Sleepyhead - Hardcover
When a victim of a deliberately induced stroke is discovered, completely aware of her surroundings but unable to move or communicate, Detective Tom Thorne is horrified to learn that the attacker's intention is to leave his victims hanging between life and death. 35,000 first printing.
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About the Author:
Mark Billingham began working in the alternative comedy circuit in the United Kingdom in 1987. Since then he has appeared on more than thirty radio and television shows. The Sunday Times rates him as "one of the very best." He now writes for the BBC and ITV, where he has twice been nominated for Royal Television Society awards. He lives in London with his wife and two children.
From Publishers Weekly:
In a variation on the serial killer theme, newcomer Billingham's villain doesn't want to actually kill his victims (those who do die he considers mistakes ) so much as induce massive strokes that will leave them cerebrally conscious while otherwise in a completely comatose state known as locked-in syndrome. Combining elements of both police and medical procedural thriller, the novel follows frayed, middle-aged London detective inspector Tom Thorne as he chases down a series of red herrings, gradually becoming more and more obsessed with the killer's masterpiece, 24-year-old Alison Willetts, and the seductive doctor, Anne Coburn, who cares for her. This romantic subplot becomes entwined with the main plot as Anne's colleague and paramour, Dr. Jeremy Bishop (whose amusement with Thorne's growing infatuation with Anne reveals a particular sort of passive-aggressive sadism), fuels Thorne's rising suspicion of him with verbal jousts. Billingham, a TV writer and stand-up comic, manifests a competent enough hand with plotting and dialogue, particularly at romantic moments ( Now, this carpet has unhappy memories and I'm still not hundred percent sure I've got the smell of vomit out of it... You smooth-talking bastard ). Overall, he displays a solid grasp of the form, though not at the gut-wrenching level of such peers as Mo Hayder. Billingham excels in characterization, however, and it's likely that readers will develop empathy for his conflicted protagonist and the compassionate physician who takes justice into her own hands.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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- PublisherWilliam Morrow
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 0066212995
- ISBN 13 9780066212999
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
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Sleepyhead [SIGNED COPY, FIRST PRINTING]
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Limited First edition, New in new dust jacket. SIGNED by author on limitation page (signature only). 1st LIMITED edition, 1st printing, complete number line. New, unread copy with dust jacket in protective mylar sleeve. 'Signed first edition' sticker. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 320 p. Audience: General/trade. A Tom Thorne mystery by the Sherlock Award and Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award-winning author of 'In the Dark' and 'Die Of Shame'. Where possible, all books come with dust jacket in a clear protective plastic sleeve, sealed in a ziplock bag, wrapped in bubble wrap, shipped in a box. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # Alibris.0011103
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Sleepyhead
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. A tight, clean, unread and unmarked copy -First Thus - " Dear Detective Inspector Thorne. What can I say? Practice makes perfect. And don't you just envy her that perfect.distance? I invite you to consider the concept of freedom. True freedom. Have you ever really considered it? I'm sorry about the others. Truly. I shall not insult your intelligence with platitudes about ends and means but offer in mitigation the thought that a massive undertaking often has an appropriate margin of error. It's all about pressure, Detective Inspector Thorne, but then you'd know all about that. Seriously, though, Tom, maybe I'll call you sometime. Mark Billingham's arresting debut novel Sleepyhead, an international bestseller, is a mesmerizing, psychological thriller. Tense and unnerving, this menacing tale of obsession is as scathingly witty as it is bone chilling, and it introduces a stunning new talent in detective fiction. Alison Willetts is unlucky to be alive. She has survived a deliberately induced stroke, and although she can see, hear, and feel, she is completely unable to move or to communicate. In leaving Alison alive, the police believe her assailant has made his first mistake. Until Detective Inspector Tom Thorne discovers the horrifying truth: Alison is the psychopath's first success; the three women he killed before her were the mistakes. "An appropriate margin of error" is how their killer dismissed them; his true intention was to leave them just like Alison: put to sleep for the rest of their natural lives. And Thorne knows they won't be his last victims. To save innocent lives, he must find a criminal whose agenda is terrifyingly unique. But this untraceable, sadistic madman is smart, elusive, and cryptic -- he enjoys toying with the police almost as much as he savors pursuing his sick fantasy -- and the only lead Thorne has is the tragically uncommunicative Alison. Sensational, sinister, and sophisticated, Sleepyhead is a twisted take on the contemporary crime novel, and with it Mark Billingham reveals an extraordinary depth and range of talent. Impeccably plotted and remarkably assured, Billingham's debut marks the start of a brilliant career.". Seller Inventory # 011133
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Edition. New Hardcover. Never Read. 1st Edition-Stated. 1st Printing-Full # Line. Not price clipped. Not a remainder. Dust Jacket has 2 small crinkles. Book is BEAUTIFUL. COLLECTOR'S COPY. Seller Inventory # 001510
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Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.35. Seller Inventory # Q-0066212995
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