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Summary: Iles has the Gift of Language
Review: 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.
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Summary: A humdinger of a suspense/thriller...
Review: *Dead Sleep* is my first novel to read by Greg Iles, but I promise it won't be my last. Iles is a remarkable writer capable of bringing to life a fictional serial killer and the people who make it their mission to stop him. If you're in the mood for a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, *Dead Sleep* is the one! World famous photographer Jordan Glass is in Hong Kong on business when she stops off at the Museum of Art for a breather. Instead of a relaxing afternoon, she finds herself the center of attention, everyone staring at her as she peruses the artwork. As she enters a special display called "The Sleeping Women," she instantly realizes why. There is a painting of a sleeping woman that looks exactly like herself! Jordan's twin sister, Jane, disappeared without a trace in New Orleans over a year prior to the novel's opening scenes. It doesn't take long for Jordan to realize that these paintings are directly connected to Jane's disappearance as well as other women missing from New Orleans. She joins the investigation with FBI agent, John Kaiser, when the discovery of the paintings warms up the previously cold case. The book would be a great diversion from the holiday rush we're all experiencing. Enjoy!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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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).
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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.
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