What do you think?
Rate this book
A Cooper and White Mystery #2
Deadly Dreams
WHAT IF YOU KILLED SOMEONE IN YOUR SLEEP? When Lily Hartman goes to wake Annie, a visiting family friend, she discovers to her horror that the woman isn't sleeping in the guestroom. She's dead. Someone suffocated her the night before. Detectives Cooper and White are called in to solve the murder. They soon learn that beautiful Annie was really Lily's husband Rick's friend. Lily's DNA is all over the pillow used to smother Annie and there are no signs of a break-in to their apartment. Coupled with the fact that the detectives sense Lily was jealous of Annie, she becomes their main suspect. Lily, who is a sleepwalker, herself wonders if she is guilty of killing Annie in her sleep. She recently discovered that Rick and Annie were having an affair, so she secretly resents Annie. Is Lily the killer or is someone setting her up? The truth is worse than she can imagine. NOTE: DEADLY DREAMS is a stand-alone murder mystery with no explicit sex and little violence. If you're a fan of Rachel Abbott, Agatha Christie, and Toby Neal, it will likely appeal to you.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 25, 2017
272 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Julia Derek
104 books116 followersJulia Derek is originally from Sweden and is a trainer by day and writer by night. She's the author of several mystery and thriller books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 24, 2018
This was a fast and entertaining read. There were some nice twists athough the ending was somewhat predictable. The characters were lacking depth (IMO) but, it really didn't matter since the story moved quickly. There were quite a few editing errors, which could have been easily corrected and it is a pet peeve of mine when it interrupts my reading.
This book has received many positive reviews so I would recommend it, since the story is dramatic and interesting but not a wow for me.
I have rated this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟🌠
This book has received many positive reviews so I would recommend it, since the story is dramatic and interesting but not a wow for me.
I have rated this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟🌠
October 14, 2020
Deadly Dreams is billed as “a gripping suspense novel” but the only gripping part for me was me gripping the book in my hands while I struggled to read it, and the only suspense was wondering whether the boring story and bland characters would put me to sleep. If the author had honestly marketed her book as a soporific instead of a murder mystery, I might have awarded her five stars — when I woke up.
In Deadly Dreams, two NYPD detectives are investigating the mysterious death of a guest in the Upper East Side apartment of a wealthy woman and her husband, a Manhattan lawyer.
I have so many favorite bad parts of this book that picking the worst is a challenge. Our two aforementioned NYPD detectives, male and female, are on patrol and have as their guest passenger a troubled teenager who the female detective is sponsoring as a sort of Big Sister. Evidently the City of New York has no liability issues letting their cops drive civilians around town watching them in action.
Anyway, the teenager needs them to stop at a gas station in Brooklyn so he can use the bathroom. In an impossible coincidence in this city of 9 million people, precisely at that place and time inside this totally random gas station in Brooklyn, the teenager bumps into the aforementioned Manhattan lawyer, who had never seen him before, and impresses the teenager as a “bad hombre” (his words).
The teenager mentions the casual encounter to the cops who recognize the lawyer as he’s driving away by the back of his head (you read that correctly: the back of his head), the cops tail the lawyer and catch him buying drugs on the street he would later use to commit a crime. I won’t say anything more about the crime in case you decide to make my mistake and read the book.
That said, it’s not as entertaining as it sounds. This book is a very good example of some very bad writing.
In Deadly Dreams, two NYPD detectives are investigating the mysterious death of a guest in the Upper East Side apartment of a wealthy woman and her husband, a Manhattan lawyer.
I have so many favorite bad parts of this book that picking the worst is a challenge. Our two aforementioned NYPD detectives, male and female, are on patrol and have as their guest passenger a troubled teenager who the female detective is sponsoring as a sort of Big Sister. Evidently the City of New York has no liability issues letting their cops drive civilians around town watching them in action.
Anyway, the teenager needs them to stop at a gas station in Brooklyn so he can use the bathroom. In an impossible coincidence in this city of 9 million people, precisely at that place and time inside this totally random gas station in Brooklyn, the teenager bumps into the aforementioned Manhattan lawyer, who had never seen him before, and impresses the teenager as a “bad hombre” (his words).
The teenager mentions the casual encounter to the cops who recognize the lawyer as he’s driving away by the back of his head (you read that correctly: the back of his head), the cops tail the lawyer and catch him buying drugs on the street he would later use to commit a crime. I won’t say anything more about the crime in case you decide to make my mistake and read the book.
That said, it’s not as entertaining as it sounds. This book is a very good example of some very bad writing.
August 15, 2017
Excellent
Wow! I started reading this book this morning and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I love the main charcters in this book. I love everything about this book. This is a great author. Im going to read the rest of her books now!
Wow! I started reading this book this morning and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I love the main charcters in this book. I love everything about this book. This is a great author. Im going to read the rest of her books now!
January 2, 2018
I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars as it wasn't quite a 4 for me but definitely not a 3 either. It was an interesting read for sure and I didn't figure out the whodunnit right away but I think the ending came together too quickly for my liking. I liked that it didn't drag on too long though so I'd recommend it if you're looking for a quick but interesting mystery read.
November 12, 2017
High security building, an old college buddy of your husband, has been killed in your guest room. That is enough to shake anyone up, and to catch us as readers wanting to know who, what and why. Detective Cooper and White show up, young, but wisdom showed in the eyes..Rick, says he hadn't seen the victim in years, but Lily knows differently. She had secrets, of why she had nightmares, death of her sister was only part of it, known to do sleepwalking. What follows is a twisted plot, with an unknown ending. Readers will love this mystery and this series., wanting to finish once started.
April 11, 2019
I really liked this book.
It's a story about a husband and a wife. Wife loves husband dearly and husband is a cheating,money hungry pig who just acts to love and care for his wife. Lily/wife and Rick/husband find each other . Rick knows Lily comes from money. He also knows she has tried committing suicide before. They end up getting married and she sends him to law school. All the while he is cheating on him with a girl from college. Lily just loves him so. Rick "helps" her through some issues. Lily is lead to believe she is a bad sleepwalker(reality...not that bad) Rick invited his ex girlfriend to stay with them for a few days since she is having a hard time with her husband. Lily "sleepwalks" kills Annie and doesn't remember a thing. All the while Rick has been feeding Lily hard drugs to make her forget and sleep walk. Come to find out Lily did not kill Annie. Rick drugged Lily with hard drugs. Rick tries to have Lily killed by buying harder drugs and having his girlfriend make her take the pills. Lily thinks Rick is being held hostage. He was not. It's all apart of his evil plan that back fires on him and his girlfriend even though they were both so careful. The detectives have been tailing him found out her bought and gave her drugs. The girlfriend is caught at the airport and Rick was also caught questioned and ended up spilling the beans. Lily was rushed to the ER,stomach pumped and survived.
It's a story about a husband and a wife. Wife loves husband dearly and husband is a cheating,money hungry pig who just acts to love and care for his wife. Lily/wife and Rick/husband find each other . Rick knows Lily comes from money. He also knows she has tried committing suicide before. They end up getting married and she sends him to law school. All the while he is cheating on him with a girl from college. Lily just loves him so. Rick "helps" her through some issues. Lily is lead to believe she is a bad sleepwalker(reality...not that bad) Rick invited his ex girlfriend to stay with them for a few days since she is having a hard time with her husband. Lily "sleepwalks" kills Annie and doesn't remember a thing. All the while Rick has been feeding Lily hard drugs to make her forget and sleep walk. Come to find out Lily did not kill Annie. Rick drugged Lily with hard drugs. Rick tries to have Lily killed by buying harder drugs and having his girlfriend make her take the pills. Lily thinks Rick is being held hostage. He was not. It's all apart of his evil plan that back fires on him and his girlfriend even though they were both so careful. The detectives have been tailing him found out her bought and gave her drugs. The girlfriend is caught at the airport and Rick was also caught questioned and ended up spilling the beans. Lily was rushed to the ER,stomach pumped and survived.
July 4, 2019
Page turner
I was hooked from the start to the last page. Well written suspense with enough twists and turns to keep you riveted. Being a stand alone novel in a series is a plus. No need to wait for the next book for an ending. Would read more from this author.
I was hooked from the start to the last page. Well written suspense with enough twists and turns to keep you riveted. Being a stand alone novel in a series is a plus. No need to wait for the next book for an ending. Would read more from this author.
December 15, 2017
A really good suspense novel !
Finding the body of your husband’s mistress in a bed in your guest room is bad enough, but then thinking you may have done it while sleepwalking is even worse. This is the situation Lily Hartman finds herself in.
This is my first book by Julia Derek, but I’m looking forward to reading more of her books I like the characters of Detectives Cooper and White - they fit well in this storyline
This book kept me interested and it moved at a good pace. I’d recommend it to any fans Of the suspense genre
Finding the body of your husband’s mistress in a bed in your guest room is bad enough, but then thinking you may have done it while sleepwalking is even worse. This is the situation Lily Hartman finds herself in.
This is my first book by Julia Derek, but I’m looking forward to reading more of her books I like the characters of Detectives Cooper and White - they fit well in this storyline
This book kept me interested and it moved at a good pace. I’d recommend it to any fans Of the suspense genre
December 15, 2017
Straight Forward Detective Novel
This book is not a bad read. However the mystery is easy to figure out. There are also some editing issues that should be addressed. This is a quick easy read with no annoying cliffhangers. If you are looking for something like that, I recommended this enjoyable book.
This book is not a bad read. However the mystery is easy to figure out. There are also some editing issues that should be addressed. This is a quick easy read with no annoying cliffhangers. If you are looking for something like that, I recommended this enjoyable book.
June 29, 2018
Predictable
Easy to figure out mystery. No unexpected twists. Interesting view of the trauma of closed head injury rehabilitation without a fairytale ending. Good romance and characters in hospital well developed. J would recommend this book for newbies who are just starting to enjoy mysteries.
Easy to figure out mystery. No unexpected twists. Interesting view of the trauma of closed head injury rehabilitation without a fairytale ending. Good romance and characters in hospital well developed. J would recommend this book for newbies who are just starting to enjoy mysteries.
February 8, 2018
Nice, crisp and Hard hitting book.
If you enjoy crime dramas, then this book is for you. It’s filled with a lot of action and twists and turns, so much so that I could not put it down. It certainly kept me on the edge of my seat! Happy reading!
If you enjoy crime dramas, then this book is for you. It’s filled with a lot of action and twists and turns, so much so that I could not put it down. It certainly kept me on the edge of my seat! Happy reading!
May 6, 2017
This book could have benefited from some heavy editing.
June 1, 2017
Deadly Dreams:
Has got to be one of the best murder mystery story's I have ever read.And what a very surprising ending!
Has got to be one of the best murder mystery story's I have ever read.And what a very surprising ending!
June 23, 2017
DaydreAms
This is Avery good suspense book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat . I highly recommend this series. Loved the suspense.
This is Avery good suspense book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat . I highly recommend this series. Loved the suspense.
December 1, 2017
very good
December 8, 2017
Deadly Dreams.
This book was very well written. I really enjoy figuring out who did it before we are told. She kept the suspense going for quite awhile.
This book was very well written. I really enjoy figuring out who did it before we are told. She kept the suspense going for quite awhile.
December 9, 2017
I knew who had done it but not why
December 13, 2017
Good read
Very entertaining story, believable characters and enough suspense to keep you turning the page. I will be reading more of this author.
Very entertaining story, believable characters and enough suspense to keep you turning the page. I will be reading more of this author.
February 16, 2018
Not too bad, but not enough to make me read it very quickly. It was a good book to have on my phone to read when waiting for something else.
March 20, 2018
This was a really good book. The only complaint that I have is that I couldn’t put it down. It is one of those books that you don’t want to stop reading because it just gets better and better.
November 18, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I would have given it more but I figured out who did it fairly early in the story. However, it was still an interesting book & I enjoyed reading it.
November 20, 2020
Good read
Had this figured out early but not the entire story. Was a good story and characters were well fleshed out. Would like to try another
Had this figured out early but not the entire story. Was a good story and characters were well fleshed out. Would like to try another
Read
February 19, 2018I am really enjoying this series. I loved the extensive plotting that the villain does to achieve the desired end. Very clever and well written. Looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews