Don't Close Your Eyes

by Carlene Thompson

Nestled on the shores of Lake Erie, the small town of Port Ariel, Ohio, is a welcome haven for Natalie St. John. Back home for the first time in years, she plans to visit old friends, mend a broken heart, and take a break from her busy veterinarian practice. But her peace is shattered her first night back, when she discovers the murdered body of her friend, Tamara Peyton.

Was it a random act of violence...or something personal? The answer becomes clear as Natalie is stalked by the voice of "Tamara," whose terrifying phone calls warn her that she too, is going to die.

One by one, the people closest to Tamara are being savagely murdered. But neither Natalie nor Sheriff Nick Meredith recognizes the face of the devious killer who walks among them, hiding behind a well-crafted lie. Now, a murderer's deadly act of vengeance demands one more sacrifice-and Natalie has been chosen to pay the price...

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Romance, Romantic Suspense

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Carlene Thompson is an author of suspense thriller novels.

Her first book, Black for Remembrance, was published in 1990 by Little, Brown and was well received. Her books are suspense novels, often with romantic elements and many take place in Thompson's home state of West Virginia. Her books often feature animals, which she bases on animals she knows in real life.

Reviews

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this at first, but in the last third it started to drag. It was a bit dated, with many of the female characters wearing slacks, pearls, and pastels. The setting was good, and I thought the characters were well-drawn. 2.5 stars.

[Lupurk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bel thriller, il primo che leggo di questa autrice, l'ho divorato in pochi giorni. Begli intrighi, colpi di scena al momento giusto, sospetti che ovviamente vengono smentiti...e ammetto che nonostante gli anni di Signora in giallo e di Agatha Christie, non ero arrivata a indovinare il colpevole!
Nota dolente per l'edizione: in realtà l'ho letto quasi tutto in ebook, una vecchia edizione mondadori, con una traduzione leggermente più datata rispetto a questa e con qualche taglio in più (scene intere, meno utili ai fini della trama, completamente assenti). L'edizione Marcos y Marcos però mi ha delusa: amo questa casa editrice, ma ho trovato, in questo libro, qualche refuso di troppo e una traduzione insoddisfacente: persone che si danno un po' del tu e un po' del lei, cose che mi hanno fatto storcere il naso, tanto da preferire la vecchia edizione, anche se più tagliata e meno attuale.

[Eyleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 69 pages.
Es ist so furchtbar schlecht geschrieben, ich halte es nicht länger aus. Habe jetzt mal nach hinten geguckt, wie es ausgeht und meine einzige Theorie, die es noch hätte cool machen können, geht leider nicht auf. Somit verpasse ich jetzt auch nichts, wenn ich es abbreche.

[Judy Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not typically a mystery book reader but I really enjoyed this book. It was scary in parts and while I had a small clue who the murderer was, there were others I suspected more. So when the end came, I was still surprised. Ms. Thompson has a true gift to keep the reader entranced and I could visualize everyone and every place Our main character, Natalie, goes to her small hometown where the twin sister of her best friend is killed. As the story continues and more people are murdered, Natalie is drawn more into helping the new local sheriff find the killer. I will be looking into more of Carlene Thompson's books now that I have experienced this one.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I take my mysteries and my suspense novels with a grain of salt. I have to suspend belief because a lot of is much like TV and just not realistic. My biggest gripe was that any NORMAL female who gets a phone call from somebody claiming to be her friend that was just murdered the other day and who quotes the note left on the body would be calling the cops. But she just shrugs it off as nothing and moves on with her day.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but not anything real memorable.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent suspense story with plenty of red herrings to leave you wondering who the killer is, though I would have liked a bit more romance between the two main characters, Natalie & Nick.

I quite liked the character of Nick's daughter Paige who, with her friend Jimmy attempt to solve the killings. All in all an enjoyable read & will look out for more by this writer.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author!!

[Teresa Lavender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt the beginning was a bit weak, but the story gained momentum as I continued reading. Enjoyed reading this.

