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The Sleep Police
When Detective Frank Janus falls asleep, people die. Either a killer is playing mind games with him--or he's a killer himself. Now, as the body count rises, so do Frank's deep-rooted nightmares--his inexplicable blackouts--and the fear that he's become the number one suspect.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Jay Bonansinga
50 books387 followersThe national best-selling author of ten acclaimed books – both fiction and non-fiction -- Jay Bonansinga has been called “one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers” by the Chicago Tribune.
Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.
Jay is the holder of a master's degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, and currently resides in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife and two sons. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 20, 2013
A surprising 4 Stars
Since I have joined Goodreads, I have read very few books that for which I have not first read reviews and checked the ratings. The Sleep Police is the first book I have read on a whim in a long time. I am glad that I did. The book is a caffeine induced trip that keeps you questioning if the sleep deprived main character is simply a crazy killer or an unfortunate patsy.
The Sleep Police tells the story of a seriously sleep deprived detective who has had a long battle with insomnia and unexplained blackouts. While investigating a series of serial murders, he suffers other unexplained symptoms and is strangely haunted at the crime scenes. He begins to believe he is somehow involved in these murders during the times he sleeping. Is he sleepwalking? Does he have multiple personalities? It this his imagination? He vows to solve this crime before he goes back to sleep. It is while he is hopped up on a variety of stimulants that the story unfolds.
The story develops quickly and the actions does not let up as the story comes to a conclusion. The main character well developed. A nice surprise read from an unknown (to me) author. If you come across this book, pick it up. This original story is worth a read.
Since I have joined Goodreads, I have read very few books that for which I have not first read reviews and checked the ratings. The Sleep Police is the first book I have read on a whim in a long time. I am glad that I did. The book is a caffeine induced trip that keeps you questioning if the sleep deprived main character is simply a crazy killer or an unfortunate patsy.
The Sleep Police tells the story of a seriously sleep deprived detective who has had a long battle with insomnia and unexplained blackouts. While investigating a series of serial murders, he suffers other unexplained symptoms and is strangely haunted at the crime scenes. He begins to believe he is somehow involved in these murders during the times he sleeping. Is he sleepwalking? Does he have multiple personalities? It this his imagination? He vows to solve this crime before he goes back to sleep. It is while he is hopped up on a variety of stimulants that the story unfolds.
The story develops quickly and the actions does not let up as the story comes to a conclusion. The main character well developed. A nice surprise read from an unknown (to me) author. If you come across this book, pick it up. This original story is worth a read.
October 1, 2020
This is a good read but I just had a problem with finishing it. The story does not seem to flow all that well and it took me longer than usual to finish it.
June 29, 2015
Originally posted to Audiobookreviewer.com
My only previous experience from Jay Bonansinga, as many others I’m sure, is THE WALKING DEAD novels. If you read them, or heard the audio version, the work speaks for itself, it’s very good. I got offered to review this for Audiobookreviewer.com by Paul, the man behind the great site, not even knowing it was available. I snagged it up, ready to get started.
The story focuses on Frank Janus, a veteran homicide detective with a troubled passed. He grew up with a crazy mother who warned her children that the Sleep Police came for young boys who stayed up too late. Having lost their father early, Frank and his brother became accustomed to seeing a string of “uncles” come through their mother’s bedroom. One night Frank walked in on his mother sitting at the ended of the bed, mumbling to herself, with a dead body laying in her room. Mrs. Janus was committed to a psychiatric facility. This drove Frank Janus to pursue a career in law enforcement and he devoted his life to it, becoming destined to carry the badge.
Ten years ago, a young Detective Janus come across a case that would haunt his life for the following decade, The Thumb Sucker killer. The case went cold, but not before it really messed with Janus’s mind; causing blackouts and forcing him to start seeing a psychiatrist. Now in his late thirties, he’s walking into an all too familiar scene with his partner, Sully Deitz, with a woman curled in the fetal position, a thumb in her mouth. The Thumb Sucker was back, and Frank thought he might be breaking. While working the case, Janus comes across a videotape that sends his world spinning. It was the killer, confessing everything to Sully Deitz, even his name. He called himself…The Sleep Police. After a long talk with therapist, Dr. Pope, Janus starts investigating himself in hopes he’s wrong. Things get worse for Frank; he finds another tape, gets arrested, escapes, blacks-out again, and has to call his ex-wife.
