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The Innocent Sleep

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"How good's the big twist? You won't see it coming."—Entertainment Weekly
"Terrific...an unpredictable and unsettling familial drama that has drawn comparisons to the novels of Gillian Flynn and fellow Dubliner Tana French."—Kirkus Reviews
When a couple's lost child resurfaces they are forced to embark on a journey into their shared past—one rife with dark secrets and lies
Tangiers. Harry is preparing his wife's birthday dinner while she is still at work and their son, Dillon, is upstairs asleep in bed. Harry suddenly remembers that he's left Robin's gift at the café in town. It's only a five minute walk away and Dillon's so tricky to put down for the night, so Harry decides to run out on his own and fetch the present.
Disaster strikes. An earthquake hits, buildings crumble, people scream and run. Harry fights his way through the crowd to his house, only to find it razed to the ground. Dillon is presumed dead, though his body is never found.
Five years later, Harry and Robin have settled into a new kind of life after relocating to their native Dublin. Their grief will always be with them, but lately it feels as if they're ready for a new beginning. Harry's career as an artist is taking off and Robin has just realized that she's pregnant.
But when Harry gets a glimpse of Dillon on the crowded streets of Dublin, the past comes rushing back at both of them. Has Dillon been alive all these years? Or was what Harry saw just a figment of his guilt-ridden imagination? With razor-sharp writing, Karen Perry's The Innocent Sleep delivers a fast-paced, ingeniously plotted thriller brimming with deception, doubt, and betrayal.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      The use of an alternating narration in this psychological thriller is effective, and the performances of Aaron Abano and Michelle Ferguson do not disappoint. Distinct differentiation in everything from pitch to tone audibly dramatizes the wall that has developed between two parents who are coping with with the loss of their child. In their grief, they're unable to communicate with each other. However, Abano and Ferguson share a similarity in the depth of desperation they portray in these damaged characters. When the story's twists are revealed, both characters sound as authentically surprised as the listener, thanks to the presentation. Even though the book lacks originality, the performances make it worth listening to. J.F. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 21, 2013
      In the prologue—set in 2005 in Tangier—of this smart missing-child thriller from Perry (the joint pseudonym of Paul Perry and Karen Gillece), struggling Irish artist Harry Lonergan slips out of the house on his wife’s birthday to pick up a present for her, leaving their sleeping three-year-old son, Dillon, behind. Before Harry can return home, an earthquake rocks Tangier, and Dillon goes missing and is presumed dead amid the rubble. Flash forward to 2010 Dublin, where Harry catches a glimpse of an older Dillon among a crowd of antigovernment demonstrators. Harry decides to search for Dillon without informing his wife, Robin, who, meanwhile, discovers she’s pregnant. Harry continues hunting for Dillon, while Robin worries Harry may be suffering a nervous collapse as a result of his obsessed quest. In the end, the consequences of the Lonergans’ carefree years spent living as expatriates in Tangier come back to haunt them. Deceit, infidelity, and surprising twists make this a satisfying debut. Agent: Kari Stuart, ICM.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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