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Aidan Waits Thriller #3
The Sleepwalker
‘He said he didn’t remember killing them…’
As a series of rolling blackouts plunge the city into darkness, Detective Aidan Waits sits on an abandoned hospital ward, watching a mass murderer slowly die. Transferred from his usual night shift duties and onto protective custody, he has just one job…
To extract the location of Martin Wick’s final victim before the notorious mass murderer passes away.
Wick has spent over a decade in prison, in near-total silence, having confessed to an unspeakable crime that shocked the nation and earned him the nickname of The Sleepwalker.
But when a daring premeditated attack leaves one police officer dead and another one fighting for his life, Wick’s whispered last words will send Waits on a journey into the heart of darkness…
Manipulated by a reticent psychopath from his past, and under investigation from his new partner, Detective Constable Naomi Black, Waits realises too late that a remorseless contract killer is at work.
Can Aidan Waits solve his last case before fleeing justice?
Or will his name be next on the hit list?
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 11, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
February 22, 2020
Joseph Knox is a writer of great quality, and nowhere is that more evident than in his latest instalment in the Detective Aidan Waits series.
It seems to be a thing in recent years that our protagonists must come with their own personal demons, but Detective Waits comes with a whole gamut of them, this is one very dark and troubled individual.
This time around Waits and his partner DI Peter Sutcliffe ( Sutty)are relegated to keeping guard over serial killer Martin Wick, who’s slowly dying of cancer in St Mary’s hospital in Manchester. Wick’s has something important to tell Sutty, but just as he’s passing on this information, an attack takes place leaving Wicks dead, along with one police officer, and results in Sutty suffering from severe burns, and fighting for his life. However, what information Wick did manage to pass on, will take Waits into some very dark places, and will involve even darker characters.
I won’t go into any more detail but what an excellent read this is. The storyline is just brilliant, with Knox’s Manchester proving as gritty and raw a backdrop as you’re likely to come across. Wait’s character is even more flawed than your average protagonist, with some of his colleagues believing he’s as corrupt as the criminals they’re up against, but that makes him all the more interesting. A terrific read right the way through, leading to a heart pounding conclusion! Very dark, very complex, but complex as it is, Knox brings it all together beautifully, with many curve balls thrown in for good measure. Utterly riveting!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Transworld for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
It seems to be a thing in recent years that our protagonists must come with their own personal demons, but Detective Waits comes with a whole gamut of them, this is one very dark and troubled individual.
This time around Waits and his partner DI Peter Sutcliffe ( Sutty)are relegated to keeping guard over serial killer Martin Wick, who’s slowly dying of cancer in St Mary’s hospital in Manchester. Wick’s has something important to tell Sutty, but just as he’s passing on this information, an attack takes place leaving Wicks dead, along with one police officer, and results in Sutty suffering from severe burns, and fighting for his life. However, what information Wick did manage to pass on, will take Waits into some very dark places, and will involve even darker characters.
I won’t go into any more detail but what an excellent read this is. The storyline is just brilliant, with Knox’s Manchester proving as gritty and raw a backdrop as you’re likely to come across. Wait’s character is even more flawed than your average protagonist, with some of his colleagues believing he’s as corrupt as the criminals they’re up against, but that makes him all the more interesting. A terrific read right the way through, leading to a heart pounding conclusion! Very dark, very complex, but complex as it is, Knox brings it all together beautifully, with many curve balls thrown in for good measure. Utterly riveting!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Transworld for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
June 22, 2019
This is a firecracker of an addition to the Manchester Noir series by Joseph Knox featuring DC Aidan Waits, the flawed and disgraced antihero shunted onto the nightshifts with his partner, DI Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe. Aidan has been assigned, along with Sutty, to protect the infamous terminally ill serial killer dubbed The Sleepwalker, Martin Wick, in hospital, and tasked with trying to ascertain the location of the body of one of his victims, Lizzie. Several attempts on Wick's life had been made in Strangeways prison, Wick's had tried to take back his confession, claiming he could not remember what happened on the night a mother and her children were killed in their home. Wick has maintained his silence regarding Lizzie Moore, but has asked to speak to Sutty. After becoming aware that someone has breached security, a photograph of Wick eating breakfast has made the front page of a newspaper, a worried Aidan returns with Sutty only for all hell to break loose, that leaves Wick dead, an armed police guard dead, and Sutty with serious burns in intensive care.
Disturbed by Wick's last words to him, Aidan finds himself boxed in, in hock to numerous dangerous figures that threaten his life, including the manipulative Superintendent Parr, a member of the armed police team, and a man from his past. Parr has him conducting a shadow investigation to the official one run by DCI James, partnered by DC Naomi Black, a woman AIdan is immediately suspicious of, resulting in a spiky and tense relationship between the two of them. Their investigation has them looking at the original police investigation run by DI Kevin Blake, now retired who had written a book on Martin Wick, Frank Moore, now a motivational speaker, with a new family, and chasing the suspect woman with a tattooed face seen at the hospital. The past raises its head with a social worker contacting Aidan about his mother as Aidan dithers about getting in touch with his sister, Anne, and someone is setting up Aidan with every intention of bringing him down.
Knox creates a very dark and unsettling world, with Manchester's criminal underbelly laid bare, where it is often difficult to distinguish between the police and the criminals. Zain Carver, a powerful and ruthless drug dealer, has grown ever more respected running the well known club, The Light Fantastic, a man who has not forgotten or forgiven Aidan. The novel opens with Tessa Klein, and this is connected up at the end in a spectacular fashion, with those in the police hierarchy engaged in bitter political shenanigans in their efforts to avoid blame. It is the character of Aidan, whose life is hanging on by a thread and run through with a never ending and all encompassing darkness who holds centre stage in this wonderful series. This is a terrific and hugely memorable series, and this is an astounding addition, that will appeal to those who gravitate towards the darkest of crime reads, although I do suggest starting from the beginning. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.
Disturbed by Wick's last words to him, Aidan finds himself boxed in, in hock to numerous dangerous figures that threaten his life, including the manipulative Superintendent Parr, a member of the armed police team, and a man from his past. Parr has him conducting a shadow investigation to the official one run by DCI James, partnered by DC Naomi Black, a woman AIdan is immediately suspicious of, resulting in a spiky and tense relationship between the two of them. Their investigation has them looking at the original police investigation run by DI Kevin Blake, now retired who had written a book on Martin Wick, Frank Moore, now a motivational speaker, with a new family, and chasing the suspect woman with a tattooed face seen at the hospital. The past raises its head with a social worker contacting Aidan about his mother as Aidan dithers about getting in touch with his sister, Anne, and someone is setting up Aidan with every intention of bringing him down.
Knox creates a very dark and unsettling world, with Manchester's criminal underbelly laid bare, where it is often difficult to distinguish between the police and the criminals. Zain Carver, a powerful and ruthless drug dealer, has grown ever more respected running the well known club, The Light Fantastic, a man who has not forgotten or forgiven Aidan. The novel opens with Tessa Klein, and this is connected up at the end in a spectacular fashion, with those in the police hierarchy engaged in bitter political shenanigans in their efforts to avoid blame. It is the character of Aidan, whose life is hanging on by a thread and run through with a never ending and all encompassing darkness who holds centre stage in this wonderful series. This is a terrific and hugely memorable series, and this is an astounding addition, that will appeal to those who gravitate towards the darkest of crime reads, although I do suggest starting from the beginning. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.
June 17, 2019
To call this a rollercoaster of a ride is the understatement of the year. Seriously. I stayed up way past late on a work night to finish and even when I finally turned the last page, my mind was too wide awake to think about sleeping. Now, trying to write something about the experience two weeks later, I’m at a loss. I’m still stunned by the crazy energy of the last section of the book and the masterpiece that is this series as a whole. I just don't have the words to describe it. Joseph Knox writes the best British noir, without doubt. This instalment brings together threads from the first two books in surprising, devastating, and bloody ways, acting as a kind of trilogy finale. It’s gritty reality boldly done, with a main character who follows his own version of right and wrong, but somehow manages to be the bright light at the heart of a dark world. It’s intense and clever, truly unmissable fiction. Pick up Sirens and meet Aiden Waits. You won't regret it: crime writing doesn’t get much better than this.
ARC via Netgalley
ARC via Netgalley
June 26, 2019
The Sleepwalker, book three in the Aidan Watts series by Joseph Knox, is the very definition of a dark, gritty, nasty crime story. In a time when everyone is trying to out-grittty each other, Knox seems to do it almost effortlessly. Thus far, every book in the series is excellent, including this one.
The setting for this novel is Manchester, England, and, while you could sing about Here Comes the Sun in nearby Liverpool at one time, Knox’ Manchester is dark, gloomy, filled with abandoned buildings and squatters, drug addicts, corruption at every level, and all kinds of criminal activities. Aidan Watts is a police detective, but more along the lines of an anti-hero, a British Serpico who can’t count on any loyalty from anyone, a man who lives in despair and toys with suicidal tendencies, a man who is still tied in to drug dealers and who is only just on the edge of spinning completely out of control. He’s not close to anyone and can’t really trust anyone, not even his partners.
The story opens with Watts and his partner charged with 24 hour duty protecting a famed child killer who has been moved from prison to a public hospital for treatment, keeping him barely alive for a short time, hoping he might make a deathbed confession about the fate of the missing family member whose body was never found when he hacked the others to death. Not exactly the proudest duty but someone’s gotta do it.
The story continues in explosions of violence, of backstabbing, of betrayals, of things that don’t make sense. With everyone and everything arrested against him and no one - not one- that he can trust Watts tries desperately to find answers before everything collapses about him.
The writing is tightly drawn and there are lots of great descriptions. If you like gritty crime fiction, this one’s for you.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
The setting for this novel is Manchester, England, and, while you could sing about Here Comes the Sun in nearby Liverpool at one time, Knox’ Manchester is dark, gloomy, filled with abandoned buildings and squatters, drug addicts, corruption at every level, and all kinds of criminal activities. Aidan Watts is a police detective, but more along the lines of an anti-hero, a British Serpico who can’t count on any loyalty from anyone, a man who lives in despair and toys with suicidal tendencies, a man who is still tied in to drug dealers and who is only just on the edge of spinning completely out of control. He’s not close to anyone and can’t really trust anyone, not even his partners.
The story opens with Watts and his partner charged with 24 hour duty protecting a famed child killer who has been moved from prison to a public hospital for treatment, keeping him barely alive for a short time, hoping he might make a deathbed confession about the fate of the missing family member whose body was never found when he hacked the others to death. Not exactly the proudest duty but someone’s gotta do it.
The story continues in explosions of violence, of backstabbing, of betrayals, of things that don’t make sense. With everyone and everything arrested against him and no one - not one- that he can trust Watts tries desperately to find answers before everything collapses about him.
The writing is tightly drawn and there are lots of great descriptions. If you like gritty crime fiction, this one’s for you.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
February 7, 2019
Ten Stars again for Joseph Knox. W O W.
This is his third book, again a supernova noir Masterpiece!
Completely, utterly brilliant in every way. Astounding, astonishing, dark and wonderful and sad. The best book I’ve read since his The Smiling Man a year ago, and his extraordinary debut Sirens two years ago. This one is even better.
My copy is a pre-release proof, inscribed by Joe, and posted to me by the author's own hand ! This is the most excited I've ever been to read a book.
(Jospeh Knox provides some incredible background notes at the very end of this review)
Full size image here
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
The book starts with Aidan and Sutty sharing an unwanted duty, watching over a terminally ill criminal dying in an isolated hospital room. You can feel the dull hours piling up, although Aidan seems happy to be on "low profile", and away from Superintendent Parrs' manipulation and abuse. The Firearms guard, Rennick, watches carefully from the old nurses station, but you can tell the dull hours are affecting him as well.
The city is Manchester, in the autumn, just as grimy and foreboding as in Knox's previous masterpieces, Sirens and The Smiling Man, and with so many wandering the streets, seemingly unaware of the truth:
We climbed the steps out on to the street and hailed a taxi, both staring out the windows as we rode, watching the city stream by. Charity workers going between wild-eyed homeless men. Boys peacocking, loaded with drink, on their way to or from pubs or clubs. And the girls gliding along in formation, doubling up and laughing at life.
Aidan contemplates Sutty:
My partner Was built like a hip flask. A stout, neckless head on top of broad shoulders, with the whisky breath to match. There was something off, curdled even, about his face, which was bleach- white all over and studded with strange lumps beneath the skin. Somehow it suited his personality, like the warning sign printed on rat poison. He never ironed either of his suits, but filled them to absolute breaking point so they appeared perfectly pressed.
-
Rennick, the armed guard, was in position as I emerged from the stairwell, Sutty still some way behind me ... and he wore full tactical-style uniform. Body armour and fingerless gloves, as well as the newly issued black baseball cap. With the amount of equipment strapped to his vest, including speedcuffs, radio and taser, as well as the sidearm, medical kit and back-up rounds, he looked like a little boy's action figure. He was reading the newspaper and smiling to himself scratching his ear with a G36 assault rifle.
Full size image here
Then late one night, there’s a horrible attack on the dying prisoner, launching the complex central mysteries of the book. Nothing is as it seems, of course, and Aidan performs brilliantly, just as we expect, and is hated for it, again as we expect.
Superintendent Parrs, as we also expect, steps in with the usual blackmail and threats against Aidan, blaming him for things gone wrong, forcing him into a "shadow investigation" of the murder, and assigns him the sharp and delicious Constable Naomi Black as his partner. Black was seen briefly in The Smiling Man. Pay close attention to her now!
Constable Naomi Black
I didn't think I’d seen her out of uniform before, and was trying to get a read on her style. Black jeans, Doc Martens and a thick, dark green parka jacket. She had short, afro hair with the tips dyed blond and, taken altogether, looked a little like Liam Gallagher's half-sister. ... She was quick-witted and had a keen eye for bullshit. It was all the more reason to keep her at arm's length ...
An imagined Constable Naomi Black, casual dress
Full size image here
Again, nothing is as it seems. Throughout the book, you feel the tickle of thinking you know what's really going on, fitting the mismatched pieces of the puzzle together. And sometimes, rarely, you catch on early to something important... Mild
The suspects multiply and are eliminated, again and again. New mysteries arise. A news journalist of questionable ethics drifts in and out of suspicion, and a ex-detective, who has made a life for himself by writing about the original horrific murders of ten years ago, muddies the waters of the investigation throughout the book.
After the horrific attack in the hospital, Aidan wanders out into the dawn. Knox's prose is always fabulous:
It was 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. The bloodshot autumnal sky tinted the air red, and the whole city looked like a bar with the lights up at last orders. I watched the men still ending their Saturday nights, draining crinkled beer cans, queuing for takeaways. Brand-new couples flagging down taxis, the boys attaching themselves to girls like barnacles. I turned on to Portland Street, skirting Chinatown, passing the twenty-four-hour casinos and strip clubs, the raw-eyed patrons squinting into the dawn.
Aidan wanders by the club owned by Zain Carver, a truly evil villain, still successful after the events of Sirens and The Smiling Man.
Rubbing my eyes, I turned for home. In recent years I'd lived a few different lives in this town, but it felt like I'd died as many deaths. Looking over my shoulder at that solitary lit window, I got the feeling I was down to my very last one.
Last year, Knox promised us that the horrific Victorian prison, Strangeways, would feature in this, his next book.
Her Majesty's Prison was an infamous shithole. To me the name sounded fanciful, like the queen summered there or something. It had been hastily rebranded from Strangeways in the early nineties, when a twenty-five-day riot and rooftop protest resulted in millions of pounds of damage and the deaths of two men, one officer and one inmate. In the wake of these protests, and the spotlight it had thrown on to living conditions, authorities had been forced into drastic renovation work on the dilapidated Victorian compound. The rebrand hadn't worked, though, everyone still called it Strangeways.
Full size image here
Aidan and Naomi meet Adam, a key to the mystery, in his cell at Strangeways. He shows Aidan a book. Again we see Aidan's fine heart, and in noir, those take the greatest beatings:
Adam: "It was built two years after Dostoevsky published Crime and Punishment... What does that tell you?"
"That the architect didn't read it very closely,” I said.
He snorted again and I asked if we could sit down. Sitting there in the segregated wing of Strangeways, wearing pigtails and covered in self-harming scars, I thought Iid never seen someone so alone. When I shifted closer he winced like I might hit him. I held open my hands to show that I wouldn't, and he looked up, half-smiled and nodded. He wiped his face with his prison-issue shirt, smearing some of his make-up.
Full size image here
Pressed by Parrs, Adian and Naomi must visit Zain Carver in his club:
Whatever was happening in the outside world, times were good for the patrons of the Light Fantastic. They'd inherited good times when they were born and they'd pass them on to their gilded children again when they died. I was heading for the bar when a hostess glided towards me. She wore a black cocktail dress and had a smile that looked like the answer to all of life's problems.
-
Zain Carver was a magician when it came to ruining women's lives. He surrounded himself with these beautiful young assistants and then delighted in sawing them up, making them disappear. Sometimes a new girl on his arm might end up on the game, or in hospital, or back with her parents feeling five years older, a permanent faraway look in her eyes. Sometimes you just never saw them again.
As the pieces of the various puzzles start to come together, the pressure on Aidan increases more and more. An unassuming step-ladder seen leaning on a bookcase in Aidan's apartment shifts the plot significantly and dangerously against him. The skilled and nervous Firearms Officer we met earlier, Louisa Jankowski, becomes a terrible personal problem for Aidan and drastically impedes the solution to the case.
I imagine her something like this, in full kit
Full size image here
Aidan is caught in a multi-jawed vice between the truth, the police, the criminals and his own tarnished character. These all continue to thrash and smoke under Aidan's probing, and the pressures on him reach mind-breaking levels.
-
There are some fine views of Aidan's younger life, as in this gem as he visits Anne, his sister.
I nodded. "I stole cars when I was younger."
She shifted so she was facing me, but I kept my eyes on the road.
"And you think it was because..."
"Yeah," I said. "I never went anywhere. I'd just break in and then sleep in the back.”
As I spoke I realized I'd never shared this with anyone, and saying it out loud felt like something unlocking inside me. It felt like being cured of a terminal illness.
Aiden and Naomi hot rough patches in their partnership -
Aiden to Naomi:"I won't let you down again."
"It's not me you're letting down."
The way she said the words made them sound like the distance between what I was and what I should be.
Aidan and Naomi doggedly resolve all but one of the mysteries, but at an horrific price.
The climax is astounding and true, the various plots resolving, and then a final unexpected climax, poignant and powerful, tying the scene in the first chapter to this last one. Aidan considers the politicians, the criminals and how he's arrived at this terrible point in his life:
Career politicians, failing upwards, always just out of spitting distance, and all the good men with black holes where their eyes should be. Carbon footprints. Panic rooms. Charismatic racists and gifted liars. Salesmen. Businessmen. Salary men. All the good men with black holes where their hearts should be. All the sticks of lipstick smeared into all the collars. Apocalyptic weather reports and the birds, chirping, singing, screaming in the trees.
Now suddenly I see where Joe is taking us. Where his next book will go.... Incredible.
Pure Genius, Joe!
_____________
AFTER you've finished the book, here’s a reminder of that little niggling scene you are trying to remember....
_____________
My Notes:
14.0%
Superb. Knox is already on Mount Olympus with the other gods of noir. Fabulous. And here we see Aidan with Parrs smouldering and Constable Naomi Black an unwillingly moth to Aidan's flame. Brilliant.
35.0%
Absolutely fabulous!
50.0%
Absolutely brilliant!
56.0%
An extraordinary few moments of tenderness, Aiden's true heart, in the presence of a badly broken and confused inmate at Strangeways prison. There are surprising tears in my eyes.
62.0%
Another supernova masterpiece from Knox. Extraordinary.
71.0%
We know Aidan has such a fine heart, and in noir, those always take the greatest beatings.
87.0%
Brilliant plotting, sharp dialogue, extraordinary.
100%
WOW ! I now see where Joe is taking us. Where his next book will go. Pure Genius.
____________________________________
Notes from Joseph Knox's Newsletter on The Sleepwalker
The Sleepwalker is the third Aidan Waits novel, and the culmination of a long journey that I embarked on about ten years ago. Sirens, the first book in the series, took roughly eight years to write, and the sequels, Smiling Man and Sleepwalker, took the best part of a year each.
When I signed my book deal with Penguin Randomhouse in the UK at the end of 2016, they snapped me up for three and asked if I had proposals for the next two. I said I did (then quickly made something up).
I knew that the second would deal with Aidan’s history and personal identity, so the idea of having a mystery revolve around identity as well made sense, and the idea of The Smiling Man was born.
Knowing that books one and two would be slow burns, I wanted the third to open with a BANG – that thrilling devil may care sense of the third part of a trilogy. I wanted an eye popping plot. My idea was that the third would open with a notorious and much-loathed murderer recanting a decade-held confession on his deathbed. The plot would then offer two possibilities: Either he’s lying and trying to manipulate the police, or he’s telling the truth and the real killer is still out there…
That killer became Martin Wick, the central figure in The Sleepwalker, and he has kept me up almost every night since.
I spent the best part of last year writing and reworking the book, then submitted it to my publisher at the arse end of the 2018. Honestly, I thought I was done with it. The scale and madness completely broke me and, in an effort to save my relationship after ten years of swearing under my breath at pieces of paper, I took a three month trip with my girlfriend, one I’d been promising her for years.
While on this trip I got the notes on Sleepwalker back from my editor. To be honest, they were minimal, the work of an afternoon – but I couldn’t let it go…
I knew that there was something more there, something deeper, harder, sadder, more complex, that I hadn’t quite excavated. To the horror and disgust of my loved ones, I decided to spend another month reworking the book. With time against me, and pulling 20 hour days, I absolutely tore it down, rewrote large parts and, with the perspective that only a break can bring, delivered what I think is by far my strongest work.
If pushed I’d say it has the directness of Sirens but the complexity of Smiling Man, as well as a kind of menace of its own.
It’s by some distance, I hope, the funniest of the three, as well as the most violent and, I’m afraid, the saddest and most shocking. Figures from Aidan’s past who have been hinted at will make full appearances, Parrs will cross even further over to the dark side, and Sutty will spend most of the novel fighting for his life.
In the midst of this, Aidan will have a new partner. Naomi Black (a minor but vital character in Smiling Man).
She’s my favourite part of this new book. Funny and chilled out, but I think the first person who has ever taken Aidan seriously enough to not let him get away with his usual tricks. Their relationship is strained from the beginning, and as the book progresses they begin actively working against each other, even while trying to crack the case. There’s a chance that only one of them will be left standing by the end…
With Sleepwalker, my book deal is complete. As someone who struggled for the best part of a decade to write his first book, I can hardly believe that my third will be released this year.
I have no idea what will happen next. Perhaps you’ll hear from me again, perhaps I’ll be serving your next pint.
Either way, there is nothing else for me to say except thank you for reading my books. Nothing in my life ever prepared me for the privilege of your time and attention, but I was grateful for it. I swear blind that I put everything I could into this book. So much so that the next thing you can expect from me is probably a long silence.
I did what I set out to and, for the first time in years, I don’t owe anybody anything.
I’m smiling, man.
Joseph Knox(xxx)
22/04/19
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Bonus:
James Ellroy, myself and Joseph Knox at the "Mount Olympus" Waterstones, Deansgate, Manchester 2019-05-28. Joe was interviewing James for his forthcoming "This Storm" L.A. detective noir, set during WW-2
Full size image here
.
This is his third book, again a supernova noir Masterpiece!
Completely, utterly brilliant in every way. Astounding, astonishing, dark and wonderful and sad. The best book I’ve read since his The Smiling Man a year ago, and his extraordinary debut Sirens two years ago. This one is even better.
My copy is a pre-release proof, inscribed by Joe, and posted to me by the author's own hand ! This is the most excited I've ever been to read a book.
(Jospeh Knox provides some incredible background notes at the very end of this review)
Full size image here
As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.
The book starts with Aidan and Sutty sharing an unwanted duty, watching over a terminally ill criminal dying in an isolated hospital room. You can feel the dull hours piling up, although Aidan seems happy to be on "low profile", and away from Superintendent Parrs' manipulation and abuse. The Firearms guard, Rennick, watches carefully from the old nurses station, but you can tell the dull hours are affecting him as well.
The city is Manchester, in the autumn, just as grimy and foreboding as in Knox's previous masterpieces, Sirens and The Smiling Man, and with so many wandering the streets, seemingly unaware of the truth:
We climbed the steps out on to the street and hailed a taxi, both staring out the windows as we rode, watching the city stream by. Charity workers going between wild-eyed homeless men. Boys peacocking, loaded with drink, on their way to or from pubs or clubs. And the girls gliding along in formation, doubling up and laughing at life.
Aidan contemplates Sutty:
My partner Was built like a hip flask. A stout, neckless head on top of broad shoulders, with the whisky breath to match. There was something off, curdled even, about his face, which was bleach- white all over and studded with strange lumps beneath the skin. Somehow it suited his personality, like the warning sign printed on rat poison. He never ironed either of his suits, but filled them to absolute breaking point so they appeared perfectly pressed.
-
Rennick, the armed guard, was in position as I emerged from the stairwell, Sutty still some way behind me ... and he wore full tactical-style uniform. Body armour and fingerless gloves, as well as the newly issued black baseball cap. With the amount of equipment strapped to his vest, including speedcuffs, radio and taser, as well as the sidearm, medical kit and back-up rounds, he looked like a little boy's action figure. He was reading the newspaper and smiling to himself scratching his ear with a G36 assault rifle.
Full size image here
Then late one night, there’s a horrible attack on the dying prisoner, launching the complex central mysteries of the book. Nothing is as it seems, of course, and Aidan performs brilliantly, just as we expect, and is hated for it, again as we expect.
Superintendent Parrs, as we also expect, steps in with the usual blackmail and threats against Aidan, blaming him for things gone wrong, forcing him into a "shadow investigation" of the murder, and assigns him the sharp and delicious Constable Naomi Black as his partner. Black was seen briefly in The Smiling Man. Pay close attention to her now!
Constable Naomi Black
I didn't think I’d seen her out of uniform before, and was trying to get a read on her style. Black jeans, Doc Martens and a thick, dark green parka jacket. She had short, afro hair with the tips dyed blond and, taken altogether, looked a little like Liam Gallagher's half-sister. ... She was quick-witted and had a keen eye for bullshit. It was all the more reason to keep her at arm's length ...
An imagined Constable Naomi Black, casual dress
Full size image here
Again, nothing is as it seems. Throughout the book, you feel the tickle of thinking you know what's really going on, fitting the mismatched pieces of the puzzle together. And sometimes, rarely, you catch on early to something important... Mild
The suspects multiply and are eliminated, again and again. New mysteries arise. A news journalist of questionable ethics drifts in and out of suspicion, and a ex-detective, who has made a life for himself by writing about the original horrific murders of ten years ago, muddies the waters of the investigation throughout the book.
After the horrific attack in the hospital, Aidan wanders out into the dawn. Knox's prose is always fabulous:
It was 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. The bloodshot autumnal sky tinted the air red, and the whole city looked like a bar with the lights up at last orders. I watched the men still ending their Saturday nights, draining crinkled beer cans, queuing for takeaways. Brand-new couples flagging down taxis, the boys attaching themselves to girls like barnacles. I turned on to Portland Street, skirting Chinatown, passing the twenty-four-hour casinos and strip clubs, the raw-eyed patrons squinting into the dawn.
Aidan wanders by the club owned by Zain Carver, a truly evil villain, still successful after the events of Sirens and The Smiling Man.
Rubbing my eyes, I turned for home. In recent years I'd lived a few different lives in this town, but it felt like I'd died as many deaths. Looking over my shoulder at that solitary lit window, I got the feeling I was down to my very last one.
Last year, Knox promised us that the horrific Victorian prison, Strangeways, would feature in this, his next book.
Her Majesty's Prison was an infamous shithole. To me the name sounded fanciful, like the queen summered there or something. It had been hastily rebranded from Strangeways in the early nineties, when a twenty-five-day riot and rooftop protest resulted in millions of pounds of damage and the deaths of two men, one officer and one inmate. In the wake of these protests, and the spotlight it had thrown on to living conditions, authorities had been forced into drastic renovation work on the dilapidated Victorian compound. The rebrand hadn't worked, though, everyone still called it Strangeways.
Full size image here
Aidan and Naomi meet Adam, a key to the mystery, in his cell at Strangeways. He shows Aidan a book. Again we see Aidan's fine heart, and in noir, those take the greatest beatings:
Adam: "It was built two years after Dostoevsky published Crime and Punishment... What does that tell you?"
"That the architect didn't read it very closely,” I said.
He snorted again and I asked if we could sit down. Sitting there in the segregated wing of Strangeways, wearing pigtails and covered in self-harming scars, I thought Iid never seen someone so alone. When I shifted closer he winced like I might hit him. I held open my hands to show that I wouldn't, and he looked up, half-smiled and nodded. He wiped his face with his prison-issue shirt, smearing some of his make-up.
Full size image here
Pressed by Parrs, Adian and Naomi must visit Zain Carver in his club:
Whatever was happening in the outside world, times were good for the patrons of the Light Fantastic. They'd inherited good times when they were born and they'd pass them on to their gilded children again when they died. I was heading for the bar when a hostess glided towards me. She wore a black cocktail dress and had a smile that looked like the answer to all of life's problems.
-
Zain Carver was a magician when it came to ruining women's lives. He surrounded himself with these beautiful young assistants and then delighted in sawing them up, making them disappear. Sometimes a new girl on his arm might end up on the game, or in hospital, or back with her parents feeling five years older, a permanent faraway look in her eyes. Sometimes you just never saw them again.
As the pieces of the various puzzles start to come together, the pressure on Aidan increases more and more. An unassuming step-ladder seen leaning on a bookcase in Aidan's apartment shifts the plot significantly and dangerously against him. The skilled and nervous Firearms Officer we met earlier, Louisa Jankowski, becomes a terrible personal problem for Aidan and drastically impedes the solution to the case.
I imagine her something like this, in full kit
Full size image here
Aidan is caught in a multi-jawed vice between the truth, the police, the criminals and his own tarnished character. These all continue to thrash and smoke under Aidan's probing, and the pressures on him reach mind-breaking levels.
-
There are some fine views of Aidan's younger life, as in this gem as he visits Anne, his sister.
I nodded. "I stole cars when I was younger."
She shifted so she was facing me, but I kept my eyes on the road.
"And you think it was because..."
"Yeah," I said. "I never went anywhere. I'd just break in and then sleep in the back.”
As I spoke I realized I'd never shared this with anyone, and saying it out loud felt like something unlocking inside me. It felt like being cured of a terminal illness.
Aiden and Naomi hot rough patches in their partnership -
Aiden to Naomi:"I won't let you down again."
"It's not me you're letting down."
The way she said the words made them sound like the distance between what I was and what I should be.
Aidan and Naomi doggedly resolve all but one of the mysteries, but at an horrific price.
The climax is astounding and true, the various plots resolving, and then a final unexpected climax, poignant and powerful, tying the scene in the first chapter to this last one. Aidan considers the politicians, the criminals and how he's arrived at this terrible point in his life:
Career politicians, failing upwards, always just out of spitting distance, and all the good men with black holes where their eyes should be. Carbon footprints. Panic rooms. Charismatic racists and gifted liars. Salesmen. Businessmen. Salary men. All the good men with black holes where their hearts should be. All the sticks of lipstick smeared into all the collars. Apocalyptic weather reports and the birds, chirping, singing, screaming in the trees.
Now suddenly I see where Joe is taking us. Where his next book will go.... Incredible.
Pure Genius, Joe!
_____________
AFTER you've finished the book, here’s a reminder of that little niggling scene you are trying to remember....
_____________
My Notes:
14.0%
Superb. Knox is already on Mount Olympus with the other gods of noir. Fabulous. And here we see Aidan with Parrs smouldering and Constable Naomi Black an unwillingly moth to Aidan's flame. Brilliant.
35.0%
Absolutely fabulous!
50.0%
Absolutely brilliant!
56.0%
An extraordinary few moments of tenderness, Aiden's true heart, in the presence of a badly broken and confused inmate at Strangeways prison. There are surprising tears in my eyes.
62.0%
Another supernova masterpiece from Knox. Extraordinary.
71.0%
We know Aidan has such a fine heart, and in noir, those always take the greatest beatings.
87.0%
Brilliant plotting, sharp dialogue, extraordinary.
100%
WOW ! I now see where Joe is taking us. Where his next book will go. Pure Genius.
____________________________________
Notes from Joseph Knox's Newsletter on The Sleepwalker
The Sleepwalker is the third Aidan Waits novel, and the culmination of a long journey that I embarked on about ten years ago. Sirens, the first book in the series, took roughly eight years to write, and the sequels, Smiling Man and Sleepwalker, took the best part of a year each.
When I signed my book deal with Penguin Randomhouse in the UK at the end of 2016, they snapped me up for three and asked if I had proposals for the next two. I said I did (then quickly made something up).
I knew that the second would deal with Aidan’s history and personal identity, so the idea of having a mystery revolve around identity as well made sense, and the idea of The Smiling Man was born.
Knowing that books one and two would be slow burns, I wanted the third to open with a BANG – that thrilling devil may care sense of the third part of a trilogy. I wanted an eye popping plot. My idea was that the third would open with a notorious and much-loathed murderer recanting a decade-held confession on his deathbed. The plot would then offer two possibilities: Either he’s lying and trying to manipulate the police, or he’s telling the truth and the real killer is still out there…
That killer became Martin Wick, the central figure in The Sleepwalker, and he has kept me up almost every night since.
I spent the best part of last year writing and reworking the book, then submitted it to my publisher at the arse end of the 2018. Honestly, I thought I was done with it. The scale and madness completely broke me and, in an effort to save my relationship after ten years of swearing under my breath at pieces of paper, I took a three month trip with my girlfriend, one I’d been promising her for years.
While on this trip I got the notes on Sleepwalker back from my editor. To be honest, they were minimal, the work of an afternoon – but I couldn’t let it go…
I knew that there was something more there, something deeper, harder, sadder, more complex, that I hadn’t quite excavated. To the horror and disgust of my loved ones, I decided to spend another month reworking the book. With time against me, and pulling 20 hour days, I absolutely tore it down, rewrote large parts and, with the perspective that only a break can bring, delivered what I think is by far my strongest work.
If pushed I’d say it has the directness of Sirens but the complexity of Smiling Man, as well as a kind of menace of its own.
It’s by some distance, I hope, the funniest of the three, as well as the most violent and, I’m afraid, the saddest and most shocking. Figures from Aidan’s past who have been hinted at will make full appearances, Parrs will cross even further over to the dark side, and Sutty will spend most of the novel fighting for his life.
In the midst of this, Aidan will have a new partner. Naomi Black (a minor but vital character in Smiling Man).
She’s my favourite part of this new book. Funny and chilled out, but I think the first person who has ever taken Aidan seriously enough to not let him get away with his usual tricks. Their relationship is strained from the beginning, and as the book progresses they begin actively working against each other, even while trying to crack the case. There’s a chance that only one of them will be left standing by the end…
With Sleepwalker, my book deal is complete. As someone who struggled for the best part of a decade to write his first book, I can hardly believe that my third will be released this year.
I have no idea what will happen next. Perhaps you’ll hear from me again, perhaps I’ll be serving your next pint.
Either way, there is nothing else for me to say except thank you for reading my books. Nothing in my life ever prepared me for the privilege of your time and attention, but I was grateful for it. I swear blind that I put everything I could into this book. So much so that the next thing you can expect from me is probably a long silence.
I did what I set out to and, for the first time in years, I don’t owe anybody anything.
I’m smiling, man.
Joseph Knox(xxx)
22/04/19
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Bonus:
James Ellroy, myself and Joseph Knox at the "Mount Olympus" Waterstones, Deansgate, Manchester 2019-05-28. Joe was interviewing James for his forthcoming "This Storm" L.A. detective noir, set during WW-2
Full size image here
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May 12, 2019
There really are very very few series out there at the moment that engage me and steal my time quite as much as Joseph Knox and the Aidan Waits novels- dark noir with a deep ironic humour running through the heart of them and a main protagonist who is the very definition of anti-hero.
The Sleepwalker is the third in the series following the brilliant Sirens and the confirmational The Smiling Man – both of which I adored with a fiery vengeance and highly recommended, both of which made my top ten in their years. I don’t doubt that The Sleepwalker will find it’s position in this year’s list, Joseph Knox writes with a depth of perception that appeals to my inner dark half and I devoured this in short order.
There’s a distinct and intelligent character arc in The Sleepwalker that moves us forward with the ongoing drama, equally we have another crime story here that is extraordinarily compelling. Stalking the Manchester streets and the hidden underneath of things, Aidan once again battles his own demons as well as those of others, leading us on a twisted, often heart stopping, always authentic journey towards some kind of truth.
Surrounded by equally intriguing and extremely divisive characters, neither the good guy nor the bad, each new story Aidan occupies brings new levels of storytelling to the mix, viewing the world through a glass darkly with a heady mix of crime fiction, character driven drama and psychological insight.
Utterly riveting I live these tales rather than simply read them and the finale of this particular instalment kept me awake for many night’s after I’d finished it. Classically good writing, genuine talent, we need more like this…
I’m a fan. You know what I’m going to say…
Highly Recommended.
The Sleepwalker is the third in the series following the brilliant Sirens and the confirmational The Smiling Man – both of which I adored with a fiery vengeance and highly recommended, both of which made my top ten in their years. I don’t doubt that The Sleepwalker will find it’s position in this year’s list, Joseph Knox writes with a depth of perception that appeals to my inner dark half and I devoured this in short order.
There’s a distinct and intelligent character arc in The Sleepwalker that moves us forward with the ongoing drama, equally we have another crime story here that is extraordinarily compelling. Stalking the Manchester streets and the hidden underneath of things, Aidan once again battles his own demons as well as those of others, leading us on a twisted, often heart stopping, always authentic journey towards some kind of truth.
Surrounded by equally intriguing and extremely divisive characters, neither the good guy nor the bad, each new story Aidan occupies brings new levels of storytelling to the mix, viewing the world through a glass darkly with a heady mix of crime fiction, character driven drama and psychological insight.
Utterly riveting I live these tales rather than simply read them and the finale of this particular instalment kept me awake for many night’s after I’d finished it. Classically good writing, genuine talent, we need more like this…
I’m a fan. You know what I’m going to say…
Highly Recommended.
July 3, 2019
Goodness gracious me! Please tell me you’re reading this series. If you are, let me tell you, The Sleepwalker is the best one yet! If you’re not, go forth and correct the error of your ways immediately because you are seriously missing out!
Martin Wick has spent the past twelve years in prison, convicted of the murders of Margaret Moore and her three children. Martin is now dying and has been moved to hospital, where DI Suthcliffe and newly promoted DS Aidan Waits take turns in sitting by his bedside, in the hope that Martin will reveal where the body of Lizzie Moore might be found. But things do not go exactly as planned. A brutal premeditated attack leaves one police officer dead, one fighting for his life and Martin Wick’s last words will send Aidan Waits on a path he really doesn’t want to be traveling.
If you’ve met Aidan Waits, then you know he’s flawed, extremely damaged, has some serious issues and is most definitely not detective hero material. By now, he’s just utterly broken. Having been moved from the nightshift to the dayshift for a change, he’s forced to work with DS Naomi Black but he isn’t sure if he can trust her and having her constantly nearby, watching him, is messing up some of his plans. There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye but I won’t get into that as I feel you need to discover that for yourself but let’s just say, Aidan might need an escape plan.
Despite all of Aidan Wait’s issues, there is something rather likeable about him, something that makes you root for him, something that makes you want to reach out and help him somehow. He is by far one of the most complicated and multi-layered characters I’ve ever encountered. Yet, he also manages to make me chuckle from time to time because his sense of sarcasm knows no other. And let’s not forget to mention the setting, with the city of Manchester almost acting as a character all on its own, oozing atmosphere and providing the most delightful noir vibe throughout.
This series is one I’ve been with from the beginning. In fact, Sirens was the book that first made me start thinking about blogging because I needed a place to shout about its awesomeness. Since then, Joseph Knox has been raising the bar, with each book being even stronger than the previous one. Like its predecessors, The Sleepwalker is masterfully plotted, immensely dark, extremely gritty and completely engrossing from start to finish. It has desperately left me wanting more!
I’ve said it before and I’ll gladly say it again, Joseph Knox is an incredible talent and the Aidan Waits series is absolutely outstanding. Every single one of these books has caused a massive book hangover and The Sleepwalker is no different. I can’t recommend these books enough! They NEED to be on any crime fiction fan’s bookshelf. I promise you, you will not regret it for one second!
Martin Wick has spent the past twelve years in prison, convicted of the murders of Margaret Moore and her three children. Martin is now dying and has been moved to hospital, where DI Suthcliffe and newly promoted DS Aidan Waits take turns in sitting by his bedside, in the hope that Martin will reveal where the body of Lizzie Moore might be found. But things do not go exactly as planned. A brutal premeditated attack leaves one police officer dead, one fighting for his life and Martin Wick’s last words will send Aidan Waits on a path he really doesn’t want to be traveling.
If you’ve met Aidan Waits, then you know he’s flawed, extremely damaged, has some serious issues and is most definitely not detective hero material. By now, he’s just utterly broken. Having been moved from the nightshift to the dayshift for a change, he’s forced to work with DS Naomi Black but he isn’t sure if he can trust her and having her constantly nearby, watching him, is messing up some of his plans. There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye but I won’t get into that as I feel you need to discover that for yourself but let’s just say, Aidan might need an escape plan.
Despite all of Aidan Wait’s issues, there is something rather likeable about him, something that makes you root for him, something that makes you want to reach out and help him somehow. He is by far one of the most complicated and multi-layered characters I’ve ever encountered. Yet, he also manages to make me chuckle from time to time because his sense of sarcasm knows no other. And let’s not forget to mention the setting, with the city of Manchester almost acting as a character all on its own, oozing atmosphere and providing the most delightful noir vibe throughout.
This series is one I’ve been with from the beginning. In fact, Sirens was the book that first made me start thinking about blogging because I needed a place to shout about its awesomeness. Since then, Joseph Knox has been raising the bar, with each book being even stronger than the previous one. Like its predecessors, The Sleepwalker is masterfully plotted, immensely dark, extremely gritty and completely engrossing from start to finish. It has desperately left me wanting more!
I’ve said it before and I’ll gladly say it again, Joseph Knox is an incredible talent and the Aidan Waits series is absolutely outstanding. Every single one of these books has caused a massive book hangover and The Sleepwalker is no different. I can’t recommend these books enough! They NEED to be on any crime fiction fan’s bookshelf. I promise you, you will not regret it for one second!
July 12, 2019
The Sleepwalker is the third crime thriller in the DC Aidan Waits series, however, I feel that this is both Knox's most accomplished and most compulsive story to date. Each instalment can be read independently without issue but starting at the beginning is recommended. Troubled soul Detective Waits is relegated to guarding duties where he will need to provide protection to dying serial killer, Martin Wicks. However, in the hope that Wicks is about to open up about the location of his last victim Waits' partner Sutty is conducting an interview with him inside the hospital. But things go from bad to worse when they are ambushed by an unknown intruder who Waits chases from the area.
Scalpel-sharp and ever-observant Knox is a master of the form. What attracts me to his books, in particular, is they are just so original and well crafted and they each exude a rare dark sophistication that is lacking in most of the genre today. Gritty, gripping and perfectly plotted and paced, we learn more about protagonist Aidan, whose life is little more than hoping he can hold onto his job, alcoholism, drug abuse and an assortment of mental health issues. To top things off he has largely unresolved family problems and another police employee is blackmailing him. It's sad to say but he is reflective of many people currently.
I am sure that both long-time fans and those newly inducted will find much to enjoy throughout this thriller. Once you begin you are invested in the story and I found myself feverishly turning the pages. It concludes in a shocking and spectacular manner which I found most satisfying, and this is both an unforgettable novel and series. A fantastic addition to the Manchester Noir sub-genre. Absolutely captivating and terrific. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Doubleday for an ARC.
Scalpel-sharp and ever-observant Knox is a master of the form. What attracts me to his books, in particular, is they are just so original and well crafted and they each exude a rare dark sophistication that is lacking in most of the genre today. Gritty, gripping and perfectly plotted and paced, we learn more about protagonist Aidan, whose life is little more than hoping he can hold onto his job, alcoholism, drug abuse and an assortment of mental health issues. To top things off he has largely unresolved family problems and another police employee is blackmailing him. It's sad to say but he is reflective of many people currently.
I am sure that both long-time fans and those newly inducted will find much to enjoy throughout this thriller. Once you begin you are invested in the story and I found myself feverishly turning the pages. It concludes in a shocking and spectacular manner which I found most satisfying, and this is both an unforgettable novel and series. A fantastic addition to the Manchester Noir sub-genre. Absolutely captivating and terrific. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Doubleday for an ARC.
June 20, 2019
In brief - Damn that was a good read. Perfect? Maybe not - however I would happily bring out an extra star for enjoyment. Next one please!!
Waits and Sutty are off the nightshift for now. Their new task is quite simple. A man convicted of murder who Sutty arrested some years ago is terminally ill. He is hidden in a room in the local hospital and under armed guard. The idea is that Sutty (and Waits) will keep an eye on him. Martin Wick - called the Sleepwalker because of the crime never disclosed where the body of the last person he killed was left. The hope is that before he dies he will reveal the information. While this duty is going on there are a series of blackouts. What could possible go wrong... If you haven't read the previous books in this series you may enjoy this more if you read them before this one.
Not for the first time Knox's intro in this book is extremely dark. Those of a nervous disposition may well be best avoiding this series. Those who like "dark" and "nasty" should find this to their liking! Certainly Aidan Waits's journey in this is very dark and tortuous. Sutty has a well deserved rest (!!) early on in this and Waits gets a new partner in the shape of Naomi Black. The question is why? Given that Wick made a full confession to his crime it seems strange that there is much to investigate really.
This is dark and bleakly humorous as I said before and Aidan is in trouble again. I really do find him one of my favourite troubled cops in the UK these days. His background - steadily revealed over the series so far - is very well worked. His role as a cop whose only use is being a scapegoat has been exploited previously but it still works well. The other characters are well written and the scene setting is very good. The writing makes for very easy reading and I finished this all too quickly.
Joseph Knox has very quickly become one of my favourite UK crime authors. He writes dark and nasty very well but there is a lightness of touch at times too. The pace here is excellent and the tension - particularly around the time that everything seems to be over - is extremely good. The strength of Waits's character when things look dire (frequently!) shows just how well this author writes. I'd happily hand out a 6th star for sheer enjoyment if I could - another one please.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/thriller/the-s...
Waits and Sutty are off the nightshift for now. Their new task is quite simple. A man convicted of murder who Sutty arrested some years ago is terminally ill. He is hidden in a room in the local hospital and under armed guard. The idea is that Sutty (and Waits) will keep an eye on him. Martin Wick - called the Sleepwalker because of the crime never disclosed where the body of the last person he killed was left. The hope is that before he dies he will reveal the information. While this duty is going on there are a series of blackouts. What could possible go wrong... If you haven't read the previous books in this series you may enjoy this more if you read them before this one.
Not for the first time Knox's intro in this book is extremely dark. Those of a nervous disposition may well be best avoiding this series. Those who like "dark" and "nasty" should find this to their liking! Certainly Aidan Waits's journey in this is very dark and tortuous. Sutty has a well deserved rest (!!) early on in this and Waits gets a new partner in the shape of Naomi Black. The question is why? Given that Wick made a full confession to his crime it seems strange that there is much to investigate really.
This is dark and bleakly humorous as I said before and Aidan is in trouble again. I really do find him one of my favourite troubled cops in the UK these days. His background - steadily revealed over the series so far - is very well worked. His role as a cop whose only use is being a scapegoat has been exploited previously but it still works well. The other characters are well written and the scene setting is very good. The writing makes for very easy reading and I finished this all too quickly.
Joseph Knox has very quickly become one of my favourite UK crime authors. He writes dark and nasty very well but there is a lightness of touch at times too. The pace here is excellent and the tension - particularly around the time that everything seems to be over - is extremely good. The strength of Waits's character when things look dire (frequently!) shows just how well this author writes. I'd happily hand out a 6th star for sheer enjoyment if I could - another one please.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
https://viewson.org.uk/thriller/the-s...
October 21, 2019
A great pacey read, just not quite as engaging or credible as the first two books of the series. 4.5 stars
August 13, 2020
Another fantastic novel from Joseph Knox. His Aidan Waits series is British crime writing at its very best.
February 24, 2020
Excellent series.(and here's hoping it does continue).
June 25, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc.
I requested this after seeing it come over my GR feed a couple of times. I did not realize that it was the 3rd in a series and read it as a stand alone. That will be corrected soon. WHAT a story! I like dark and twisted and a frenetic pace, but this one broke the speed of sound records for me. A very complex story line (with very complex characters, whose histories I need to catch up on). Definitely not a read for the squeamish.
I requested this after seeing it come over my GR feed a couple of times. I did not realize that it was the 3rd in a series and read it as a stand alone. That will be corrected soon. WHAT a story! I like dark and twisted and a frenetic pace, but this one broke the speed of sound records for me. A very complex story line (with very complex characters, whose histories I need to catch up on). Definitely not a read for the squeamish.
May 18, 2020
Joseph Knox created Detective Aidan Waits and I enjoy reading as he is quite a character and has surprising methods I don't pick up on immediately during his investigations. Each book in the series keeps me wanting more. As I've mentioned in past reviews this detective reminds me so much of Mickey Spillane. This book kept me at the edge of my seat as far as detective books go. The last paragraph was a cliffhanger for me.
