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John Francis Cuddy #3
So Like Sleep
A white coed from the moneyed circles of upperclass Boston was found murdered--and her black boyfriend held the smoking gun. But when Detective John Cuddy investigated, he found a set-up--and a murderer's trail buried deep in the past.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
253 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
8 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Jeremiah Healy
74 books20 followersaka Terry Devane
Jeremiah Healy was the creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and the author of several legal thrillers. A former sheriff's officer and military police captain, Healy was also a graduate of Rutgers College and the Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Boston before teaching for eighteen years at the New England School of Law. His first novel, BLUNT DARTS, was published in 1984 and introduced Cuddy, the Boston-based private eye who has become Healy¹s best-known character. Moral, honest--and violent, when need-be--Cuddy makes his living solving cases that have fallen through the cracks of the formal judicial system.
Of his thirteen Cuddy novels and two collections of short stories, fifteen have either won or been nominated for the Shamus Award.
www.JeremiahHealy.com
Series:
* John Francis Cuddy
Jeremiah Healy was the creator of the John Francis Cuddy private-investigator series and the author of several legal thrillers. A former sheriff's officer and military police captain, Healy was also a graduate of Rutgers College and the Harvard Law School. He practiced law in Boston before teaching for eighteen years at the New England School of Law. His first novel, BLUNT DARTS, was published in 1984 and introduced Cuddy, the Boston-based private eye who has become Healy¹s best-known character. Moral, honest--and violent, when need-be--Cuddy makes his living solving cases that have fallen through the cracks of the formal judicial system.
Of his thirteen Cuddy novels and two collections of short stories, fifteen have either won or been nominated for the Shamus Award.
www.JeremiahHealy.com
Series:
* John Francis Cuddy
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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June 14, 2019This hardcover is signed by Jeremiah Healy.
March 12, 2017
If you like mysteries that pose extraordinary problems for a detective, then jump on Jeremiah Healy’s SO LIKE SLEEP, a tale that has Boston PI John Cuddy trying to exonerate a poor black kid with a genius IQ from a murder charge.
William Daniels, college kid but poor and black, admits to killing his white girlfriend under hypnosis. He is part of an experimental psych group that meets under the guidance of a psychologist and hypnotist and one session he comes in late distraught and begins confessing, pulling a gun from his shirt.
How can anyone free someone who has confessed to murder?
Read this page turner and find out!
William Daniels, college kid but poor and black, admits to killing his white girlfriend under hypnosis. He is part of an experimental psych group that meets under the guidance of a psychologist and hypnotist and one session he comes in late distraught and begins confessing, pulling a gun from his shirt.
How can anyone free someone who has confessed to murder?
Read this page turner and find out!
March 17, 2016
PLOT OR PREMISE:
John Cuddy gets asked by a friend to look into what appears to be an open-and-shut case -- a young impoverished black man tries to get ahead at university, dates a white co-ed, and then after she turns up dead, he confesses to the crime while holding the murder weapon. Everyone thinks he's guilty, including him. But Cuddy finds a strange group of people involved -- a whacked psychiatrist with strange ideas, an elderly fitness nut, a sports fan, seductive patients, and asundry lovers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
The main people were all well-characterized, although a few of them were a bit one-dimensional. Cuddy does a good job of detecting, pulling at a variety of strings until they unravel. Good back-stories for some of the other series characters.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Some old characters show up, kind of predictable.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
You'll stay up late if you start reading this!
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I was not personal friends with the author, but I did follow him on social media.
John Cuddy gets asked by a friend to look into what appears to be an open-and-shut case -- a young impoverished black man tries to get ahead at university, dates a white co-ed, and then after she turns up dead, he confesses to the crime while holding the murder weapon. Everyone thinks he's guilty, including him. But Cuddy finds a strange group of people involved -- a whacked psychiatrist with strange ideas, an elderly fitness nut, a sports fan, seductive patients, and asundry lovers.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
The main people were all well-characterized, although a few of them were a bit one-dimensional. Cuddy does a good job of detecting, pulling at a variety of strings until they unravel. Good back-stories for some of the other series characters.
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
Some old characters show up, kind of predictable.
.
BOTTOM-LINE:
You'll stay up late if you start reading this!
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I was not personal friends with the author, but I did follow him on social media.
August 3, 2012
While I do enjoy reading Jermiah Healy and this series with John Cuddy with it's back-streets of Boston background, I thought this particular book was a bit of a let down primarily due to a lack of pluasibility.
Despite my inability to "buy into" this one, if you enjoy good mystery writers, I think you will find something to like here.
Despite my inability to "buy into" this one, if you enjoy good mystery writers, I think you will find something to like here.
July 8, 2021
👍 Good Read
More of a four and a half star. The solution was not as well hidden. Or, heck, I picked up on the clues easier than usual. Cuddy’s still the man, though. 👍
More of a four and a half star. The solution was not as well hidden. Or, heck, I picked up on the clues easier than usual. Cuddy’s still the man, though. 👍
October 10, 2021
A clever, well written mystery novel.
When an at risk Black kid rises above his circumstances to become a gifted student at a prestigious university it seems like his troubles are over. Then, under hypnosis in a group therapy session, he admits to having just murdered a young woman. His White girlfriend. And, just like that, it seems like it's all over...
Until P.I. John Francis Cuddy takes on the case. Cuddy owes a big favor to a friend of the boy's family and that favor gets called in. Things aren't adding up but the young guy doesn't want Cuddy's help so he's forced to do things the hard way.
So Like Sleep is the third book in the John Cuddy Mystery series. You do not need to have read any of the other books in the series to enjoy So Like Sleep, it does fine as a standalone novel, there are a few casual references to previous incidents sprinkled throughout the book but it doesn't hurt the overall experience
The subject matter is slightly dated. I imagine that when it first came out (in the mid '80s) the whole idea of hypnosis and murder confessions was hugely controversial. These days it comes across more as a plot device but the writing is good enough to make up for it.
This book (and series) is perfect for fans of Ross Macdonald. John Cuddy is somewhat like Lew Archer with violent tendencies.
There is strong language, racial slurs, and violence.
When an at risk Black kid rises above his circumstances to become a gifted student at a prestigious university it seems like his troubles are over. Then, under hypnosis in a group therapy session, he admits to having just murdered a young woman. His White girlfriend. And, just like that, it seems like it's all over...
Until P.I. John Francis Cuddy takes on the case. Cuddy owes a big favor to a friend of the boy's family and that favor gets called in. Things aren't adding up but the young guy doesn't want Cuddy's help so he's forced to do things the hard way.
So Like Sleep is the third book in the John Cuddy Mystery series. You do not need to have read any of the other books in the series to enjoy So Like Sleep, it does fine as a standalone novel, there are a few casual references to previous incidents sprinkled throughout the book but it doesn't hurt the overall experience
The subject matter is slightly dated. I imagine that when it first came out (in the mid '80s) the whole idea of hypnosis and murder confessions was hugely controversial. These days it comes across more as a plot device but the writing is good enough to make up for it.
This book (and series) is perfect for fans of Ross Macdonald. John Cuddy is somewhat like Lew Archer with violent tendencies.
There is strong language, racial slurs, and violence.
August 22, 2024
I read the Cuddy series years ago (then coming to the series mid way through), so this summer, I decided to re-read Jerry Healy's books in order, going through the whole series.
Though the books have some 1980s/90s "tropes" of the Private Eye novel of the era, they stand up well over the test of time. Healy's plotting is tight, and the storyline moves along. One thing that I was struck with was the author's "ear" for dialogue to convey a character as well information.
John Cuddy is a solid series protagonist and one worth reading (or re-reading). Fun series.
Though the books have some 1980s/90s "tropes" of the Private Eye novel of the era, they stand up well over the test of time. Healy's plotting is tight, and the storyline moves along. One thing that I was struck with was the author's "ear" for dialogue to convey a character as well information.
John Cuddy is a solid series protagonist and one worth reading (or re-reading). Fun series.
October 7, 2022
A good entry in the John Francis Cuddy series is a quick read and features some snarky bad guys. Not a lot of action, just enough to keep the story going. Recommend to Cuddy fans.
February 22, 2014
This series continues to improve. This book, the third, is a step up from The Staked Goat, the previous one.
Cuddy is asked by a friend to help clear a young man of murdering his girlfriend.
One thing I especially like about Healy's protagonist is that Cuddy comes across as tough without having constantly proving it through fights and shootouts.
My one regret is that I wasn't aware of this series thirty years ago when it first hit the market. But a good book is a good read, whether it's a week after it hits the shelves or thirty years later.
I just wish Healy would write more of them.
Cuddy is asked by a friend to help clear a young man of murdering his girlfriend.
One thing I especially like about Healy's protagonist is that Cuddy comes across as tough without having constantly proving it through fights and shootouts.
My one regret is that I wasn't aware of this series thirty years ago when it first hit the market. But a good book is a good read, whether it's a week after it hits the shelves or thirty years later.
I just wish Healy would write more of them.
October 17, 2017
decent, but not great
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews