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Sleep Tight
They hide in mattresses. They wait till you're asleep. They rise in the dead of night to feast on your blood. They can multiply by the hundreds in less than a week. They are one of the most loathsome, hellish species to ever grace God's green earth. Thought to be eradicated decades ago, thanks to global travel they're back. And with them comes a nightmare beyond imagining.
Bed bugs. Infected with a plague virus so deadly it makes Ebola look like a summer cold. One bite turns people into homicidal maniacs.
Now they're in Chicago. And migrating to all points north, south, east, and west. The rest of the world is already itching. The U.S. government and the CDC are helpless to stop it. Only one man knows what's causing the epidemic. And the powers-that-be want him dead.
Bed bugs. Infected with a plague virus so deadly it makes Ebola look like a summer cold. One bite turns people into homicidal maniacs.
Now they're in Chicago. And migrating to all points north, south, east, and west. The rest of the world is already itching. The U.S. government and the CDC are helpless to stop it. Only one man knows what's causing the epidemic. And the powers-that-be want him dead.
470 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
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483 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
January 16, 2018
Keep an eye out for the creepy crawlies. They could be our end.
April 8, 2014
I really enjoyed the book. It had a lot of suspense and lots of action. It felt like it was constantly building up to something even bigger. The only down side, for me, was the ending. I felt like Jeff came to a realization that the story had gone on long enough and he needed to wrap it up quickly. In other words, it seemed to just be done with the story. Don't get me wrong, loved the book, but the ending just seemed too fast.
September 14, 2013
If 28 Days Later had its way with The Hot Zone and Sharknado in the back of The Asylum's party van and got pregnant as a result, I think that the end product would probably resemble Sleep Tight in many ways. This book is a fairly fun homage to schlock horror novels and movies, but its strength is that it never truly tries to take itself seriously. As such, I'd probably recommend that anyone looking for something that doesn't read like the book version of a SyFy movie approach this with caution. This is pretty much the modern day equivalent of a pulp fiction novel.
I'll admit that I was helped along with this book because ultimately I had the perfect ambiance. I work in a public setting where bodily pests such as bedbugs, scabies, and lice are somewhat common, so I already have a pretty solid fear of finding even one of these things anywhere around me. Imagining a horde of them scrabbling under a plastic sheet in a hospital? Ugh. That particular mental image, along with several others, will have me shuddering for quite a while. As such, I made sure to read this while I was at work because why the heck not? It was sort of like reading a scary book on Halloween or by a campfire. However I'm also aware that others might not have this same type of ambiance even in part and as such, might not get the same shudder factor as I did.
The characters here are both the best and weakest part of the book in some places. Jacobson has a huge cast of characters that sometimes get in the way of one another, as there are so many to keep up with that at times I didn't feel like I really got as invested in them as I would like to be. Just as soon as I'd start really getting into one character the story would jump to someone else and the moment would be lost. At the same time there were also characters that you couldn't help but like in some form or fashion. The sinister asshole Lee was a particular favorite of mine. He was so egotistical, so unabashedly evil, that getting bitten by an infected bug didn't change him at all personality-wise. This is a slight spoiler, but as this happens so early on in the book I don't feel as bad spoiling this part. Qween was also a favorite of mine. Despite her past and quirks, she's probably one of the more noble characters in the book. Other than that the characters were decent, but ultimately the cast was just a little too big for a book of this nature and this weakened the story slightly.
This is probably going to be one of those books that some will pick up and label "bad". Others will probably roll their eyes at how outlandish parts of this become by the book's end, but this is sort of fitting with the type of movies that Jacobson was trying to channel while writing this book. The believability of bedbugs being able to reproduce that fast and take over the city so relatively quickly might seem only slightly more likely than a tornado picking up a bunch of sharks and going across the continent, but the good thing here is that Jacobson doesn't try to make it seem like he's trying to be taken seriously. That works in his favor.
Now I just have to sit back and hope that someone in the movie department at SyFy reads this book and turns it into one of their infamous movies. If there ever was a candidate better suited for SyFy (or maybe The Asylum), Sleep Tight is it.
I'll admit that I was helped along with this book because ultimately I had the perfect ambiance. I work in a public setting where bodily pests such as bedbugs, scabies, and lice are somewhat common, so I already have a pretty solid fear of finding even one of these things anywhere around me. Imagining a horde of them scrabbling under a plastic sheet in a hospital? Ugh. That particular mental image, along with several others, will have me shuddering for quite a while. As such, I made sure to read this while I was at work because why the heck not? It was sort of like reading a scary book on Halloween or by a campfire. However I'm also aware that others might not have this same type of ambiance even in part and as such, might not get the same shudder factor as I did.