July 15, 2019
The Sleepwalker by Joseph Knox is the third novel involving Manchester Detective Aidan Waits. In the novel, Waits and his partner Sutty have been detailed to guard and attempt to locate the remains of a murder victim from a tight-lipped convicted murderer as he lays dying in a hospital ward. Over the years, Martin Wick, the convicted murderer, has had numerous attempts made upon his life while imprisoned and from the time of his arrest has denied murdering anyone, let alone the family he was accused of killing.
As the story moves forward, after an attack upon Wick, that also ends up causing serious injury to Sutty, Waits is assigned a new partner and as ordered by his boss and nemesis Superintendent Parrs, tasked with conducting a shadow investigation into what happened.
Knox has brought back previously introduced characters and continues to build upon their personalities. These characters include Naomi Black, Parrs and Zain Carver. Knox also introduces another realistic villain, as well as continues to show ordinary humans can be as vile and stomach-churning villains as any imagined, supernatural, comic book like villain.
Knox combines other plot threads that include departmental politics, the suicide of a young woman police officer who's remains have never been found and the question of whether or not Wick's actually murdered the family he was accused of killing. Along the way, Knox also tells a tale with results that do allow the reader to bond with the fictional characters.
To tell more would reveal spoilers.
Knox's novels are gritty and highly recommended. It is suggested the novels be read in order. Those who enjoy the novels of Adrian McKinty and Alan Parks should also enjoy the novels of Knox.
As the story moves forward, after an attack upon Wick, that also ends up causing serious injury to Sutty, Waits is assigned a new partner and as ordered by his boss and nemesis Superintendent Parrs, tasked with conducting a shadow investigation into what happened.
Knox has brought back previously introduced characters and continues to build upon their personalities. These characters include Naomi Black, Parrs and Zain Carver. Knox also introduces another realistic villain, as well as continues to show ordinary humans can be as vile and stomach-churning villains as any imagined, supernatural, comic book like villain.
Knox combines other plot threads that include departmental politics, the suicide of a young woman police officer who's remains have never been found and the question of whether or not Wick's actually murdered the family he was accused of killing. Along the way, Knox also tells a tale with results that do allow the reader to bond with the fictional characters.
To tell more would reveal spoilers.
Knox's novels are gritty and highly recommended. It is suggested the novels be read in order. Those who enjoy the novels of Adrian McKinty and Alan Parks should also enjoy the novels of Knox.
July 16, 2019
The Sleepwalker – A trip into the darker side of Manchester
Joseph Knox has once again written an excellent thriller in which he brings back the darkest stain on Manchester’s Police force, Detective Aidan Waits. This is a book that is a must for every crime thriller reader, that is gritty with a smell of corruption never far away.
Aidan Waits and his partner Sutty are having to maintain the night shift at St Mary’s hospital where a particular nasty murderer is in their protective custody. People want Martin Wicks dead, for confessing to killing a family, even though he is dying, but that will not stop people. Superintendent Parrs for once actually knows where Waits and his partner are, and what they are doing.
When someone actually manages to kill the armed guard and set fire to Wicks and Sutty is put out of action. Superintendent Parrs now has his scapegoat in play and Waits knows it will be him. When Parrs challenges him to run a parallel investigation, but he will have to have Naomi Black watching over him. Parrs also knows that some one has put a price on Waits’ head and knows that if they do not kick him out, he will get killed any way.
As the investigation begins to make waves little does he know how close to death that he is, for him and his estranged sister. He knows that he is being threatened by a manipulative psychopath, he needs to put his trust in Naomi Black, but he just cannot do that. Before he realises the full extent of what is going on, it could be too late, for his sister as well as himself.
Will Waits and Black be able to solve the murder, even though there are plenty of people trying to stop them, and that is just in the police.
Joseph Knox has managed to write a gritty and sometimes a lot closer to the truth thriller, that mainly takes place within the City centre of Manchester. But he is also quite kind to the reader when using St Mary’s Hospital, there was one which was maternity, but the a & e at Manchester Royal Infirmary on a weekend night is far worse!
This is a dark and seedy crime thriller and at times sails very close to the wind, proving how much of a talent Joseph Knox is.
Joseph Knox has once again written an excellent thriller in which he brings back the darkest stain on Manchester’s Police force, Detective Aidan Waits. This is a book that is a must for every crime thriller reader, that is gritty with a smell of corruption never far away.
Aidan Waits and his partner Sutty are having to maintain the night shift at St Mary’s hospital where a particular nasty murderer is in their protective custody. People want Martin Wicks dead, for confessing to killing a family, even though he is dying, but that will not stop people. Superintendent Parrs for once actually knows where Waits and his partner are, and what they are doing.
When someone actually manages to kill the armed guard and set fire to Wicks and Sutty is put out of action. Superintendent Parrs now has his scapegoat in play and Waits knows it will be him. When Parrs challenges him to run a parallel investigation, but he will have to have Naomi Black watching over him. Parrs also knows that some one has put a price on Waits’ head and knows that if they do not kick him out, he will get killed any way.
As the investigation begins to make waves little does he know how close to death that he is, for him and his estranged sister. He knows that he is being threatened by a manipulative psychopath, he needs to put his trust in Naomi Black, but he just cannot do that. Before he realises the full extent of what is going on, it could be too late, for his sister as well as himself.
Will Waits and Black be able to solve the murder, even though there are plenty of people trying to stop them, and that is just in the police.
Joseph Knox has managed to write a gritty and sometimes a lot closer to the truth thriller, that mainly takes place within the City centre of Manchester. But he is also quite kind to the reader when using St Mary’s Hospital, there was one which was maternity, but the a & e at Manchester Royal Infirmary on a weekend night is far worse!
This is a dark and seedy crime thriller and at times sails very close to the wind, proving how much of a talent Joseph Knox is.
June 5, 2021
This is the third book in the Aiden Waits series by author Joseph Knox. This is a dark gritty series that is so different to your run of the mill thrillers and I actually think it is getting better with each book.
Martin Wick slaughtered his family and was sentenced to death, but Wick could not remember a single thing about the crimes and was nicknamed ‘The Sleepwalker’. Ten years have now passed and he is dying in hospital closely guarded by police. Detective Aidan Waits is tasked with protecting Wick and trying to find the location of Wick’s final victim. What sounds like a straight forward assignment is completely changed when an attack leaves Wick and a policeman dead while another one is severely injured. With Wick seriously injured he tells Waits with his dying breath something that sends him down a dangerous path, his murky past and the search for the truth are on a collision course. The unstable Waits is now in danger and both his career and life are at threat.
This is an excellent series and really needs to be enjoyed in book order as details are mentioned in later books that could spoil the reading experience. A dark gritty series that’s different. Aiden Waits is a vulnerable complex character but is great entertainment.
Martin Wick slaughtered his family and was sentenced to death, but Wick could not remember a single thing about the crimes and was nicknamed ‘The Sleepwalker’. Ten years have now passed and he is dying in hospital closely guarded by police. Detective Aidan Waits is tasked with protecting Wick and trying to find the location of Wick’s final victim. What sounds like a straight forward assignment is completely changed when an attack leaves Wick and a policeman dead while another one is severely injured. With Wick seriously injured he tells Waits with his dying breath something that sends him down a dangerous path, his murky past and the search for the truth are on a collision course. The unstable Waits is now in danger and both his career and life are at threat.
This is an excellent series and really needs to be enjoyed in book order as details are mentioned in later books that could spoil the reading experience. A dark gritty series that’s different. Aiden Waits is a vulnerable complex character but is great entertainment.
November 15, 2022
Dark, twisted, involving. Like 'Sirens' (I appear to have not read book 2 in the series for some reason, how careless) this impressed and carried a signficiant heft as a story. Our flawed and disgraced hero Aiden Waits here is tasked to carry out a shadow investigation alongside a new partner after an incident in a hospital where he is guarding a terminally ill prisoner.
Though at times a little confusing (perhaps having not read the preceding novel) I found this witty and compelling a read. I would have the same criticisms as I had for 'Sirens' - the violence and misery unrelenting and fatiguing at times - which is why I might call this a four and a half not a five, but for the measly 99p I paid to download, it was a very worthwhile read.
Though at times a little confusing (perhaps having not read the preceding novel) I found this witty and compelling a read. I would have the same criticisms as I had for 'Sirens' - the violence and misery unrelenting and fatiguing at times - which is why I might call this a four and a half not a five, but for the measly 99p I paid to download, it was a very worthwhile read.
July 3, 2019
Thanks you NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sleepwalker is the story of dirty cops who are the good guys, and dirty cops who are the bad guys, everyone has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth as they manipulate people and facts to suit their own interests. The story is full of tough guy cop jargon, that made me wonder- Do people really talk this way? For example:
“...realizing what I’d just handed him. A bullet with Chief Superintendent Chase’s name on it. I shook my head and went for the door. ‘Stay right there,’ he hissed. ‘If you walk into this room forgetting my fucking rank again, I’ll have it branded into your eyeballs.’ He nodded back at the purse on the desk. ‘Do you know what we have here, Sergeant? Aside from the exact measurements of the Chief Superintendent’s coffin?’...
Ex bad cop Aiden is partnered with Naomi Black the departments rising star, to solve the murder of murderer that happened on Aidens watch. He’s frequently trying to ditch her, but for some inexplicable reason, she really likes him.
The pace of the story is uneven, it started off very exciting, and moved quickly when they are interviewing people and puzzling out what happened, but unfortunately, it drags to a halt when cops posture with each other, which is frequently and when back stories are explained, such as Aidens past childhood trauma.
In the end, This was a good crime thriller, but since I didn’t really feel for these characters, I’d rate it 2 stars.
Sleepwalker is the story of dirty cops who are the good guys, and dirty cops who are the bad guys, everyone has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth as they manipulate people and facts to suit their own interests. The story is full of tough guy cop jargon, that made me wonder- Do people really talk this way? For example:
“...realizing what I’d just handed him. A bullet with Chief Superintendent Chase’s name on it. I shook my head and went for the door. ‘Stay right there,’ he hissed. ‘If you walk into this room forgetting my fucking rank again, I’ll have it branded into your eyeballs.’ He nodded back at the purse on the desk. ‘Do you know what we have here, Sergeant? Aside from the exact measurements of the Chief Superintendent’s coffin?’...
