Release date: April 20, 2017
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Blurb:
Their worst nightmare is his perfect fantasy
A killer stalks the streets of East London.
All over the area, murdered young women are discovered, their dead bodies mutilated into a sickening recreation of fairytale princesses.
Detective Ruby Preston is determined to hunt down a killer who is using the women to fulfil their twisted fantasies.
But when the body parts of one young woman are found at the home of her lover, Nathan Crosby, Ruby is torn between her job and her heart.
Convinced that Nathan is being framed, Ruby must catch the killer before her lover becomes the number one suspect. But as more victims are found, their faces transformed into perverse fairytale heroines, it becomes harder to prove his innocence.
Ruby is in too deep, knowing that the cruel individual is getting ever closer, looking for his next beautiful victim. But can she stop a killer whose horrific fantasies are being played out on the streets of London?
Because some fairytales can cause nightmares…
I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to be helping to kick off the blog tour for Sleep Tight! Happy publication day to one of my favorite authors. 😍
A new Caroline Mitchell book is always cause for celebration for me and I’ve been impatiently awaiting the second book in her Ruby Preston series from the moment I finished the first book. As usual, Ruby is working to catch a killer and this time it may be her toughest case to date. A highly disturbed individual is killing prostitutes and recreating scenes from fairytales at the murder scenes; Snow White, The Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty to name a few. These fairytales don’t have a happy ever after ending though, as he’s not modeling them after the Disney versions, but rather after their original tellings, complete with abhorrent violence. As if all of that isn’t enough, Ruby’s sometime boyfriend, Nathan is the number one suspect when extremely incriminating evidence is found at his house.
I’ve been dying to delve deeper into Ruby and Nathan’s relationship and this book provided that opportunity in spades. Even though the evidence against Nathan is stacking up at a rapid pace, Ruby just doesn’t believe it. She knows this man inside and out and truly believes he’s being framed, all she has to do is prove it. That’s easier said than done, especially when other members of her team seem to also have personal connections to the case, which complicates things at an alarming rate. The addition of the teams private lives being connected to this case allowed me to really find out more about them making my connection to these characters deep. The upheaval in the teams personal life was game changing and dramatically increased the pressure on Ruby as well as amped up the intensity of the plot.
Mitchell has the unique ability to highlight the pressures and strain police officers face bringing such a sincerity to the characters. Ruby nearly buckles under the pressure, and who could blame her? She’s a female working in a highly dominated male field and now her boyfriend is the number one suspect? Most of her coworkers don’t even know about her relationship with Nathan as he’s generally on the other side of the law and keeping this quiet is not only a huge risk but an additional stressor she does not need.
The killer is revealed very early on, but the game of cat and mouse he plays with the police is exciting and intense. Mitchell always has plenty of tricks up her sleeve and even though you know who the bad guy is, you don’t know why or how. This killer is creepy and sadistic and since he doesn’t stick to just one method of killing, you never know exactly what to expect. The things he did to his poor victims was enough to send a cold chill up and down my spine and I was flying through the pages at a frantic pace. This was another solid book in the series and I’m in awe of Mitchell’s dark and twisted mind and ability to create such creepy killers and chilling murder scenes. Another winner from Mitchell, the killer in this book will blow your mind with his insanely depraved methods and dark, twisted motivations. I already have a huge aversion to rats and I dare anyone who reads this not to develop one by the time they’re done. Shivers. The fantasies he’s recreating will turn you off from classic fairytales forever, trust me.
Overall rating: 5/5
The whole fairy tale angle sounds cool. You’ve definitely got my attention.
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It was pretty cool! It’s always nice when you get a fresh concept in a police procedural
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Definitely!
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Wait, a crime thriller in which fairytales are played upon? That sounds awesome! Adding this to my TBR. Great review!
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Yes!!! Super cool, she’s an awesome author and I’m pretty sure this is still on Netgalley.
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Yup, it is! Thanks for the tip. 🙂
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I’ve never read anything by this author but this sounds good. I do like a good police procedural with a decent story and like quite a few Bookouture authors.
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She’s awesome, the procedural part is so authentic because of her own background.
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Great review, Amy! I can’t wait to read this one. I love her books!
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Thanks Kristin! You’re in for a treat
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“But when the body parts of one young woman are found at the home of her lover, Nathan Crosby, Ruby is torn between her job and her heart.”
How would there be any hesitation here?!?! lol obviously the next line of the blurb goes into the fact that she is being framed, but this line made me do a double take at first 🙂
I love fairytales… would this book give me a complex about them after reading it? lol I find it interesting that the killer is revealed early on, but that it doesn’t effect the tension of suspense of the book.
I’m digging that cover too.
Great review as per usual Amy!
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I think this book would scare the daylights out of you! It made me shiver haha
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! Sleep Tight is the second in the Ruby Preston series, I love these books!
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Yes it is I love them too!
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