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DCI Lorimer #8
Sleep Like The Dead
Everyone is searching for Billy Brogan and his sister, Marianne. Marianne???s ex-husband Kenneth Scott is gunned down in his home and two men are found dead in Billy's West End flat. But Billy is on the run to Spain, with the money that was meant to pay the hit man who killed Kenneth. Now the hit man remains in Glasgow, seeking not just his fee for his job but the elusive Marianne. The woman has been a mature student of Dr Solomon Brightman, psychology lecturer at Glasgow University and criminal profiler. Why, when she meets him unexpectedly in a Glasgow bookshop, does she tell him she owes him such a lot? And what is her relationship to Amit, the educated Pakistani refugee from Lahore? DCI Lorimer is given the news that psychological profiling is no longer allowed following a case of wrongful arrest down South, but can his friendship with Solly produce the necessary clues in this case? And will Solly be able to find his missing student before time runs out for her?
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
57 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Alex Gray
88 books346 followersAlex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. She worked as a folk singer, a visiting officer in the DSS and an English teacher. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 3, 2025
**Read 4.5 STARS!**
First of all I would like to say that this eventful crime novel is the 8th volume of this very human and realistic series, and the last one as far as I'm aware as "DCI Lorimer".
Secondly there's at the beginning of the book a phrase by William Shakespeare from "The Tempest", and this phrase is the perfect background for events happening in this great crime novel.
Thirdly the author's storytelling is simply wonderful, all characters are very lifelike and human in their dealings with domestic life, professional police work, while police procedures and other important matters are very well researched and implemented within this exciting story.
The book starts off with two prologues, one with bad dreams, and the other with a willing dream to kill, and both figures will come to the forefront within this crime novel, especially after the first kill of a man called, Kenneth Scott.
While the killer is waiting for his payment for this killing, the hitman is looking out for his employer and thus money, but that employer, Billy Brogan, has fled the country and leaving his sister Marianne is dangerous trouble, while two other drug dealers will get killed by this hitman at Billy's home, and so for DCI Lorimer and his team to try to locate Marianne before more lethal actions will occur, and after some chasing around and another sudden death, this hitman will be dealt with but not before another innocent policeman's life is lost, while domestic bliss is there for one couple while the other couple will have to endure domestic hurt and sadness at the end.
What is to follow as a whole is a very human and realistic police procedure, with a wonderful storyline, a great build-up towards an exciting executed plot in the end, and all this superbly created by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this very enjoyable lifelike series, and that's why I like to call this latest episode: "A Superb Dreamlike Lethal Sleep"!
First of all I would like to say that this eventful crime novel is the 8th volume of this very human and realistic series, and the last one as far as I'm aware as "DCI Lorimer".
Secondly there's at the beginning of the book a phrase by William Shakespeare from "The Tempest", and this phrase is the perfect background for events happening in this great crime novel.
Thirdly the author's storytelling is simply wonderful, all characters are very lifelike and human in their dealings with domestic life, professional police work, while police procedures and other important matters are very well researched and implemented within this exciting story.
The book starts off with two prologues, one with bad dreams, and the other with a willing dream to kill, and both figures will come to the forefront within this crime novel, especially after the first kill of a man called, Kenneth Scott.
While the killer is waiting for his payment for this killing, the hitman is looking out for his employer and thus money, but that employer, Billy Brogan, has fled the country and leaving his sister Marianne is dangerous trouble, while two other drug dealers will get killed by this hitman at Billy's home, and so for DCI Lorimer and his team to try to locate Marianne before more lethal actions will occur, and after some chasing around and another sudden death, this hitman will be dealt with but not before another innocent policeman's life is lost, while domestic bliss is there for one couple while the other couple will have to endure domestic hurt and sadness at the end.
What is to follow as a whole is a very human and realistic police procedure, with a wonderful storyline, a great build-up towards an exciting executed plot in the end, and all this superbly created by the author.
Very much recommended, for this is another excellent addition to this very enjoyable lifelike series, and that's why I like to call this latest episode: "A Superb Dreamlike Lethal Sleep"!
October 8, 2022
Plenty of suspense in this one. Chief Inspector Lorimer is not only battling the "bad guys," but also his immediate supervisor who seems determined to undermine Lorimer whenever possible.
September 29, 2017
Enjoyed that there were plots within the plots. The characters are very complex.
Favorite character: DCI Lorimer and Detective Constable Frothy. Solly comes in close as well. Why? They have drive and compassion. Are smart and kind. Empathize and are fair. They want to get justice no matter where it leads and are blind to any prejudices that may be there. It is about getting justice for the victim and finding the truth.
