Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham

Author : Mark Billingham
Title : Sleepyhead
Published : 2001
Publisher : Sphere
Pages : 400
Genre : Crime Fiction

     Alison Willetts has survived a stroke, deliberately induced by a skilful manipulation of pressure points on the head and neck. She can see, hear and feel but she is completely unable to move or communicate. In leaving Alison Willetts alive, the police believe the killer's made his first mistake. Then DI Tom Thorne discovers the horrifying truth: it isn't Alison who is the mistake, it's the three women already dead. Thorne must find a killer whose agenda is disturbingly unique, and Alison, the one person who holds the key to the killer's identity, is unable to say anything...

     I came across a later book in this series on twitter recently and it sounded really good. So for once, I thought I should start at the beginning for once.  The blurb for Sleepyhead sounded just as interesting. The phenomenon known as locked-in syndrome is one I have read about before and if I'm being honest its something I find truly terrifying. The thought of being trapped inside your own body sends shivers up my spine. So with this in mind, I figured this book would give me a few chills if nothing else. I was also very much looking forward to getting to know some new heroes. I think there is always a little buzz when jumping into a long-running series. If it's been going a while it must be good right?

    Thorne is one of those gruff detectives that we have all come to love. They always walk a very fine line between being the hero of there novel and just as much the villain. He's the sort of guy that will get the case solved come hell or high water. Which is good because our true villain is some special kind of twisted. He shows no mercy when it comes to completing his end goal. These two spar off each other as the best of them do. A locking of wills, and a need to push each other to the very limit each trying to prove they are better. With Thorne, he feels like one of those old school coppers who no longer exist. They will bend the rules just to get the job done but without full crossing the line. The way this author plays him means a very down and dirty kind of guy. As a sort of bonus, we also get to go inside the head of Alison as she fights her frustration and not being able to tell the police all she knows. For me, this added a great deal of tension to the story as a whole.

     Overall the story felt very well put together I felt equal parts tension and horror as I delved deeper into the plot. This is one of those scenarios that I could see taking place in real life. Which for me added a great deal. The author skillfully played with the genre adding not only some familiar elements but also some new twists on an old trope. The use of locked-in syndrome works so very well at ramping up the creepiness factor of the overall plot. This obsessive need to own and control every aspect of these women is definitely a disturbing one for the reader to witness. But this book is not completely without fault there were times when I felt myself hoping it would speed up a bit. It almost felt like there was a built of filling being down to get to the desired page count. I realize that not ever debut novel can smash it out of the park. And to be honest this I hope will be less so as the series progresses. But the author did give me enough on the hook to want to see how Thorne deals with further cases. 

     If you are looking for a solid crime book to while away a few hours at the moment I can't see you being disappointed with this one. Despite its few flaws, I think this will be the start of a great series.