Watch Her Sleep by L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain Also by this author: First Girl Gone , Girl Under Water
Series: Charlotte Winters #3
Also in this series: First Girl Gone , Girl Under Water
Published by Bookouture on 18th March 2021
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 375
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
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Nestled in the autumn leaves, her hair tangled in thick brambles, the girl looks like she could be sleeping amongst the wild roses. But the trail of red across her delicate throat means this is a slumber she will never wake from…
When a search party trawling Salem Island find a girl’s body curled on the damp earth, the hunt for missing waitress Emma Jacobis grinds to a devastating halt. The day before, Emma had come to Detective Charlie Winters convinced someone was watching her. In her trembling hand she held a sketch of herself sleeping peacefully with the stuffed rabbit she’d had since she was a child. On the back, scrawled in black ink: You will be mine…
A box containing handwritten letters found under Emma’s bed is Charlie’s first lead. But the handwriting isn’t a match to the note left for Emma. With the help of her new assistant, a troubled girl eager to learn the ropes, Charlie’s only hope is to canvas the bar where Emma worked. There, she finds a woman with fear in her eyes and a terrifying story to tell about an encounter with a dangerous stranger. Is someone in this small town targeting vulnerable girls as prey?
Certain she’s found a twisted killer’s hunting ground, and with time running out before he strikes again, Charlie has no choice but to use her new assistant as bait to lure him out into the open. But when a scream pierces through the night, will Charlie survive the consequences? She has to, or there’s no knowing how many more innocent girls will die…
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the third book in this series but it can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed the first two books so I would recommend reading them.
Charlie Winters is an excellent PI and she is not afraid to put herself in danger, time and time again. She is very protective of those that she loves but is also very lonely. Charlie like many that have suffered trauma has so many walls around her that its a real struggle for anyone to get in.
This case is beyond creepy, especially with what has been happening in the news recently. This case really brought it all home for me. I am very glad I don’t live alone because the thought of someone watching me while I sleep gives me the shivers. This whole book makes you feel very tense and uneasy. I was so concerned and stressed for all of the characters (more so the female ones) mainly because the killer seemed to have no conscience and just believed everything belonged to him. This book also highlighted the lack of help that Emma got from the police. It showed all the red tape that there is and all the bureaucracy that goes on.
This book is very well written and kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s addicitive, gripping and did I mention creepy? I’m very much looking forward to the next book!
About L.T. Vargus
Lex is the co-author of the Violet Darger series and The Scattered and the Dead series among a total of over 20 novels.
She writes. She sews. She makes messes. She is a terrible dancer.
People always ask how she got started writing thrillers about serial killers. She just writes what she knows.
According to her mom, she is a “world-class swimmer” and “highly verbal,” whatever that means.
About Tim McBain
Tim writes about creepy killers, both alive and undead, and tries his damnedest to freak himself out in the process.
Tim is… I mean, I hate to say this, but Tim is a bit of an odd duck. Squirrelly. Hard to get a read on this guy. Wears a hat all of the time. Shifty-eyed. Quiet. Suspicious.
I’m not saying he’s the Zodiac killer, but I’m not saying he’s NOT the Zodiac Killer. Let’s just leave it at that.
Weird guy.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@ltvargus Thank you!