The narration was great in this book, as was the audio quality. I was unfamiliar with Paul Heitsch prior to this book but, he brought the story to life. He fit the story perfectly with good voices, easily identifiable, and read at a good speed (this may seem silly but if you’ve ever heard a slow narrator, you’ll understand it can be a bit tedious). I hope I come across some more of his work soon.
My only previous experience from Jay Bonansinga, as many others I’m sure, is THE WALKING DEAD novels. If you read them, or heard the audio version, the work speaks for itself, it’s very good. I got offered to review this for Audiobookreviewer.com by Paul, the man behind the great site, not even knowing it was available. I snagged it up, ready to get started.
The story focuses on Frank Janus, a veteran homicide detective with a troubled passed. He grew up with a crazy mother who warned her children that the Sleep Police came for young boys who stayed up too late. Having lost their father early, Frank and his brother became accustomed to seeing a string of “uncles” come through their mother’s bedroom. One night Frank walked in on his mother sitting at the ended of the bed, mumbling to herself, with a dead body laying in her room. Mrs. Janus was committed to a psychiatric facility. This drove Frank Janus to pursue a career in law enforcement and he devoted his life to it, becoming destined to carry the badge.
Ten years ago, a young Detective Janus come across a case that would haunt his life for the following decade, The Thumb Sucker killer. The case went cold, but not before it really messed with Janus’s mind; causing blackouts and forcing him to start seeing a psychiatrist. Now in his late thirties, he’s walking into an all too familiar scene with his partner, Sully Deitz, with a woman curled in the fetal position, a thumb in her mouth. The Thumb Sucker was back, and Frank thought he might be breaking. While working the case, Janus comes across a videotape that sends his world spinning. It was the killer, confessing everything to Sully Deitz, even his name. He called himself…The Sleep Police. After a long talk with therapist, Dr. Pope, Janus starts investigating himself in hopes he’s wrong. Things get worse for Frank; he finds another tape, gets arrested, escapes, blacks-out again, and has to call his ex-wife.
The narration was great in this book, as was the audio quality. I was unfamiliar with Paul Heitsch prior to this book but, he brought the story to life. He fit the story perfectly with good voices, easily identifiable, and read at a good speed (this may seem silly but if you’ve ever heard a slow narrator, you’ll understand it can be a bit tedious). I hope I come across some more of his work soon.
July 13, 2014
"An Incredible Chiller From A Master Storyteller"
I would definitely recommend this audiobook to a friend because it is extremely good. It's better than good. Jay is amazing.
The plot kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were so many amazing twists. There was no way you could see where this was going. I'll tell you that this was top notch writing. Very well done. This is the first performance that I've listened to by Paul Heitsch and he did an outstanding job playing Frank. He was perfect and I will look for more from him in the future. Flawless! The whole book was a thrill ride, so yes it was very moving. I loved it. This was a fantastic thriller. I was impressed. Jay upped the game with this in my opinion. I will include more in my blog.
I would definitely recommend this audiobook to a friend because it is extremely good. It's better than good. Jay is amazing.
The plot kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were so many amazing twists. There was no way you could see where this was going. I'll tell you that this was top notch writing. Very well done. This is the first performance that I've listened to by Paul Heitsch and he did an outstanding job playing Frank. He was perfect and I will look for more from him in the future. Flawless! The whole book was a thrill ride, so yes it was very moving. I loved it. This was a fantastic thriller. I was impressed. Jay upped the game with this in my opinion. I will include more in my blog.
January 21, 2011
Oh, for the want of a couple of cotton balls!
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November 16, 2010Not too bad.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews