing adolescents and young adults, such as love and acceptance. The other is about a doctor with a crumbling marriage who stumbles on a second unknown body at the site of a suicide, and becomes preoccupied with finding the truth. The two stories come together nicely in the end, but for some reason, it felt anti-climactic for me. I think the main reason is that there were a few implausible plot details that left me somewhat frustrated. The biggest one was about Dylan leaving Meg by herself for two hours in a barn that they had effectively broken into, on a property in the middle of nowhere that he knew was owned by a man he considered to be somewhat violent and unstable. That pivotal decision just didn’t fit with the characters and the situation. Another one was when Lucas, a doctor with seemingly strong ethical values, decided to steal evidence from a crime scene, which felt oddly uncharacteristic for him and no matter how the author tried to make us understand his motivation. So while I know that we all make questionable decisions from time to time, I couldn’t help but get stuck on those details that seemed out of place in the book, and my appreciation suffered each time I hit upon one of them. That being said, the writing style is enjoyable and the book kept me entertained and interested throughout. I would definitely read another book by this author.