The characters here are both the best and weakest part of the book in some places. Jacobson has a huge cast of characters that sometimes get in the way of one another, as there are so many to keep up with that at times I didn't feel like I really got as invested in them as I would like to be. Just as soon as I'd start really getting into one character the story would jump to someone else and the moment would be lost. At the same time there were also characters that you couldn't help but like in some form or fashion. The sinister asshole Lee was a particular favorite of mine. He was so egotistical, so unabashedly evil, that getting bitten by an infected bug didn't change him at all personality-wise. This is a slight spoiler, but as this happens so early on in the book I don't feel as bad spoiling this part. Qween was also a favorite of mine. Despite her past and quirks, she's probably one of the more noble characters in the book. Other than that the characters were decent, but ultimately the cast was just a little too big for a book of this nature and this weakened the story slightly.
This is probably going to be one of those books that some will pick up and label "bad". Others will probably roll their eyes at how outlandish parts of this become by the book's end, but this is sort of fitting with the type of movies that Jacobson was trying to channel while writing this book. The believability of bedbugs being able to reproduce that fast and take over the city so relatively quickly might seem only slightly more likely than a tornado picking up a bunch of sharks and going across the continent, but the good thing here is that Jacobson doesn't try to make it seem like he's trying to be taken seriously. That works in his favor.
Now I just have to sit back and hope that someone in the movie department at SyFy reads this book and turns it into one of their infamous movies. If there ever was a candidate better suited for SyFy (or maybe The Asylum), Sleep Tight is it.
August 1, 2014
Sleep Tight by Jeff Jacobson is an intense book. T writes updifferent scenarios that reveal pieces of the story to be merged for the finale. It starts with a Russian man secretly importing endangered bats in stocking pockets on his person. They are carrying a parasite similar to a bed bug. Ed and Sam are two Chicago police detectives. They are there to pick up Sam's girlfriend when they hear gu shots in the airport. They investigate and see the dead man and he looks terrible. Then they see his jacket move and a bat flies up to the ceiling. The bat gets outside and drops dead. One by one rats come out to eat the bat. The bugs transfer to the rats. There is a new hotel that opened nicknamed the Fin. The deputy of sanitation has a prostitute in a room. His name is Lee. He sees a rash on his person and beats the hell out of the prostitute. He calls the manager and he discovers bed bugs. He calls the exterminator. They seal all the furniture in plastic and seal it in an empty room in the sub basement. Rats get into the room and tear the plastic up to get to the cushions and mattress. The bedbugs cross breed with the bat parasites. Tommy works for the sanitation department. He's threatened to leave his exwife Kimmy alone. He does get visitation with his daughter Grace. Kimmy's new boyfriend is Lee and he hates kids. Tommy and his partner Don bait rats and bring in the dead ones. Ed and Sam meet up with Qween, a street person. They drive her to City Hall and drop her off. Qween asks to see the mayor. Of course she's denied. She tells them there is something wrong with the rats. She throws a rat at the guards and it takes off. The guards arrest her and throw her in a cell.Next, Tommy and Don are called to trap the rat alive. When they find the rat it attached itself to Don's leg and begins gnawing on him.a bug climbs up leg. When the bat jumps Tommy swing a baseball bat killing the rat. The CDC sets up shop in a run down hospital evacuating all the sick and nurses and doctors, everyone. The doctor/professor in charge is mad. Crazy mad. Into this combination you have an assault on a major US city.
October 26, 2013
I was torn between rating this read from 4 stars, " really liked it," to 3, " liked it." What was the vacillation all about? If there was a 3 and a half that would fit my rating!! What drew me to the read;
1.) Cover, bugs and ...
2.) Title
3.) New Author, I haven't yet read.
4.) Looking for something different than my usual fare.
In a nut shell, Subject, interesting.
Subject Matter, possible
Writing, unless the error is so in my face, or totally needs translation, I don't read to edit.
Length, Bingo- A 470 pager. Am I opposed to lengthy novels, no, but this one was longer
than I thought was needed. Very subjective review.
Enjoy the read, but ...
1.) Cover, bugs and ...
2.) Title
3.) New Author, I haven't yet read.
4.) Looking for something different than my usual fare.
In a nut shell, Subject, interesting.
Subject Matter, possible
Writing, unless the error is so in my face, or totally needs translation, I don't read to edit.