[Il Rospo Lettore · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Natalie, giovane veterinaria in carriera, ha bisogno di cambiare aria. A Columbus, la sua storia d'amore è a pezzi: Kenny la tradisce. A Port Ariel, sulle rive del Lago Eric, c'è invece un padre premuroso pronto ad accoglierla. Ci sono rilassanti passeggiate nei boschi. E le vecchie amiche con cui far mattina a suon di pettegolezzi. Natalie non fa in tempo a godersi neppure un giorno di quel paradiso. La sorella gemella di Lily, la sua migliore amica, viene sgozzata. Accanto al suo corpo, Natalie trova un biglietto molto inquietante. Dalle prime indagini e dalle chiacchiere di paese emerge una rete di gelosie, risentimenti, odii manifesti. Il marito della vittima, un seducente psicologo, non sembra molto colpito dalla disgrazia. Il babbo di Natalie, ma anche quello di Lily, hanno più di un motivo per evitare che si indaghi troppo nel loro passato. Intanto, l'assassino colpisce di nuovo, e Natalie inizia a ricevere minacce molto pesanti...»
Generalmente per stroncare un libro giallo (o thriller che dir si voglia) c'è solo una parola: scontato. E questo va al di là dello stile dell'autore, della trama o dei personaggi. "Scontato" significa che ogni cosa è fissa e immutabile e così a poche pagine dall'inizio si sa già come andrà a finire. Ebbene, vi rassicuro. Con "Non chiudere gli occhi" NON (e ribadisco il "NON") siamo assolutamente in questo caso. Una trama perfetta che si svolge con una regolarità degna di un cronometro svizzero a venticinque rubini. I personaggi sono tutti perfettamente credibili, delineati e letteralmente "vivi" davanti agli occhi. Eventi e ambienti si susseguono incastrandosi perfettamente. E' assolutamente impossibile evidenziare qualche particolare in più, in quanto correrei il rischio di svelare qualcosa della trama e della soluzione finale. Non posso e non devo e non voglio rovinare la piacevolezza della lettura. Da leggere e da leggere. Bellissimo! P.S. Un sentito "grazie" a chi (è anche utente di Goodreads) me lo ha regalato. :)

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really, really enjoying this book . . . right up until the ending. The ending isn't awful, merely annoying; the main character absolutely will not stop leaving the police out of a police investigation. And, honestly, it's hard to take the romance between her and the lead detective seriously when she keeps doing such foolish, disrespectful things.
When a kidnapper calls to request your life in exchange for the kidnap victim, and tells you to not tell the police and to come alone to a deserted location, DO NOT OBEY THE CRAZY, CRAZY CRIMINAL. Especially when the person who was kidnapped is the police detective's daughter. Sheesh. What is wrong with mystery writers and their heroines?

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it , more than I thought I would honestly and I'll probably read more books by this author ( especially since she's from WV! ) . It was missing that something that makes me super excited about a book though , so three stars is all it gets .

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I've read it twice and was surprised by the killer both times. Very very good. It held my attention and I was reading into the early hours of the morning. There are some disturbing themes in a few parts but over all it was an awesome read.

[Catheriine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un roman écrit dans les années 90, assez typique dans sa structure en tant que "Whodunnit?" (Qui a commis le crime?). On brouille les pistes jusqu'à la toute fin. Un peu difficile à suivre car beaucoup de personnages.

[Shirls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sill loving Carlene Thompson’s mysteries. I am about to order 3 more. As always, it took me a long while to figure out the killer. There’s always a twist.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, a bit dated which is not too surprising given it is about 20 years old.

[Read With Chey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I REALLY enjoyed this one. I liked the writing, loved the setting, the mystery/murder element was unsettling and spooky. I had no idea who the killer was right up until it was revealed. I really like books when they’re told in third person and we get lots of POVs, and each character here felt really well fleshed out with lots of background. Such a solid read and I’m kind of sad it’s over! I’m looking forward to reading more of her.

My only complaint was the lack of a romance. I don’t know if it was supposed to be a romantic suspense or if it’s something I assumed about the book from the synopsis, but there was only a hint of flirting in this book, no romance. Otherwise it was a really great read!

[bersabea giudice · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

Secondo libro che leggo di Carlene Thompson, fino a poco tempo fa non sapevo neanche chi fosse e adesso mi trovo a cercare tutti i suoi libri in formato ebook da comprare.
Per chi non la conoscesse, direi che il genere di libri che scrive è molto simile a quelli di Mary Higgins Clark, secondo me un pelino meglio però, il suo stile è più brioso, e le sue protagoniste hanno una vivacità che le eroine della Clarck, tutte perfettine, non hanno.
Questo libro mi è piaciuto, mi è piaciuto il fatto che ci trovassimo in una cittadina piccola dove tutti si conoscono e conoscono tutti i fatti degli altri.
Mi è piaciuto cercare di capire chi fosse l'assassino, e chi sarebbe stato il prossimo a morire.
Insomma, una bella lettura estiva, leggerò sicuramente altro della Thompson.

[GL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natalie sa di essere in pericolo e deve difendersi da qualcuno con cui non ha mai avuto a che fare, qualcuno che la vuole morta perché la sua fine sarebbe la miglior vendetta per qualcosa che ha commesso suo padre.
Dopo "Nero come il ricordo", è il romanzo che più preferisco della Thompson. Trama con struttura solida che tiene incollati fino alla fine. Molti la paragonano alla M.H. Clark, ma per me Carlene è "qualche" gradino più su.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top favorites, and a very nice happy accident. This book caught by eye by cover alone like many, but actually had good turns, twists, and touches that made it memorable to me. It's one of the books I am absolutely seeking to replace after losing and will be rereading once I have it in my collection again.

[Nelia Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je n'ai pas les mots.
Je suis bouche bée.
Ce livre, c'est plus qu'un coup de cœur pour moi.
Carlene a réussi à faire faire de chaque personnage un suspect.
C'était juste incroyable, époustouflant.
Chaque chapitre se terminait sur une touche de suspens, pas une seule page ne m'a déçue, pas un mot que j'ai lu sans en ressentir quelque chose.

[Marie Dreyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Best mystery ever.

Wow. This book kept me reading from page 1 to the end. I thought I had it figured out several times. What a good author. Thanks for a good book. Now I need to read the rest of her books

[Juniper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good suspense but a really awful translation ! I still wonder how the publisher accepted to publish this... I'll try and find the English version of this novel.

[Chy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Kept me guessing till the very end!

[barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

didnt see that ending coming - great book

[Kaitlin Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read and well written. A classic mystery with a twist. Very enjoyable.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. Guessed the killer correctly pretty early on, but still good! The ending seemed a bit rushed, and there were SO many characters.

[Cindyloo84 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it

[Kimberly Suggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn't bad, it kept me drawn in from the beginning all the way to the end. I will be reading more from her for sure. There were a lot of people that could have been the murderer and I think that she set it up perfectly in the end. I think my favorite characters were the kids in the book, that were trying to solve the mystery.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview: Natalie St. John has rushed home after a fight with her boyfriend. She is looking forward to just spending time with her friends. And then the murders begin starting. First up is Tamara Hunt, one of Natalie’s oldest friends. How many will die before the killer gets caught? There’s one thing that Natalie can be positive about, maybe two. These phone calls don’t bode well for her. And there’s nothing that’ll keep her in Port Ariel. Not her dad, not Lilly, and definitely not that cute sheriff…maybe she shouldn’t be too hasty here.

Likes: Tamara was one of the best characters in this book. Andrew wanted the best for those of his community.

Paige and Jimmy were always good for a laugh.

Dislikes: I had a hard time getting along with Natalie. She was so contrary that she didn’t seem to use any common sense at times.

Eugene’s death seemed to bring the worse out of Dee. Her bitterness almost ruined what she was up to for me.

Conclusion: This was a rather fun story. It reminded me of a cross between a cozy mystery and a suspense novel.