Dead Sleep

Written by Greg Iles

Narrated by Jennifer Woodward

Terrifying secrets and a stunning mystery power this page-turner from the New York Times No.1 bestseller.

Objects of desire… or death?

When prize-winning photojournalist Jordan Glass chances upon a portrait by an unknown artist in Hong Kong, she is shocked. The face staring back at her is her missing identical twin sister.

The painting is part of an exhibition entitled ‘Sleeping Women’ and Jordan realizes that the portraits are all of women who have recently disappeared from New Orleans. Electrifying a case previously paralysed by a lack of bodies, this new evidence spurs the FBI’s serial killer unit into action.

Working with the FBI, Jordan becomes both hunter and hunted in search for the artist- and is forced to confront terrifying secrets about her past in a final stunning showdown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9780007564156

Greg Iles

Greg Iles spent most of his youth in Natchez, Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of thirteen New York Times bestsellers and his new trilogy continues the story of Penn Cage, protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil's Punchbowl. Iles' novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries.

Reviews for Dead Sleep

[yonitdm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great mystery, although the end seemed a bit of a cop out ;) I enjoyed the characters, the action, the intrigue. The plot was unique. I didn't realize it was part of a series, looking forward to going back and reading the other two.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jordan Glass is a photojournalist who does a lot of travelling around the world. While she is Hong Kong, she visits an art gallery and finds herself face-to-face with what appears to be a painting of her. It is actually her twin sister, who has been missing for around eighteen months, presumed dead. The chilling aspect of the painting for Jordan is that the subject is supposed to be sleeping, but looks very much dead. I did find myself having to deal with a couple of small quibbles, such as the photojournalist outsmarting the entire FBI when it comes to investigation and psychoanalysis. However, they were minor compared to the entertainment provided by another imaginative story.

[sringle1202 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great book by my favorite author. This is the first book of Greg Iles's that I read, and is the one I blame for my obsession with this author. This is still my favorite book of his, but as always I recommend every Greg Iles book.

[labelleaurore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My first read about Greg Iles and I just could not put down this book. Yes, a book about killing women and painting them but it was very well written. A page turning book

[christinelstanley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent read, very, very scary with lots of suspense, and redherrings. Another great page turner from Greg Iles.

[oldbookswine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great read. Keeps one turning the pages to find the next clue.

[lsteph1967 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not really sure how I feel about this book. Interesting read, held my attention but I found it a little predictable, and unbelievable. Jordan-a photojournalist was just a little too cool for my taste, she knows how to do everything, shoot a gun, interrogate suspects, evade somebody shooting at her and of course she sleeps with the handsome but troubled FBI agent Kaiser.

[sarambarton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd like to be able to claim that I figured out the mystery of this tense psychological thriller, but the best I could do was come near to wrapping my fingers around the elusive threads of twisted history, violent urges, and convoluted motives. Every time I thought I could tie them together, they got away from me.Beautiful women in repose, painted by a skilled hand...dead or alive? When the number of kidnapping victims grows in New Orleans, the FBI sets up a task force to work with local authorities, but without bodies and forensic evidence, the trail is difficult to follow. Speculation isn't always an exact science, as the FBI profilers and consulting psychologist find out the hard way. The sister of one of the missing women becomes the catalyst for flushing out the killer, and her prickly alliance with the FBI pushes the hunt into overdrive.The main character, Jordan Glass, twin to sister Jane, who disappeared on a morning run, remains very human throughout her ordeal, right down to her little weaknesses that, depending on circumstances, put her either in harm's way or just out of it. Those secrets she packs in her emotional baggage add a real depth to the motivational exploration she does on the potential suspects. But it's her natural intelligence and instinct for survival that are her biggest strengths.The storyline is clever, complicated by so many potential suspects, and as the boxes on the suspect list are ticked off, it looks like the FBI is narrowing down its search for the likely culprit, just based on known facts, access, and timing. Going deeper, Jordan uses her experience as a war photojournalist to seek the truth of each, and in doing so, moves dangerously closer to the real killer. Along the way, she peels the layers away to reveal the human aspects of some very damaged souls.As an artist, I thoroughly enjoyed the well-detailed portrayal of the art world, which rang true. But as someone with a strong interest in psychology, I found the profiling and personalities in the manhunt riveting. That Jordan could be so right and so wrong at the same time made for a very wild ride -- not an easy book to put down.Mr. Isles has a skilled hand at weaving an engaging tale. His use of the present tense, save for the recall of past experiences, allows the reader to feel that sense of urgency and desperation as events spiral out of control. His descriptions of Southern life, right down to local habits, locations, and pronunciations, bring the rich ambience of New Orleans to life in words, the verbal equivalent of a painter's efforts on canvas.By the last page, I felt like I had been through the emotional wringer, my head spinning from so many twists and turns. And yet, looking back, I can see the pieces all fell into place, like a 1000-piece puzzle. Each one of those might have been interesting on their own, but as a big picture of human behavior driven by raw impulses, desperate choices, and the desire to find goodness in life, it was enormously satisfying and richly rewarding.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this serial killer thriller with an artsy twist. It had all the requisite twists and turns, love interest, and tension, yet I expect more from this particular author. I prefer his novels which have all the requisite pleasures of plot and character, yet also engage in a moral dilemma as well, and that part was missing. Still, a good read!

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This mystery opens the door for a journey into a world that I have no first-hand knowledge so it is difficult for me to imagine how I would react in the world of photojournalist and identical twin Jordan Glass. But the author either has first-hand knowledge of these subjects or has spent hours of research as he seemed to convey without a hiccup in the flow of the story what would be my impression of a person in the midst of this type of experience. The hardest parts to read were the descriptions of Jordan's feelings of abandonment in the loss of her father - the not knowing if he left their family unintentionally due to the circumstances of his job as a photojournalist or by deliberate choice to be in another place possibly with the creation of a new family. I can't imagine that loss let alone not knowing. To read Jordan's journey is compelling and riveting reading.

I'd be interested to read reviews by photojournalists or identical twins who have read this novel.

[djupstrom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Greg Iles is a force to be reckoned with in the thriller genre. There were a few too many loose ends and plot twists in Dead Sleep, but it was still an enjoyable read.

[dgbdgb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent - very readable. Male author with female heroine - pulled off well to my mind (although I am a man).

[deep220_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Photojournalist Jordan Glass views a stunning painting of a woman in silent repose and is shocked to discover that the woman is her twin sister. What is more troubling is the art interpretation that her sister is painted in the serenity of death. Jordan learns there are several of these paintings and the women in the portraits coincide with disappearances of women dating back several years. Thus begins the relentless search for the artist.Characterization is a strong point of the novel, as Jordan becomes intimately involved with an FBI investigator and the investigation itself. Iles again does a great job of creating a unique plot, holding the readers' interest with captivating situations and dialogue, and surprising the reader at the end with an unexpected but reasonable outcome. This was a very satisfying and entertaining reading experience and time well spent. I recommend it

[emigre_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Engrossing thriller featuring John Kaiser from other Greg Iles books. Loved the strong heroine and the relationship between her and Kaiser.

[jtkuz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Previously read and still enjoyed 2nd reading