Sleeping and the Dead [Paperback]

Ann Cleeves (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0330488023 | ISBN-13: 978-0330488020 | Publication Date: September 6, 2002

A diving instructor makes a gruesome discovery in Cranwell Lake - the body of a teenager who has clearly been in the water for many years. Detective Peter Porteous is called to the scene. After trailing through the missing persons files, he deduces that the corpse is Michael Grey, an enigmatic and secretive young man who was reported missing by his foster parents in 1972. As the police investigation gets under way in Cranwell, on the other side of the country prison officer Hannah Morton is about to get the shock of her life. For Michael was her boyfriend, and she was with him the night he disappeared. The news report that a body has been found brings back dreaded and long buried memories from her past...'Cleeves again excels in her sense of place in this cleverly plotted psychological thriller' - "The Times".

Editorial Reviews

Review

A drought has caused the level of Cranwell Lake to drop. Drop further that it ever has since 1972. At the end of a row of staithes near the beach, a body floats just beneath the surface. For Hannah Morton it is a return to her teenage years. For detectives Porteous and Stout it is the start of a trawl through the missing persons files in search of an identity - only to discover that Michael Gray is not who he seemed... After a slow start the plot gradually gains pace, switching between Hannah's memories, the police investigation and a fresh murder case. Ann Cleeves leaves the reader guessing till the end - a surprise finish unhinted at during the preceding pages. A good, solid English detective novel with the added bonus of Cleeve's finely drawn, often troubled, main players. - Lucy Watson

About the Author

Ann Cleeves lives near Whitley Bay. She is best known for her Inspector Ramsay novels, set in the Northumberland she knows so well.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (September 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330488023
• ISBN-13: 978-0330488020
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #616,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars British mystery at its finest., May 29, 2008

By 

Regina Kiser "Gina: british books, other book... (Saint Paul MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sleeping and the Dead (Paperback)

Cleeves fills this book with captivating British characters. A dead body that has been in the lake for 30 years, a prison librarian, a rebellious daughter all entwined in the mystery surrounding the body. This book was hard to put down, I finished it in one reading. Lots of surprises.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, September 1, 2008

By 

JengaJ (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sleeping and the Dead (Paperback)

I'm new to Ann Cleeves, having finished and loved Raven Black. I picked this up while waiting for her next in that series, and was very glad that I did so. This is a tense, fascinating character study that never forgets to interconnect the various strands of the mysteries together, while keeping the readers' interest throughout. The point of view shifts between protaganists at just the right times. I enjoyed the detective thoroughly and hope to encounter him again, though am not sure Ms. Cleeves kept up with thim. It is a refreshing change from standard American police procedurals - readers will be richly rewarded.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than RAVEN BLACK, November 16, 2008

By 

Ms. Wyatt "Mystery Lover" (Texas USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sleeping and the Dead (Paperback)

This book was excellent, I read it because Raven Black was such a good book. This book was even better, can't wait to read the authors second book in the Shetland Islands series! Hope Ann Cleeves also writes another book with the same characters as in this book.