Customer Reviews

Dead Sleep

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Greg Iles has taken on the interesting, and surely daunting for a male author, task of writing a book in the first person from the female perspective. Not only is he dealing with the feelings of the opposite sex towards quite emotional issues, his main character is also a troubled soul, having lost her father when she was young, her mother to alcoholism and her sister to an unknown kidnapper. On top of that he deals with some pretty major issues such as rape and child abuse. Although, it's a big task, he has presented his character in a believable and interesting fashion and, to my mind, pulls it off.

Jordan Glass is a photojournalist who does a lot of travelling around the world. While she is Hong Kong, she visits an art gallery and finds herself face-to-face with what appears to be a painting of her. It is actually her twin sister, who has been missing for around eighteen months, presumed dead. The chilling aspect of the painting for Jordan is that the subject is supposed to be sleeping, but looks very much dead.

Jordan immediately notifies the FBI and has them reopen her sister's case. She travels back to the United States and manages to convince the FBI agents that she should be allowed to take an active part in the investigation. The hunt begins for the artist and the women that are his subjects, for Jordan's sister is only one of many missing women who have turned up on canvas.

All in all Dead Sleep is an exciting, smart-paced book mixing a thriller scenario with aspects of the typical police procedural. I did find myself having to deal with a couple of small quibbles, such as the photojournalist outsmarting the entire FBI when it comes to investigation and psychoanalysis. However, they were minor compared to the entertainment provided by another imaginative story courtesy of Mr Iles.

Greg Iles is, simply put, the best thriller author working today. There are many others who are good, but all have evident weaknesses. Cornwell? Artificial dialogue and unrealistically ornery characters. Grisham/Crichton/Deaver? Formulaic writing and inconistent ability to write subtle, textured stories. Etc.

Iles scores big points with vivid characters, sympathetic villains, flawed protagonists, and enough perverse coloring to keep things edgy. He has never fallen into the trap of sticking with one subject - Nazi intrigue, Internet Sex, Serial Killers, Kidnappers, Civil Rights - all fall within his realm, and he puts in the research and elbow grease to write about his subplots and not around them.

I enjoy Iles' ability to bring characters to life through their passions and careers without pulling the focus away from the spiraling plot. Jordan Glass is a photojournalist, while the antagonists of this book are artists in the paint medium. This juxtaposition of careers and filters through which to view the world enables the characters to communicate through a common thread which facilitates impassioned dialogue.

Writing through the eyes of a beautiful tomboy also makes it clear that Iles can capably write circles around others who try this type of narrative risk (eg. James Patterson). He pulls off the trick to make her appear strong yet wounded, willful yet needy. There are no artificially difficult FBI agents who infiltrate almost all the run-of-the-mill thrillers and even the secondary characters are well fleshed out and interesting in their own right. Jordan's FBI "partner" John Kaiser is a Vietnam vet with a difficult past. Her sister is her identical twin, which in and of itself provides many interesting moments. The mysterious semi-antagonist, semi-protagonist M. De Becque is somehow established as a full-fledged character despite very little actual dialogue. The four primary antagonists are some of the most textured and charismatic I have encountered in thriller fare. Their actions are explained, there fears are bared and their commonalities with the protagonists are explored.

I could write a plot summary, but others here will handle here. Unlike a Deaver book in which you can generally guess that the most unlikely villain is indeed the villain, Iles refuses to insult our intelligence, and lets the story unfold in a natural light (hmmm.). The ending is not wasted on contrivance - instead it expresses, as do other Iles books, that the end-game in human life is survival and in the excitement and rewards life can bring through its trials. This allows him to finish his novels with a flourish where others fall flat.

As Wilde once wrote "They think a murderer's heart would taint each simple seed they sow. It is not true! God's kindly earth is kindlier than men know, and the red rose would but blow more red and the white rose whiter blow." (Ballad of Reading Gaol). Enjoy.

Greg Iles is my newest favorite novelist. His power of language and imagination are amazing. Every one of his novels is amazing (I have read 5 of the 6 he has written and I am reading the sixth now.). Each novel has a totally different premise with totally different characters. There is a bias toward the southern but the novels are worldwide in scope. This one begins in Hong Kong and goes to New York before ending up in New Orleans with a side trip to the Cayman Islands.

Iles has a wonderful sense of life, mystery and history and how they blend together to form one tapestry. He also has a wonderful gift to construct words that will keep you engrossed for the entire book.

In Dead Sleep a professional combat photographer sees pictures of dead women in an art exhibition in Hong Kong including a portrait of her twin sister who had been killed in New Orleans. She is compelled to track down the artist and ends up ensnared in a pattern of serial killing with macabre overtones (like Robert Parker and Stuart Woods, Iles now has a female protagonist). She inevitably ends up working with the FBI in a very strained relationship (it says something about the Bureau or about modern literary convention that you can only work with the FBI in a strained relationship).

