Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

Available now

CW: murder, child abuse, kidnapping, animal death/abuse, and many, many more. For a complete list, visit The StoryGraph.

Reader friends, this is a dark, dark book. Just as dark as The NIghtmare Man that I read a few years ago. The story centers around children, kidnapping, abuse and murder. Definitely look at the content warnings and read with care.

From the Publisher:

The sole survivor of a serial killer might hold the key to stopping a new spree of murders in this propulsive thriller in the vein of The Black Phone and The Whisper Man. Dark and twisting at every turn, fans of Catriona Ward will love this chilling new tale from the deviously inventive horror author that Peter Farris calls the "clear heir to Stephen King.”

Beware the one who got away . . .

Father Silence once terrorized the rural town of Twisted Tree, disguising himself as a priest to prey on the most vulnerable members of society. When the police finally found his "House of Horrors," they uncovered nineteen bodies and one survivor–a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane.
Nearly two decades later, Father Silence is finally put to death, but by the next morning, the detective who made the original arrest is found dead. A new serial killer is taking credit for the murder and calling himself the Outcast.
The detective’s daughter, Tess Claibourne, is a detective herself, haunted by childhood trauma and horrified by the death of her father and the resurgence of Father Silence’s legacy.
When Tess’s daughter is kidnapped by the Outcast, Tess is forced to face her worst fears and long-buried memories. With no leads to follow, she travels back to Twisted Tree to visit the boy who survived and see what secrets might be buried in the tangled web of his broken mind.

With captivating prose and an old-school horror flair, Sleep Tight is a must-read, haunting tale from a true master of the genre. 

Still here? Ready to have nightmares?

Sleep Tight is a fast-paced, compelling and complex thriller. The elements of Tess’s traumatic past and missing memories are blended seamlessly with her current tragedy of her daughter’s kidnapping. Alongside the nightmare of a serial killer on the loose and a string of kidnappings, Tess is also faced with her marriage falling apart and the strain that places on her work partner and best friends. While this is technically a horror novel, it leans far more towards a crime novel or police procedural, but there is enough weird spookiness to keep the creep factor in the supernatural. I found it very well written and couldn’t put it down once I started. This is definitely not for the faint of heart - so again, check those content warnings before you begin.

If you’d like to add this nightmare inducing book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for ordering information. This was my September 2024 pick from Book of the Month and if use my referral link, you can get your first month for only $5 (that’s how I started).

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