Ex bad cop Aiden is partnered with Naomi Black the departments rising star, to solve the murder of murderer that happened on Aidens watch. He’s frequently trying to ditch her, but for some inexplicable reason, she really likes him.
The pace of the story is uneven, it started off very exciting, and moved quickly when they are interviewing people and puzzling out what happened, but unfortunately, it drags to a halt when cops posture with each other, which is frequently and when back stories are explained, such as Aidens past childhood trauma.
In the end, This was a good crime thriller, but since I didn’t really feel for these characters, I’d rate it 2 stars.
March 7, 2020
This is my first novel by bestseller author
Joseph Knox.
The Sleepwalker
sees the return of DC Aidan Waits and I have to say I was completely and thoroughly hooked right from the start, even though I have yet to read Sirens (book #1) and The Smiling Man (book #2).
In this third book set in Manchester, Aidan and his partner, DI Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe has been assigned to protect the terminally ill serial killer labelled 'The Sleepwalker', Martin Wick, in hospital, and tasked with trying to ascertain the location of the body of one of his victims. Wick was convicted of killing a mother and her three children several decades ago, but he has never revealed the location of one of the children he murdered. Now, Wick has asked to speak to Sutty. After becoming aware that someone has breached security, an anxious Aidan returns with Sutty, only to find themselves in the middle of an absolute pandemonium, resulting in Wick and an armed police guard dead, and Sutty in intensive care with serious burns.
Joseph Knox’s latest novel follows a very intriguing, multi-layered story. With murder, blackmail, violence and many suspects that befit a high calibre crime thriller such as this one, I was gripped by the perfect plotting and pacing. The reader learns more about protagonist Aidan, whose life is complicated as he struggles with alcoholism, drug abuse and an assortment of mental health issues as well as hoping he can hold onto his job. The icing on the cake is that he has largely unresolved family problems and another police employee is blackmailing him.
Joseph Knox's writing-style is impressive and noteworthy and evidently the author is a gifted storyteller who can provide readers with thrills, sophistication and a story packed with substance. I like the way the story evolved and there is a good amount of humour in there, too. A very highly recommended five star read that will be of interest to many readers.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Random House UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
In this third book set in Manchester, Aidan and his partner, DI Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe has been assigned to protect the terminally ill serial killer labelled 'The Sleepwalker', Martin Wick, in hospital, and tasked with trying to ascertain the location of the body of one of his victims. Wick was convicted of killing a mother and her three children several decades ago, but he has never revealed the location of one of the children he murdered. Now, Wick has asked to speak to Sutty. After becoming aware that someone has breached security, an anxious Aidan returns with Sutty, only to find themselves in the middle of an absolute pandemonium, resulting in Wick and an armed police guard dead, and Sutty in intensive care with serious burns.
Joseph Knox’s latest novel follows a very intriguing, multi-layered story. With murder, blackmail, violence and many suspects that befit a high calibre crime thriller such as this one, I was gripped by the perfect plotting and pacing. The reader learns more about protagonist Aidan, whose life is complicated as he struggles with alcoholism, drug abuse and an assortment of mental health issues as well as hoping he can hold onto his job. The icing on the cake is that he has largely unresolved family problems and another police employee is blackmailing him.
Joseph Knox's writing-style is impressive and noteworthy and evidently the author is a gifted storyteller who can provide readers with thrills, sophistication and a story packed with substance. I like the way the story evolved and there is a good amount of humour in there, too. A very highly recommended five star read that will be of interest to many readers.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Random House UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
September 15, 2019
This was so dark and Aiden Watts has to be the most flawed cop in any series anywhere.
I enjoyed it and fairly raced through it at the end but I do need to suspend belief a bit to believe that he still is employed by the police force. Also there were so many twists and turns that I got slightly lost at times - maybe I just read it too fast. I think that I know what happened in the end and if I'm right, I'm looking forward to the next one!
I enjoyed it and fairly raced through it at the end but I do need to suspend belief a bit to believe that he still is employed by the police force. Also there were so many twists and turns that I got slightly lost at times - maybe I just read it too fast. I think that I know what happened in the end and if I'm right, I'm looking forward to the next one!
June 21, 2019
Read this within the space of around 4 hours, so I’m definitely going to reread when I receive my signed copy from Waterstones. Truly incredible. The ending was not what I expected at all after reading ‘Sirens’ and ‘Smiling Man’, (both amazing pieces of work that I definitely recommend reading before ‘The Sleepwalker’) and I can only hope Joseph continues to write, as I am completely hooked! Before picking up ‘Sirens’ I had never considered that I’d be interested in this genre, but as soon as I finished it I was frantically buying any books that were even remotely similar and I’m now obsessed! Just buy it! You won’t regret it. I plan to leave a more in depth review after rereading a few times and fully processing everything. Bravo!
June 23, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the eARC.
Wow, wow, WOW, what an extraordinary, mind blowing read! It worked well as a standalone, but I wish I had heard of Joseph Knox before and read the first two books featuring his flawed DC Aidan Waits. That'll be remedied soon!
Aidan is on the nightshift sitting at the hospital bedside of Martin Wick, infamous mass killer, aka The Sleepwalker. Martin is dying of lung cancer and the police are hoping he will disclose the whereabouts of a still missing body.
Aidan is tortured by his past and panic attacks, which he tries to fight with alcohol and drugs. He's generally disliked by his fellow officers who treat him with disdain and disrespect. It made me feel sad; I found him extremely likeable and was rooting for him all the way.
The place is Manchester and it feels like a dark city, with bent police personnel who will literally step over dead bodies to advance their careers. Trying to do the right thing (whether in the right or wrong way), causes Aidan a lot of grief as well as endangering his life. It's a real rollercoaster of a read and the ending literally broke me out in a
sweat, terrific! Highly recommended!
Wow, wow, WOW, what an extraordinary, mind blowing read! It worked well as a standalone, but I wish I had heard of Joseph Knox before and read the first two books featuring his flawed DC Aidan Waits. That'll be remedied soon!
Aidan is on the nightshift sitting at the hospital bedside of Martin Wick, infamous mass killer, aka The Sleepwalker. Martin is dying of lung cancer and the police are hoping he will disclose the whereabouts of a still missing body.
Aidan is tortured by his past and panic attacks, which he tries to fight with alcohol and drugs. He's generally disliked by his fellow officers who treat him with disdain and disrespect. It made me feel sad; I found him extremely likeable and was rooting for him all the way.
The place is Manchester and it feels like a dark city, with bent police personnel who will literally step over dead bodies to advance their careers. Trying to do the right thing (whether in the right or wrong way), causes Aidan a lot of grief as well as endangering his life. It's a real rollercoaster of a read and the ending literally broke me out in a
sweat, terrific! Highly recommended!
May 12, 2020
The story begins with Detective Aidan Waits trying to find out the location of Martin Wick’s final victim before the mass murderer passes away in his hospital bed.
Wick’s has confessed to a horrendous crime that gave him the nickname The Sleepwalker, he has been in prison for over a decade and barely spoken during that time.
There is an attack on two police officers and Wick’s whispers his last words to Waits that send him off determined to find the truth which involves him having to do some soul searching himself.
This is the best book I have read this year, it has the perfect mix of humour , suspense , solid character building and a story that keeps you guessing from the start, then twists and turns so you change your mind throughout and then again and again.
The relationship between Waits and his boss Parr is a believable one that seems more realistic than how this relationship is usually depicted on TV and Film.
Knox builds the character profiles up well throughout the book so you get a real sense of who they are and made me picture people I know that have similar traits, which made me feel more part of the book, very few books have made me feel so involved. Top work.
I would’ve liked a little bit more from the end of the book but that didn’t take anything away from how great the book was.
When I bought this I wasn’t aware that it was part of an Aidan Waits series of books, I can’t wait to read them.
I only read crime thriller/suspense style books and the humour within this book was a refreshing change with some parts being laugh out loud funny, creating a perfect balance.
I can’t recommend this book enough. A crime thriller with laughs along the way that will keep you guessing all the way to the end then this is the book for you.
Wick’s has confessed to a horrendous crime that gave him the nickname The Sleepwalker, he has been in prison for over a decade and barely spoken during that time.
There is an attack on two police officers and Wick’s whispers his last words to Waits that send him off determined to find the truth which involves him having to do some soul searching himself.
This is the best book I have read this year, it has the perfect mix of humour , suspense , solid character building and a story that keeps you guessing from the start, then twists and turns so you change your mind throughout and then again and again.
The relationship between Waits and his boss Parr is a believable one that seems more realistic than how this relationship is usually depicted on TV and Film.
Knox builds the character profiles up well throughout the book so you get a real sense of who they are and made me picture people I know that have similar traits, which made me feel more part of the book, very few books have made me feel so involved. Top work.
I would’ve liked a little bit more from the end of the book but that didn’t take anything away from how great the book was.
When I bought this I wasn’t aware that it was part of an Aidan Waits series of books, I can’t wait to read them.
I only read crime thriller/suspense style books and the humour within this book was a refreshing change with some parts being laugh out loud funny, creating a perfect balance.
I can’t recommend this book enough. A crime thriller with laughs along the way that will keep you guessing all the way to the end then this is the book for you.
September 18, 2019
A murderer is killed whilst under police protection in hospital. Detective Aidan Waits must find out why and who. For anyone familiar with this series, there follows the usual corruption, double crossing, near-death attacks and possible love interests. Bloody love these novels; they're so gritty and interesting. That ending though, wonder what's coming next.
November 26, 2023
as i understand it this is meant to be a trilogy & that's sad. i might come back & write a review.
September 27, 2024
5 Stars
This was a dark, gritty series with flawed main character. It was well written and the series got better with each book. Highly recommended.
July 13, 2019
To my shame this is the first Joseph Knox book I have read-something which will absolutely be remedied!-and it's no surprise to see that I loved it!
Grim, noirish and extremely engaging, it is easy to connect with Aidan Waits despite how enigmatic and stand offish he comes across. He leaves you wanting to know more.Check out his description of his partner-
''My partner was built like a hip flask.A stout,neckless head on top of broad shoulders ,with the whiskey breath to match.There was something off, curdeled even,about his face,which was bleach white all over and studded with straange lumps beneath the skin.Somehow it suited his personality ,like the warning sign printed on rat poison.He never ironed either of his suits,but filled them to absolute breaking point so they appeared perfectly pressed.''
Wow!
'The Sleepwalker' begins with the eeriest opener I have read in a long time...an abandoned hospital wing, the afore mentioned Sutty(Detective Peter Sutcliffe) and Aidan Waits who have drawn the short straw-babysitting presumed serial killer Martin Wicks. Before the night is over, 2 people are dead, the media are having a field day and Aidan is given his third final chance to prove himself.
Sink or swim in a pool full of sharks just begging for blood....
Joseph Knox writes like a dream, he puts you right inside Aidan's head yet you cannot really get a grasp on him.You sense layers and layers are yet to be peeled away from this enigmatic detective. He has the envious task of tracking who could have killed a man that society is plainly better off without.Even in prison, there were 7 attempts on his life illustrating that even the worst amongst prisoners has standards and child killers are the most expendable.
But amongst this, Aidan and reluctant new partner Naomi Black, have to ascertain whether Martin was even responsible for the 4 deaths he was convicted of, and the whereabouts of Lizzie Moore, the eldest daughter of the family Martin decimated, leaving sole survivor Frank who is now a motivational speaker.
Pulling aside the facts , Aidan has the top brass breathing down his neck, trying to work out who leaked Martin's location , staying alive and dealing with his past. It's an incredibly impactful novel exploring the boundaries between good and bad ; which side of the law these people are on is not as obvious as checking which uniform a person is wearing.
Unflinching and unputtdowable this is a slice of northern noir detective fiction which is extremely hard to resist, and I can absolutely see why book lovers are clamouring for more. Not a word is out of place, people are introduced not as plot devices but as though they totally belong there, they stroll into the book fully formed, and announcing their arrival.It's immaculately plotted and Joesph pulls you into the undertow of the story and you are happy to be submerged.
Grim, noirish and extremely engaging, it is easy to connect with Aidan Waits despite how enigmatic and stand offish he comes across. He leaves you wanting to know more.Check out his description of his partner-
''My partner was built like a hip flask.A stout,neckless head on top of broad shoulders ,with the whiskey breath to match.There was something off, curdeled even,about his face,which was bleach white all over and studded with straange lumps beneath the skin.Somehow it suited his personality ,like the warning sign printed on rat poison.He never ironed either of his suits,but filled them to absolute breaking point so they appeared perfectly pressed.''
Wow!
'The Sleepwalker' begins with the eeriest opener I have read in a long time...an abandoned hospital wing, the afore mentioned Sutty(Detective Peter Sutcliffe) and Aidan Waits who have drawn the short straw-babysitting presumed serial killer Martin Wicks. Before the night is over, 2 people are dead, the media are having a field day and Aidan is given his third final chance to prove himself.
Sink or swim in a pool full of sharks just begging for blood....
Joseph Knox writes like a dream, he puts you right inside Aidan's head yet you cannot really get a grasp on him.You sense layers and layers are yet to be peeled away from this enigmatic detective. He has the envious task of tracking who could have killed a man that society is plainly better off without.Even in prison, there were 7 attempts on his life illustrating that even the worst amongst prisoners has standards and child killers are the most expendable.
But amongst this, Aidan and reluctant new partner Naomi Black, have to ascertain whether Martin was even responsible for the 4 deaths he was convicted of, and the whereabouts of Lizzie Moore, the eldest daughter of the family Martin decimated, leaving sole survivor Frank who is now a motivational speaker.
Pulling aside the facts , Aidan has the top brass breathing down his neck, trying to work out who leaked Martin's location , staying alive and dealing with his past. It's an incredibly impactful novel exploring the boundaries between good and bad ; which side of the law these people are on is not as obvious as checking which uniform a person is wearing.
Unflinching and unputtdowable this is a slice of northern noir detective fiction which is extremely hard to resist, and I can absolutely see why book lovers are clamouring for more. Not a word is out of place, people are introduced not as plot devices but as though they totally belong there, they stroll into the book fully formed, and announcing their arrival.It's immaculately plotted and Joesph pulls you into the undertow of the story and you are happy to be submerged.
July 8, 2019
I’m a huge fan of Joseph Knox’s gritty crime thrillers set in Manchester. There is a real sense of authenticity to the setting of these books, and I love how Manchester is brought to life, especially in the darker areas of the city where gang lords rule, which Joseph Knox paints in a vivid portrayal. His writing definitely makes you feel as though you are there.
This time round in The Sleepwalker, Detective Aidan Waits is posted outside the ward of sadistic killer Martin Wicks who is on his deathbed. Martin was convicted of killing a mother and her three children several decades ago. But he has never revealed the location of one of the children he murdered. The police are hoping that Martin will finally tell them the location of the body of his last victim. But when Martin does speak to Aidan, he confesses that he is innocent and Aidan believes him. But something shocking happens. Martin comes under attack and is killed within the secure unit of the hospital, along with another officer, and another police officer is injured. Is someone determined to make sure that Martin stays silent?
Joseph Knox’s latest novel follows a very intriguing, multi-layered story. Joseph Knox also continues Aidan Waites own personal story which he began to peel back in the last book The Smiling Man. And again I found Aidan Wait’s story a really interesting part of this plot, especially his relationship with his mother and his sister, who he hasn’t seen for the best part of twenty years. This part of the story puts Aidan under quite a lot of strain, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to effect him as the story progressed.
The part of the mystery which I really wanted to know the answer to was if Martin Wicks was really guilty of the crimes he was convicted for or if he was innocent as he protested to Aidan. I could sense trouble ahead for Aidan as he was starting to come round to the idea that this was really the truth, but it doesn’t stop him in his quest.
I also really liked Aidan’s partnership with Naomi Black. Their partnership and friendship are put under some strain, but I thought they both worked really well together and there did seem to be chemistry between them. Aidan is such a compelling character and it’s been really intriguing to see his story develop over the course of three books. I’m really hoping that there are going to be more novels featuring him.
The final scenes to this book are action filled, pacy, tense, and I couldn’t stop reading until I had turned the final page. The Sleepwalker has a real addictive quality to it, and I would definitely recommend picking up the first two books as well as this one. Very, very good.
This time round in The Sleepwalker, Detective Aidan Waits is posted outside the ward of sadistic killer Martin Wicks who is on his deathbed. Martin was convicted of killing a mother and her three children several decades ago. But he has never revealed the location of one of the children he murdered. The police are hoping that Martin will finally tell them the location of the body of his last victim. But when Martin does speak to Aidan, he confesses that he is innocent and Aidan believes him. But something shocking happens. Martin comes under attack and is killed within the secure unit of the hospital, along with another officer, and another police officer is injured. Is someone determined to make sure that Martin stays silent?
Joseph Knox’s latest novel follows a very intriguing, multi-layered story. Joseph Knox also continues Aidan Waites own personal story which he began to peel back in the last book The Smiling Man. And again I found Aidan Wait’s story a really interesting part of this plot, especially his relationship with his mother and his sister, who he hasn’t seen for the best part of twenty years. This part of the story puts Aidan under quite a lot of strain, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to effect him as the story progressed.
The part of the mystery which I really wanted to know the answer to was if Martin Wicks was really guilty of the crimes he was convicted for or if he was innocent as he protested to Aidan. I could sense trouble ahead for Aidan as he was starting to come round to the idea that this was really the truth, but it doesn’t stop him in his quest.
I also really liked Aidan’s partnership with Naomi Black. Their partnership and friendship are put under some strain, but I thought they both worked really well together and there did seem to be chemistry between them. Aidan is such a compelling character and it’s been really intriguing to see his story develop over the course of three books. I’m really hoping that there are going to be more novels featuring him.
The final scenes to this book are action filled, pacy, tense, and I couldn’t stop reading until I had turned the final page. The Sleepwalker has a real addictive quality to it, and I would definitely recommend picking up the first two books as well as this one. Very, very good.
August 3, 2019
Aiden Waits #3 and Waits has a contract on his head by mobster Zain Carver who Waits has stolen from in the past. However the contract states that Waits cannot be a police officer at the time of the hit because of the blow back that would cause. Well that shouldn't be a problem as Aiden is generally despised by his superiors on the force and is one more slip up away from the unemployment line.
In this book, Waits and his partner Sutty are charged with protective duty of terminally ill mass murderer Martin Wick with specific instructions to get the burial location of Wick's final teenage victim. It doesn't take long for all hell to break loose in the Hospital and before we know it, Wick has been assassinated, 1 cop is dead and another cop is in a coma........and is it relevant that just before he died, Wick whispered to Aiden that he was innocent ?
In book 1 "Sirens", we met Aiden Waits and learn he has been a crooked cop, but even though he makes some bad choices you kinda find yourself cheering for him.
In book 2 "The Smiling Man", Aiden showed tremendous growth into a hard working, yet still flawed police officer.
In this one, Aiden is constantly lying to his partner and withholding evidence on their current case in order to try and protect himself........which was very annoying but necessary as he navigates a dark and gritty Manchester with both good guys and bad guys hunting him.
Thanks to Joseph Knox, the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, Waits and his partner Sutty are charged with protective duty of terminally ill mass murderer Martin Wick with specific instructions to get the burial location of Wick's final teenage victim. It doesn't take long for all hell to break loose in the Hospital and before we know it, Wick has been assassinated, 1 cop is dead and another cop is in a coma........and is it relevant that just before he died, Wick whispered to Aiden that he was innocent ?
In book 1 "Sirens", we met Aiden Waits and learn he has been a crooked cop, but even though he makes some bad choices you kinda find yourself cheering for him.
In book 2 "The Smiling Man", Aiden showed tremendous growth into a hard working, yet still flawed police officer.
In this one, Aiden is constantly lying to his partner and withholding evidence on their current case in order to try and protect himself........which was very annoying but necessary as he navigates a dark and gritty Manchester with both good guys and bad guys hunting him.
Thanks to Joseph Knox, the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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