I cannot recommend Iles books to highly and this certainly maintains the standard.

Ever since he hit the scene many years ago with Spandau Phoenix, I have followed Greg Iles' amazing career with a great deal of interest. I don't know of any author currently working that can hold a candle to his sheer talent for writing in such a wide variety of genre's. So far he has tackled historical thriller, legal thriller, supernatural, murder/mystery and straight-on action/adventure thriller. What genuinely sets Mr. Iles apart is that not only has he written these many styles, but he quite literally COMMANDS each genre that he writes. I know of NO living author who has made such a wide attempt at writing, and certainly nobody who has ever managed to do it so incredibly well.

His stories rarely take long to unfold. They grab you almost from the first page with the lyrical prose of some of the all-time greats. There is simply just a very addicting way which Greg Iles writes that draws you in and quick. Dead Sleep is yet another one of his amazing plots that is virtually mesmerizing. The idea of a painter who uses Real dead women as subjects of paintings is facinating enough, but add to that the twist of Jordan Glass suddenly seeing her OWN face on one of the paintings -- or rather that of her missing and presumed dead twin sister is enough to force me to read on and on. That scene in this book is alone worth the price. The breakneck pace that follows is enough to keep you entranced in this tale. But as others have noted, while reading a Greg Iles book, there is just something almost intangible in the way he writes that virtually compells you to read further, almost desperately in the sheer need to finish the story once you've started. VERY few authors have EVER been able to pull that off (Phillip Margolin's Gone, But Not Forgotten is another).

I could go deeper into the plot, but you probably already know what the basic storyline is, so I won't bother you with going over what you have picked up thus far. What I wanted to bring up is just how satisfying a Greg Iles book can help you feel, especially if you are a voracious reader like me. I am certain you have read your fair share of novels that lacked decent resolutions or character development or just something that made you less than happy with the end results. What truly sets this author apart is his uncanny ability to pull off the whole package, making you quite satisfied with almost every part of his stories, and almost forces you to come back to read all his other books. Now is MY experience the same for everyone who reads Greg Iles? Obviously not. There have been some reviews of some of his novels that were downright insulting to anyone who even remotely found his books entertaining. I have always found it interesting that the books that have traditionally been viewed as 'Classics' and 'Great Literature' have been by and large pure drivel as far as I am concerned. Why? I don't know exactly. All I know is Greg writes the kind of books I really enjoy reading and he makes me look forward to what else he is planning on doing. What more can a reader ask for?

Greg Iles is a talented writer, and an especially gifted narrator. This book, however, doesn't even begin to showcase his talent. The premise of the book is interesting; someone is painting a series of pictures of women who are either dead or sleeping. The main character's twin sister has disappeared and shows up as one of the subjects in the paintings. With the help of the FBI, she tries to track down the painter---who may also be a killer.

The book begins with a bang, and the first few chapters will have the reader frantically turning pages. After that, though, Iles kills the book by bogging it down with about 250 pages of nothing but dialogue. Very little happens during this time period other than dialogue, dialogue, dialogue---which is fine in small amounts, but the plot withers and dies during this time and the reader is left bored and disappointed. Iles could benefit from a more talented editor who could explain to him that he could easily accomplish in 2 or 3 pages what he routinely spends 20 pages writing about. Creating good characters and believable dialogue is fine, but Iles doesn't know when to stop. As he has done in several other books, he spends literally dozens of pages giving detailed descriptions of people who have little or nothing to do with the plot. Once again, I don't blame Iles, I blame his editor. I was about to give up on this one midway through but it became exciting again when I reached the last 100 pages. The ending left me somewhat disappointed and I found myself wishing that the book had been as good as the first Iles book I ever read, Sleep No More. If you're looking for a tightly-crafted suspense thriller, try that instead and leave Dead Sleep on the shelf.

I am a fan of Greg Iles - it's always good to see a Mississippi boy make good. In *Dead Sleep*, he introduces a fascinating premise and follows through with a tremendously entertaining - though slightly flawed - tale. The good, the bad below:

*1* He does an excellent job of telling the story from a female point of view. Jordan Glass was believable, and her character was (to my mind) thoroughly developed. I understood her motivations, and while I might not agree with her choices, I could easily determine why she does the things she does.

*2* The whole plot-line concerning the paintings was unique and well-drawn. It is also well-paced - a rare phenomenon for thrillers these days. He keeps the reader interested from beginning to end.

-3- The romance angle between Jordan and Kaiser was a little . . . forced. Talking about kids on a first date in the middle of a serial murder investigation (while agent Wendy was looking on no less) seemed a little odd. Thrillers and romance novels should not mix.

-4- The ending was a little too convenient. The "loose ends" were slightly annoying after spending so much time with these characters.

Overall, this is a very entertaining novel. Iles seems to be getting better at his craft, mastering many different types of plot, rather than veering into formula. I am eager to see where his talent takes him (and us) next . . .

Iles' Dead Sleep continues his streak of exciting, well-written, suspenseful novels. While not, in my opinion, as good as Black Cross, Mortal Fear and The Quiet Game, Dead Sleep is very much worth reading. In typical fashion, Iles has developed an imaginative story, multidimensional characters, a very fast-paced plot and non-stop surprises. Unlike James Patterson in his book, First To Die, Iles has created a female protagonist that is very credible, strong and one you grow very fond of and really care about. I came close to giving Dead Sleep a 5-star rating; but didn't because the ending, while enjoyable, was a bit contrived. This, however, is a minor flaw, at most, and should not deter you from reading this book. As a matter of fact, if you haven't already done so, you should read all of Iles' books. While all thrillers, they are all very different from each other. What they have in common is a creator who is extremely talented. In just a few years, Iles has established hinself as an author whose books I make it a point to buy just because he wrote them. What the story is about is almost inconsequential because I have confidence, based on past experience, that it will be a real page-turner. Enjoy!

With the exception of BLACK CROSS, I have read every Greg Iles' novels. DEAD SLEEP is one of his best books ever written right after 24 HOURS and THE QUIET GAME.

In his latest novel, his main character is Jordan Glass, a professional photographer and journalist. During the past year and a half she has been taking unnecessary risks in her job and losing focus of her life. Thirty years ago her father went missing while working as a photojournalist during the Vietnam War and a year ago, a serial kidnapper based in New Orleans, kidnapped her identical twin sister. She left behind two kids and a husband and up to that point the FBI had no clues as to her whereabouts.

While trying to put her life together, Jordan goes to Hong Kong to work on her dream project, publishing a book on her pictures of weather phenomena. A friend of hers encourages a visit to a museum where she can see some beautiful watercolors on display. During her sightseeing she can't help but wonder as to why everybody in the building was staring at her. It is not until she sees an exhibit titled `The Sleeping Women' when her life is torn asunder. This particular exhibit involves several paintings of nude female models that appear to be dead in the pictures. Jordan's sister is one of them. This takes her on an nightmarish ride in which she works with the NOPD and the FBI in trying to find the person responsible for those pictures and as the fate of her sister and the other missing girls. It seems each portrait represents a missing New Orleans woman kidnapped during the same time frame a Jordan's sister.

The story is very suspenseful and it kept me up until the wee hours trying to finish this book. I really enjoyed the characters in the book. My only complaint with the book involved the identity of the painter. I thought his reason for his madness was a little clichéd in mystery novels. Do not let this stop you, it is still a great book.

While in Hong Kong, photojournalist Jordan Glass, wanders into an art museum. While admiring the work, she is besieged with stares, and horrified glances by the others in the gallery, within moments Jordan realizes why she is receiving this reaction...for on the wall is a painting of a woman, a woman that is identical to her...

Knowing she did NOT pose for this picture, Jordan knows it can be only one other person, her twin sister who went missing a year ago.

Dashing off to New York, Jordan wants to come face to face with an artist who has connections to the artist of the THE SLEEPING WOMEN paintings, only when she arrives in NYC, the artist is not cooperative, and within minutes his building is torched, leaving him dead.

Barely escaping the horrendous fire, Jordan is approached by the FBI with a tempting proposition...help them catch the madman who is abducting women, killing them, and then painting them, and they will get her all the answers she is seeking about her sister's disappearance.

Plunged into a nightmare race to catch a killer, Jordan will be the hunter, and the hunted, as this crazed individual knows the secrets that plague her family's past.

`Dead Sleep' is a non-stop ride of pure enjoyment. The pace is super fast, hurtling forward on page one, and never slowing down. Twist after twist, the reader is kept guessing at what shock Mr. Iles has in store for us, and when everything gets comes together at the end, the reader is blown away.

Greg Iles has quickly become one of my favorite suspense authors, and as any reader of his novels knows, if you are taking one of his books on vacation, take a back up because once you start his books you will not put it down until it's finished, usually within a few hours!

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

Greg Isles has penned yet another killer thriller! So blown away was I by the first novel of his that I read, "24 Hours", that I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I was not disappointed.

Jordan Glass, a female photojournalist heralded for her breathtaking work in the same vein as her late father, is deeply troubled by life. Her father disappeared and was presumed dead during one of his Pulitzer-winning photo jaunts, and her identical twin sister disappeared as well without a trace. While travelling in Hong Kong, Jordan comes upon an art exhibit in which she sees a disturbing image...herself, dead. Or so she presumes. Perhaps it's her sister's image, she's not sure.

The ensuing mystery grabs you by the adrenal gland and doesn't let go until the final climactic scene. Again, Isles does a tremendous job of moving his story forward at breakneck speed, keeping his characters believable and his plot tight. Count me in as a Greg Isles convert!