Lorimer and his staff are on the hunt for a killer. But it seems that there are multiple murders that seem unrelated but killed by the same person. While trying to figure out why they stumble on clues that bring in a past and Solly unwittingly. While this is going on we get some personal situations as well such as the notes to Frothy, Lorimer and his wife’s relationship and what she is going through and the Hundi.
the story is fast paced and really keeps you on the edge of your seat. You try to figure it all out and the clues drive you batty because they are just enough to whet the appetite but not quite give you the whole picture for they slowly reveal everything. the personal aspect of the characters makes this more real and a great way to distract your mind and tease you about what you know. Those little nuggets of clues drive you to want more. And even after this one is solved there is still a wee bit of a mystery hanging around and it has you wanting to get the next book that has Lorimer in it. The writing is fluid and grabs you with likeable characters, a mystery that captivates you and has you play detective and a story that is complex with the multiple plots and storylines that weave together effortlessly and beautifully.
Favorite character: DCI Lorimer and Detective Constable Frothy. Solly comes in close as well. Why? They have drive and compassion. Are smart and kind. Empathize and are fair. They want to get justice no matter where it leads and are blind to any prejudices that may be there. It is about getting justice for the victim and finding the truth.
Lorimer and his staff are on the hunt for a killer. But it seems that there are multiple murders that seem unrelated but killed by the same person. While trying to figure out why they stumble on clues that bring in a past and Solly unwittingly. While this is going on we get some personal situations as well such as the notes to Frothy, Lorimer and his wife’s relationship and what she is going through and the Hundi.
the story is fast paced and really keeps you on the edge of your seat. You try to figure it all out and the clues drive you batty because they are just enough to whet the appetite but not quite give you the whole picture for they slowly reveal everything. the personal aspect of the characters makes this more real and a great way to distract your mind and tease you about what you know. Those little nuggets of clues drive you to want more. And even after this one is solved there is still a wee bit of a mystery hanging around and it has you wanting to get the next book that has Lorimer in it. The writing is fluid and grabs you with likeable characters, a mystery that captivates you and has you play detective and a story that is complex with the multiple plots and storylines that weave together effortlessly and beautifully.
August 12, 2014
Sounds like Glasgow is a chilling place to live! (I've been there and love it). Alex Gray, a woman, has written a series of books which are to Glasgow as Ian Rankin is to Edinburgh. Well thought out story. As it says on the back cover: "There is a hitman on the streets of Glasgow: unpaid and angry, he's decided to settle his own debts. As the hitman plans a bloody ransom to get his fee, the race is on to find out just who hired him - and who's next on the list." This is my first book by this author. I have others given to me by a friend.
January 31, 2015
This was an intriguing mystery that contained interesting and sympathetic characters. The storyline did seem to go off on tangents but then the threads were carefully pulled back together. A lot of people had a lot of secrets in this story and there was a definite poignancy to some of them. Great whodunit with lots of red herrings!
July 20, 2020
SPOILER ALERT
DCI Lorimer is pulled in different directions in this case for the Strathclyde police in Glasgow. A man who seems innocuous, Kenneth Scott, is found shot to death in his front hallway. He was with the IT call center. He is divorced, no kids. It appears to be a professional hit. Then two men are found in the apartment of Billy Brogan, shot what appears to be the same weapon as Scott, though not as if premeditated. Billy is a known drug dealer, and has disappeared. The two men, Andy Galbraith "Gubby" and "Fraz" Fraser Sandiman were also in the drug scene. In this episode we are also introduced to a new DC Omar Fathy, a Nubian Egyptian, who is transferred from Grambian where he experienced racially hateful notes. He is now getting them at Strathclyde. He tells Lorimer. Fathy is a likable and good policeman; and all the women are hot for the gorgeous man from a wealthy family, who did not want him to go into the police.
To determine what is going on, the team is looking for Scott's former wife, Marianne, who also cannot be found, and as the investigation progresses it is revealed that she is also the sister of Billy Brogan. As a former student of the Glasgow University in Solly Brightman's seminars it seems odd that they cannot find her enrolled for fall classes. They begin looking for anyone with the first name Marianne. Someone at the Uni has helped Marianne hide her identity. Meanwhile we are aware of the hit man Smith who is also looking for Billy because he was not paid for killing Scott, and he wants his L10K. Billy had flown to Cala Millor in Mallorca and plans to go to Marrakesh from there, as they money is keeping him in the high style. However, someone recognizes him, Sahid Jaffery's son, Rashid, who is working for an uncle in Cala Millor. He reports back to the UK and The Hundi who is looking for Billy. Brogan is more than the small time drug dealer that the police think, he move a significant amount of the goods for Pollokshields and has kept some of the money.
We are also introduced to Amit Shafiq, who as a Pakistani came to Britain looking for a better life. His father had been murdered in front of his family by the police. Amit enters into a partnership with another Paramit Dhesi and considers himself lucky as a wealthy man. He makes an arrangement with Marianne to a marriage of convenience, for the L10,000 that will pay for the killing of her ex-husband, and her maintenance and university fees. Scott was serious stalker and she had been having dreams that he was going to kill her. In one of Solly's lectures he talks about dreams, their meaning, and when asked by Marianne what he would do if dreaming of being killed by someone in her dreams, he makes an offhand remark, "why not kill him first". She took it seriously. Amit is in love with Marianne and when he goes to her flat later, finds her gone. She had been getting calls from a supposed former Army friend of her brother's and finally takes him up on his desire to meet. The hit man (Michael Stevens) poses as Max Whittaker and seduces her. They spend some time together before he takes her hostage so she can find her brother for the money he's owed.
When Brogan talks to Max/Mick on the phone, Billy is recovering from a mugging. Marianne tells him the hotel and room number where she is being held before Max can stop her. Billy had made deals with various devils in attempting to reach Marrakesh and had been instead taken to Algeria where is was attacked again, waking up in a hospital. He has no passport and the remaining money was stolen. Afraid for his sister, he tells all to the British Consul in Algiers and the police are contacted in Strathclyde. They set up a cordon and Mick takes Marianne to the roof intending to kill her. Instead he kills DC Omar Fathy as Fathy runs to save Amit. Mick Stevens is then killed.
Both Billy and Marianne face murder conspiracy charges.
Additionally during this story, Lorimer is pulled to his home situation. Maggie is facing a hysterectomy as her health has deteriorated. She is facing the final realization that she will not have a child. This at the same time that Solly Brightman and Dr. Rosie Fergusson are expecting their first. Both come at the same time and Maggie is named godmother to Abigail Margaret. She comes to terms with her life from that point with Solly gaining a professorship, and Lorimer accepting the promotion to head of the new Serious Crime Squad as Chief Superintendent. Finally out of the contentious relationship with the incompetent Detective Super Mark Mitchison.
Good story, if very sad at times. One of the most difficult revelations that Lorimer realizes and does not acknowledge when he talks to Omar's parents is that Fathy's mother was the person sending the hateful notes, hoping he will change is mind about staying in the police. Another sad revelation is the reason Annie Irvine joined the police, having been the recipient of a stalker, and the fear she experienced when the police would do nothing. There is at this point in the UK no provision for going after stalkers, and she makes an emotional outburst when several others make smart remarks about Marianne's stalker. She is further devastated when Omar is killed.
DCI Lorimer is pulled in different directions in this case for the Strathclyde police in Glasgow. A man who seems innocuous, Kenneth Scott, is found shot to death in his front hallway. He was with the IT call center. He is divorced, no kids. It appears to be a professional hit. Then two men are found in the apartment of Billy Brogan, shot what appears to be the same weapon as Scott, though not as if premeditated. Billy is a known drug dealer, and has disappeared. The two men, Andy Galbraith "Gubby" and "Fraz" Fraser Sandiman were also in the drug scene. In this episode we are also introduced to a new DC Omar Fathy, a Nubian Egyptian, who is transferred from Grambian where he experienced racially hateful notes. He is now getting them at Strathclyde. He tells Lorimer. Fathy is a likable and good policeman; and all the women are hot for the gorgeous man from a wealthy family, who did not want him to go into the police.
To determine what is going on, the team is looking for Scott's former wife, Marianne, who also cannot be found, and as the investigation progresses it is revealed that she is also the sister of Billy Brogan. As a former student of the Glasgow University in Solly Brightman's seminars it seems odd that they cannot find her enrolled for fall classes. They begin looking for anyone with the first name Marianne. Someone at the Uni has helped Marianne hide her identity. Meanwhile we are aware of the hit man Smith who is also looking for Billy because he was not paid for killing Scott, and he wants his L10K. Billy had flown to Cala Millor in Mallorca and plans to go to Marrakesh from there, as they money is keeping him in the high style. However, someone recognizes him, Sahid Jaffery's son, Rashid, who is working for an uncle in Cala Millor. He reports back to the UK and The Hundi who is looking for Billy. Brogan is more than the small time drug dealer that the police think, he move a significant amount of the goods for Pollokshields and has kept some of the money.
We are also introduced to Amit Shafiq, who as a Pakistani came to Britain looking for a better life. His father had been murdered in front of his family by the police. Amit enters into a partnership with another Paramit Dhesi and considers himself lucky as a wealthy man. He makes an arrangement with Marianne to a marriage of convenience, for the L10,000 that will pay for the killing of her ex-husband, and her maintenance and university fees. Scott was serious stalker and she had been having dreams that he was going to kill her. In one of Solly's lectures he talks about dreams, their meaning, and when asked by Marianne what he would do if dreaming of being killed by someone in her dreams, he makes an offhand remark, "why not kill him first". She took it seriously. Amit is in love with Marianne and when he goes to her flat later, finds her gone. She had been getting calls from a supposed former Army friend of her brother's and finally takes him up on his desire to meet. The hit man (Michael Stevens) poses as Max Whittaker and seduces her. They spend some time together before he takes her hostage so she can find her brother for the money he's owed.
When Brogan talks to Max/Mick on the phone, Billy is recovering from a mugging. Marianne tells him the hotel and room number where she is being held before Max can stop her. Billy had made deals with various devils in attempting to reach Marrakesh and had been instead taken to Algeria where is was attacked again, waking up in a hospital. He has no passport and the remaining money was stolen. Afraid for his sister, he tells all to the British Consul in Algiers and the police are contacted in Strathclyde. They set up a cordon and Mick takes Marianne to the roof intending to kill her. Instead he kills DC Omar Fathy as Fathy runs to save Amit. Mick Stevens is then killed.
Both Billy and Marianne face murder conspiracy charges.
Additionally during this story, Lorimer is pulled to his home situation. Maggie is facing a hysterectomy as her health has deteriorated. She is facing the final realization that she will not have a child. This at the same time that Solly Brightman and Dr. Rosie Fergusson are expecting their first. Both come at the same time and Maggie is named godmother to Abigail Margaret. She comes to terms with her life from that point with Solly gaining a professorship, and Lorimer accepting the promotion to head of the new Serious Crime Squad as Chief Superintendent. Finally out of the contentious relationship with the incompetent Detective Super Mark Mitchison.
Good story, if very sad at times. One of the most difficult revelations that Lorimer realizes and does not acknowledge when he talks to Omar's parents is that Fathy's mother was the person sending the hateful notes, hoping he will change is mind about staying in the police. Another sad revelation is the reason Annie Irvine joined the police, having been the recipient of a stalker, and the fear she experienced when the police would do nothing. There is at this point in the UK no provision for going after stalkers, and she makes an emotional outburst when several others make smart remarks about Marianne's stalker. She is further devastated when Omar is killed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2025
Ein Mann wird mitten in der Nacht erschossen. Die Tat scheint von einem Profi ausgeführt worden zu sein. Aber wer setzt einen Killer auf einen Mann an, dessen Leben so normal scheint, dass es fast schon langweilig wirkt?
Aber DCI Lorrimer und sein Team merken schon früh dass mehr hinter der Tat zu stecken scheint. Das Opfer ist nicht so harmlos, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Was ist mit der Exfrau, die wie vom Erdboden verschwunden ist? Alle Versuche sie ausfindig zu machen, führen ins Leere. Und was hat ihr Bruder, ein bekannter Dealer mit der Sache zu tun?
Bei diesem Fall ist nichts wie es scheint. Jeder Beteiligte hat etwas zu verbergen. Ob und wie es mit dem Fall zu tun hat, ist auch nach der Entdeckung des Geheimnis nicht immer klar. Es ist schwer, Täter und Opfer klar zu definieren. Ich hatte am Anfang eine klare Vorstellung, wer den Killer angeheuert hat und warum er es gemacht hat. Aber ich lag komplett falsch. Auch bei meinen Vorstellungen von Tätern und Opfern lag ich gründlich daneben. Das zeigt, wie verwickelt der Fall ist und wie viel mehr dahinter steckt.
Ein ruhiger Krimi, bei dem er weniger auf die Tat als auf Täter und Motiv ankommt. Wie immer lässt Alex Gray den Leser tief in die Seele der Beteiligten blicken. Mir gefällt das sehr gut.
Aber DCI Lorrimer und sein Team merken schon früh dass mehr hinter der Tat zu stecken scheint. Das Opfer ist nicht so harmlos, wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint. Was ist mit der Exfrau, die wie vom Erdboden verschwunden ist? Alle Versuche sie ausfindig zu machen, führen ins Leere. Und was hat ihr Bruder, ein bekannter Dealer mit der Sache zu tun?
Bei diesem Fall ist nichts wie es scheint. Jeder Beteiligte hat etwas zu verbergen. Ob und wie es mit dem Fall zu tun hat, ist auch nach der Entdeckung des Geheimnis nicht immer klar. Es ist schwer, Täter und Opfer klar zu definieren. Ich hatte am Anfang eine klare Vorstellung, wer den Killer angeheuert hat und warum er es gemacht hat. Aber ich lag komplett falsch. Auch bei meinen Vorstellungen von Tätern und Opfern lag ich gründlich daneben. Das zeigt, wie verwickelt der Fall ist und wie viel mehr dahinter steckt.
Ein ruhiger Krimi, bei dem er weniger auf die Tat als auf Täter und Motiv ankommt. Wie immer lässt Alex Gray den Leser tief in die Seele der Beteiligten blicken. Mir gefällt das sehr gut.
Read
August 17, 2023Everyone is searching for Billy Brogan and his sister, Marianne. Marianne's ex-husband Kenneth Scott is gunned down in his home and two men are found dead in Billy's West End flat. But Billy is on the run to Spain, with the money that was meant to pay the hit man who killed Kenneth. Now the hit man remains in Glasgow, seeking not just his fee for his job but the elusive Marianne. The woman has been a mature student of Dr Solomon Brightman, psychology lecturer at Glasgow University and criminal profiler. Why, when she meets him unexpectedly in a Glasgow bookshop, does she tell him she owes him such a lot? And what is her relationship to Amit, the educated Pakistani refugee from Lahore? DCI Lorimer is given the news that psychological profiling is no longer allowed following a case of wrongful arrest down South, but can his friendship with Solly produce the necessary clues in this case? And will Solly be able to find his missing student before time runs out for her?
Great.
Great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
Lorimer and his team are investigating three deaths in Glasgow, apparently the work of a hitman. The first victim , Kenneth Scott, is a divorced man with nothing in his life to suggest anyone would want him dead, and the others are petty criminals , seemingly with no connection to Scott. Lorimer knows there must be a link somewhere, and starts searching for Scott's ex-wife Marianne, who may be able to throw some light on the problem, but she has vanished without trace.
A well written fast moving story, but be warned - a tragic ending.
A well written fast moving story, but be warned - a tragic ending.
July 20, 2017
DCI William Lorimer works the streets of Glasgow in a hard hitting Series. With his now friend, and profiler, Solomon Brightman, they try to solve the grizzly murders found in the Scottish city .. Really strong characterisation and the storylines are all different and well paced. The personal lives of these two men are also really well developed, and their continuum comes across as 'thought out' and not just as an afterthought. Only a few more and I'll be up to date on the whole Series.
April 7, 2018
Not really a who dunnit? but more of a how and why and how the police put together the evidence and bring the culprits to justice. If you're after a thriller that keeps you guessing this wouldn't be it but if you enjoy a gritty read with rounded characters and are a fan of police detective stories you'll probably enjoy it.
August 3, 2018
I felt this was a better read than the last few - through them all I want to keep up with the Lorimers and their friends Rosie and Solomon, and this story brought more of the wow factor back with the story involving the characters. Working my way through Alex Gray's books, as I've missed them until now.
November 14, 2023
Readable, coherent, but pretty run-of-the-mill with some pretty arbitrary deaths shovelled into the plot. The focal detective Lorimer is rather nondescript, and the Daily Mail blurb ("Brings Glasgow to life in the same way Ian Rankin evokes Edinburgh") is a major distractor!! Good enough, though, for a book picked up from the public library's book-swap shelf.
November 19, 2021
I have enjoyed some of the books in this series but left disappointed by others. There was most likely a good story buried in this one, but it was lost under too many pages of irrelevant and peripheral matters.
June 8, 2023
Another corker from Alex Gray. What a superb writer. highly recommend. Don't expect Ian Rankin - no matter what newspapers say or how they compare them. Not only different cities, but different characters and different writing. Just read them both and enjoy both.
June 3, 2018
Excellent from begining to end
July 16, 2018
3.5 stars
March 31, 2019
Could not put it down, very exciting
May 10, 2019
Another brilliant Lorimer mystery by Alex Gray
November 14, 2020
Best Lorimer book to date. Excellent story and really well written
December 27, 2020
Not a bad book, but certainly not her usual murder mystery offering. Nicely sets up future books though.
December 20, 2021
Really enjoyed this book.
December 17, 2022
not great
January 1, 2023
great read
January 24, 2023
Another brilliant DCI Lorimer read!
May 7, 2023
Good read. Interesting characters. Will buy more of this author
June 15, 2023
Very average
May 29, 2024
Good all round but a curiously rushed, unlikely ending. Not best in series
July 11, 2024
Bit of a slow burner as lots of characters and things going on to keep up with however got great at the end !
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews