Rating: Summary: Six Straight Winners! Review: 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!
Rating: Summary: Excellent novel Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: One of Iles Best Review: I really loved this book. This was my 6th Iles book and I though one of his best. Many readers disliked the length of some of his other books, so at about 370+ pages, this was one of his shorter ones. It's tightly written (no tangents or extraneous characters -- another Iles complaint). And, unlike some of the other reviewers, I thought the ending held together very well. Another aspect of this book that was outstanding is that Iles writes this book in the 1st person as a woman. He does an excellent job at this as we see the world and the drama unfold thru the heroin's eyes. If you like mystery/action type books with great villians and interesting characters, you'll like this book. I couldn't put it down!
Rating: Summary: Original Premise Review: I picked this book to read because the premise sounded so original and it kept its promise. There are a series of paintings of nude women who appear to be asleep or dead on display in a gallery in Hong Kong. Jordan Glass, a world class photo journalist, discovers the paintings and is shocked to discover that one of them looks exactly her. The first page in this book is a little tricky. I wonder how many readers go back and read the first two paragraphs a second time before continuing with the story. Iles, in the tradition of the best mystery writers, doesn't come right out and tell the reader who the suspect could be, but he paints a picture and leaves it to the reader to pick up on his clues. So much more fun that way. There are ups and downs in this story. It bogs down in a few places, but the pace soon picks up again. At times, the suspense is so great, the reader is tempted to take a peek at the end. But it's a complicated story and the reader would miss out on a lot by doing that. A very good read.
Rating: Summary: Holy Cow did this book fall apart Review: This is the first time I have read a Greg Iles novel and it will be the last one I read of his. Don't get me wrong it was an interesting idea but I felt it fell apart towards the end. To me it ended up being just silly.
Rating: Summary: Great Read, Great Listen Review: When photojournalist Jordan Glass is in an art gallery in Hong Kong, she causes quite a stir and, pushing through the crowd, she discovers the reason. The sleeping nude in the portrait could be her. The Chinese men who surround her, can't believe a model of someone who looks so dead on canvas can be actually living and in the hall with them. But Jordan knows that it's her twin sister, who disappeared in New Orleans a year ago. She flies back to New York to try and find the artist and discovers that the painting is one of a series in which all the models appear to be dead and that the paintings are worth a half million bucks each. The dealer who handles the paintings is the first person Jordan wants to see, however within a few minutes of meeting him, the dealer is dead and his gallery is in flames. DEAD SLEEP guaranteed there'd be no sleep at my place as I read the book aloud to my writer boyfriend during a long and cozy night. It was his idea, as soon as he saw the novel was written in the first person, with a woman's voice. He thought it would be neat if I read, while he listened. All in all it was a very satisfying experience as we followed Jordan together while she chased after clues from New York to New Orleans. As my boyfriend would say, DEAD SLEEP was a great read, well in this case, for him, it was a great listen. Sara "Babe" Hackett, Girlfriend from the Darkside
Rating: Summary: What a Wierd Book Review: After reading his previous books which are geat mysteries, this has disappointed greatly. Wierd is not descriptive enough. A person's soul jumping from body to body almost at will is wierd, ubelievable and not an interesting subject for readers of his previous great books. I would think thrice before buying any more of his books.
Rating: Summary: Top notch story, well read, emotional ending Review: This story by Greg Iles, as read by Ms. Susie Breck (very attractive, according to the photo on the back of the audio version [abridged]) is a compelling story, well read, and has a very emotional ending. The characters are strong, especially Jordan Glass, as she searches for her sister. The Wheaton character is dark, chilling, and creepy, with a disturbing past. The story moves along at a fairly nice pace. I would also recommend 24 Hours (filmed as "Trapped" with Charlize Theron) and the Quiet Game. Excellent idea for a movie (better than most out there now).
Rating: Summary: Iles gets back on the right track Review: Greg Iles returns to delivering a complex and suspenseful plot with intriguing characters in Dead Sleep. Like Mortal Fear, this is also a present day serial killer thriller. Instead of being linked by a computer service, this time the victims are the subjects of a rare and highly sought-after set of paintings. Again the initial investigator, this time a photojournalist, gets wrapped up in the chase, ultimately to an extremely personal level. Once again the victims are females, and much of the book is set in the South (New Orleans). It is not as good as Mortal Fear, but it is still quite good - it is Greg Iles doing what he does best.
Rating: Summary: Wow! Riveting! Review: This is a story of crime, passion, love, hope, rejection, it is many things, and the characters draw the reader in with their complexities. It takes place in New Orleans, but jumps to other parts of the world occasionally. As a successful, professional photographer, Jordan Glass is recognized in her field, as her famous father once was. He has been missing, presumed dead in Cambodia for over 30 years. She has always missed him and never given up on the fact that he may still be alive, but has kept an emotional distance from any man she could love and possibly lose again. At 40 years of age she remains single. While in Hong Kong on a business trip she browses an art gallery and is puzzled by the gasps of onlookers as they look at her and back at a painting of a woman in "repose." As she approaches the painting the reason for the stares are obvious - the woman in the painting looks exactly like her. Is she asleep or dead? She looks dead, and it disturbs her a great deal, as her twin sister has been missing for over a year. Could she have been killed and posed for the painter? Thus begins a story with so many twists and turns that you have to keep reading it. It is very well done. There is no shortage of action once it gets moving. It involves the FBI, the NOPD, swat teams, and the reader gets well acquainted with them too. I have not read a book of this caliber for some time. The last half of the book was especially hard to put down, and kept me up many nights past my bedtime. If you are the type that has to have your attention grabbed on the first page, be a little patient with "Dead Sleep" - it will be worth the short wait. It is a good book for either a man or a woman. Give it as a gift to an avid reader, you won't be sorry, and neither will they!
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