Length, Bingo- A 470 pager. Am I opposed to lengthy novels, no, but this one was longer
than I thought was needed. Very subjective review.
Enjoy the read, but ...
April 17, 2016
Okay, caveat, I did enjoy the book, and am a big fan of Jeff's novel Growth. I've read a lot of books of the years, many by lesser writers, so I'm not sure why this one got under my skin as much as it did. The story is good, down right creep at times, and I still find myself itching. That said, ALL of the characters are stereotypes: crooked cops, lazy union workers, mad scientists, corrupt politicians, down on their luck single father, etc. About the only actual interesting character is a homeless woman, and I won't delve deeper as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone. It's an enjoyable read, and won't change my mind of what I think of the author's potential, just rubbed this reader the wrong way. I still recommend the book to anyone who likes biological horror, as long as you don't have a bug or rat phobia of course :)
October 5, 2016
I finished this mere days before I'm supposed to go on a trip and stay in a hotel for 3 nights. I'm not sure if that was my best idea. After all... bedbugs. They freak me out. At the core though this book is really a zombie novel. Yes, there's a potential pandemic. Yes, it's spread first by rats then, bedbugs. Yes, there's a creepy CDC doctor. But ultimately it's the infected that are the most disturbing.
The story has good bones and is fleshed out with decent characters. More then once I wondered why the author even visited certain scenes. I thought it was a waste, that he had an idea but couldn't figure out where to go with it so he simply let it go. But no. Eventually he revisited every scene that he rolled out in the beginning.
Would I read this again? Nope.
Martial law.
Rats. (Read as gross squirrels with no fur on their tails)
Bedbugs.
Pandemic
Zombies.
Once is enough thank you, and that's a compliment.
The story has good bones and is fleshed out with decent characters. More then once I wondered why the author even visited certain scenes. I thought it was a waste, that he had an idea but couldn't figure out where to go with it so he simply let it go. But no. Eventually he revisited every scene that he rolled out in the beginning.
Would I read this again? Nope.
Martial law.
Rats. (Read as gross squirrels with no fur on their tails)
Bedbugs.
Pandemic
Zombies.
Once is enough thank you, and that's a compliment.
July 6, 2014
I like the premise but the execution was lacking.
I found myself not liking or caring about most of the main characters. With the exception of Qweenie, I didn't really care what happened to anyone else. The cutting between characters didn't help either and it took my about 30 chapters to even really get into the story (I forced myself to finish it so i could review it properly).
The doctor was an outlandish character was behavior was confusing and eye roll inducing. And I'm guessing the end of his story was supposed to be poetic justice but it makes no sense that this would happen. SPOILER: yes, let's release the plague on an unaffected ship heading out. That seems like a brilliant idea.
I did enjoy the gruesomeness in this story; the descriptive parts of the infection were really neat.
I found myself not liking or caring about most of the main characters. With the exception of Qweenie, I didn't really care what happened to anyone else. The cutting between characters didn't help either and it took my about 30 chapters to even really get into the story (I forced myself to finish it so i could review it properly).
The doctor was an outlandish character was behavior was confusing and eye roll inducing. And I'm guessing the end of his story was supposed to be poetic justice but it makes no sense that this would happen. SPOILER: yes, let's release the plague on an unaffected ship heading out. That seems like a brilliant idea.
I did enjoy the gruesomeness in this story; the descriptive parts of the infection were really neat.
August 11, 2014
Really good story!
A foreign country sends bats infected with diseased bugs to Chicago and an infestation explodes because one of the bats gets away. This book is an end-of-the-world/zombie story but is very believable. I didn't care for any of the characters in the beginning. They were too flawed. There was no real hero to root for but by the end I was rooting for each and every one.
I think the wrap up could have been more thorough. I would have liked to have known why one character was immune; if the data that Dr. Menard sent made it to the press; and if the solution successfully contained the disease. All in all however I could definitely see this story become a movie. Very well written.
A foreign country sends bats infected with diseased bugs to Chicago and an infestation explodes because one of the bats gets away. This book is an end-of-the-world/zombie story but is very believable. I didn't care for any of the characters in the beginning. They were too flawed. There was no real hero to root for but by the end I was rooting for each and every one.
I think the wrap up could have been more thorough. I would have liked to have known why one character was immune; if the data that Dr. Menard sent made it to the press; and if the solution successfully contained the disease. All in all however I could definitely see this story become a movie. Very well written.
January 24, 2015
If you've never read something about bed bugs then when you read this you'll be scared out of your mind of them.
In this story the bedbugs have bred with exotic bat bugs, which are carrying a deadly virus. All the rats in the city are dying and that's a lot. The homeless have noticed. One woman takes a dying rat to city hall to prove her point that something terrible is going on. Then people start dying because they are being bitten by the bed bugs. The bed bugs are everywhere and in everything. There's a story here, too. It reminds me of the zombie apocalypse.
It's a plague. Which is scarily true in real life because there is a rise in the bedbug population and they are invading everything. Your bed is next!
In this story the bedbugs have bred with exotic bat bugs, which are carrying a deadly virus. All the rats in the city are dying and that's a lot. The homeless have noticed. One woman takes a dying rat to city hall to prove her point that something terrible is going on. Then people start dying because they are being bitten by the bed bugs. The bed bugs are everywhere and in everything. There's a story here, too. It reminds me of the zombie apocalypse.
It's a plague. Which is scarily true in real life because there is a rise in the bedbug population and they are invading everything. Your bed is next!
December 12, 2014
This story had a good plot, even though it was a bit confusing at first at how it jumped around, building the story from the angles of many different people. But the story developed quick enough, so it wasn't a problem. The end was abrupt and I felt the story could have evolved a little more. Like, what happened when the Dr from the CDC emailed all the evidence to the authorities, and why was Tommy the only one who seemed immune to the infection, etc. The impression I got was the author got tired of his story and he decided to just wrap it up quickly. Or perhaps the publisher called and said we have to get this book in print before the weekend!! At any rate, the end was a big let down and left a lot of questions unanswered.
August 22, 2014
Great story!This book had me on the edge of my seat right from the first word! I do have to say though, the one thing keeping me from giving this a 5 star rating was that there were a LOT of characters in this book. I had a little trouble, at first, figuring out who was important versus who was just background characters. It was all rather confusing in that aspect. But as soon as most of the background chatter died away (pardon the pun), and I was able to follow the actual main characters on their separate journeys through the crazy streets of an over-run Chicago, this was truly a great, creepy-crawly read!
October 12, 2013
Sleep Tight was a surprisingly good read. Think Quarantine, Contagion, and Bug all mixed together. It's a fast paced read about a pandemic (started by an animal smuggler smuggling bats into the US)in Chicago. Told from different points of views, Sleep Tight was scary in the sense that the situation could really happen. Not a post apocalyptic zombie book. The "infected" are people bitten by bugs and driven to violence by the effects of the illness. I would like to see the author would do with the post apocalyptic zombie genre. He creates tense situations.
August 12, 2014
Sleep Tight
Sleep Tight
I liked this story so much that I read it in one day. I did not want to put the Kindle down. The writer's style was fast flowing and the premise of the story was interesting to me because I knew two people who went to Chicago for a short vacation and came back with bites. I can recommend this ebook to people who don't mind the occasional itching. Mr. Jacobson I will read more of your books...I like your style.
Sleep Tight
I liked this story so much that I read it in one day. I did not want to put the Kindle down. The writer's style was fast flowing and the premise of the story was interesting to me because I knew two people who went to Chicago for a short vacation and came back with bites. I can recommend this ebook to people who don't mind the occasional itching. Mr. Jacobson I will read more of your books...I like your style.
October 1, 2013
Fun, action packed 'monster' book that reminds me of the great B movies of the 70s!
January 11, 2017
Had I nown how horrific this book would be I ever would f picked it up much les let my teenager read it. It wasjust awful and I will be getting rid of it!!
January 31, 2018
This book was a fantastic horror novel that got under my skin.
April 5, 2018
bed bugs, and more bugs, makes u want to clean clean clean, lol
August 10, 2019
Awesome book!
Couldn't stop reading ! One of the best books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it.down and was literally on the edge of.my seat Definitely recommend
Couldn't stop reading ! One of the best books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it.down and was literally on the edge of.my seat Definitely recommend
September 19, 2019
Good
Tough situations but a really good read. I enjoyed the fast pace of the action. The author doesn't drag on with the medical parts as some books like this one.
Tough situations but a really good read. I enjoyed the fast pace of the action. The author doesn't drag on with the medical parts as some books like this one.
January 7, 2022
I loved Jacobson's Wormfood a couple of years ago, and this seemed like a nice change from that short, pulp horror novel about killer worms—almost 500 pages of killer bedbugs! Sadly, this suffers from its length, the same stock of generic characters struggle in this book in a way they didn't in Wormfood, and the bedbugs—and resultant rage zombies—never take centre stage, secondary to the politicising of the narrative.
I really enjoyed this book—on its own terms, there's little intrinsically wrong with it (although Jacobson is far too fond of using the same word twice in a sentence)—but I was expecting gory, pulp fun and this doesn't deliver. My fault, not the author's.
I really enjoyed this book—on its own terms, there's little intrinsically wrong with it (although Jacobson is far too fond of using the same word twice in a sentence)—but I was expecting gory, pulp fun and this doesn't deliver. My fault, not the author's.
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September 6, 2019Sleep tight
Wow. I am very disgusted by bedbugs; now I'm terrified! I do believe that certain terrible bugs would survive the end of the world, now I'm sure it will be bedbugs that end it!
My only complaint is the paragraph formatting. No space between paragraphs kept jolting my concentration and confusing me about the sudden change of story lines. A reformat of the book would make it a better read.
- Taborri Walker, author of the Earth Maid series on Amazon.
Wow. I am very disgusted by bedbugs; now I'm terrified! I do believe that certain terrible bugs would survive the end of the world, now I'm sure it will be bedbugs that end it!
My only complaint is the paragraph formatting. No space between paragraphs kept jolting my concentration and confusing me about the sudden change of story lines. A reformat of the book would make it a better read.
- Taborri Walker, author of the Earth Maid series on Amazon.
January 23, 2018
This was a decent story and could have been bumped to 4 stars but the editing (at least on the Kindle edition) was atrocious. A lack of variety in adjectives made the very long story feel even longer and the typos made my skin crawl more than the bugs. I really enjoyed the premise and just wish it had been executed better.
January 6, 2021
It's so bad and so much fun. You know what you're getting with a book like this. I could have used more bugs and fewer men swinging guns around (and maybe more than one female character) but there's no point being picky. It is what it is and if you want to read about lethal bedbugs that turn people into crazy killers, this is a fine choice
January 5, 2018
Well written book
This story kept me reading page after page. I liked the way the author told each persons story intertwined with the others.
This story kept me reading page after page. I liked the way the author told each persons story intertwined with the others.
February 24, 2019
Not the best!
This book started off good and then went south. Way to long for the story. Unfortunately, I personally can not recommend this book.
This book started off good and then went south. Way to long for the story. Unfortunately, I personally can not recommend this book.
January 23, 2021
Very scary
I am not scared very easy. But this book did get to me. The concept of bugs is frightening enough.
I am not scared very easy. But this book did get to me. The concept of bugs is frightening enough.
March 4, 2017
Loved it. Can'the wait to read more!
October 25, 2014
Perhaps, reading this on my Nook was not the best venue. I found it very difficult to follow all the different scenarios the author created. I felt there were too many main characters all doing different actions and the scenarios would change in mid page ...... Until I realized what was happening, I thought I was missing pages. I am thankful I got this as a free book as I would have been very distressed if I had paid for it. Guess that is why if I find I need to spend money on a book, I will first check it out from the library. I have another book by this author, which was also acquired as a freebie, but I am not looking forward to reading it. With this book being the 3rd novel, and still so haphazardly written, I dare say I won't be thrilled with an earlier one. Perhaps the author needs to read "On Writing by Stephen King" so he can better understand how to navigate through his thoughts. I was also disappointed that some incidents happened and there was no follow up how it was received by others who were involved. I can only say, every book is not appreciated by everyone, so if you want to check it out, do it. I also thought this author was trying to fashion himself after Robin Cook, but somewhere in all the clutter, the plot he conceived died and the story lost all its momentum. I have to make myself finish it ..... though just near the end, I found a bit more interest to finish.
July 5, 2014
a must for horror fans. very gripping read I could picture everything while reading as if watching a movie unfold just awesome. being a huge steven king fan this author just may give him a run for his money .
a definant hair raising read. to think the world could end from a deadly virus from a tiny bug. page turning suspense from the first page until the very end. corruption and death intertwined.
unfortunately to tell a summary would ruin the read for the next . love it and will be a definite reread for me. hope to see more like this from this author. actually sad that I finished ..couldn't wait to find out how it ended until its done and its like losing a friend.
a definant hair raising read. to think the world could end from a deadly virus from a tiny bug. page turning suspense from the first page until the very end. corruption and death intertwined.
unfortunately to tell a summary would ruin the read for the next . love it and will be a definite reread for me. hope to see more like this from this author. actually sad that I finished ..couldn't wait to find out how it ended until its done and its like losing a friend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews